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:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
73,219 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.
On Dec 15,2007 pulling out of my garage the spring assembly broke on my 2002 Ford Taurus. Need to replace spring assembly strut and sway bar. Contact Ford after the repair, they did have a problem with the springs on Taurus, but not my vehicle. I was lucky that I was not going any faster when this happened.
Pulling out of a parking lot my 2002 Taurus ses right front spring broke and punctured tire causing sudden loss of air pressure. Vehicle has been towed for repair. Vehicle has 86,600 miles on it. Advised repair shop to replace front suspension springs and struts, front tires, and alignment. Looked at the first coil that broke off and fell to ground. Fracture in coil had rust on first third of spring diameter with clean fracture for remaining 2/3 of the fracture. Are we sure Ford fixed this issue ending with the 2001 model? repairs estimated at 800 - afraid of what could of happened had I been traveling 70 mph on the I 75 just minutes before.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 10 mph and making a left turn, the front passenger side tire failed. The tire was changed and the contact drove to a tire service center. She was informed that the coil spring failed and she needed to see a mechanic. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a mechanic. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 135,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While backing up in the driveway between 1-5 mph, the driver side front coil spring failed. The vehicle was towed to a local garage and the estimated total cost for repairs was $900. Ford has not been notified. There were no recalls available for this failure. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.
Backing from driveway with slight bump and front left coil spring exploded and destroyed front left tire. I have had the vehicle towed and am awaiting estimate on damage.
- Portage, MI, USA
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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While backing out of the driveway at 5 mph, the contact heard a sudden popping sound followed by a grinding noise. He called the dealer and they stated that the noise was caused by the coil springs. The vehicle was towed to the shop and he was informed of a recall (NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000) on the 2001 models. The contact feels that his VIN should be included in the recall since he is experiencing the same failure. The VIN, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. The current and failure mileages were approximately 119,000. Updated 02-14-08 updated 02/14/08
I have a 2002 Taurus. On 1/8/08 my wife got into our car to back out of our driveway. Immediately, without moving the car, the front driver side tire blew out. Upon removing the tire, the real problem became obvious. The front strut spring had broken, ripping a large hole in the tire and lodging into the tire 7?. I spoke with Ford customer service locally and nationally, who informed me there was no product recall for this problem. I mentioned to them that hundreds of people are documented as having this problem (google search Taurus spring problem, Sable spring problem and the like). Their reply was sorry, there's nothing they can do for you. My wife just returned from a 300 mile road trip. If this would have happened to her out on the highway, she could have easily been killed! at highway speeds the tire would have blown and then immediately jammed to a stop a circumstance inviting a deadly accident. In so many words Ford has said to apparently hundreds of owners: Its not our problem. Well, I think it is Ford problem and I think the american consumer public should know about this hazardous problem and Ford negligent attitude. Interestingly, there was/is a recall for this identical problem on the year 2000 Sable what about all the rest of Taurus and Sable!! will the three other remaining springs also break like other people have experienced" how can anyone feel safe driving these cars anymore? do people have to be killed before the NHTSA does anything? do people like me have to become the proverbial customer from @#$%? before anything happens"
My wife was backing our 2002 Ford Taurus ses out of a parking spot when she heard a strange noise. She got out and discovered that the front left tire was flat. Upon removing the tire, it was discovered that the coil spring had snapped and had punctured the tire. The car has been properly maintained and has just under 89,000 miles on it. We are having the front suspension assemblies replaced (both sides as we don't want to take a chance), the front end aligned and the tire replaced. Cost of the repairs will exceed $1,200. Updated 01-29-08. Updated
Front coil spring fractured in driveway on my 2002 Ford Taurus wagon causing passenger front tire to deflate when attempting to move I see a recall for 2001 and earlier models but none for 2002.
As I was backing out of my driveway, I heard a loud pop. I pulled back into my driveway and saw that my front driver's side tire had just blown out. This tire was only two months old. I brought the car to the tire store and found out that the spring had broke and had cut down the tire. My 2002 Ford Taurus only has 74,000 miles on it and is in good condition so this should not have happened. I ended up have to bring my car to my mechanic and have new spring/shock assemblies put in both sides in the front end of my car. I found that Ford recalled the 2000 and 2001 models because of this happening and decided it was a safety concern if the tire blew out at 70 mph on the highway, yet they so far will do nothing for all of the owners of 2002 Ford Taurus. If this is considered a safety hazard in 2 model years, it should be in all model years that use this spring design that corrodes with road salt and then slices the tire.
Several weeks ago the right front coil spring on my 2002 Ford Taurus ses broke in the middle of the night. Hearing about the recall / warranty on the 1998 - 2001 Taurus', I contacted my Ford dealer about the problem, only to be informed that the recall does not apply to my 2002 Taurus. After spending the weekend replacing the front coils, I had the front end aligned. When leaving a restaurant later the night, I hit a pot hole in the parking lot. Hearing what sounded like a piece of ice, I checked the right rear of the car, removed some ice and continued on. The next day after hearing the noise some more, I discovered that the right rear coil spring had also broken. Once again, I spent another Saturday replacing coil springs on my Ford Taurus. When the rear coil spring broke, it created a groove on the inside of the right rear tire, (in which I just ordered a replacement for).
On christmas day upon backing out of a driveway a front coil spring on my 2002 Ford Taurus ses broke and destroyed the tire as well as ruined my christmas as I could not find a repair shop in the area with the parts needed until several days later. I was forced to rent out a car for the entire week and leave my car in Ohio where it was repaired and then had to return to pick it up the following weekend. It is a 600 mile round trip. I know Ford has a recall on the 2001 Ford Taurus for the exact same problem.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 3 mph, the driver side front tire blew out followed by a loud bang. The contact attempted to change the tire, but it would not come off. After careful inspection, he noticed that the front coil springs failed. The dealer stated that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). The contact had the vehicle repaired at his expense. He filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. The current and failure mileages were 98,000. Updated 02-14-08. There was an oil leak near the oil pan.
Almost 5 years ago I purchased a 2002 Ford Taurus. On Wednesday, December 26, 2007 I was getting on the on-ramp of a highway when I heard a loud bang from the front end of my car. I immediately lost steering and pulled to the side of the ramp. I checked my front drivers side tire, which appeared intact, and got back in my car to try to get to a safer place to investigate what the noise was. As soon as I started moving, my front left tire let all the air out of it, and a piece of metal fell from my car onto the road (which I picked up off the roadway). After I got to a safer place (by creeping along the side of the road in my car), I looked at my front drivers side tire and it was completely shredded and falling off the rim. The front drivers side coil spring had snapped and shredded my tire. The piece of metal that fell off my car was a piece of the coil spring. If it had happened 20 seconds later, I would have been on the highway going at a much higher speed, which would have caused a major accident, possibly injuring or killing myself or others. I got online and researched 2002 Ford coil spring recalls. Apparently this has happened to a lot of people, as there were countless accounts of this happening in 2002 Taurus'. Ford had recalled the faulty coil springs in 1999 to 2001 models, but not 2002 models. The piece of coil spring that fell off my car was sheared right through, but wasn't rusted or pitted at all. I contacted Ford, and they will not fix the faulty 2002 model coil springs at their expense. I have to pay them almost $750 to get this fixed. This is a huge safety issue, as people are at risk of injury or death, as I was. Ford is not even acknowledging this is even an issue, and people do not even know there is a danger. Simply google "2002 Ford Taurus coil spring recall" to read how common this problem is. People should know that their lives may be in danger every time they drive their car.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 25 mph, he heard a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The dealer stated that the front coil spring broke. As of January 3, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 62,000.
Front spring on my 2002 Ford Taurus suddenly broke while driving. Horrific noise scared myself and family. Lucikily I didn't lose control. Pulled car to side of road. Car was undrivable as broken spring was contacting the tire and rim.. stranded in 20 degree weather. Had car towed to dealership where repair was done (both front springs replaced). Called Ford customer service center to inform them and seek reimbursement for repair. They said there was nothing they could do. This is a serious safety issue that must be addressed before someone gets hurt or killed. At a minimum the customer should not have to pay for repairs due to an obvious manufacturing defect.
I was backing out of my garage when I heard a loud noise, my left front coil spring fractured and put a hole through my tire, also caused damage to the control arm. Needed to replace control arm, coil and tire.
Our 2002 Ford Taurus wagon experienced a catastropic failure of the driver side front suspension spring when my daughter was backing it up. The last time it had been driven she drove it home at highway speeds on a divided 4 lane highway and had this happened then it could have been fatal to her and others. The spring had been cracked and punctured the driver's side front tire all around the sidewall like a can opener had been taken to it. 2001 and before Ford Taurus cars were subject to a recall for this same problem but 2002 cars have not. The crack existed for some time as it was corroded. We had it fixed at our own costs but money is not as big an issue as safety. Please do something about this. My 17 year old daughter could have been killed by this, maybe involving others, too. Who would know what happened if she hit someone head on and the front end was destroyed?
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that approximately three hours after he parked, he noticed that the left front tire was flat. Upon inspection of the vehicle, he noticed that the left front coil spring broke and punctured the tire. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer. As of December 27, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 76,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Park, PA, USA