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. While driving approximately 30 mph, the driver felt as if the front passenger side tire was flat. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and he noticed that the tire was flat. The driver was going to replace the tire with a spare when he noticed a hole on the inner sidewall of the tire, which was due to the front coil spring failing. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and they confirmed that the front coil spring failed. The mechanic also stated that both rear coil springs were cracked and should be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and repaired. The manufacturer has been notified. The current and failure mileages were 88,000. Updated 020209 updated 02/03/09.
My wife was backing the car out of the garage and the front drivers side tire popped. After removing the tire I noticed the coil spring had broken and went into the tire. We called two Ford dealerships and they told us this was not covered or under recall. We had the car towed and new coil springs and a new tire put on at our expense. I did a search on line and this has been a problem on earlier Ford Taurus with a recall on 1999-2001 models.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. During take off, the front passenger side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and they confirmed the failure. The vehicle was repaired at the cost of $552.91. The manufacturer stated that no compensation would be made because the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 160,000 and current mileage was 161,000. Updated 4/16/09 updated 04/20/09.
- Newaygo, MI, USA
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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact noticed that the coil spring punctured the driver's side tire when it failed. The only recalls that applied to the failure were for the 1999-2001 models. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 102,000. Updated 1/8/09 the consumer reapired the problem at his expense. Updated 01/14/09.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While placing the vehicle into reverse, the contact heard a loud popping sound coming from the front passenger side. She noticed that the tire was flat and a spring was visible where the tire was punctured. The failure was caused by the coil spring failing. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the contact is waiting for an estimate of the repair cost. She is in the process on notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 113,000. Updated 12/30/08 updated 12/30/08.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While idling, the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured the front tire. The manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs), although the failures were identical. The contact would be responsible for the repair costs exceeding $600. He is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. The failure and current mileages were 45,000. Updated 12/16/08 updated 12/18/08.
The left front coil spring broke while backing out of my driveway. The coil spring punctured the tire. Upon inspection the right coil spring needed to be replaced also. Went to taylor Ford to get reimbursed and was informed that the prior year Taurus was covered in a recall not my 2002.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact backed approximately ten feet out of her parking garage, and the coil spring failed and ripped the front driver's side tire. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer and they replaced the front coil spring, struts, and front driver's side tire. In addition, the vehicle was aligned. The repair costs were $1,300. The failure mileage was 70,000. Updated 09/10/08 the cam shaft position sensor was replaced. Updated 09/16/08.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. In approximately December of 2007, the contact had to replace the front driver's side tire and spring. On June 12, 2008, he took the vehicle to a repair shop for routine maintenance and was informed that both rear springs failed. The cost for both failures was over $1,000. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the recall did not include the 2002 Ford Taurus. The vehicle was out of warranty and was not taken to a Ford dealer for repair. The dealer would not provide any assistance. The recall number was unknown. The failure mileage was 67,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. When the contact attempted to pull out of his driveway, he heard the front driver's side tire deflate. He attempted to change the tire and noticed that the coil spring failed and punctured the tire. He did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 92,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While attempting to pull out of a parking lot, the front driver's side tire suddenly flattened. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the front coil spring punctured the tire. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 52,000. Updated 02/02/09. Updated 02/03/09.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. When the contact attempted to drive her vehicle, she noticed that the front driver side tire was flat. She attempted to replace the tire and discovered that the front coil spring punctured a hole in the tire. The contact did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. The vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 75,633.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving no more than 25 mph, the contact smelled burning rubber and then heard a tire pop. He pulled off the road and had the vehicle towed. The mechanic informed him that the front driver side coil springs failed and punctured the tire. The coil springs were repaired. The failure recurred one year later with the front passenger side coil springs. He called Ford and was informed of a recall on his make and model vehicle; however, his VIN and year were not included. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 121,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. When the contact entered the vehicle, she heard a spring snap. She exited the vehicle to inspect it, but saw nothing unusual. She re-entered the vehicle and began backing out of the driveway (approximately six inches) and the front driver side tire blew out, followed by a cloud of smoke around the blowout area. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. She heard about NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs), but it only applied to the 1999-2001 models. The contact spoke with the Ford dealer and they stated that there were no recalls for her vehicle. The following day, the mechanic went to pull the vehicle into the shop from the towing position and the other front coil spring failed and punctured the front passenger side tire. The current and failure mileages were 113,000. Updated 09/16/08 updated 09/24/08. 8jb
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving in reverse at an unknown speed, the front coil springs failed and punctured the front driver side tire. The failure caused the wheels to lock. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs); therefore, the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. The front coil springs and the tire were replaced at the cost of $288.15. The failure and current mileages were 55,695.
Within one month, two brother-in-laws and I have had our 2002 Taurus front springs break causing a flat tire and extensive linkage repairs. There is NHTSA campaign #04V332000, but it only goes to model year 2001. Ford should extend this recall to what every year they used this design! a search of the internet finds many 2002 complaints...
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fort Jennings, OH, USA