Problems with 2002 Ford Taurus SUSPENSION

When backing out of my driveway i heard a loud pop followed by rapid release of air from my right front tire on my 2002 ford taurus. upon examination it was found that the right coil spring had fractured and that the protruding sharp end had reached out and snagged the tire ripping a gash 16 inches long in the inner sidewall. replacement of both front coil springs has been recommended and replacement of the tire will be required. spring which failed showed rust penetration at point of failure to be about 30% of the cross section of the spring wire diameter. the painted coating also showed signs of failure at the point of breakage due to the presence of surface rust on the sprint in that area. there are also indications on other areas of the painted coating that corrosion is present under the coating. i have both parts of the broken spring in my possession. *tr

Ford issued a recall on its taurus that ended with 2001 models. the nhtsa action # is pe04044. it describes failing coil springs that can cause tires to be torn up. i have had this happen now to my 2002. the car was in the garage and being loaded with some things my daughter was taking back to college after the weekend. there was a "bang" we heard whose source was undetermined. when she began to back out the front left tire blew out. upon inspection the spring had broken and pierced the tire. this website outlines many similar cases involving all 4 corners of the car. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_springs.html i've understood ford will not provide any satisfaction to owners of these cars. as it is sunday i have no repair options available, but the car will have to be towed and a tire and at least the spring will have to be replaced. based on the responses in the above web page costs could go beyond $1,000. *tr

While sitting in my driveway, immediately upon placing the car in reverse, the front right coil spring broke, puncturing my tire. the car was required to be towed and i am now paying for both sides of the car to have the springs replaced including struts and bearings in addition to replacing the tire. this is a recalled item in the 2001 taurus and ford has not been recalled the 2002. i was extremely fortunate that the failure did not occur while driving at highway speeds. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving 5 mph, she heard a rattling noise coming from the tire. the contacts husband inspected the vehicle and noticed that the driver sidecoil spring broke and punctured the tire. as of april 14, 2008, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. there is a recall for suspension: front: springs: coil springs (nhtsa campaign id #04v332000) however her vin was not included. the current and failure mileages were 75,350.

On 3/12/2008 car was sitting in driveway and i heard a loud bang .tire went flat. looked under car and spring was broken . it is a 2002 ford taurus ses. front coil spring failure, resulting in a punctured front tire. lucky i was not driving at the time. i was told it would cost 660.00 at the local ford dealer for new springs and a tire. instead i went to my local mechanic and he replaced 2 front coil springs, 2 front struts, one which was damaged when the spring broke, new wheel alignment, and one front tire. total 850.00. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving in reverse at an unknown speed, the contact felt a bump and heard a popping noise when she turned the steering wheel. she discovered that the front driver side tire was flat. she replaced the tire with the spare and went to the tire store. she was informed that the spring strut failed. the vehicle was taken to an auto garage and the spring strut and stabilizer bar were replaced at the cost of $300. the manufacturer added the contact's name to the recall waiting list, but they would be unable to assist. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 44,483.

Backing out of the garage heard a loud bang, stopped car, drivers side of car was almost completely laying on the ground, the drivers side coil spring had broken and pierced and flattened the front tire also the upper strut mount had stressed so much that the ball bearings had popped out. had a heck of a time to get a jack under the car to put on the spare so we could have it towed to the shop. replaced the both front coil springs, replaced both upper front strut mounts, replaced both front tires, front driver side sway bar end link was damaged when coil broke and car leaned. also found the rear struts to be bad and had both rear struts and coil springs replaced. then had to have a 4 wheel alignment done. this coil spring failure at less than 22000 miles coasted over $1,000. we are just glad that we were not driving at highway speeds when the coil spring failed!! *tr

I have had 3 or the 4 springs on my 2002 ford taurus. break. both back ones and the front drivers side. the back ones were discovered, to be broken, by the dealer. i took it in because it seemed like the back was scraping the ground at times. the other day i noticed that the tire on the driver's side in the front was flat. as i was trying to blow the tire up, it was deflating just as fast. the spring was broken and was stuck in the tire. thank god, it broke in the driveway. the last time we had the car on the road we were on the freeway going 65 miles per hour. i called ford and was told there was nothing they could do as there was no extended warranty or recall on the 2002 taurus springs. it seems that some of the springs were covered on the taurus from 1999 through 2001. when i went to the goodyear dealer to get a new tire, they told me that the taurus was famous for that problem. i was told that ford simply put a shield on the 2002 to keep the spring from puncturing the tire. we could find no shield. if the taurus has an inherent safety problem they are aware of, they should have to fix it free of charge. my family has had fords since 1936. we have had at least 15 new fords since then. to be honest, since i, myself, saw the spring sticking in the tire, i am almost fearful to ride in my taurus. if it is a problem, will it happen again when i am driving the car at higher speeds? something to think about. it could happen in any brand car but if the ford is known for that problem and nothing is done then shame on them. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. in april of 2008, while driving 30 mph, the contact heard something break in the rear of his vehicle. a mechanic stated that the rear coil spring failed. both coil springs were replaced at that time. on june 8, 2008, while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the rear coil spring failed again. the contact was unaware of what happened and, when he attempted to move the vehicle, the spring ripped the driver's side tire apart. the current mileage was 34,730 and failure mileage was 34,000.

The other day i noticed that my front driver's side tire was flat. i couldn't get the tire to hold air. i found the problem ----the spring had broken and went completely through my tire. i could have been killed it i had been driving on the freeway. i checked on ford recalls and noticed that they had a recall or extended warranties on the springs-up to and including 2001. maybe the 2002 and newer taurus should be recalled. *tr

When i went to leave work this morning, my driver side front tire was flat. after removing the tire, i found that the spring had broke. after coming home and doing some research online, i found that this is a very common problem, one that ford should probably have a recall for. *tr

I backed my 2002 ford taurus out of my driveway and the front drivers side spring broke causing a complete tire failure. had i been driving when this occurred this would have been extremely dangerous. my understanding is other taurus model years (2001 for one) have been recalled for this same issue. in looking around the internet i see many, many others complaints that they had the exact same issue. i am in the process of costly out of pocket repairs at this time. *tr

Front coil springs broken on drivers side causing damage to vehicle, broken swing arm and had to have both sides replaced and have the car realigned. *tr

I understand that there was a recall nhtsa # pe04044 in regards to front coil springs on the 99 - 01 ford taurus. i own a 2002 ford taurus. while driving on an off ramp from i-95 the left front coil spring snapped in my car. i was very fortunate to be going slow enough when it broke. i was informed by my mechanic, that these springs continue to break on newer taurus vehicles. while researching this on the web, i found numerous other complaints about the 2002 coil springs and i had to wonder why they were not part of the recall. please look into this issue further. *tr

2002 ford taurus, while backing out of driveway, front driver's side coil spring catastrophically failed destroying the tire and sway bar link while dropping the front end to almost the ground. i called the local dealer (nemer, queensbury, ny) and was told ford had no recalls on it. i called ford customer service and was told the same thing. i questioned a ford recall for the 98 through 2001 taurus for the same problem and was told it was not applicable to the 2002. internet searches show the 2002's are also prone to this problem. if i was traveling at a nominal speed, this could have been deadly for the occupants and people near by. i consider this a severe safety issue. *tr

See odi 10222968 for details. this is a follow-up request for investigation. summary: driver's side front suspension spring catastrophically failed when backing out of driveway. this had the same conditions as described in recall 04s17 on 1999 to 2001 taurus. after repair at my own cost, i sold the car. i would like to add to the previous complaint that the vehicle was somewhat unique in that it was a former gsa vehicle. i had brought it at a gsa auction. this is unique since the gsa vehicles are brought under a large contract and may be manufactured slightly differently from the other vehicles thus may not have been included in the investigations. *js

Passenger side front coil spring snapped, while pulling from drive way. this car only has 77000 miles on it. i do not drive over bumps or go around hitting pot holes. i keep this car aligned and i feel that this is a serious problem and ford should have to recall the 2002 taurus. what if this spring had broke while i was traveling on the interstate ? *tr

Front right coil spring on 2002 ford taurus snapped and ripped the front right tire for a full 360 degree tear. *tr

I started my car, put it in reverse, stepped on the gas, went back about 6 inches and heard a loud clunk and then the sound of a tire exploding. i removed the tire and found that the left front coil spring had fractured, leaving a sharp end that punctured the tire. upon checking on the internet, i found that several hundred thousand taurus' in 2000 and 2001 had recalls for defective front coil springs. my vehicle was manufactured in january of 2002. i called ford's recall line to explain what happened, and was told that my vehicle was not covered under the recall despite it being only one month newer. estimated cost to repair and ensure safety by replacement of both front coil spring and punctured tire is approximately $500 plus towing. *tr

Our 19 year old daughter was backing out of the driveway on the morning of march 29th 2008 in her 2002 ford taurus ses when for no apparent reason, the left front coil spring snapped in two, puncturing the tire and also broke the stabilizer link. the vehicle was towed to the local ford dealer, where the stabilizer link and both front springs were replaced as recommended by the dealer. also a new tire was put on. *tr

2002 ford taurus. the left front coil spring broke while my wife was driving this vehicle. smoke began to pour from the vehicle and when she stopped, the tire exploded! she was less then 100 yards from the freeway entrance ramp. i was told by ricart ford, that this vehicle is not under a recall for this problem, even though the 2001 model (which uses the same spring) is. *tr

While parked in the garage the front driver side spring broke and blew out the tire on our 2002 ford taurus. repairs included new tire, a set of springs, the stabilizer link among other parts. *tr

2002 ford taurus front left spring broke. consumer states that the mechanic said that the left front spring and front strut assembly needed to be replaced. *kb

The passenger side rear coil/spring broke and rubbed a gouge into the tire. luckily my wife made it home before the tire exploded. this is the 3rd coil that has broken on the same car. the driver's side rear broke a couple years ago and the driver's side front coil broke about a month ago. there is no possible way that this is a coincidence. *tr

Front passenger side coil spring broke on my 2002 ford taurus. *tr

2002 ford taurus broken rear coil spring. the right rear coil spring broke leaving a sharp pointy edge. this sharp pointy edge began to cut into the inner side wall of the tire, cutting a groove 1/8 of an inch deep. this could have resulted in a tire blowout, and subsequent accident with injury or death. i installed a new rear coil spring and purchased a new tire for safety concern. *tr

2002 ford taurus front coil spring fracture resulting in a shredded (brand new)front tire luckily there were no injuries. similar to the problem (see below) recalled on the 1998-2001 models. why this same problem is occurring on the later models of the taurus but the recall was limited to 1998-2001 makes not sense to me. there are numerous reports on the internet of this problem being ongoing after the 2001 model year. recall summary on certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, the front coil springs could fracture due to corrosion associated with salt used on the roadways during the winter. a fractured spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire. consequence if this occurs, the tire may rupture resulting in a rapid air loss, which could result in a crash. remedy dealers will install protective spring shields. in addition, ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. if the vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2005. if either front coil spring fractures, dealers will replace both front springs at no charge to the owner. an interim notice was sent to owners on august 2, 2004. parts are now available for the 2000-2001 my vehicles and owners were sent a letter on january 10, 2005, advising them to bring in their vehicles for repair parts are expected to be available for the 1999 my vehicles by the end of february 2005 and owners of these vehicles will be notified then. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. *tr

Front coil spring broken. discovered flat tire. when removed tire, could see the broken coil and there was a tear in the back of the tire. ford refused to help since it's not under a recall. *tr

Car was used for a trip out of state earlier in the day. after stopping for dinner for a couple of hours, my wife headed the car home. a mile from the restaurant the car developed a flat front tire and my wife was lucky enough to get it off the road into a parking area. she thought the problem was only the tire, but the towing company said the front end collapsed and the spring may have broken. we towed it to the dealer and they confirmed the front coil spring had broken and punctured the tire. the dealer replaced both front coil springs, links, and struts due to this, as well as the tire, for a total of 783.30 dollars. i don't know what reporting they may have done or if they kept the parts. if this had happened during the trip... thankfully it didn't. i thought this was uncommon until i happened to look online. *tr

2002 ford taurus - daughter was ready to back up in parking lot and heard a loud noise - spring broke destroying tire. so i have to replace spring (and probably the other front one due to the safety problem ford has with them.) tire, and other things connected to it!! it should be on ford recall - especially after reading all of the information about ford taurus springs breaking on internet. i am thankful my daughter was not driving on a highway when this happened!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving 40 mph, the front passenger side tire blew out. the contact lost control of the vehicle and struck a guardrail. he replaced the blown tire with a spare. the vehicle was taken to an auto garage and it was discovered that the front coil penetrated and sheared the tire. the manufacturer took a report; however, they stated that there were no recalls for the 2002 models. they further stated that the mileage exceeded the warranty coverage; therefore, they would not assist with the repair. the vehicle was repaired, which included replacing the coil spring and the tire at the cost of $530.85. the current mileage was 102,554 and failure mileage was 100,100. updated 04/29/08. *lj phone interview updates (6/17/08): mr. esford indicated that front suspension spring breakage had occurred while he was driving. the road was a divided highway, paved and dry. the traffic was light and there was no precipitation. suddenly, mr. esford heard a light "pop" and the right front corner of the vehicle dropped; the steering wheel was pulled out of his hand momentary. instinctively, he grabbed the steering wheel and hit the brakes. however, the vehicle had already pulled to the right and struck the guard rail. no other vehicle was involved and no police was called. the broken spring and punctured tire replacement costed mr. esford close to $500. the fender also needs to be replaced; mr. esford estimate that will cost an additional $800 to $1,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving at 5 mph the contact began to smell smoke. upon further inspection, the contact found that three of the four coil springs had failed. the dealer referred him to the manufacturer who advised there were no recalls and would not provide any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 87,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving in reverse at an unknown speed, the front coil springs failed and punctured the front driver side tire. the failure caused the wheels to lock. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs); therefore, the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. the front coil springs and the tire were replaced at the cost of $288.15. the failure and current mileages were 55,695.

My mother "nola c. slay" 2002 ford taurus. just over 110,000 miles (highway)front coil springs failure. as i've read in the "consumeraffairs.com" this is a widespread problem. look under ford springs. however, in ford's infinite wisdom, they stop the coil spring recall as of year 2001. you really need to look into this. luckily mom's car was parked, during the week of 3/7/08 snow storms when this happened. yes while parked!! *tr

Drivers side front coil spring broke. the spring sliced into the tire and caused it to rapidly deflate. *tr

I was backing out of my garage and heard a loud hiss and i got out looked at it and my spring had broke punctured my tire. it's not on the recall list and ford is refusing to fix the issue. here is a link to some other people that this has happened to and ford will not fix the issue with this model year car. http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/ford-taurus/t2i76qlavd30dd454/p5. *tr

Broken rear nearside spring caused flat tire on highway as broken end of spring wore through sidewall . repair pending. *tr

Wife put the car into reverse in the driveway, front left spring broke, puncturing the front left tire. thankfully she was not on the road when this happened. *tr

Drivers side front coil spring on a 2002 taurus se failed impacting and flattening tire on steering axle and causing loss of control of the steering. fortunately, this occurred at low speed. this occurred approximately 1.5 months after failure of a rear coil spring on the same vehicle. the failure is essentially identical to that described in nhtsa, office of defects investigation action no. pe04044 for 1997 through 2001 taurus vehicles caused by failure of the springs due to corrosion in northern states (i.e. pa) and from research, a number of similar incidents on 2002 and later taurus vehicles are being investigated by your agency. i had the spring and tire replaced from both failures, but there are two other original springs on the vehicle. ford refuses to make the repairs because the defect is apparently not covered by the recall/extended warranty service situation spurred by the prior nhtsa bulletin. *tr

Front coil spring broke severing the tire, all while the car was parked safely in the garage. no injuries, but i could imagine what might of happened if we were driving on the highway. car is currently being repaired, and ford has not included 2002 model year in the taurus recall for this known problem. *tr

2002 ford taurus broken rear coil springs. consumer states that the rear coil springs broke which resulted in them having to replace both of the tires due to damages to the tires from the broken springs. dealer told them they had to pay for repairs. *kb the consumer also stated the left front coil spring failed as well.*jb

Front driver's side coil snapped (fractured). strut needs to be replaced with the coil. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while backing out of the driveway at 5 mph, the contact heard a thumping and a grinding noise. she initially thought she had a flat tire, but later learned that the coil spring failed and punctured the front passenger side tire. the mechanic stated that the coil spring, and possibly the struts and tire needed to be replaced. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the current and failure mileages were 59,000.

When backing out of garage drivers front spring broke and punctured tire. *tr

Front coil spring broke and punctured tires. my car was just sitting there. *tr

Broken coil spring. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. the contact heard a noise from the garage where his vehicle was parked. upon inspection, he noticed that the front driver side tire was flat. the contact removed the tire and noticed that the coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. the current and failure mileages were 69,530. updated 3/18/08 *cn the consumer stated dealer informed consumer the two rear coil springs were also broken. a total of three coil springs were broken. updated 03/18/08 *tr

Left rear strut spring broke while driving and blew tire. *tr

On 2/25/08, just over two months since front coil spring broke, the rear coil spring broke on passenger side of 2002 ford taurus at 51,097 miles while driving down the driveway. both rear coil springs were replaced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle slowed down and the front end shook. the vehicle drove into a ditch and was towed to a repair shop. the front passenger side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the driver was wearing a seat belt, but struck her head and sustained whiplash. nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs) for the 1999-2001 taurus was referenced. the current and failure mileages were 108,902. updated 3/25/08 *cn