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...
2.3
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,631 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 with broken rear coil springs and other problems. Consumer states the coils springs broke, tires are wobbling, and the belt tensioner lost power steering.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact took the vehicle to the repair shop for regular maintenance. The mechanic stated that the passenger side rear coil spring cracked. The current and failure mileages were 70,000. Updated 11/1/07
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop for a tire rotation. The mechanic noticed that the vehicle was lower on the passenger side rear and stated that the rear coil springs was broken. The current and failure mileages was 58,486. The consumer stated this is the second coil spring that has failed. The first time the front coil spring broke while driving and ripped the inside of the tire. Updated 09/06/07
I purchased a 2002 Ford Taurus sel new from sunnyside Ford in holden, MA in Oct of 2002 with 6 year 60K mile warranty plan. The vehicle currently has 54,000 miles on it and has not been abused and is driven only by my wife and I. a left rear coil spring snapped about a year ago and was replaced by dealer under extended warranty. With a $50 co pay by me. Today 07/31/07 the right front coil spring suddenly snapped. Car had to be towed to sunnyside Ford who is once again making repairs with my $50 co pay under extended warranty. It is high time that Ford Motor Co recall these dangerous 2002 model year Taurus with defective front and rear coil springs before people are killed. I am lucky that I was not traveling at high speed when my springs snapped. I have read many accounts of this problem on the internet of these springs snapping suddenly and puncturing tires on 2002 Taurus.
- Sterling, MA, USA
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2002 Ford Taurus, while backing out of the driveway the rear coil spring colapsed, slicing the brand new tire. This was the second Taurus I owned, both same year make and model that had that its rear coil spring broke this wa svery dangerous and cost me lots of money.
Approximately 3-4 months ago I found both rear suspension springs broken, so I replaced them. On 06-15-2007, upon entering the car, the front-left suspension spring snapped. Ford indicated no recalls cover the spring(s).
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 5 mph, the driver side front coil spring failed and punctured her front tire. The engine failed shortly afterwards. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic who confirmed with the manufacturer that the springs were not under warranty. The driver and passenger side coil springs had to be replaced by the dealer, even though only one of them failed. The cost to repair the front coil springs was $800. During an oil change two weeks ago, the driver and passenger side coil springs failed. The rear springs and struts were replaced for $650. The contact can provide invoices for the repairs that were performed. The current mileage is 88,100 and failure mileage was 88,000.
The driver's side rear coil spring was observed to be broken during a maintenance check. The rear right strut mount broke after the spring replacement and had to be replaced at extra cost.
Took the 2002 Taurus to the Ford dealer with an oil leak issue to have it corrected under an extended warranty. Was informed by service manager that along with the oil leak the car also had a broken rear coil spring. When questioned as to why that should be a problem at 44,000 miles the service manage R had no explanation. Also, he indicated that this repair was not covered by the extended warranty. It was my belief that the springs were checked specifically because it was known that they had a record of failure. The service manage R was aware from the beginning that they would not be covered by the warranty. I did provide the authorization to have both rear springs replaced, and paid for a wheel alignment which was also recommended. However, I was never informed that this was a common problem with the Ford Taurus.
On my way to work this morning taking the same roads I travel everyday. I heard a thud from the rear of my car I imediatly pulled over looked around and under the car and couldn't find anything wrong. Luckily I was close to work and continued on the last 1/2 mile or so. After work I pulled the left rear tire off in the parking lot expecting to find a broken brake spring. What I found was the main spring on the rear strut had broken, dropped down and put a grove into the back of my brand new tires with less than 500 miles on them. I put the spare (donut) tire on and was able to drive home (aprox 35 miles). I planned to attempt to change this myself but after a little research on the internet I have found this is very common and that Ford is not stepping up to the plate and helping people to solve this very dangerous situation. I will take this to a mechanic on Friday to be repaired and have them check the other three springs for failures. I have always loved Ford but unless I here from someone regarding this issuse it may be my last american built auto.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 15 mph, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. She noticed that the rear passenger side tire was flat. Upon further investigation, she noticed the rear coil spring had punctured the tire. The mechanic replaced both rear coil springs. Approximately eleven months later, the front driver side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. The dealer replaced both front coil springs. There is a recall for front coil springs on the 2001 Ford Taurus (recall # 04V332000). The contact feels that her vehicle should be included in the recall. The current mileage is 84,000 and failure mileage was 69,000. Updated 07/06/07.
The left rear coil spring on the 2002 Ford Taurus fractured two days ago. The car only has 31,249 miles on it. Not only did the coil spring break, which in turn, severely damaged left front tire, it also caused the suspension to drop, damaging the rear struts. The right rear coil spring was also rusted and breaking apart. I had to replace both rear coil springs, both rear struts, left rear tire, and had to have an alignment. I have been informed that since the car was a 2002 model year it was not covered under the NHTSA recall # 04V332000 / Ford Taurus 1999-2001 regarding coil springs, even though it was the same identical problem. I felt that Ford was liable to cover any costs associated with the breakage. NHTSA was investigating at this moment over 131 complaints received of rear coil spring fracture in the Taurus 2001 and 2002 models. Review of literature indicated that defective coil springs on 1992-2004 aerostar, Focus, Sable, Taurus, and Windstar models may suddenly break, puncturing the front tire, and leading to loss of steering control. Under safety improvement campaign negotiated with NHTSA Ford should replace broken coil springs at no charge up to 10 years/unlimited mileage.
Make: Ford, model: Taurus, year: 2002, I was told by the manufacturer of these coil springs mubea: This condition has existed since 2002 for my coil springs rusting and breaking causing tire and car damage. I sustained this damage pulling out of my parking lot onto I-75 @ 176 mile marker North. Why is there not the same recall as the one listed below. I keep my car in top running order. This is not fair when the manufacturer is well aware of this condition! I spent $536 to replace the right side at airport Ford not counting the new tire. I want the other side left side replaced by Ford. E.g.:NHTSA action number: PE05054 summary: The office of defect investigation (ODI) opened preliminary evaluation, PE05-054, based on 131 vehicle owner questionnaires related to alleged rear coil spring fractures. Since opening the investigation there have been an additional sixty-three (63) complaints alleging rear coil spring fracture. An analysis of the vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) submitted to ODI reveals that 42% of the complainants allege that the adjacent tire was punctured as result of a rear coil spring fracture. Additionally, an analysis of the complaint data received by ODI from Ford reveals the following: There were a total of 553 unique vehicle complaints of coil spring fracture. 30% of the complaints allege that the rear coil spring fracture resulted in the adjacent tire being punctured. An engineering analysis (EA06-002) is being opened to further examine the potential safety implications of the rear coil spring fractures as related to tire punctures.
Regular maintenance of 2002 Ford Taurus by a professional mechanic identified a fracture of the right rear suspension coil spring. This failure of a critical suspension component required replacement of both rear coil springs and struts. Previous maintenance on the car had been performed in August 2006. Therefore, the rear spring failure was thought to occur in the August 2006- April 2007 time frame. Prior to the rear spring fracturing both front coils springs fractured. This fracture of the front springs occurred on July 15, 2005. It occurred while the vehicle was being driven at a speed of 35 mph. Here the vehicle was safely brought to a stop, and was towed for repair before additional damage occurred. Fortunately, tire punctures did not occur in any of the three spring failures described here.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving in reverse at 3 mph the contact heard a grinding noise followed by the passenger rear tire blowing out. The contact discovered failure in the rear coil spring once the tire was removed. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer, who was replacing the rear coil spring. The current and failure mileage were 90,000.
- the contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The driver's side front coil springs snapped. The contact noticed the problem when he attempted to move the vehicle. The spring punctured the tire and caused a flat. The mechanic stated that the coil springs were defective. Approximately 2 months later the passenger rear coil spring snapped. The current mileage was 73,000.
TL. while driving 20 mph in the 2002 Ford Taurus the rear passenger coil spring punctured the right rear tire. The contach change the tire and drove the vehicle to a dealer. The dealership replaced both coil springs. Jrb
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mount Laurel, NJ, USA