Consumer took vehicle to repair shop, and mechanic told her that coil springs were broken, and needed to be replaced.

- Dingmans Ferry, PA, USA

Brought vehicle to auto center to get new tires and alignment. Service tech noticed that the right rear coil had snapped in two pieces. Having been driving for 17 years, I was more than surprised because I had never even heard of a coil snapping, much less ever had it happen to a vehicle I owned. The service tech mentioned that he had seen it more than a few times on the Ford Escort, which led me to believe it could be a manufacturer's defect. He recommended having it replaced that day, as he said it was a high safety hazard. If the coil came loose the jagged edge could rip into the tire, thus causing a massive blowout. This could be extremely dangerous, or even fatal, at high speeds. The strange thing was that I didn't know it had happened. The only thing I noticed was a squeak in the rear of the vehicle, and I thought it was just my struts wearing out. In other words, I would have continued driving with this broken spring if I hadn't needed new tires because there was nothing obvious that would indicate the broken coil other than a slight squeaking noise.

- Long Valley, NJ, USA