Coil spring snapped off went through tire and popped tire - fortunately happened in driveway backing out - if this happened on the road someone could have been killed.
2003 Ford Taurus suspension complaints
Page 8 of 12: complaints 191 to 220 of 313, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2003 ford taurus- broken left front spring. Turning around in my driveway, the left front spring broke, puncturing the tire, and causing the car to collapse nearly to the ground. My car has about 78,000 miles of normal road driving. The ford dealer said that there was a recall for this but it ended with 2001 vehicles. My research indicates that the problem did not end with the 2001 vehicles and certainly was not corrected through at least 2003, perhaps longer. The repair expense should be on ford. It is obviously a defective design and not my fault or because of wear. More importantly, what if I had been doing 55 MPH or 65 MPH. This could have resulted in a very serious accident, perhaps even death. When will the other side break? Research indicates that it may very well happen again. I'm very, very concerned and constantly worried when I drive.
Left front coil spring failure. Making left hand turn when coil spring broke causing momentary loss of steering control. Replaced both front coil springs. Front left coil spring is available for inspection / research.
In my 2003 ford taurus sel (24v dohc 3.0l) I experienced a failure of the driver side coil spring on the front assembly. At the time the vehicle was not in motion. I still have the old spring (it has been cut into several pieces to facilitate removing it from the vehicle). In addition to the coil spring destroyed was a goodyear eagle gt p215/60r16 95v. This tire has been replace by my tire dealer at no cost to me.
I had my 2003 ford taurus inspected by a local garage on friday, july 31st. 2009 in ambler, pa. I was informed that I needed to have my sway bars replaced to pass inspection. The work was performed and my car passed its state inspection. On wednesday august 5th, 2009 as my wife backed out of our driveway with my 1-year old and 2-year old daughters in the car, the front, driverside tire suddenly, and without warning failed. Thinking it was just a flat, I prepared to put the spare tire on the car. Upon removing the lugnuts, I realized the problem was much more serious. The coil spring had snapped and punctured the tire, rendering it useless. (the tires were brand new, I had just purchased them in order to pass my state inspection.) I was forced to have my car towed back to the garage that performed the inspection. This was the first time this happened. My local repair shop fixed the problem, but I was forced to pay out of pocket.
My 2003 ford taurus ses was parked in my driveway, when I noticed my front driver side tire had gone flat. Behind the tire, I noticed the coil spring was broken and the broken end of it was fully gouged into the side of my tire. With the coil broken, the vehicle was not drivable and I had to have it towed to a repair shop, and will have to get both coils replaced (can't replace just one) as well as the plastic arms/ struts, and the tire (approx $700 repair). The tire was almost new and the car is in good condition with less than 120,000 miles and a clean history, with regular, scheduled maintenance.
I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green I began to proceed into the intersection (approx. 5 MPH) when I heard a loud explosion. Luckily because I had just begun to accelerate (thankfully I wasn't on the highway), I was able to somewhat maneuver the vehicle into a parking lot. The front passenger side tire was completely flat from being sliced open by a broken coil spring.
Was moving car into garage and coil spring snapped and punctured tire on drivers side front.
My 2003 ford taurus had been parked in my driveway when I heard a very loud bang and then air leaking. I discovered that the left front spring had broken causing damage to the spring, stabilizer link, strut and tire. We had to replace both springs, both stabilizer links, both struts and the left front tire.
In regards to complaint # ea08018, I experienced the same problem with my 2003 ford taurus. I was backing out of my driveway when the front drivers side tire blew. After removing the tire it was discovered the front suspension coil spring was the underlying issue. The fractured coil spring punctured the adjacent front tire. I am aware that this is a recurring problem with tauruses, particularly in the salt belt states-- I reside in michigan. Given the holiday weekend I have not been able to get it repaired, I will be contacting my local ford dealer monday july 6th to see what he can do for me.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While backing the vehicle out of the garage at 5 MPH, the contact heard a loud sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The noise was followed by another loud banging noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. He stopped the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side tire was completely flat. The coil spring was wrapped inside the tire. Through research, he found an open investigation (ea08018 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs)). The contact lives in a state that is high in salt, but he found no corrosion underneath the vehicle. The vehicle is currently at the shop being repaired. The manufacturer would not assist because there were no recalls. The current and failure mileages were 99,000. Updated 07/24/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the contact noticed that she had a flat tire and pulled the vehicle into a service station. While the tire was being replaced, the mechanic noticed that the coil spring punctured the front driver's side tire. The spring and struts were replaced at the cost of $600 on april 12, 2008. In addition, the contact was involved in a rear end crash due to a stabilizer failure. There were no injuries. On june 25, 2009, the radiator hose corroded and caused coolant to leak. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that there was no recall; therefore, they would not assist. The contact was advised to call the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was 104,000 and current mileage was 105,424. Updated 9/1/09 *cn updated 09/02/09.
As I was backing my 2003 ford taurus (55,000 miles) out of my driveway I heard a loud bang, I stopped the car. I found my left front tire had blown. I called aaa to change the tire that is when I found out the spring broke puncturing the tire. I was very fortunate to be in my driveway. The mechanic I took the car to was not surprised. This is very dangerous. Lives could be lost . Please look into this.
I own a 2003 ford taurus with defective front coil springs. On 6/22/09, the spring on the front driver's side broke while sitting in my garage and punctured the tire. According to ford, and my mechanic, these springs were recalled, but only up to the 2001 taurus. The spring showed no signs of rust or corrosion, and basically just cracked and broke. If the break had occurred while the car was being driven it would have had the potential of serious injury/death. As the springs appear to be the same as in the 2001 model, I am curious why the 2003 springs were also not recalled. I now have to pay to have both springs replaced, as well as the tire, which was nearly new.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While backing out of the garage, the front coil spring failed and punctured the front driver's side tire. The current and failure mileages were 99,432.
While parked in my driveway, my 2003 ford taurus snapped left front coil spring and stabbed the tire. While breaking, it also broke the strut and torsion bar. Total cost was $810.00. I went to the ford dealer where I bought the car and the service manager said " water got up in there and rotted it."
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While driving 5 MPH, the contact heard a loud explosion. She inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front passenger side tire blew out. The tire was removed and she noticed that the coil spring was fractured, which punctured the tire. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer for repair. The manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because there were no recalls. The failure and current mileages were 65,000.
The rear spring on our 2003 ford taurus broke overnight. As we tried to drive it in the morning we heard a grinding noise coming out of the wheel well and pulled the car into the driveway. We removed the tire and discovered the spring had snapped and the jagged tip was grooving the inside sidewall of the tire. Had this happened on the highway, it would surely have blown the tire. Replacing both rear springs cost $590.07, and replacing the tire under a road hazard warranty cost another $86.78. The car has only 76,200 miles on it. In researching the problem on the internet we discovered this is a very common problem with front and rear springs on the ford taurus, all the way up through the 2004 models. For recent complaints, see: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_springs.html does it take someone to die before something is done about this? These spring breaks often destroy the tires. My ford mechanic tells me they see these failures quite often, and admitted ford has a problem with their springs. Why is the federal safety agency allowing this to continue? It would be a simple matter to ask all ford service departments how may of these failures they have seen. The website I gave you above should give you a sense of how bad this problem has become.
Front drivers side coil spring fractured and punctured brand new tire while reversing out of a parking space, instantly deflating tire. Was on a road trip out of state at the time and had it happened on any of the 65 MPH highways we traveled, it would've caused a serious crash. Had to have the vehicle towed 90 miles back home and am being told I will need to replace both front coil springs and struts as well as replace the brand new tire that was damaged.
2003 ford taurus - rear spring broke and slashed tire. Vehicle was sitting still when this happened but if moving could have caused a serious accident. Had to replace rear struts and springs and new tire. $582.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The driver side front coil spring broke and cut the tire in half. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic who stated that there was a recall related to the coil spring. The front and rear coil springs were repaired at the owners expense. The contact was advised that you cannot repair one coil spring without repairing the other. The ford dealer stated that there was nothing they could do for him. The failure and current mileages were 70,000.
Left front coil spring broke while pulling out of parking spot, puncturing the side wall of tire( 30k mi left on tire) now have to replace both coil spring(only come in pairs, by new tire. Dam lucky I wasn't on express way doing 65. My car is a 2003 ford taurus 98k mi.
2003 taurus wagon - front left coil spring broke and punctured/ destroyed tire. Started car in am, placed into reverse and heard noise/ air pressure whoosh and lf sank. Learned coils spring had failed when removed tire to put on spare. Told by both dealer service manager and tow truck operator this is a common problem. Checked on-line and it does seem to be a problem addressed for 99-01 but not 02-03 yet. The federal safety agency investigation open. Although ford argues failure such as this not life threatening, I feel if roads are slick with snow/ ice, loss of control could be very dangerous. In any event, it appears there is a history of this problem with 02 - 03 model years that sounds exactly like the 99-01's based on my search of the net.
Right front strut/spring mount broke looks like from corrosion these models were recalled on earlier models for this same thing seems like its not on your site for the 2003's.
2003 taurus, front drivers side coil spring failed, punctured tire. 50,000 miles on vehicle.
My 2003 ford taurus ses broke a front lh side strut coil spring when I was backing out of my garage. I only moved the car about a foot, the spring broke and punctured the tire. The tire will need to be replaced also because there is a large hole in the side wall. I have not had the car fixed yet. I am trying to decide what all I should replace including the other side spring. Ford said they would not do anything and there is no recall on this car.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that the front passenger side coil spring snaps. Without the retainer, the springs dropped and punctured the tires. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in a recall and advised the contact to call the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While reversing out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the front driver's side tire flattened. The contact noticed that the springs failed and punctured the tire. He took the vehicle to a repair shop and the mechanic found that the stabilizer bars were made of plastic. Both stabilizers were replaced with metal stabilizers and both springs were also replaced. The manufacturer informed him to take his receipt to the ford dealer for a reimbursement of $500. Currently, the manufacturer is denying reimbursement because the repair was not performed by an authorized ford dealer. The failure mileage was 64,000 and current mileage was 66,000. Updated 05/27/09 *bf updated 05/29/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While driving 45 MPH, the contact heard a clanking noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. Instantly, the tires blew out and she noticed a foot long gash in her tires. She began losing control of her vehicle while pulling over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the front coil spring failed. The dealer replaced both coil springs and installed coil spring shields.. There are recalls on the 1999-2001 vehicles, but not for her year and model vehicle. Ford stated that they would not cover the repair expenses on her vehicle. The failure mileage was 148,000. Updated 4/23/09 *cn the consumer was informed his vehicle was not a part of the recall. Updated 04/27/09.
I was driving my 2003 ford taurus at 30 MPH, suddenly, there was a loud series of cracking noises,followed by a bang as the nose of the car dropped and it veered to the right. I brought the car under control, and had it towed to a repair shop. The driver's side front coil spring had shattered - pieces of it tore the cv joint boot, broke the plastic sway bar and the strut itself was damaged. The sidewall of the tire was cut, but it did not lose air pressure. The cv joint, strut, spring and sway bar needed to be replaced, and I felt it prudent to take the shop's advice and have the passenger side done also (they told me that they have seen a number of these failures) total cost was $1380. My ford dealer told me that there is not a recall for this problem on the 2003 model years (yet). He also told me that ford was not responsible because they didn't make the spring! Yes, but they put it in their cars that they made! I was told by the repair shop that my rear springs need replacing as well, but I will get a second opinion on that. The car has 140,000 miles on it, but I still don't feel that these springs should break like this. *tr thanks,
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