Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated while driving at 70 mph, the driver side coil spring fractured and caused the vehicle suspension to drop. the tire and axle were damaged as a result. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was awaiting repairs. the contact also stated that prior to the failure, he noticed the rear spring exhibited signs of rust. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 110,000 and the current mileage was approximately 120,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that when pulling out the driveway at 5 mph, he heard a crunching noise. he pulled over and noticed that the noise heightened. he saw that the left front tire was completely flat. the coil spring had broken and there was a sharp edge that punctured the tire which caused it to become flat. he took the vehicle to the dealership but the dealer did not have parts for the repair. he had the vehicle repaired at a local repair shop. he called the manufacturer and was told that there was no recall and they could not assist him. the current and failure mileages were approximately 80,000.

Right front spring broke and blew out right front tire. luckily, my wife was not at highway speed when it happened. we had to replace the tire,and the front right spring and strut assembly. *tr

On my wife's 2003 ford taurus, the front spring broke and caused multiple damages to the vehicle. first of all the tire was completely blown out due to the spring breaking and secondly, a sway link was damaged to the point of repair along with another part that i need to ask the mechanic the name of. this same model car had a recall in the years of 1999 and 2001 for just this reason. the mechanic sees this constantly from this model car. the recall was for a "boot" to be applied to the vehicle in order to prevent the spring from penetrating the tire while driving. fortunately, i was driving the car out of my driveway and down the alley, therefore no accident happened. i have contacted ford directly and they say that there is no recall on my vehicle for this and referred me to you. the car has 43,473 miles on it. of course it is out of warranty but this is uncalled for. i can understand the spring breaking on an automobile, but to completely shred the tire and cause all of this is their responsibility for not addressing a concern that had occurred on an earlier model and correcting it. they need to be held responsible for the damage that has been caused to my vehicle and they should be happy that this did not cause an accident. ford motor company needs to address this issue on this car. i sincerely thank you for your time and concern. *tr

While pulling out of a parking space in front of my home, the front left strut coil spring broke and punctured the tire. complete strut assembly and tire had to be replaced. *tr

Spring fracture 2003 ford taurus

Front coil spring broke causing the spring to cut a hole in the tire making the tire flat and the car to drop down making it extremely hard to handle and renders it no longer drivable and must be towed if it doesn't create a crash first. *tr

2003 taurus 25k miles. as the car was being backed out of garage a popping sound came from the left front tire. during the removal of the flat left front tire we found that the coil spring had broken at the bottom first coil and rotated into the tire sidewall destroying the tire. looking at the broken spring it looks like the crack started at a rusted area and fractured across the coil. it appears to be the same as ford safety recall 04s17. i called ford to see if this applied to this car and they said no. in order to fix this the strut, spring, sway bar link, and tire need to be replaced. the right side spring needs to be replaced before it brakes and causes an accident. *tr

I own a 2003 ford taurus station wagon. i had just completed a vacation 1000+ mile trip at highway speeds. several days later, while in a parking lot driving at a slow speed there occurred a loud metallic grinding sound, following immediately by a hiss noise with an instant collapse of my left front tire. i had the car towed into a local ford dealer, and the diagnosis was the left front spring had broken, slashing the inside of the left front tire. needless to say if this had occurred at highway speeds, the likelihood is that i would not be around to be entering this complaint. my repair cost was $1456.80, not covered by warranty. this raises a question: why not? an internet check showed this ford coil spring problem to be happening for years, despite it's obvious threat to lives! *tr updated ivoq 12/29/10*jb

I heard a rubbing noise in the rear of the car thinking it was my brakes, when checking the brakes which was not the problem. i discovered that the noise was coming from the left rear coil spring which broke. thanks goodness that i seen this problem and the spring did not puncture the tire it is about a 1/4 of an inch from puncturing the tire. the car has a 78,000 miles on it 2003 ford taurus. *tr

Was making a turn onto a street when i noticed loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle and smell of burning rubber. stopped and noticed front left tire was flat. after removal of tire, noticed that inside of tired had been ripped open as a result of the breaking of the front left spring that encompasses the shock. *tr

While backing my 2003 ford taurus out of my garage, the drivers side front coil spring broke and punctured the front tire causing severe damage and destroying the tire. *tr

Rear coil spring failed on 2003 ford taurus october 2009 - both rear tires and coil springs had to be replaced due to failure.. front coil spring failed on same vehicle jan 4 2003, punctured right front tire which then blew out. *tr

Owner was pulling out of driveway (in reverse) when loud noise occurred and left front portion of car dropped down towards pavement. all tires were fully inflated prior to operating vehicle. driver exited vehicle to find tire punctured/shredded and a ring of the spring coil on the ground. vehicle was put on jacks at which time it was detected that tire had been shredded by broken spring coil with possible damage to strut. vehicle is to be towed to ford authorized service center for evaluation and replacement of tire, coil spring and possibly strut depending on damages to be detected. *tr

1. normal driving condition. 2. front left coil spring failure resulting in a punctured tire, broken sway bar end link and possibly ruptured brake hose. 3. vehicle not drivable, towed to repair facility. will need to replace spring, strut, sway bar end link, possibly brake line. failed coil spring is available. *tr

I sat in the driver's seat of my 2003 ford taurus and the driver's side front spring sheared and slashed my tire. i had to tow the car and replace both front struts, springs and the ruined tire. i saw this was common in 2001-2003 tauruses in northern states but a recall has only been issued on the 2001 models. i could have been killed if this happened while i was driving. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 20 mph on normal road conditions there was a loud clanking noise and a strong rubber burning odor inside and outside of the vehicle. the driver pulled over to the side of the road with caution. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the failures were contributed to a broken strut on the front driver side. the front passenger side strut was also severely damaged. the technician replaced both front struts. the failure mileage was 76,300. *cn updated 02/18/10.*jb

2003 ford taurus left front coil spring broke and severed tire. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus purchased in 2003. when attempting to put the vehicle in reverse he heard a loud bang coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. the front driver's side tire became flat. her roadside assistance attempted to change the flat tire, but noticed that the front coil springs had broken and punctured the front tire through the sidewall. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was awaiting repairs to date. there were no recalls. the failure and current mileages were under 43,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus se. while driving approximately 5 mph out of a parking space the front driver's side tire blew out. roadside assistance changed the tire which made it possible for him to drive to his residence. when the contact was replacing the spare with a new tire, he noticed that the front left coil spring was fractured. the coil spring also punctured the spare tire and caused tread wear. there were no recalls for his year, make and model vehicle. the failure and current mileages were under 51,348.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 15 mph on a road surface covered with gravel ice she heard a noise outside of the vehicle. next, the front end of the vehicle began to shimmy. she pulled to the side of the road, and noticed that the front driver side tire was deflated. she exchanged the tire with a spare tire. the vehicle was taken to an independent and the coil spring was in the process of being replaced. the failure and current mileages were 153,000 updated 2/1/10 *cn the front coil spring broke in half. updated 02/02/10.*jb

2003 ford taurus, noise from left front, hard to steer, found left front tire flat, after swapping tire with spare found noise still present and hard to steer, towed to repair shop found left front coil spring broken, replaced both front springs, struts and ball joint had play in them. *tr

2003 ford taurus front spring failure resulting in destruction of front tire. left front spring catastrophically failed in driveway while driver was entering car, spring punctured left front tire resulting in instant deflation. temperature at time of failure was approximately 25f. with 116,688 miles, last passed nh state safety inspection in june 2009 which included close inspection of front end due to tie rod replacement & subsequent wheel alignment. car owned and operated in the salt belt states of ri, ma and nh. carfax report in 2007 showed good maintenance history and no history of any damage to the vehicle. cost to repair was $750 including spring replacement, front stabilizer link replacement, front end alignment, and tire replacement. parts are not available, but contact info to repairing service person is available upon request. *tr

The left front coil spring on my mothers 2003 ford taurus broke as she was nearing home. it destroyed the tire. i called ford & they said there was a recall, but only for tauruses up to 2001. my mother drives on a lot of highways & i feel this could be very unsafe. a local auto shop replaced it & told her the springs break as easily on the '03's as the older tauruses. *tr

On dec 26, 2009 my wife was backing out of the driveway to head to work, and the pass front tire blew out due to the coil spring rupturing. the car has about 80,000 miles on it. researching this, there are thousands of cases where this has occurred, a small sampling can be found here: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_springs.html it is a widely documented issue, with no recall action by ford motor company. i am currently deployed, serving our country... why has there been no action to force ford to fix this issue before somebody gets seriously hurt or killed? the property damaged by this failure was my car, which involves the spring, strut and tire (just purchased earlier this year). my wife lost a day of work because of this issue. how long does it really take for an investigation of faulty manufacturing, with the potential of ending lives, have to take with the thousands of cases that are already documented, and occurring continuously? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 5 mph in reverse he heard a loud noise and he found that the driver side front tire lost air. he attempted to replace the tire with the spare, but was not able to get the tire off of the vehicle since the coil spring was stuck in the tire. he took the vehicle to a local mechanic who replaced the coil spring, bearing plate, strut, and the tire. the total repair cost was $300. he contacted the dealer; however, a report was not taken for the failure. the dealer advised him that they would not assist with the repair. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 73,200 and the current mileage is 73,250. updated 02/02/10 *bf updated 02/05/10.*jb

As i began to drive my 2003 ford taurus, i heard and felt a loud noise in the front end. the front end of the car dropped suddenly. i put the car in park, turned on the hazard lights, and got out to inspect it. i found the passenger-side front tire not only flat, but nearly dragged off the rim. it had been speared by the coil spring, which was broken and had run through the (almost new) tire like a hook. two-thirds of the tire sidewall is torn open. luckily i was not driving at any great speed when this occurred. when i inquired about any recall or tsb that may apply at my local ford dealer, the woman at the desk told me this type of failure "tends to happen", and did not seem at all concerned, or even surprised, at the problem. i was quoted roughly $400 to replace both front springs and have the car aligned. this is a vehicle that has only been back from my usual repair shop for less than 3 weeks, due to the repair of other equipment failures. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving she heard a clinging noise from the front end of the vehicle. upon further inspection he noticed that the coil spring on the driver-side front of the vehicle fractured, and then punctured a hole inside of the tire. a technician from the dealer stated that new springs and a tire needed to be installed. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the manufacturer was notified, and he was not provided with any assistance. the current and failure mileages were 83,000.

Backing up 2003 ford taurus front driver side coil snapped and punctured tire. the whole assembly for both sides had to be replaced. *tr

Front left coil spring fractured on my 2003 ford taurus, puncturing the adjacent tire. this happened in my driveway as my wife was leaving for work and the tire instantly went flat. *tr

Went to back out of driveway in my 2003 ford taurus and a loud gush of air was heard and the front left tire went flat. removed tire and found front spring was broken and had punctured tire. have gotten the vehicle to repair shop and am awaiting repair estimate. *tr

Mid december i noticed my alignment was turning towards the right, about a week maybe less, later i noticed my car was starting to wobble. i took it to firestone and they said my ball joints were seriously worn and because of the wobble the inside of my tires were worn out. ball joints and tires now need replaced. *tr

Driving @ approx 30mph and heard loud pop...immediately pulled over to discover front end driver side lower than rest of car. ended up front spring cracked. both front springs/strut assemblies replaced. *tr

2003 ford taurus has had 3 coil spring failures in the last 2 months, resulting in 2 tire punctures. no accidents, no injuries. this vehicle is driven daily by a 71 year old man. *tr

Coil spring snapped off went through tire and popped tire - fortunately happened in driveway backing out - if this happened on the road someone could have been killed. *tr

Left front coil spring failure. making left hand turn when coil spring broke causing momentary loss of steering control. replaced both front coil springs. front left coil spring is available for inspection / research. *tr

In my 2003 ford taurus sel (24v dohc 3.0l) i experienced a failure of the driver side coil spring on the front assembly. at the time the vehicle was not in motion. i still have the old spring (it has been cut into several pieces to facilitate removing it from the vehicle). in addition to the coil spring destroyed was a goodyear eagle gt p215/60r16 95v. this tire has been replace by my tire dealer at no cost to me. *tr

I had my 2003 ford taurus inspected by a local garage on friday, july 31st. 2009 in ambler, pa. i was informed that i needed to have my sway bars replaced to pass inspection. the work was performed and my car passed its state inspection. on wednesday august 5th, 2009 as my wife backed out of our driveway with my 1-year old and 2-year old daughters in the car, the front, driverside tire suddenly, and without warning failed. thinking it was just a flat, i prepared to put the spare tire on the car. upon removing the lugnuts, i realized the problem was much more serious. the coil spring had snapped and punctured the tire, rendering it useless. (the tires were brand new, i had just purchased them in order to pass my state inspection.) i was forced to have my car towed back to the garage that performed the inspection. this was the first time this happened. my local repair shop fixed the problem, but i was forced to pay out of pocket. *tr

My 2003 ford taurus ses was parked in my driveway, when i noticed my front driver side tire had gone flat. behind the tire, i noticed the coil spring was broken and the broken end of it was fully gouged into the side of my tire. with the coil broken, the vehicle was not drivable and i had to have it towed to a repair shop, and will have to get both coils replaced (can't replace just one) as well as the plastic arms/ struts, and the tire (approx $700 repair). the tire was almost new and the car is in good condition with less than 120,000 miles and a clean history, with regular, scheduled maintenance. *tr

2003 ford taurus- broken left front spring. turning around in my driveway, the left front spring broke, puncturing the tire, and causing the car to collapse nearly to the ground. my car has about 78,000 miles of normal road driving. the ford dealer said that there was a recall for this but it ended with 2001 vehicles. my research indicates that the problem did not end with the 2001 vehicles and certainly was not corrected through at least 2003, perhaps longer. the repair expense should be on ford. it is obviously a defective design and not my fault or because of wear. more importantly, what if i had been doing 55 mph or 65 mph. this could have resulted in a very serious accident, perhaps even death. when will the other side break? research indicates that it may very well happen again. i'm very, very concerned and constantly worried when i drive. *tr

Was moving car into garage and coil spring snapped and punctured tire on drivers side front. *tr

I was stopped at a red light. when the light turned green i began to proceed into the intersection (approx. 5 mph) when i heard a loud explosion. luckily because i had just begun to accelerate (thankfully i wasn't on the highway), i was able to somewhat maneuver the vehicle into a parking lot. the front passenger side tire was completely flat from being sliced open by a broken coil spring. *tr

In regards to complaint # ea08018, i experienced the same problem with my 2003 ford taurus. i was backing out of my driveway when the front drivers side tire blew. after removing the tire it was discovered the front suspension coil spring was the underlying issue. the fractured coil spring punctured the adjacent front tire. i am aware that this is a recurring problem with tauruses, particularly in the salt belt states-- i reside in michigan. given the holiday weekend i have not been able to get it repaired, i will be contacting my local ford dealer monday july 6th to see what he can do for me. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while backing the vehicle out of the garage at 5 mph, the contact heard a loud sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. the noise was followed by another loud banging noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. he stopped the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side tire was completely flat. the coil spring was wrapped inside the tire. through research, he found an open investigation (ea08018 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs)). the contact lives in a state that is high in salt, but he found no corrosion underneath the vehicle. the vehicle is currently at the shop being repaired. the manufacturer would not assist because there were no recalls. the current and failure mileages were 99,000. updated 07/24/09. *lj

I own a 2003 ford taurus with defective front coil springs. on 6/22/09, the spring on the front driver's side broke while sitting in my garage and punctured the tire. according to ford, and my mechanic, these springs were recalled, but only up to the 2001 taurus. the spring showed no signs of rust or corrosion, and basically just cracked and broke. if the break had occurred while the car was being driven it would have had the potential of serious injury/death. as the springs appear to be the same as in the 2001 model, i am curious why the 2003 springs were also not recalled. i now have to pay to have both springs replaced, as well as the tire, which was nearly new. *tr

As i was backing my 2003 ford taurus (55,000 miles) out of my driveway i heard a loud bang, i stopped the car. i found my left front tire had blown. i called aaa to change the tire that is when i found out the spring broke puncturing the tire. i was very fortunate to be in my driveway. the mechanic i took the car to was not surprised. this is very dangerous. lives could be lost . please look into this. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while backing out of the garage, the front coil spring failed and punctured the front driver's side tire. the current and failure mileages were 99,432.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a loud explosion. she inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front passenger side tire blew out. the tire was removed and she noticed that the coil spring was fractured, which punctured the tire. the contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer for repair. the manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because there were no recalls. the failure and current mileages were 65,000.

The rear spring on our 2003 ford taurus broke overnight. as we tried to drive it in the morning we heard a grinding noise coming out of the wheel well and pulled the car into the driveway. we removed the tire and discovered the spring had snapped and the jagged tip was grooving the inside sidewall of the tire. had this happened on the highway, it would surely have blown the tire. replacing both rear springs cost $590.07, and replacing the tire under a road hazard warranty cost another $86.78. the car has only 76,200 miles on it. in researching the problem on the internet we discovered this is a very common problem with front and rear springs on the ford taurus, all the way up through the 2004 models. for recent complaints, see: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_springs.html does it take someone to die before something is done about this? these spring breaks often destroy the tires. my ford mechanic tells me they see these failures quite often, and admitted ford has a problem with their springs. why is nhtsa allowing this to continue? it would be a simple matter to ask all ford service departments how may of these failures they have seen. the website i gave you above should give you a sense of how bad this problem has become. *tr

Front drivers side coil spring fractured and punctured brand new tire while reversing out of a parking space, instantly deflating tire. was on a road trip out of state at the time and had it happened on any of the 65 mph highways we traveled, it would've caused a serious crash. had to have the vehicle towed 90 miles back home and am being told i will need to replace both front coil springs and struts as well as replace the brand new tire that was damaged. *tr