Problems with 2002 Ford Taurus SUSPENSION

Front left coil spring brook on my 2002 ford tarus sel. *tr

The back drivers side spring snapped and ripped a huge hole into my tire. *tr

Driving home for a lunch break, and as i am driving it sounds/feels like something snaps i lost control of my car hit a tree. got out of vehicle and noticed the passenger side front tire looked shredded. once tow agency arrived they noticed the front coil had broke which was the cause of the tire being shredded. my veh is now in repair and needing a new front coil. *tr phone interview updates (july 9, 2008): the consumer said that it was a clear day, the road was dry and there was very little traffic. she was traveling at about 40 to 45 mph on the left of two north bound lanes. suddenly a corner of the front of the vehicle dropped and the vehicle spun counter-clockwise about 90 degrees crossing the two south bound lanes, hopped over the curve (rounded corner) and struck a tree. the consumer said that she paid $900 to replace the right front fender. the consumer indicated that she had no time to react to prevent the crash when the front coil spring broke on her vehicle.

Backed out of driveway, heard unusual grinding/rubbing sound. brought car into local mechanic, where it was found that the passenger side rear suspension coil spring had snapped and had rubbed against the tire, wearing a groove into it. this had the potential for a tire blowout and subsequent loss of control of the vehicle. after investigating ford coil problems on the internet and following mechanic recommendation, decided to replace both rear springs and struts. also found that there is a recall on the front springs but only up until the 2001 model year. there is clearly a manufacturer defect with these springs and the recall should include front and back springs as well as extended to later model years. *tr

While backing out of my driveway heard rubbing noise from rear of car, started pulling forward to drive away stopped to investigate source of noise, thought it was frozen brakes, loud noise and rear tire exploded. put on small spare tire and drove to work. after work stopped at tire shop for new tire, they showed me damage to tire caused by broken rear suspension spring. told me about being a frequent event for ford taurus?s. there is a recall on 2001 ford taurus for front springs, my car is a 02 taurus and it was the rear spring. called ford they were no help other than say i should contact nhtsa. *tr

I have a 2002 ford taurus which has experienced 2 suspension spring failures in the last year. the rear left occurred about 8 months ago and the most recent was the front left on 6/26/08. the front spring failure was in a parking lot as i was backing out, with the spring puncturing the tire with complete loss of pressure. the vehicle has 105k miles on it and has been well maintained at the local ford dealership. in both cases the springs and struts were replaced, alignment performed and in the case of the front, i had to have two new tires in order to have a matched pair. *tr

My husband was driving home from work today traveling at 60mph when the left front coil spring broke. he said he heard a loud noise then followed rubbing and more loud noises. he also said that he could feel the car pulling into on coming traffic when this happened. he pulled the car over to find out what happened and he noticed that the spring was busted. he then had to call aaa and have the car towed. the vehicle is a 2002 taurus with around 64000 miles. this is unacceptable and something needs to be done about this so called spring problem. we feel that this should be covered by ford especially since we had to pay for new springs on my 2001 taurus about two weeks ago. when we contacted the dealership they said the car wasn't covered under the coil spring recall and that we would have to pay for the repair. why isn't this particular car under the recall and our '01 taurus is? this car was made in 2001 and we purchased it new in 2002. i am looking for answers and im not having any luck getting any straight ones. i think all these cars with these particular springs should be recalled even if its the rear springs also. im afraid to drive the taurus now. my family doesn't feel safe at all traveling in them and neither do i. this is again a major safety issue and i hope that you recall these vehicles so no one else has to go through what my husband had to go through. he also said that the front end is now lower and the fender is rubbing since the spring broke. *tr

Failure of rear coil spring. *tr

I have a 2002 ford taurus that had the driver side spring broke this morning, fortunately in the drive way, resulting in a broken axle as well. in researching on line, i found that model years 1999 to 2001 had a recall for this problem and although it is apparently happening on 2002 models (based on internet data) i checked my vin number on ford's website and there were no recalls. my son uses this car as well and i cannot imagine what could have happened if he was on the road driving when this spring broke. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. when the contact attempted to pull out of his driveway, he heard the front driver's side tire deflate. he attempted to change the tire and noticed that the coil spring failed and punctured the tire. he did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 92,000.

Rear coil spring broke. *tr

In february, 2008, had both rear springs fixed on my 2002 ford taurus. was told by the garage that this was a common problem for ford but the 2002 was not included in the recall. just today, june 15, 2008, was driving at about 55 mph with my family home from church when it sounded like we ran over a log - my husband checked and the drivers side front spring is busted. *tr

Right rear spring broke and gouged into tire. i had to replace both rear springs, tires, struts and retainers. *tr

June 2007 discovered both rear springs on our 2002 ford taurus were broke resulting in rear strut failure (47124 miles). june 12, 2008 (54193 miles) right front spring broke puncturing the tire. car was again repaired at c & m ford in massena where i discovered 1) that there was a recall on 1999-2001 ford taurus for this problem and 2) that there were three (3) including myself 2002 taurus' that had broken front spring this week. three failures in one week for the same model and year seem extremely high for a small town like massena, ny. when i researched the web i discovered numerous reports from all over. *tr

Front right coil spring failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. in approximately december of 2007, the contact had to replace the front driver's side tire and spring. on june 12, 2008, he took the vehicle to a repair shop for routine maintenance and was informed that both rear springs failed. the cost for both failures was over $1,000. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the recall did not include the 2002 ford taurus. the vehicle was out of warranty and was not taken to a ford dealer for repair. the dealer would not provide any assistance. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 67,000.

Drivers side rear coil spring broke while driving . spring needs replaced as does the rear tire as the spring tore into the side wall of the tire. *tr

Owner of ford taurus 2002 sel, defective right front spring broke and punctured tire in 2 places. locking up front right tire at low speed. could have been a catastrophic accident at higher speed. ford presently has recalls on 2000 and 2001 springs but none on 2002. want compensation for damages to my vehicle. wayne n. wallace. *tr updated (6/24/2008): mrs. wallace clarified that there was no crash involved. mr. wallace just had new tires put on two days prior to the spring failure. he drove home from the tire place, parked the vehicle on the driveway. the car sat for two days. when mr. wallace went to the car, he discovered a flat tire. the car was put on a hoist and the mechanic found the right front coil spring was broken.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while attempting to pull out of a parking lot, the front driver's side tire suddenly flattened. the contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the front coil spring punctured the tire. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 52,000. updated 02/02/09. *lj updated 02/03/09. *jb

Drove my car in normal conditions. i heard a rattling noise and when checking it out found the front driver side coil spring had snapped. took it in to have both front coil springs replaced. *tr

The left front spring on the car broke while backing out of the driveway and tore the entire inside portion of the front left tire causing the left side of the car to collapse. the ford dealer replaced both front springs as well as the abs sensor which was damaged due to the collapse. the car was driven home but the next morning when backing out of the driveway the brakes failed due to a ruptured break line, presumably also from the broken spring. the dealership repaired that at no cost but refused any reimbursement/repairs for the springs or other repairs necessitated by the damage caused due to springs breaking. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. when the contact attempted to drive her vehicle, she noticed that the front driver side tire was flat. she attempted to replace the tire and discovered that the front coil spring punctured a hole in the tire. the contact did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. the vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 75,633.

It was an average normal day, while backing out of my drive way when i heard a loud bang. i thought it odd so i got out to my car to check if i had ran over anything or backed into something. at that moment i notice my car was sitting in the lower than usual. i reentered my vehicle with the intent to continue on to my destination. the car proceed to make a loud rubbing sound so i stopped what i was doing and drove back up my drive way. i took off the back tire where i noticed that the spring had snapped and was rubbing into my back tire. i checked the other tire and found out that it had snapped both of the springs on my rear tires at the same time. i have not been able to correct this problem because i work for 7.15 an hour at a fast food place. my family has worked for ford for 2 generations and i am very disappointed with their performance. *tr

Front drivers side spring snapped causing tire damage. *tr

Front coil springs failed as car was being backed out of drive. broken springs punctured both front tires. dealer reported the failure was identical to what was seen under a recall for previous model years ford taurus's. since this vehicle was not covered by the recall, dealer charged me for new coil springs and tires. i kept the springs and tires. the springs clearly show signs of fatigue and cracking prior to failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. when the contact entered the vehicle, she heard a spring snap. she exited the vehicle to inspect it, but saw nothing unusual. she re-entered the vehicle and began backing out of the driveway (approximately six inches) and the front driver side tire blew out, followed by a cloud of smoke around the blowout area. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic. she heard about nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs), but it only applied to the 1999-2001 models. the contact spoke with the ford dealer and they stated that there were no recalls for her vehicle. the following day, the mechanic went to pull the vehicle into the shop from the towing position and the other front coil spring failed and punctured the front passenger side tire. the current and failure mileages were 113,000. updated 09/16/08 *bf updated 09/24/08. 8jb

Ford taurus 2002, built on 10/9/01 in chicago. front passenger side coil spring broke and cut into tire. wife was pulling out of drive way to go to shop. son in law and i disassembled strut and spring. trying to find replacement. 1999 through 2001 models have a recall notice of 04v332000 dated 2004-jul-15. 2002 should be included after seeing all the complaints and safety issues associated with this issue. *tr

The car was parked in my driveway. i went to drive it and it had a flat tire. on closer inspection the front drivers side spring had broken and went into the back side of the tire. this is the first time this has happened, but the car only has 70k miles on it. i had to have the vehicle towed, a new tire put on it, a new spring put on it, and a new stability link. i am glad it didn't break while i was driving it. my mechanic said that this happens a lot on this model and we should contact ford to see if there was anything that could be done about this, or report it. i don't have the whole broken spring, but ii do have a small part of it. it broke about 5 inches from the bottom spring seat. i have the 5 inch piece. *tr

Within one month, two brother-in-laws and i have had our 2002 taurus front springs break causing a flat tire and extensive linkage repairs. there is nhtsa campaign #04v332000, but it only goes to model year 2001. ford should extend this recall to what every year they used this design! a search of the internet finds many 2002 complaints... *tr

Yesterday i dropped off my car for an oil change, just as i pulled in to the mechanic's drive the front-left of the car dropped 4" and the front driver's side tire blew. a coil broke, and researching on the internet it appears this is a common problem for ford. the 2002 and later models are not covered under any recalls for some reason. fortunately i wasn't on the interstate since that is where most of my driving is done. *tr

I have a 2002 ford taurus and after taking car in for an oil change, mechanic noticed both rear springs were broken. one spring was starting to rub against tire. car only has 51k miles. it appears that there is a problem with these cars and ford should issue a recall for spring replacement. *tr

I drive a 2002 ford taurus. i was backing out of the driveway when my front-left coil spring broke, severely damaging the adjacent tire. i had to replace both front springs, the sway bar link, front tire and have the car towed to the garage. i also had to have a front end alignment after replacing the tire. the repair cost ~$800. the mechanic installed plastic guards alongside the coil springs in case they broke again so the tire wouldn't be shredded. my previous car was a 1996 taurus and the exact same thing happened to it; luckily in both cases i was not driving at high speed on a busy roadway. i notice that ford currently has a recall for 1999-2001 taurus (nhtsa recall # 04v332000), but not the 2002. anecdotally, from speaking with mechanics and the dealership, this is a chronic problem with the taurus in general, not just the 99-01 models. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while having the vehicle serviced for routine maintenance by an authorized dealer the contact was told that one of the rear coil springs was fractured. both rear coil springs were replaced. approximately seven months later, the failure recurred on the front driver side coil spring. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where both front coil springs were replaced. the failure mileage was 60,209 and the current mileage was 78,767.

Coil springs broke on my 2002 ford taurus. when i called the tow truck company, he stated it was about the sixth taurus he had towed that month with the same, exact problem. when we got to the auto mechanic, he said he fixes these all the time on taurus' and he's very surprised they will not cover it on a recall. i was just researching this on the internet & found hundreds of complaints of the very same issue on 2002 ford taurus'. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving approximately 3 mph, the front passenger side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the vehicle dropped completely to the ground. the contact placed a spare tire on the vehicle in order to drive home. he is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. he filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the failure and current mileages were 100,000.

I initially noticed a metal-on-metal grinding sound when i drove over bumps in the road (like my shocks were bad). i had the 2002 taurus examined at my ford dealer, and the mechanic said one of the front coil springs was bad. he also said he was surprised the front tire hadn't blown out. he advised that i have both front springs replaced at the same time, which i did. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. the front driver side coil springs failed due to corrosion in the vehicle. the springs detached from the coil purge and split into two pieces. the springs punctured the front drive side tire, causing it to flatten. the vehicle was not moving at the time of the failure. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but they have yet to perform an inspection. he also discovered a recall issued for the same failure; however, his vin was not included because the affected units date was five months prior to his vehicle's manufactured date. the failure still persists. the current and failure mileages were 46,000.

2002 ford taurus wagon car was in a driveway just after being driven on a interstate. putting car in reverse a sound of metal and a explosion of the tire was heard (if it was going down the highway it would have peeled it from the rim). driver side front coil spring broke and broken spring slashed a 10 inch gash in the tire. if this had happened five minutes earlier it would have been a deadly situation. we were very lucky. i had to have the spare tire put on but the spring was still touching the tire. the spring had to be cut so as to move the car without cutting the spare tire. the car was then driven seven miles to a repair shop where both struts were replaced and a new tire put on. just wanted to report this because the ford dealership said they don't. *tr

On 5/3/08- while backing my 2002 ford taurus out of my driveway, i got a flat tire. upon investigating this problem, i noticed i could not get a jack under the car in order to change the tire. upon further investigation, the problem ended up that the driver's side front suspension coil spring fractured and punctured my front driver side tire, ruining it. being that this is the second ford taurus that i have had, i then remembered there was a recall on my (old) 2000 ford taurus that involved putting a boot on the coil springs to prevent the coil spring from puncturing the tire, upon failure. (nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000- nhtsa action # pe04044. although the above incident happened on a 2002 taurus, i am questioning why this same problem that was supposedly fixed by the ford motor company to respond to the my1999-2001 problem, happened on a my 2002 vehicle. the problem set me back close to a thousand dollars to repair, but most importantly, i was grateful that the problem happened on the approach of my driveway, not on the freeway that i was heading to. this type of collapse could have had serious consequences, if it happened at freeway speeds. i have contacted the ford motor company customer complaint line concerning the above issue, and all they informed me of, is that this is not covered under the vehicle warranty. i have the defective coil springs, if needed, to investigate this catastrophic failure concern that i have ! *tr

I was pulling out of parking spot. i heard a loud popping sound and air rushing out. i stopped and got out and noticed i had a flat tire. i called aaa and service guy came and told me the driver side front spring broke and punctured the tire. i know ford has a recall on some model taurus but not mine. i was forced to pay out of pocket for a tire new and two new springs. *tr

I was pulling my 2002 ford taurus out of the driveway when i heard a loud clunk followed by the sound of a spring uncoiling. as i continued out of the driveway i heard the sound of something rubbing and smelled burning rubber. i made a u-turn and pulled back into the driveway. it was then that i noticed the left side of the car was sitting lower than the right and the left fender was resting on the left front tire. it is obviously a broken spring. ford has recalled the 2001 taurus for this same problem. according to the dealership repairs will be around $500. the car as 60,000 miles. *tr

2002 ford taurus , found broken rear spring on passenger side of car, now have to replace both rear struts and springs along with rear sway bar links. $1000.00 repair i don't think i should have to pay for . from i've read this is a very common problem with this car. may replace the front struts and springs also because i've found those have been breaking alot also. spoke to ford customer service, they said tough luck pay for it yourself. *tr

2002 ford taurus with coil spring failure. consumer states that she heard a loud bang and noticed that the coil spring destroyed the left front tire. *kb

When brakes are applied the front end and steering wheel shake. replaced rotors and brake pads and front end alignment. one month later front end and steering wheel shake when brakes are applied. replaced parts again, at least 7 times in the past year and a half. *tr

My daughter who is at college, drives a 2002 ford taurus. the other day she went to back out of her parking space at school. the front driver side tire blew out. when they tried to put the spare on they found that the coil spring had broken and pierced the tire. the car had to be towed to a garage. apparently this is a very common occurrence on these cars. thank god she was not driving down a busy highway! *tr

My daughter was driving my 2002 ford taurus to the store & felt the tire going flat. she stopped to put air into the tire, & the tire would not hold the air so she called me. when i got there i tried to put the jack under the tire to see what the problem was & i couldn't even get the jack under the car. with some additional help i did finally get a jack under & got the tire off to see a huge tear in it. i then noticed the broken coil spring. i contacted ford about the broken coil spring because i had an older taurus that ford had recalled for the defective coil springs. all the ford garages said that their computers were down & i would have to call them back. i contacted the garage at the dealer that i purchased the car from for a repair & they checked with ford & said that there were no recalls on that year. i got the front coil spring replaced along with the strut that was broken in the process of the spring breaking & as the dealer was checking the car they said that the rear coil spring was also broken so i had them replace that along with the strut. i have talked to a few other taurus owners who have had this problem also. why has ford never fixed this problem? is it going to take a large number of people getting fatally injured or killed before something is done about this? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while the contact was backing out of her driveway, she heard what sounded like air coming from her front passenger side tire. upon inspection of the vehicle, she noticed the tire was ruptured due to a corroded coil spring. the speed was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 53,642.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while backing out of the garage, the contact noticed that the front driver's side tire was flat. when taken to a tire shop, the mechanic informed her that the front spring coil fractured and punctured the tire. the current and failure mileages were 81,639. update 05/13/08 *bf

While pulling out of my alley i heard a loud clunk and the left front end of the car dropped down a few inches and began to make grinding/rubbing noises. i carefully pulled back into my drive and after jacking up the car found the coil spring had broken. it did not puncture the tire but broke some sort of link. *tr

I have a 2002 ford taurus and the driver's side coil spring broke sitting in my driveway puncturing my tire and requiring approximately $ 1,000.00 to repair. i had it repaired on the day it happened, a sunday, and it has been fine since. there is no recall on my 2002 taurus but there is on the 2001 taurus. makes no sense. the problem with the coilsprings is still a problem for later models. *tr