Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus SUSPENSION

On 12/20/2010 left front coil spring broke and punctured tire while driving on state highway. incident occurred just 2 miles after departure from home. thought it was just a flat tire. the shoulder was narrow and the road was snow covered. when pulling off the road the car got stuck in the snow. upon retrieval from the ditch and subsequent tow to the tire store we discovered the broken spring issue. we have not yet repaired the spring/strut problem as the tire store does not perform that type of repair. we are planning to replace both front springs and struts as well as rear springs to have some peace of mind. we purchased four new tires and will have it towed to the full-service repair shop on 12/21/2010. the tire store could not mount the new tire on the left front because of the broken spring. the tire store mounted the "mini" spare that could clear the broken spring. we feel ford should reimburse us for the cost of repairs. we are fortunate that there were no injuries! *tr

Was backing out of the driveway and heard a loud thump and then my tire deflated like a balloon. had a tire guy come to fix it and he said it was due to a broken strut/spring. it had broken and slashed the tire. i am just thankful this did not happen on the interstate driving at a high rate of speed. could have been deadly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact was driving approximately 5 mph in reverse when the vehicle exhibited a loud noise from the front end of the vehicle. suddenly, the front driver side of the vehicle collapsed to the ground causing the tire to flatten. the damaged tire was replaced with a spare tire and the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where they informed the contact that the failure could possibly be related to the coil spring. the mechanic advised that the vehicle be repaired at another repair shop because they were unable to provide any type of suspension repairs. the vehicle was in the process of being diagnosed and repaired by a second mechanic. the failure mileage was approximately 277,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 45 mph the contact noticed one of the tires was flat. the vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed the front drivers side tire was pierced by a fractured coil spring. the fractured portion of the coil spring was cut off and a new tire was installed. the vehicle was driven home where the contact installed new coil springs. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 100,203.

I pulled out of my driveway and realized i had a very flat tire. i called the service station up the street. he told me to drive it down slowly & he'd put the donut on it and order me a new tire. when he looked at my car at his shop, he said the driver's side, front coil spring had snapped and sliced through my tire. he said i was lucky it didn't happen on the freeway or i could have had a bad accident. he said i was also lucky i hadn't just put the donut on it myself and driven it over the weekend, because it would have snapped the donut while i was on the road. i looked up the problem online and realized many, many 2003 ford tauruses have had this problem. ford has had to recall several makes & years, but the 2003 ford taurus has not so far been included. i had taken my car out 2 days earlier with no problems. it must have snapped while sitting in my driveway. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the drive way the drivers side front tire became flat and the front end of the vehicle fell down. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the failure was caused by the drivers side front coil spring which also damaged the tire. the dealer replaced the driver and passengers front coil springs, struts, and the front tire. the failure mileage was 225,000 and the current mileage was 230,000. updated 2/28/11 *cn updated 05/19/11

Drivers side front coil spring in the strut broke and slashed the adjacent tire. this was noticed when the car was beginning to be backed out of a parking spot. we had to replace both strut assemblies for safety sake, replace the damaged tire as well. we opted to replace the other three tires due to wear. also, the garage recommended we replace the ball joints and lh side tie rod end. the front end was aligned as well. total cost $1871. i am outraged that there is a recall for 1999 thru 2001 taurus cars but nothing covering up to and including 2003's. i also think it is ridiculous that the cutoff to repair this problem occurs when a car exceeds 100000 miles. this is a known design defect and all ford taurus cars should have been recalled and repaired. my daughter was lucky this failure occurred in a parking lot and not when going 65mph! severe injury and death could have been the result and other people may have been involved! i implore nhtsa to force ford to engage in a retroactive recall for all affected taurus cars. it is inexcusable to have a design defect of this magnitude on the public highways. i can understand a broken spring can occur, but the complaints clearly show that the spring then slashes the tire, causing an immediate blowout and potential loss of control of the vehicle.

While parked in my garage the front end of my 2003 ford taurus collapsed. upon inspection the tire was fully deflated. i put the small spare on the vehicle and drove it to a local repair service. upon inspection it was determined the front coil spring fractured causing a sharp shard to penetrate the tire. the spring broke into two extremely sharp pieces. the same exact thing happened with my 1993 ford taurus a number of years back. i also filed a complaint with the nhtsa. i can only think what might have happened if i was driving my car on the highway when the piece broke and cut through my tire. i was again fortunate that nothing happened when i was driving on the small spare to the repair ship. i contacted ford motor company who responded with a general "brush off" letter and not recognizing any of the safety concerns i expressed!!! on both cars!!!! i had the car repaired at my own expense including a replacement tire. i have saved the part (spring/coil) if further inspection is required by nhtsa. *tr

The suspension coil spring fractured and punctured the tire next to it, causing the tire to explode.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus se (na). the contact stated that the front coil springs broke while the vehicle was being reversed at 5 mph and punctured the tires. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the coil springs and tire were replaced. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 125,000 and the current mileage was approximately 132,000.

Front left coil spring broke while driving 20 mph on a smooth paved village highway causing a puncture and resulting in a blow out of that tire. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the driver side coil spring broke and punctured the driver side tire. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic shop who replaced two struts assembly and a tire at the contact's expense. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified. the failure mileage was 113,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while stopped a loud noise emitted near the drivers side front tire. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who confirmed that the coil spring fractured in half. the mechanic replaced the coil spring. the contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while driving in reverse. this failure was diagnosed by a second private mechanic, who stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. the manufacturer was notified; however, the transmission was not repaired. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

Came back from vacation (was not driving the car on vacation), backed up car in driveway and heard a loud snap. looked and the tire was flat. called a tow truck and when tow truck operator removed the tire to replace it, he found a broken front left coil spring, when we looked at the back side of the tire, it had numerous tears and punctures. we will need to replace the coil and the tire. *tr

The front driver side spring broke on my 2003 ford taurus and blew out the tire. making the car undriveable. *tr

While backing out of driveway, heard a pop sound. vehicle was immediately stopped and the right front coil spring had snapped into several pieces. some damage to other components, tire appears to be undamaged. repairs are pending. vehicle was originally from the western new york state area. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the vehicle was in the driveway where the left front spring broke and punctured the tire. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where who replaced both front springs and four new tires at her expense for $1405. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was a recall but it did not include her year, make or model vehicle. the failure mileage was 159,280.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus se. the contact stated the vehicle was having a routine oil change performed when he was advised by the mechanic that the rear coil spring had fractured. the coil spring was repaired. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 21,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 4 mph and making a turn, the contact heard a loud grinding and popping noise. the front end of the vehicle dropped down and the contact observed that the front drivers side tire blew out because the coil spring pierced it. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the front coil springs were replaced. the failure and current mileages were 71,300.

Both rear springs on vehicle broke and caused springs to slip off of lower spring perch. sharp broken end of left rear spring came within 0.25 inches of contacting tire. sharp end of spring came very close to puncturing tire. no particular event caused this failure. don't know exactly when it happened. i just noticed the rear end of the car was sitting lower than usual. car still drove fine. took car to local ford dealer. they replaced both rear springs and struts at my cost of approximately $700. old parts kept by ford dealer. *tr

Rear springs were found broken when having the oil changed. broken spring could puncture rear tires, causing loss of control of vehicle. had to replace broken rear springs, old parts are available. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while reversing from a parking space at 2 mph, he heard a loud pop and the front driver tire went flat. he attempted to change the tire and noticed the coil spring was fractured in three parts. the coil spring punctured the tire and caused it to become flat. there was not a recall for the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 80,156.

Front and rear springs on 2003 ford taurus fractured. the front spring fractured while sitting in the driveway and wrapped itself around the brake lines and hit the tire. had this happened while driving, the result would have been a catastrophic accident caused by total loss of control and braking. both rear springs fractured on an unknown date but fractured at the bottom without total failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the front driver side coil spring broke. the contact replaced the front coil spring and noticed that the passenger side front coil spring was corroded. the contact had not called the manufacturer regarding the front coil spring. the contact stated that the coil spring could have caused a major crash if the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed. the failure mileage was 142,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving in reverse at a very low speed there was a loud noise near the front driver side tire. upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front driver side coil spring broke and pierced the tire. the coil spring was replaced by an independent mechanic. after the vehicle was repaired, the contact stated that he drove approximately 2 miles when the front passenger side coil spring broke and pierced the tire. the vehicle was not repaired for the second failure. the failure and current mileages were 64,000.

Ford taurus 2003 rear coil spring broken. caused rubbing on tire on same side which wore a deep groove in the side wall. also caused tire on opposite side to wear unevenly. had to replace both tires as well as replace coil springs both sides. live in maine (salt- belt state). bought as used vehicle. don't know if front springs were replaced. date of incident was when the defect was found on regular inspection. *tr

When backing a 2003 ford taurus from its winter storage place in april of this year, a strange noise was heard coming from the left front of the vehicle and it took more power than it should have to back out. upon stopping the car after a few feet to see if something was under the car, it was noticed the left front tire was completely flat. after completely backing out of the close quartered garage and a better inspection of the tire and its removal, it was discovered the whole inside sidewall of the tire was torn and the tire was in two pieces. it was later discovered the left front coil spring was broken and the broken portion's point was responsible for ripping the tire. inquiries to the local ford dealer confirmed ford wouldn't do any sort of compensation for fixing this problem but did say he thought there was a recall some time ago but given the vin this vehicle he said it was not covered. after a $700+ fix at an independent garage the car was on the road for approximately six weeks when the rightside coil spring broke and did the same thing only this time it was being driven by it's 79 year old owner who fortunately was all most stopped to make left turn when it broke and she was able to get off on the shoulder of the road and called assistance. this vehicle has not yet been fixed a second time and the parts are available. the ford motor co. has not been called yet for any kind of financial help or service on this second incident yet. i would like to find out a little more about their responsibility, if any, before calling to them or ny state level consumer protection agencies. it is my belief this is an old and known problem to ford as many mechanics i have talked to know of many such identical incidents and it is not so uncommon that. there should be a permanent recall for something like this. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving at 10 mph, the contact noticed a rubber burning smell. he then noticed that rear left tire had become flat and that the cause of the flat was a coil spring that broke. the contact spoke with the dealer who stated that it would be easy if the contact purchased the part himself and repair it. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure and current mileages were 26,837.

Backing out of driveway in am, the driver's side coil spring broke and ruptured the tire. vehicle lowered until frame was one inch from ground. had to be towed to local service station for repair. *tr

2003 ford taurus. consumer states defective front coil spring *tgw the consumer stated the coil springs failed twice. *jb

While backing my 2003 ford taurus out of the garage, the front driver side tire blew up. it was a loud noise. my husband was standing in front of the car and thought i ran over something that made the tire blow. when he took the tire off he found that the spring had snapped and punctured the tire and it cannot be repaired. we feel so lucky no one was driving the car at the time. it very easily would have lost control and could have injured or killed someone. we have properly maintained the car and now i see many other ford taurus drivers have the same problem. ford had a recall for 1999-2001 cars with the same problem. *tr

2003 ford taurus was backing out of driveway when front driverside spring snap and punctured the tire. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated he started the engine and accelerated approximately one foot before hearing an unusually loud bang. when exiting the vehicle he found both the driver and passengers side front tires were flat. upon further inspection, he found that the front coil springs had fractured and punctured the tires. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs. the failure and current mileages were 51,228.

The front driver side spring coil broke causing a large gash in the tire and instant deflation. had been parked in the driveway and shifted into reverse. pressed the gas pedal and the tire seemed to explode with a loud sound and debris. i understand that earlier models of the ford taurus have been recalled (breaking coil springs recall no. 04v332000) and fixed but the recall has not been extended to newer models. the problem still exists, the danger still exists and the cost to fix the problem still exists. *tr

Vehicle: 2003 ford taurus wagon, 95,000 miles, all in michigan by original owner. friday morning (frost warning), april 9, 2010. moved the car 6 inches, when the front driver side tire blew out, corner of car dropped. following day, took tire (16,000 miles) to place of purchase, where they hoisted the car and discovered ruptured coil spring had punctured tire. had it ruptured ten miles later, i would have been on interstate 696 going 70 mph in rush hour, putting me, my passenger and adjacent vehicles at risk of deadly crash. 20 miles after repair of suspension, my teenage son, brand new driver, was driving on another interstate; it could have been him (and me) injured. i'm furious at ford and at nhtsa, as neither have taken action to remedy well established, know defect. how many deaths will it take? do something now!! total cost of two new springs with struts, and new tire: $850.00. property damage: punctured tire, broken spring. *tr

1) the events leading up to the failure, none, car was riding smooth, no noises, bouncing, etc... 2) the failure, how often it occurs, its consequences. the drivers side front strut spring broke, puncturing through the tire. this is a huge known problem with these cars. luckily i was driving at a slow speed (30 mph) when the spring let go. however, i do take the express way to and from work and travel often. had this happened on the expressway i most definitely would have lost control when the spring punctured through the tire. 3) what was done to correct the failure? struts, springs, and two front tires were replaced. luckily my dad, a former mechanic, was able to do the struts and springs for me. total cost ended up being $600. *tr

Coil spring broke while backing out of my garage - which blew out my front tire. i had to purchase a new tire and then have my car towed to my mechanic. he replaced coil springs on both sides and as a result of broken coil spring it broke another part which cost an additiona $69.00.

We were at a school event and at the end of the day got in our 2003 ford taurus and put in gear to leave the parking lot heard a loud bang. got out and noticed front right tire was completely flat. got the jack and spare tire out of trunk, lifted car, loosened lugs and tried to pull off tire - wouldn't come off. reached behind tire and fount the suspension spring was sticking in the back of the tire. reached in further and pulled out a section of the spring that was completely broken off and tossed it on the ground. put tire back on and had a flat bed truck come to tow to their repair shop. i am not looking forward to getting this repair bill. *tr

2003 ford taurus. consumer states problems with coil springs *tgw the consumer questioned the lack of a recall for an obvious safety problem and perhaps defective material. the front and rear coil springs ruptured on the consumers vehicle. the ball joints, front stabilizer and serpentine belt all had to be replaced on different occasions. the caliper froze, and the rotors were warped. *jb updated consumer letter 10/27/10.*jb

Tl * the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving at speeds of 30 mph, the vehicle made an unusually loud noise. the weather was not a factor. upon further investigation, the contact found the front coil spring had fractured and punctured the tire. the stabilizer bar was also fractured. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 66,000.

Driver side front coil spring broke, broken spring ripped the side of the tire. stabilizer bar also broken. *tr

My wife and i got in the car to go home, i started the car and went to leave when we heard a loud bang and car dropped several inches. the right front spring had broken and one of the pieces punctured the tire causing it to deflate immediately. we would have been on the highway in a matter of minutes, had it happened then it could have been catastrophic. i spoke with the dealer and also contacted the manufacturer via e-mail and both basically said sorry for your luck. i know this is a common problem on these vehicles and i actually know someone personally that had the same thing occur with his 2002 ford taurus. i am in the process of having repaired now, i am replacing both front springs as a safety precaution and will try to keep the broken spring but there may be a core deposit involved. this defect in my opinion is potentially very serious and widespread and should be addressed by someone. unfortunately until an entire family gets killed on the highway probably nothing will be done. *tr

2003 ford taurus front suspension coil fracture, resulting in a adjacent tire rapidly losing air. *tr

Front coil spring snapped and punctured the passenger tire. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact started the ignition and the gear shifter was placed in the "reverse" position. immediately, there was a loud explosion outside of the vehicle. the driver inspected the vehicle and observed the front driver side tire was completely flattened to the rim surface and that the coil spring was broken. the failure mileage was 62,000. updated 9/13/10 *cn updated 09/15/10*jb

2003 ford taurus front and back coil springs broke and the front punctured the tires which also had to be replaced. the front suspension coil problems happened on march 1, 2010 costing $1149.01 which included the two new tires we had to buy that got punctured by the coils. the back suspension problems happened on may 10, 2010 costing $142.75. i have read many times that this is a problem and feel that ford should be held responsible for the costs of these repairs and it should be recalled. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the coil spring snapped while the contact was backing out of a parking space at 3 mph. the contact called the dealer and had the vehicle repaired. the contact did call the manufacturer and they informed him that he could file a complaint through nhtsa. the manufacturer then offered the contact coupons via email. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 72000 and the current mileage was 72,025. updated 3/30/2010 updated 06/01/10.*jb

2003 ford taurus station wagon with 25000 miles. the front coil spring snapped. it happened in the driveway. the front tire was ruined and a stabilizer arm was also ruined. my daughter and son-in-law experienced the same exact problem with a 2001 mercury sable. *tr

With the car parked in my driveway, started the car, placed it in reverse, the front left strut coil spring broke and punctured the tire. complete strut assembly and tire need to be replaced. potentially deadly crash if it happened on a freeway. google search (2003 ford taurus front suspension complaints) reveals many have had a similar incident and there was a recall for this same issue for prior year vehicles. makes you wonder if ford ever fixed the problem before the 2003 model year, or like many other recalls the recall will be extended to cover through the 2003 model year. research shows the manufacturer's try to achieve this to minimize the cost of the repairs as fewer cars will be in service when the recall is extended. it appears the problem is currently being investigated by nhtsa: nhtsa action number : ea08018 nhtsa recall campaign number : n/a make / models : model/build years: ford / taurus 2002-2003 mercury / sable 2002-2003 manufacturer : ford motor company component : suspension:front:springs:coil springs date investigation opened : august 28, 2008 date investigation closed : open why do more people have to die before action is taken? *tr

2003 ford taurus - started car morning of 2 18 10 heard a loud noise car sagged to the left got out of car and saw that left front tire was completely flat there was a blow out and there was a big piece of coil spring that was broken lying next to it on the garage floor. the mileage on the car was 89,700 miles. car was towed to dealer. mechanic put in whole new suspension system on the left and right side front. the cost was $856.00. i would like to see a recall for the 2003 ford taurus to replace all 4 springs front and rear. i would also like to have my $856.00 refunded to me since i understand this same type of occurrence has occurred to hundreds of 2003 ford taurus owners. my vehicle identification # is [xxx] . information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr