1997 Ford Escort: broken coil spring

Q: Is broken coil spring a common problem on the 1997 Ford Escort?

30 of 543 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford Escort (6%) mention broken coil spring. The model year with the most reports is 1997.

Q: Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford Escort?

There are 0 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

30 of the 543 complaints about the 1997 Ford Escort describe broken coil spring.

owner complaints: 30
of this car's complaints: 6%
typical mileage: 54,636
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 2 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Broken coil spring by model year

2001
3
1999
16
1998
19
1997
30
1996
7
1995
18
1994
10
1993
5
1992
1
1991
1

What owners say

Filed Sep 11, 2008 · Suspension · 100,000 miles · NY

I took my escort in for an inspection and the rear coil springs are broken again the first time they broke the dealer replaced them and said he thought a recall would be issued because ford new there was a problem with them now once again they are broken and there is still no recall if someone knew there was a problem with them why aren't they correcting the problem and do we the consumers have to keep shelling out our hard earned money for repairs. This car is a 1997 ford escort and rear springs were replaced twice just not fair.

Filed Mar 28, 2005 · Engine, Steering · 32,000 miles · PA

While driving , the steering wheel felt loose and made a loud noise. The dealer replaced the tie rod at owner's expense. *jb consumer feels that she should be reimbursed for the cost of repairs. The vehicle's rear coil springs broke at 16219 miles. The front coil spring broke at 16279 miles and was replaced under warranty. Catalytic converter failed causing noise. *bf

Filed Jan 19, 2004 · Suspension · 30,000 miles · PA

Took car (1997 ford escort) to shop for routine state inspection and was informed that the right rear coil spring was broken and would need to be replaced to pass inspection. I was very surprised since the car only has 30,000 miles on it and has been driven very conservatively. Mechanic stated that premature failure of rear suspension coil springs was a common problem with ford escorts. Request government intervention to make ford co. Reimburse consumer expense caused by faulty coil springs.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Suspension · 76,498 miles · 00

Both back rear coil springs are broken. My car has never towed anything, and there was never any excessive weight in the back seat. Why would these break? This has way to little mileage to have this problem. Ford is recalling taurus and voyagers....what about escort. Please contact me at [xxx] (night) or [xxx] ext [xxx] (daytime). I would hope that ford would fix this problem and start recalling the ford escorts. Thanks [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Sep 6, 2003 · Suspension · NJ

1997 ford escort rear coil springs broken after 60k miles.

Filed May 21, 2003 · Steering, Suspension · 30,123 miles · OH

I bought a 1997 ford escort wagon new and love it and has only 30000 miles on it. Recently I had a problem with steering the vehicle so I had it checked out at an auto repair shop. The mechanic told me I needed new tie rod ends and both rear coil springs were broken. As I do not drive this vehicle hard and do not haul anything except my puppy and groceries, I had a hard time believing this. So I took it to another garage and another mechanic told me the same thing and showed it to me. I am no longer driving this vehicle as it is unsafe and this vehicle should be placed on a recall list and fixed by ford free of charge. Neither me or my husband have ever had this happen and we feel that definitely this has to be a factory defect. Please advise me as soon as possible what to do about this defective vehicle so that I can know which direction to pursue this matter, a.e., newspapers, tv stations, etc. Thanks for your help.

Filed May 17, 2003 · Steering, Suspension · 60,000 miles · WA

Rear coil springs are cracked - both sides. Vehicle only 5 years old. Used in primarily in city, running errands - for retired couple. Also: left outer tie rod end is worn out and has to be replaced. This causes a vibration at highway speeds and also rattles when going over small bumps (<1") at low speeds (<10 MPH).

Filed Feb 22, 2003 · Suspension · PA

I took my car into my dealership for routine state inspection and was informed that both rear suspension coil springs were broken and would need to be replaced. I was very shocked since car has never been used to haul anything more than groceries. I was told by the mechanic this is a common problem and they check for it. I reported this to ford motors and was for the most part told "sorry but not our problem". It appears from the various dealers and ford motors that this is a known problem that they plan to do nothing about unless forced to by people being killed or injured. If they cannot own up to poor workmanship, then I will be buying my vehicles elsewhere.

Filed Jan 21, 2003 · Suspension · 54,636 miles · MI

Rear spring broke on a 1997 ford escort. This is the 5th escort our agency owns that has had broken rear springs.

Filed Nov 12, 2002 · Suspension · 32,700 miles · CT

The rear coil springs were cracked. *mr

Filed Sep 24, 2002 · Suspension · PA

Consumer heard a clicking sound coming from rear of vehicle. Dealer determined both rear coil springs were broken and had to be replaced. Nlm

Filed Jul 20, 2002 · Suspension · NJ

Rear springs on the strut assembly were completely rusted through causing rough handling of vehicle especially when car had passangers in rear seat. Both rear struts/springs were replaced at cost of $500. Mechanic said he saw many o f the same broken springs on escort model. Car only had 34,000 miles on it when spring rusted through making this either a design defect or part defect.