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 25 mph, a loud noise was heard and the front coil spring detached without warning, puncturing the front passenger side tire. The contact and her children were rescued by a family member who towed the vehicle to the contact's residence. The failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 79,365.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while reversing, he heard a loud banging noise coming from the front passenger's side. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the coil spring fractured. The vehicle was taken to dealer. The technician stated that both coil springs needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 97,000. Updated 10/02/14 3/10/2015
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, smoke emerged from the front passenger side tire as the contact noticed the coil spring was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the front driver's side coil spring fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the coil spring was replaced. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 109,833.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving in reverse approximately 5 mph, a loud noise emitted outside of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the front passenger's side tire was deflated and exhibited a puncture as a result of the fractured coil spring. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was experienced several times. The manufacturer had not been notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 06/18/13 the consumer stated the coil springs in the front failed 3 times as well as 2 in the back. This failure punctured 3 tires causing them to go flat. Updated 06/24/2013
- West Jefferson, NC, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while changing the rear passenger tire, he noticed that the coil spring was fractured. The contact also mentioned that on another occasion the front driver's side tire became flat and he noticed that the coil spring was fractured. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coil spring needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000 and the current mileage was 87,000....updated 05/08/13 updated 06/11/2013
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 5 mph the contact heard a grinding noise followed by a loud bang. The contact stopped the vehicle and noticed the front driver's side tire was flat. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated the front drivers side coil spring fractured and had to be replaced. The rear drivers side coil spring had also fractured and was previously replaced during routine maintenance. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 06/05/12 the consumer stated that the left front coil spring broke and punctured the sidewall of the front tire. Updated 06/06/2012
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 20 mph the contact heard a loud popping sound and noticed the drivers side tire was flat. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and it crashed into a curb. The contact replaced the flat tire with the spare tire. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop where the mechanic stated the front coil spring fractured and had to be replaced. There was a voluntary recall for the failure but the manufacturer stated the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 5/11/12
On 7/27/11 while driving my 2002 Ford Taurus which has approx 41000 miles I heard a loud bang from the front of the vehicle. After arriving at my home I discovered that the right hand front coil spring had broken. Although I was able to safely drive the vehicle to my house this could have turned into a dangerous situation had the broken spring punctured the tire.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving 50 mph the driver side coil spring snapped causing the left tire to pop out. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and stated the coil springs were the cause of failure. The coil springs will be replaced by the contact for $300. The dealer informed the contact there was no recall for her vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 76,000. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop and the tire was replaced. Updated 08/04/11
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle was started and as he proceeded to drive, the front end of the vehicle dropped and was resting on the tires. He then noticed that both front coil springs were fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who inspected the failure and stated that he would need to replace the broken springs. The coil springs were replaced at the contacts expense and there was no recall for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 07/08/11 updated 07/18/11
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that after purchasing 4 new tires he noticed that while driving the front drivers side became flat. The vehicle was towed to a tire dealer who advised him that the front coil springs had punctured the tire causing the flat. The front drivers side coil spring was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised him that there were no recalls on his vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. Updated 06/16/11 the consumer stated he was in the garage. When he shifted the vehicle in reverse, the left front tire exploded. The consumer took the vehicle took Goodyear where they infromed him the both coil springs needed to be replaced. Also, the drivers side window would not go up or down and anti-lock brakes were not working. Updated 11/16/11
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that she was driving at low speeds and thought she hit something. After inspecting the vehicle she noticed that there was a flat tire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they advised her that the front passenger side coil spring would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the front passenger side coil springs. In addition, after taking the vehicle through inspection they advised her that front end links would also need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the front end links. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The inner tie rods were also replaced. Updated 01/30/12
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 38 mph, the contact stated that the front drivers side coil spring fractured. The contact did not inform the dealer; however, the manufacturer advised the contact that her vehicle had not been included in recall number: 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were 65,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving 35 mph both front and back coil springs broke. The failure caused the front of the vehicle to fall on the tires. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who repaired the vehicle. The dealer informed him that his year, make and model vehicle does not have any recalls or warranties; therefore, he had to pay for the cost of the repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 123,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the front driver side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they replaced both the front driver and passenger side coil springs. The contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,889. Updated 09/02/11 updated 10/31/11
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 10 mph, the contact noticed dust coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle and discovered that the front passenger tire was flat. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician stated that the front coil spring fractured and punctured the tire and both front coil springs would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there were no recalls for the vehicle and could not provide any assistance. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While in reverse, the contact attempted to apply pressure to the accelerator pressure but the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact noticed that the front driver side tire was flat. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician stated that the front driver side coil spring and the tire would need to be replaced. The technician stated the coil spring fractured and punctured the flat tire. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving in reverse approximately 2 mph in a residential driveway when suddenly, she heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front driver side tire was completely deflated as a result to a fractured coil spring which had pierced the tire. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving in reverse at a very low speed, the vehicle exhibited a loud pop. The driver exited the vehicle and discovered that the front driver side tire was flat. The driver removed the tire and found that the coil spring was fractured and had pierced the tire. A spare tire was installed and the vehicle was in the process of having the failure diagnosed by an authorized dealer. The failure and current mileage was 90,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Johnstown, PA, USA