Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the front and rear driver's side coil springs fractured. The contact drove to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contact nor informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Ford Taurus coil spring problems
2,060 of the 16,903 owner complaints about the Ford Taurus describe broken coil spring, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 2,060
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $677
- typical mileage
- 80,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Tire blowout 178Grinding brakes 42Ball joint 31Harsh shifting 23Fire or smoke 10Pulling 7Power steering loss 7Jerking 6
What owners say
Driver's side front coil spring broke and punctured tire. Vehicle was thankfully parked when this happened. There was a recall no. 04v332000, for 1999-2001 models - curious why it stopped there? Multiple online forums indicate this issue continued past 2001. Photos available if needed.
A strange grinding noise was coming from the passenger front tire area which was very noticable trying to back out of driveway, so pulled back in and looked to see what might be wrong. I noticed a burning rubber smell and that the wheel clearance was significantly less on passenger verse driver front tire. Drove up onto ramps to look from beneath and could clearly see the end of the coil poking into the inside edge of the tire with a worn mark all the way around where it was pushing into the rubber. After carefully backing off ramps, it was jacked up and placed on jack stands, at which time it was clearly visible the coil spring was snapped in two. It is a miracle this was found before my sister drove 70mph on the highway she was about to. This would've certainly caused a blowout and potentially a fire, and at those speeds could've certainly been deadly.
Front passenger coil spring broke causing a blowout on the tire in motion on a city street
I regret to report that my daughter-in-law experienced a catastrophic failure of 3 coil spring assemblies and a subsequent front driver side tire failure due to a puncture a few months ago while was driving at a low rate of speed in her parents' neighborhood in winona. Fortunately no one was injured and she was able to pull the car into the driveway. We are thankful she wasn't driving at highway speeds on the interstate. The corrosion of the coil springs has been a known design problem for years. I have done some research and found that the 2003 model year is not on a recall at this time. However earlier model years of taurus have been recalled for this same issue in the past, so corrosion of the coils is a known problem. The car is a 2003 ford taurus, 73,663 actual miles, well-maintained, no visible external rust, garaged nightly. This car was purchased from the ford dealership in rochester, minnesota.
Coil spring in driver's side front strut failed suddenly when vehicle was being driven on residential street in sister bay, wi. There was a loud bang when spring fractured and suspension collapsed. Failure of coil spring occurred at about 10:15 am on thursday june 29, 2017. After vehicle was safely parked in a bank parking lot the owner then jacked up front end and removed wheel/tire. Owner noticed how energy released when coil spring fractured drove spring violently downward to front wheel knuckle assembly. Fortunately when spring was driven downward it did not puncture tire. The next day vehicle was loaded on a transporter and taken to jim olson express in sturgeon bay, wi, for repair. Subsequent repairs included replacement of both front struts and alignment check/adjustment. Total cost of repair including charge of usd 165 by transporter company was usd 1,010. At time of coil spring failure the vehicle had 134,128 miles on the odometer. Visual inspection by owner of broken piece of coil spring did not reveal any surface corrosion. Owner speculates coil spring fracture may have been due to 15 years of stress loads on the spring or perhaps there was a defect in metal of coil spring.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. While driving approximately 25 MPH, a loud noise was heard and the front coil spring detached without warning, puncturing the front passenger side tire. The contact and her children were rescued by a family member who towed the vehicle to the contact's residence. The failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 79,365.
I was driving and hear a popping noise at the rear of the car going over bumps in the road. More so without weight in the back and if rocking side to side on uneven roads. Took to dealer on next available appointment and was told driver side rear spring broken. Had it repaired the next day at my own expense. I was told it was unsafe to drive it the way it was. This I know, because I had a 1995 ford taurus that the front passenger spring broke and rubbed a groove into my tire while I was driving under 15 miles per hour. There have been many recalls from ford and I did not receive most of them. I've lived in the same place for 13 yrs before I bought a home and have been here 11 yrs. My 1995 was kept out side and my 2008 has been garage kept since bought brand new. The 1995 was a year old when I bought it. This seems to be an ongoing problem with the tauruses. Same driver, 2 different yrs, housed differently and broken springs. Something needs to be done.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. The contact heard a loud thumping noise from the front driver side wheel well. The contact removed the front driver side wheel and noticed that the front driver side coil spring was ruptured and damaged the tire severely. When the contact called the manufacturer, he was informed that the VIN was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v332000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000. Updated 04/05/17*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford taurus. While backing out of a parking space, the contact heard an abnormal noise from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was brought to a dealer where the technician diagnosed that the rear coil spring fractured and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. Updated 01/27/17*lj consumer stated both rear coil rings required replacement per dealer. Repaired updated 7/10/18*jb
Related recalls
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
- Risk
- A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1‑800‑521‑4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.
Recall number 20V072000 · Recall details
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, the front coil springs could fracture due to corrosion associated with salt used on the roadways during the winter. A fractured spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the tire may rupture resulting in a rapid air loss, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2005. If either front coil spring fractures, dealers will replace both front springs at no charge to the owner. An interim notice was sent to owners on august 2, 2004. Parts are now available for the 2000-2001 my vehicles and owners were sent a letter on january 10, 2005, advising them to bring in their vehicles for repair parts are expected to be available for the 1999 my vehicles by the end of february 2005 and owners of these vehicles will be notified then. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 04V332000 · Recall details
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of new york, michigan, ohio, illinois, wisconsin, pennsylvania, massachusetts, indiana, new jersey, maine, connecticut, new hampshire, rhode island, vermont, minnesota, iowa, missouri, kentucky, maryland, delaware, and west virginia. The front coil springs can fracture as a result of corrosion in combination with small cracks in the springs.
- Risk
- The front tire could deflate due to a broken front coil spring contacting the tire, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a spring catcher bracket which will prevent a fractured spring from contacting a tire.
Recall number 98V094000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Taurus coil spring
Which Ford Taurus years have broken coil spring problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (766 complaints), 2001 (381 complaints) and 2000 (324 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix broken coil spring on the Ford Taurus?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $677 (median of 241 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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