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. The contact stated that the left front coil spring broke and cut the tire while he was driving up a hill. The entire inside of the tire had shredded and separated. The Ford manufacturer was called and stated that there was no warranty or recall for the failure. The contact had to repair the vehicle himself. The failure mileage was 79,437. Updated 04/13/10. Updated 10/08/10
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph he smelled rubber burning and the tire became flat. The contact attempted to change the tire and noticed that the coil spring was broken. The contact informed the manufacturer regarding the coil spring failure. The manufacturer informed the contact that there were no related recalls for his year, make, and model regarding the coil spring. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 139,000.
I have a 2002 Ford Taurus, when my 16 year old son was driving the car, the front coil spring broke and blew out his tire while he was driving, this also happen to my 2000 Ford Taurus years ago. I assumed this was a recall due to the 2000 Ford had the same problems. I checked and my 2002 is not on the recall list for the coil spring because you changed manufactures & not enough people complained about this problem. I'm not impressed with the Ford Taurus at this point. I have 3 of them 2000, 2002 and 2007 Taurus I also have a Ford 500. I have always had faith in your tauruses until this has happen 2 times now and it is going to cost me almost $1000 due to the fact I now should replace the struts along with the coil springs and buy a new tier. I would like to know why just because you changed manufactured you would not honor a problem you have had on the Ford Taurus several years in a row. I thank god my son was not driving fast when the coil spring broke and blew the tier out, he is 16 years old we bought this car because we thought it would be a safe car for him.
I own a 2002 Ford Taurus that I purchase new. On 0202/10 my wife was backing the car out of the garage when heard a load bang, and the car suddenly stop. She noticed the front tire was flat, and when I removed the tire I notice that the front coil spring was broke. I'm very happy she wasn't driving 55 mph at the time it broke. I did some checking and found out there was a recall on this coil spring thru 1999 to 2001. I call the Ford Motor Co. That they still have a major safety issue with this car, but they didn't seem to care.
The contact was owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. She stated while driving at speeds OF15 mph, she could hear what was similar to banging metal. Later, she noticed the front driver's side tire was flat. She called roadside assistance and the spare tire was installed on the vehicle. She was able to drive the vehicle to her nearest dealer where they found the front driver's side coil spring had snapped and punctured the tire, causing the flat. This also caused damage to the struts, which also needed to be replaced. There were no recalls for the failure and repairs would be at the owner's expense. No repairs were made to date. The failure and current mileages were under 163,591.
- Xenia, OH, USA
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The contact has a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while parked in the driveway the coil spring broke and burst the left front tire. The contact stated that this is a safety issue. The failure and current mileage was 101000. Updated 03/12/10. Updated 09/21/10
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the left front suspension spring broke and punctured a hole in the tire while driving 5 mph. The contact pulled to the side of the road, changed the tire and was able to drive home. The dealer or the manufacturer have not been notified. The failure mileage was 111,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving in reverse out of the drive way he heard a loud noise. Upon inspection of the vehicle he noticed that the left front tire was flat. When he removed the tire he notice that the coil spring broke and punctured the tire. He took the vehicle to independent mechanic who replaced the strut and coil spring. The failure and the current mileage was 52,000. The VIN was not available. He will contact the manufacturer. Updated 11/19/10. Updated 12/02/10
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking space the front spring broke on the driver side puncturing the tire. The contact took the vehicle to sears to have the tire and the front spring replaced. A month later while driving at 50 mph the rear driver side spring broke and punctured the tire. The contact called the dealer and the dealer informed the contact that there was no recall. The contact saw a recall regarding the suspension:front:springs:coil springs, but the 2002 year/model was not included. Failure mileage was 64,000.
2002 Ford Taurus, left front coil spring snapped while parked, puncturing a hole in the tire. Fortunately while parked and not on the interstate. It's my understanding the Ford has a recall for the same problem on the 2000 and 2001 models but not on the 2002 model. Of course my concern is this happening on the interstate and the outcome being severe. The left front strut assembly has been replaced with salvage yard parts. This was done before I was aware of this being an issue in prior years.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 5 mph in reverse out of his garage the front driver side tire exploded. After examining the tire the contact noticed that the coil spring punctured the tire and caused a blow out. A local mechanic replaced the struts, coil spring, ball bearing, and the tire. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 103000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 25 mph the driver side front coil springs broke, punctured the tire and broke the front stabilizer bar. The vehicle was towed to a garage to be repaired. The dealer and the Ford manufacturer were notified. A complaint was filed since there were no recalls or valid warranties. The failure mileage was 83,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 5 mph in reverse the contact heard a popping noise. The coil spring broke and punctured the tire which caused the front of the vehicle to collapse. The contact has not taken the vehicle to a dealer. The contact noticed that the 2001 model vehicle is related to a suspension, front springs, coil springs recall campaign id number 04V332000 ; however, it does not apply to his 2002 year, make and model. The contact request that the manufacturer extend the recall since his failure is related. The failure mileage was 90,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 15 mph, the coil spring broke and punctured the front passenger side tire. The vehicle was being repaired by the dealer. The contact filed a claim with the Ford manufacturer. There were no related recalls or warranties. The failure mileage was 112,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact attempted to drive his vehicle from a parking space into his driveway; however, he was unable to do so since the drivers side tire was flat. Upon further inspection, he found that the front coil spring was broken and punctured the front tire. The manufacturer would not assume liability for the failure. There were no recalls for his year, make and model. The contact was awaiting repairs at his expense. The current and failure mileages were under 151,525. Updated 4/7/2010 updated 06/28/10
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving 35 mph on normal road conditions; there was a loud grinding noise outside of the vehicle. The driver stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road and the front passenger side tire exploded without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for inspection. The failure was contributed to a broken front coil spring. Currently, the vehicle is being repaired for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 91,000. The VIN was rejected from the system which will be updated upon receipt of the safety complaint form.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The vehicle was parked and a loud explosion came from the front end of the vehicle. The front driver side coil spring broke which caused the tire to explode. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The contact had concern of the safety risk involved. The failure and current mileages were 75,000. Updated 02/17/10. Updated 02/19/10
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. He stated that while driving approximately 5 mph in reverse the driver side front coil spring broke and cut the tire. The vehicle is at his residence. The dealer was contacted and they stated that there were no recalls for his vehicle. The vehicle will be repaired at the owners expense. The failure and current mileages were 125390.
The contact 2002 Ford Taurus SE. There was a loud noise outside of the vehicle when the contact started it. The driver inspected the vehicle and observed that the front driver side coil spring was broken which punctured the tire. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for inspection. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired. The contact had concern of the potential safety hazard. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 105,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Redding , PA, USA