CarComplaints.com Notes: Most people need a car where the coil springs don't puncture or shred tires while driving. The Taurus fails in that respect.
The 1999-2003 Ford Taurus has a huge problem with coil springs breaking, which can puncture or even shred tires while driving.
The US government spent THREE YEARS (2008-2011) investigating the 2002-2003 Taurus coil springs. Although Taurus/Sable from earlier years were recalled, ultimately the NHTSA did not force a recall. They determined that because there had been no deaths & very few bad crashes & injuries, the broken coil springs defect was no big deal & not a safety defect. Tell that to all the owners who had close calls...
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
100,218 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
2002 Ford Taurus, coil springs broke and punctured tire. Same as NHTSA action number: PE04044 I have seen several other comments online about the 2002.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While the vehicle was idling, the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured a hole in the tire. A few months later, the rear coil springs fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 71,000 and current mileage was 81,000.
Car: 2002 Ford Taurus ses indecent: Exiting driveway and heard loud noise, that shook the car, pulled over and discovered front drivers side spring had broken, in turn hitting tire and and braking sway bar. Note:July 15, 2004 | recall id# 15302 hide details recall reasonsuspension:front:springs:coil springs recall datejuly 15, 2004 model affectedtaurus potential units affected 899060 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. Ford Motor Company 04S17 my car has the same issue, but with the has the plate.
My fiance was driving southbound on I-75 when the front driver's side coil spring broke, causing damage to sway bar link, tire and strut. This caused her to almost crash into left concrete barrier. Vehicle was towed due to it no longer being drivable. A few months back the rear passenger side spring also broke causing us to replace strut mount, strut and spring.
I own a 2002 Ford Taurus. I recently had a standard service visit to my local dealer to be told all four of my coil springs were broken. I did find a recall on 99-01 models for the front coil springs, but I find it ironic that my 02 had the same problem. I contacted Ford, but they didn't seem concerned. These coils breaking can and have caused tires to puncture. I find this to be highly dangerous if the car is traveling down the high way.
Pulling out of work parking space, heard what sounded like metal grinding and then my tire went flat. Spring had snapped and punctured my tire. Before realizing this is what happened, tried to change the tire. Had to have a tow to Firestone and while working on it they found that when the spring/coil snapped it cut my brake line. Total cost is $1200.
Three weeks ago my daughter at college called to says she was having trouble with the car. It turned out to be a broken rear coil spring. Between the ruined tire and repair work the bill came to over $1200. Tonight she called to say the front spring on the driver's side had broken and one of the new tires is toast. Thank god she wasn't driving down the highway when this happened.
Left front coil spring broke causing the entire front suspension to break - $1100 repair. Two weeks later, the right rear coil spring broke, puncturing the tire and forcing a repair of $400 for coil springs+ $125 for new tire. Now (3/3/09) I am told that the rear struts need replaced due to wear (awaiting estimate). This is a 2002 Ford Taurus with 55,000 miles. I drive 12 miles a day(6 to and 6 from) work. I cannot understand why all of this is happening at the same time. I am loyal to Ford, and I love my Taurus, but this is not right.
2002 Ford Taurus rear drivers side coil spring broke. No tire damage. A little over a year ago front passenger coil spring broke while pulling out of driveway. The tire was destroyed.
2002 ses Ford Taurus. Front coil springs snapped. Summer 2007. After turning vehicle on in garage, place in reverse and heard loud bang and car dropped. The driver side spring coil snapped and punctured tire. Had to have towed out of garage. Bill was over $700. I have read of all the complaints about this model and year on this issue. I had both front springs/coils replaced. Just last night, 2/12/09 while driving 40 mph on smooth surface heard loud noise in rear. Same thing, coil snapped shredded tire. Car is currently undriveable and I also looked at the other rear coil, which also looks snapped. Why is Ford not recalling the 2002 model when it is clearly a mechanical defect? I see they have recalled previous years.
Backed out of driveway, when right rear wheel made transition from driveway, curb, to street, right rear strut coil spring blew apart and punctured inside sidewall of tire. Was necessary to replace tire and both rear complete strut assemblies. After hearing of other same instances I investigated the NHTSA site and found hundreds of the same, both front and rear have been submitted for complaints. I have also found that Ford had a recall for the very same condition for 1999-2001taurus, recall 04S17 / NHTSA 04V332000. Incident occurred on 01/13/2009 65,270 miles. This type of defect could cause serious injury or death - should be a recall on front and rear spring coils.
Suspension:front:springs:coil springs on 2002 Ford Taurus. Just before christmas 2008, the front spring blew and shredded the tire. On Saturday, February 7, 2009, the back spring blew and shredded the back tire. Thankfully, both incidents occurred in a driveway. From reading numerous accounts on the internet, this is a common issue with 2002 Ford Taurus'.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle jerked over to the right lane very roughly and almost drove into oncoming traffic. The contact pulled over onto the shoulder and he noticed that the front driver's side spring snapped, which caused a hole in the front driver's side tire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the failure should be included in a recall. NHTSA action number EA08018 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs), date investigation opened August 28, 2008, date investigation closed: Open was referenced. The contact believes that the investigation should be closed and a recall should be issued. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 152,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus station wagon. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly became difficult to control. The contact smelled rubber and pulled over at a gas station. She noticed that the coil spring on the front driver side tire snapped and punctured the tire. The manufacturer was notified and they stated that there was no recall for the failure; therefore, it could be repaired at the owner's expense. NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs) is identical to the contact's failure, but it only applies to the 1999-2001 models. The failure and current mileages were 145,000.
The Taurus was running great until one morning the right front strut/coil spring gave out, I just replaced the ball joins totaling about $700. Now I have to find someone to replace the coil. Luckily I was not driving and the tire might be able to be saved but if not I have to invest in new tires as well. There were no events leading up to the failure, it was cold outside and the spring gave out, nearly ruining the inside of my tire. After doing some research I found that most Ford Taurus's have a problem with their struts/springs. There was a recall on a majority of the models leading up to 2003. However, my car a 2002 is not included in the recall. How unfair to seclude a large portion of car owners and make them pay for the damage that realistically was not the consumers fault.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that water leaks into the vehicle through the windshield, which shortens the circuit in the floorboard. Secondly, she discovered that the heating system was inoperative. She has not had the vehicle inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer in reference to NHTSA campaign id number 03V087000 (visibility:windshield). Finally, the contact stated that the front coil spring fractured and caused the ball joints and the front passenger tire to fail. The springs were replaced, but the manufacturer did not provide her with any financial assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 101,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving less than 65 mph, it felt as if the engine were shaking. The highway felt rough to drive on and the coil spring snapped. The contact stated that every bump and groove in the road felt as if the engine were moving around. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were less than 110,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While the vehicle was parked on the street, the contact heard an excessively loud noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected and it was discovered that the front driver's side tire was flat and the front coil spring failed without warning. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was waiting for the technician to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle is inoperative and has not been repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 90,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While pulling into the driveway at 5 mph, the coil springs on the suspension failed on the front driver's side tire. As a result, the tire flattened due to the coil puncturing the tires. The failure previously occurred two years ago. The vehicle was repaired by a mechanic, but the contact still believes that the vehicle is unsafe to drive. The current and failure mileages were 88,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hancock, MI, USA