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.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. He heard a loud bang while parking the vehicle. Later, he attempted to reverse the vehicle out of the drive-way, but it would not respond. Upon vehicle inspection he noticed that the coil had fractured and then punctured the front driver's side tire. The vehicle was towed to a local service dealer and he was advised that his model year was excluded from recall campaign id number 04V332000(suspension:front:springs:coil springs). Additionally the power steering pump failed on his vehicle. The current and failure mileages were under 115,000. Updated 01/26/10 updated 01/26/10.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While reversing he heard a loud bang, and then the tire went flat. Upon inspection he noticed that the coil springs had fractured. While being towed the driver-side tire and coil spring fractured. The dealer was contacted and they stated that there were no recalls for his vehicle. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired at the owners expense. The failure and current mileages were 80000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While reversing out of the garage, the front coil spring fractured, and then punctured a whole in the tire. She called the dealership in reference to recall number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). She was advised that since her vehicle identification number was excluded from the recall, she was ineligible for a free remedy. No repairs were made. The current and failure mileages were approximately 198,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving, the contact heard a loud noise. He stopped the vehicle and observed that the tire was flat. The tire became flat as a result of a faulty front coil spring on the drivers side of the vehicle. Ford Motor Company stated that they were not aware of the failure in any of the 2002 Ford vehicles. The current mileage is 53,469 and the failure mileage was 53,457. Updated 01/06/10 updated 01/07/10.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While exiting a parking space he noticed that his driver-side rear tire was flat. A mechanic came to inspect the vehicle, and concluded that the coil spring had fractured and punctured a whole trough the tire. He contacted the dealer. A technician stated his model year was excluded from recall # 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). No repairs were made. The failure and current mileages were 104,000.
- Boone, IA, USA
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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The driver-side front springs fractured while reversing out of a parking space at 4 mph. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. The technician discovered that the passenger rear springs had fractured also. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 55,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While reversing the vehicle she heard a loud noise coming from the driver-side. Upon further inspection she noticed that the coil spring had fractured, which subsequently punctured a hole in the tire, causing it to become flat. The dealer was notified, and she was advised that it would cost between $400 to $1500 to repair the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 120000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving between 5 to 10 mph the front end of the vehicle dropped. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the front driver side coil spring was fractured which subsequently punctured the tire. No repairs were made. An authorized dealer was notified. The vehicle identification number was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 81,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph over a small dip in the road and heard a loud noise on the front end of the vehicle. The steering wheel exhibited a pulling motion. The front coil spring disengaged, bounced onto the road and over the vehicle. There were no injures or damages. The driver was able to continue driving. An independent technician stated that the failure was caused by the front left coil spring. The vehicle was repaired. The contact has concerns of the safety risk involved. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 121,000. Updated 10/27/09 updated 10/29/09.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 10 mph, the front driver's side tire blew out. The contact parked the vehicle and replaced the tire with the spare. He took the vehicle to a repair shop and they stated that the coil springs on the front driver's side punctured the tire, which caused the blow out. The mechanic stated that the failure was very likely to occur on the passenger side of the vehicle. He called the manufacturer and they stated that they were aware of the issue; however, there were no existing recalls. The front assembly and coil springs need to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were approximately 125,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 35 mph, the front driver's side coil spring failed and punctured the driver's side tire. The contact replaced the tire with a spare and drove to his residence. The manufacturer would like to inspect the vehicle to see if it is involved in the recall for the 1999-2001 models. The contact feels that the vehicle should be included. The current and failure mileages were 100,000. Updated 08/04/09 updated 08/05/09.
2002 Ford Taurus LX, rf front spring broke at bottom coil. Rf coil spring was replaced at my cost. Same problem as 99-01 Taurus/Sable. My 2002 is not included in the recall and needs to be. Could have caused an accident. Broken piece was very close to sidewall of tire.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While attempting to pull into a driveway from a two-way highway, the contact heard a loud explosion. Upon further inspection, she noticed that the front driver's side coil spring fractured and damaged the tire. The vehicle was towed to an auto garage and they repaired the coil spring at the cost of $352.75. The failure and current mileages were 79,765. Updated 8/24/09 updated 08/26/09.
While vehicle was parked, the right front coil spring broke and the end of the spring punctured the right front tire. The spring, strut and strut tower were replaced along with the tire and wheel alignment done. Repair costs total $425. I have the spring from the vehicle and looks like had a weak/rust spot at the break.
2002 Taurus passengers side front coil spring broke at highway speeds nearly killing all of us in the car. Only 80,000 miles on car. We were just going down the road and heard a bang, which took out the tire. I am being told 2002 model years are not covered by recall, and obviously the same problem has existed for many years prior, covered by recalls.
Failure of right front spring and puncture of adjacent tire on 2002 Ford Taurus in ann arbor, Michigan. Approximate mileage on vehicle was 81,500. No prior warning or occurrence. No external property was damaged. Was backing the car out of a parking space in a lot and was proceeding to enter the roadway when a loud explosive noise occurred. Looked like a flat tire on the right front. Tow truck attendant stated the that the right front spring broke and punctured tire and took the car to our local Ford dealer. The dealer service attendant stated that there was a warranty on this failure and checked if our vehicle qualified. The attendant stated that the vehicle build date was outside the qualified warranty period. The dealer replaced both front springs, right front strut bearing and the right front tire. Not sure if the parts are still available. We would appreciate if the warranty period could be extended to include our build date.
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.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the coil springs are splitting in half in the rear of the vehicle. The front coil springs may also be failing. The dealer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The contact wants the vehicle to be repaired. The failure mileage was 62,000. Updated 5/26/09 updated 05/28/09.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While backing out of the driveway at a low speed, the front driver's side coil spring failed and punctured the driver's side tire. A loud explosion was heard. The contact called the auto parts store and was informed of a recall regarding the coil springs for his year, make, and model vehicle. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The current and failure mileages were 122,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Toledo, OH, USA