Happened while the vehicle was parked in garage; heard a loud sound and suspected the coil spring suspension, since I knew about this problem from previous owner complaints from this website. Left coil spring broke and tore a big gash on tire and went flat. Called ford dealer in dearborn, mi and they told it was covered as a recall; towed my car out there and they changed their story and told this VIN was not covered and 2001 model year was. What a joke. Promptly, I towed it out of there (did not want to give them anymore business) and got it replaced outside. Cant believe ford does not want to acknowledge this problem even though it is a extremely dangerous situation especially while driving at high speeds and can happen to any of the coils. Very bad quality steel used in coil spring and problem seems to be prevalent in salt-belt states. Even the tow-truck driver was casual about it saying he is seeing it too often (especially with cars with high miles). Ford has lost a possible future customer and switching over to a quality oem from now on. Bye bye ford.
2002 Ford Taurus steering problems
18 complaints (1% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 86,000. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 86,000
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Steering wheel/handle bar2
- Rack and pinion1
- Linkages: tie rod assembly1
- Hydraulic power assist: power steering fluid1
- Hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Taurus steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Ford Taurus steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2002 Ford Taurus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While attempting to make a sharp left turn onto a side street, the vehicle went into a deep embankment rather than turning. The front driver side tire was turned left and the front passenger side tire was straight when the vehicle came to a halt. The conclusion was a broken tie rod. The vehicle remained upright as it careened down the hill. The crash resulted in minor injuries to the driver. The vehicle was totaled.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. The contact stated that she was driving at low speeds and thought she hit something. After inspecting the vehicle she noticed that there was a flat tire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they advised her that the front passenger side coil spring would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the front passenger side coil springs. In addition, after taking the vehicle through inspection they advised her that front end links would also need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the front end links. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The inner tie rods were also replaced. Updated 01/30/12
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. The contact was driving approximately 20 MPH when the bolt snapped off of the wheel causing the contact to drive the vehicle to the side of the road, the contact also noticed that the vehicle was hard to maneuver after the bolt came off. A metal company tested the bolt and informed the contact that the bolt was made of decomposing metal. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer but to a personal mechanic for service. The approximate failure mileage was 155,108 and the approximate current mileage is 157,108 the consumer stated while driving he suddenly lost steering capabilities. Updated evoq 06/09/10.*jb updated 08/23/11.
This happen to my car and now I see five others: 2002 ford taurus front suspension complaints 1 complaint number: 10311880 incident date: february 4, 2010 date added to file: february 18, 2010 description of the complaint: left front coil spring broke and ruptured left front tire, also broke left side swaybar end link detailsdiscuss it in forum 2 complaint number: 10311202 incident date: february 14, 2002 date added to file: february 17, 2010 description of the complaint: left front spring broken with puncture of tire detailsdiscuss it in forum 3 complaint number: 10310960 incident date: december 9, 2007 date added to file: february 16, 2010 description of the complaint: my 2002 taurus was sitting in the driveway when my husband heard a loud bang. The coil spring on the drivers side broke and put a hole the tire. The cost to get the springs replaced and a new tire was over $600.00 detailsdiscuss it in forum 4 complaint number: 10308675 incident date: february 10, 2009 date added to file: february 11, 2010 description of the complaint: car was parked and put into reverse to back up in drive when tire exploded. Upon examination the drivers side suspension spring had exploded into 2 pieces and ripped into tire. Detailsdiscuss it in forum 5 complaint number: 10308774 incident date: february 10, 2010 date added to file: february 11, 2010 description of the complaint: I was driving my ford taurus 2002 and the front left coil spring broke resulting in the broken coil spring puncturing my tire causing it to go immediately flat. This rendered my car immobile, required towing, and replacement of both front coil springs and mounts that hold the coil springs. (cost: $695) so far, this has only happened once, and I really hope it never happens again. I have a portion of the coil spring that broke off from the rest of the coil spring. The remaining spring was kept by the auto repair shop. The portion.
2002 ford taurus last month I had to replace both of the rear springs last week I had to replace the rack/pinion today as I just started to drive forward in my driveway, the front right spring broke and pierced the front right tire. I was going so slow in the driveway that the sharp edge of the broken spring started slicing into the tire as if a person were peeling an apple. It scraped into the tire until it pierced through the sidewall. Thank heavens this did not happen at 70mph I have read about the prior recall involving these same parts on the 2001 and earlier ford taurus models and on 2003 and earlier ford focus models which use the same parts. How in good faith could you believe that these parts were going to just disappear from the face of the earth. Ford continued to use these parts until they were gone and just rolled the dice that they would not be caught by your agency. You must help the thousands of people out there driving various models of fords with these same parts this appears to be a very, very common problem with the ford springs. The events that lead up to the rear springs being defective were a thump when the r/r spring broke and the car dropped a little bit. While the mechanic was replacing it, I had him check the l/r spring at which time he found that one on the verge of cracking. The rack and pinion was leaking and upon further inspection it too was found to be bad. And as I explained above, I was driving out of my driveway at approx 2 MPH as I was only going about 20' as I had to stop and pick up my wife who had walked to the mailbox. The rear springs are not available as it was last month. The rack and pinion is going to be returned for the core deposit unless you ask me to keep it. The front springs will be available as I will be changing out the l/f spring also. Please help all of us and possibly prevent a tragic accident.
When brakes are applied the front end and steering wheel shake. Replaced rotors and brake pads and front end alignment. One month later front end and steering wheel shake when brakes are applied. Replaced parts again, at least 7 times in the past year and a half.
20 year old daughter leaving walmart parking lot got a flat tire. On removing tire discovered tire had a huge gash on the inside of tire on further inspection found out strut was broken had to get it towed to mechanic for repairs.
Belted female occupant felt her vehicle pull to the right. As a result she struck a light pole head on. Airbags did not deploy. Serious injuries.
Owner of ford taurus 2002 sel, defective right front spring broke and punctured tire in 2 places. Locking up front right tire at low speed. Could have been a catastrophic accident at higher speed. Ford presently has recalls on 2000 and 2001 springs but none on 2002. Want compensation for damages to my vehicle. Wayne n. Wallace. *tr updated (6/24/2008): mrs. Wallace clarified that there was no crash involved. Mr. Wallace just had new tires put on two days prior to the spring failure. He drove home from the tire place, parked the vehicle on the driveway. The car sat for two days. When mr. Wallace went to the car, he discovered a flat tire. The car was put on a hoist and the mechanic found the right front coil spring was broken.
Questions about the 2002 Ford Taurus steering
Does the 2002 Ford Taurus have steering problems?
Owners have filed 18 complaints about the steering of the 2002 Ford Taurus, 1% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Taurus steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 86,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Ford Taurus steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford Taurus have bad steering?
The Ford Taurus model years with the most steering complaints are 2013 (295 complaints), 1999 (106 complaints) and 1996 (101 complaints).
Other 2002 Ford Taurus problems
Suspension 962Visibility 100Acceleration 76Engine 61Body 54Airbags 47Brakes 46Electrical 42Transmission 39Tires 38Fuel system 27Lights 24Seat belts 13Wheels 11Driver assistance 4Seats 3Locks 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Ford Taurus?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history