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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:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
100,218 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.

2002 Ford Taurus suspension problems

suspension problem

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2002 Ford Taurus Owner Comments (Page 5 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #75

Dec 042009

Taurus

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2002 Ford Taurus four broken springs, punctured tires, no recall on this year car ; plugged heater core, frame rot,

- Sharon Spring, NY, USA

problem #74

Jan 042011

Taurus

  • 62,987 miles
1/4/11 backed out of driveway left front coil spring broke and ruptured tire ( all tires new less than 800 miles) replaced spring and tire 1/8/11 same thing again only right rear spring this time and ruptured tire so I replaced both rear springs and right front then found out it damaged strut and sway arm end link so I replaced both rear struts and end links and two tires this is when I found out that Ford had a recall on 2001 Taurus' for same concerns these repairs were done with no help from Ford what bothers me the most is I have worked for Ford as a tech. And then a service manager total time 22 yrs. This problem is a Ford concern these springs break at the second coil where it overlaps first same as 2001 models

- Charleston, WV, USA

problem #73

Apr 172007

Taurus

  • 73,162 miles
Left front coil spring broke while driving. The problems with the springs breaking is not just the front springs. On 4/2/10 I replaced the back springs with a quick strut assembly do to car sagging and the right rear spring was broke slowly digging in to my tire. I know of a few others that have had the same problem. I just happen to come across this site and thought I would post.

- Miamisburg, OH, USA

problem #72

Jan 212011

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 83,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2002 Ford Taurus - 83,000 miles broken coil springs front and rear. Broken right front coil shredded tire. All four struts and springs replaced. There was a recall on earlier models up to 2001. Ford says my Taurus was built a month after the end of the recall. I feel this is a serious safety issue. Luckily it happened at a low speed.

- Holbrook, MA, USA

problem #71

Feb 062011

Taurus

  • 83,650 miles
Daughter and two grandchildren were driving my car on four lane busy state route in heavy traffic when she heard a clunk. As she proceeded she began to smell rubber. In a few seconds tire lost all air and she had difficulty maneuvering vehicle. She was stopped in left most lane and was trying to get to curb lane with hazards flashing. Car was hard to steer but after about 10-15 minutes she finally able to cross through traffic and get to curb lane and eventually into a businesses driveway. When tire was removed inner side was completely ripped 360* like as if a can opener was used.....coil spring was broken, part of it missing and rubbed clean from tire.

- Kirtland , OH, USA

problem #70

Jan 192011

Taurus

  • 140,811 miles
Just as with NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 for the 1999-2001 Taurus, three of the four coil springs broke in this 2002 Taurus shredding the right front tire while driving on the interstate. The car had to be towed and four new quick struts, new front stabilizer links, a new rear sway bar link, new front right inner and outer tie rod ends, and a new tire needed to be installed. Owner repaired vehicle. Manufacturer unwilling to repair or recall at this time. Failure mileage was 140,811.

- Westerville, OH, USA

problem #69

Jan 212011

Taurus

  • 55,423 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This is for my parents car. Thank goodness it was found out when my father went to move it instead of while driving down the highway. Flat left front tire due to broken left front coil spring and damaged strut. Ford knows there is a problem with their springs and yet they won't place this model year under recall. My father has already stated he will not buy another Ford after both front coil springs broke in his 2005 F150 last year. I have spoken with a few Ford mechanics that admit Ford has a problem with their springs and all blame it on the inferior metal being used. One would think technology advanced so this does not happen. My 1973 & 1980 camaros both had intact original springs when I purchased them and yet we cannot get 10 years out of modern vehicles"?"

- Washington, NJ, USA

problem #68

Jan 032011

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 126,682 miles
While on highway (going slow due to inclement weather) my tire popped and I subsequently learned after towing it that my right front coil spring was broken and turned into the tire destroying it. My left real coil spring was also broken. Needed to replace front and rear strut assemblies, alignment and a new tire. My spare was also damaged as I wasn't aware until after driving a short distance on the spare that there was damage to the suspension.

- Cannon Falls, MN, USA

problem #67

Jan 022011

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 65,329 miles
Left front strut spring failed as I was parking the vehicle causing the front tire to blow and locking the steering new strut and spring assy was installed along with a new tire.

- Phoenixville, PA, USA

problem #66

Jan 032011

Taurus

  • 99,900 miles
Vehicle parked in driveway. When exiting loud noise coming from front drivers side. Condition worsened as I got further away from my home. I realized I could not drive the car like this as the noise was very loud and I was smelling burnt rubber. Returning home I saw the front end had collapsed. Laying on the ground I could see the sway bar link had broken and was lodged in the spring. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop. Repairs totaled $950. Front struts and spring and sway bar link. Coil springs rusted and broke. I was very lucky; if I was driving I could have been killed or hurt someone. I checked the internet and see numerous complaints about this situation on this vehicle.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #65

Jan 012011

Taurus

  • 114,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Starting on trip in driveway, heard scraping sound as pulling out of driveway and then front passenger tire blew. Slowly backed car few feet back into driveway. Jacked car up and pulled tire off to replace with MINIspare and noticed broken, sharp end of coil spring sticking straight out at where tire was. Apparently, coil spring broke and impaled tire. Tire had circular scrape completely around inner surface of tire where the tire had rotated against spring edge. Spring had then completely gone through tire causing blowout. Luckily this happened in driveway and not at highway speeds. I understand this is a very common failure on Ford tauruses and there is a recall for cars from model years 1999 - 2001. This recall should be extended to at least cover 2002 model year cars.

- Billerica, MA, USA

problem #64

Jan 022011

Taurus

  • 92,566 miles
Drivers side front coil snapped, puncturing tire.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

problem #63

Dec 192010

Taurus

  • 102,000 miles
Rear passenger side coil spring broken

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #62

Dec 062010

Taurus

  • miles
I purchased a used 2002 Ford Taurus two years ago. About 4 weeks ago, I was driving down of a driveway at work and heard a loud popping noise. I ended up having the car towed to a mechanic and he found both front springs broken and two shredded tires. Both of the springs were broken in exactly the same place. He had never seen anything like this. The cost of the repairs was $600: $400 for the two springs and $200 for the two tires. Luckily I was driving at a very slow speed when this happened and not doing 70 mph on an interstate highway. I have read dozens of consumer complaints online about the same thing happening to other owners of 2002 Taurus's but Ford has not done a recall yet. I am requesting that a recall be made and the cost of repairs be reimbursed to the owners of the cars. The recall should include the rear springs, too, as many owners have had the rear springs break also.

- West Glacier, MT, USA

problem #61

Dec 122010

Taurus

  • 179,820 miles
2002 Ford Taurus ses front left coil spring snapped while backing up in driveway. Sharp end of broken spring gouged tire, causing an immediate flat. Ruined tire has been replaced. New coil/strut assemblies will be installed at all four wheels for fear of catastrophe should another spring break while driving at highway speeds! punctured tire and broken spring have been discarded and are unfortunately no longer available.

- Poland, ME, USA

problem #60

Dec 182010

Taurus

  • 117,537 miles
We were leaving our home on Saturday, December 18, 2010 and after putting the car in reverse heard a noise and found the drivers side front tire had suddenly gone flat. After removing the tire we found that the coil suspension spring had broken and punctured the tire. Ford has recalls on the Taurus for this same problem but does not include the 2002 yet they are having the same problems as they did through 2001.

- Ham Lake, MN, USA

problem #59

Dec 102010

Taurus

  • 130,514 miles
Driver was backing out of a parking space leaving work. Upon pushing the gas pedal to back out of the parking space (traveling approximately two feet) there was a loud bang and the front left front of the car fell. The car was towed to a local garage, where the mechanic said that the front left spring had broken, puncturing the front left tire and causing it to blow. In addition to the broken spring and punctured tire, the front stabilizer link was also broken.

- Ashtabula, OH, USA

problem #58

Jan 142010

Taurus

  • 125,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus SE (na). The contact stated that the front coil springs broke while the vehicle was being reversed at 5 mph and punctured the tires. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the coil springs and tire were replaced. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000 and the current mileage was approximately 130,000.

- Hanoverton, OH, USA

problem #57

May 202010

Taurus

  • 102,000 miles
About 5 months ago I filed a complaint about my strut spring breaking and going into tire! I was told that issue is still under investigation! please give me a status! I have friends with same issues, and these cars should be recalled, its obvious that the strut or springs are defective. Im afraid of driving the car and I should not have to pay for this defective part!

- Byron, NY, USA

problem #56

Jan 122007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
Over the course of 8 months on three separate occasions, 3 out of 4 factory installed coil springs on my 2002 Ford Taurus snapped and punctured each corresponding tire. The Taurus was purchased and used in Michigan for 6 years, then I relocated to Florida. Within the first month of living in Florida is when the springs began to snap one by one. Two of the springs broke while my vehicle was in my drive way: 2 of 3 springs snapped while the vehicle was unoccupied in park and 1 occurred when I put the vehicle into reverse. The Taurus hadn't moved more than an inch from its parked position when the third spring snapped and punctured my tire. After the first spring snapped, I had it (and the tire) replaced at a vehicle repair shop. A month later when the second spring snapped, I also had that spring and tire replaced at a vehicle repair shop. The third spring snapped about 6 months after the second spring snapped and again I had to have it towed to a repair shop for a new coil and tire. It was at this time- when the third spring was in the shop to be replaced- that I opted to have the fourth and final spring repaired so as to avoid eminent rupture of a fourth tire.

- Tarpon Springs, FL, USA

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