1996 Ford Escort: broken coil spring

Filed Mar 18, 2003 · Acceleration · 55,500 miles · VA

Clicking sound coming from the front left side of the car. Had it looked at by mechanic and was told it had something to do with the speedometer cable. The sound is getting louder and can be very annoying. *jb was shocked and surprised to learn that left rear coil spring was broken and had to be replaced. Check engine light comes on and the code reads 1443. Mechanic could not find any problem and said it might have a been loose gas cap. He reset the light. Check engine light came back on after driving 15 miles, took it back to service station and got same code. Mechanic could not find the problem and has asked me to take it to the dealer for a smoke test.

Filed Sep 15, 2002 · Suspension · PA

I never hauled anything heavy in the back of my station wagon. The rear coil springs were hollow not solid and failed because they rusted through as a result of water collecting in the bottom of the support which holds the base of the spring in the correct position. My mechanic said that many times when you hit a bump the broken spring will twist and puncture the sidewall of the tire that it is adjacent to the spring. He also said that the same spring failure occurs with all the ford escort station wagons. Ford should be required to issue a recall on all these station wagons and repair the problem. Nlm

Filed Jun 27, 2001 · Suspension · PA

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

Filed May 16, 2001 · Suspension · NY

Rear coil springs have cracked. Dealer has inspected vehicle. Parts are on back order.*ak

Filed Nov 6, 2000 · Suspension · NJ

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.

Filed Aug 2, 2000 · Suspension · OH

Both rear coil springs snapped just above the "cup" securing them to the frame.

Filed Feb 18, 2000 · Suspension · ME

Coil spring broke, causing the back in of the car to sag. This could cause the tires to go flat. Dealer had to replace coil spring. *ak