Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the front driver's side tire exploded. The suspension coil spring on the driver's side fractured and slashed the tire causing the tire to explode. The contact stated that the suspension needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,500.
Mercury Sable coil spring problems
619 of the 4,888 owner complaints about the Mercury Sable describe broken coil spring, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 619
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $624
- typical mileage
- 74,200
By model year
Often reported together
Tire blowout 59Grinding brakes 15Fire or smoke 6Harsh shifting 4Ball joint 4Pulling 2Slipping 2Power steering loss 2
What owners say
I got in my car started to drive and heard something snap then smoke came from the hood and the car pulled hard right. I immediately stopped and parked the car. The coil spring broke and dug into my front passenger tire and it pulled the axle out of the cv joint.I was in allentown,pa. On a main road in the city. Feb.8,2020.
Rear coil springs broken on both sides. Poor design. I was told there is a recall on this, but I do not see it. This is unsafe, because it will throw the car as it goes over a bump. It can also push up into the trunk, if not fixed. Very, very dangerous.
On 2/6/2017 my 2002 mercury sable wagon with 63512 miles on it the front spring broke tore the inside of tire apart not sure what else was damaged at this point . My car being in very good condition not your typical n.y rust not a issue this is a very dangerous design defect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. Upon starting the vehicle, it would not move. The failure occurred without warning. Upon inspection, the front coil springs fractured and detached, damaging the front driver side tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v332000 (suspension), but the VIN was excluded. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Front coil springs both broken and replaced. Rear coil spring brole and punctured tire causing the vehicle to become stranded.
Approximately 39,000 miles. No rust car. Rubbing noise and all tires with history of losing air. While replacing all tires, wheel tech noticed right rear coil spring was fractured and completely wore off interior tire ridge. Placed doughnut tire on and advised I take to mechanic to have all springs fully checked. Car currentlyat mechanic shop this evening. Right rear coil spring definitely fractured. Seems many reports of same nature on this model. Why no recall on rear coil springs with so many complaints? Rubbing sound from beneath car has been noted and tires constantly needed air. Other issue(s): 1) ignition extremely hard to turn.2) accelerator seems to stick upon attempting to decelerate by letting up foot pressure. I inherited this car from my deceased father. I was always concerned that he accelerated too quickly from a stopped position. Father took down a large concrete planter due to this type of car jerking, yet I thought it was due to his putting too much pressure upon the accelerator. Now that I am driving the car, I note that car does not slow when I let up on the accelerator, leading me to believe that the accident was not due to father's driving. This was never a problem with his former car. 3) driver's door makes loud clunk upon opening and closing. Are these known problems?
My mechanic advised that the coil spring is lacking a cover and is rusting and may break. My transmission "slips" and "revs" at random. Both of these items are supposedly under recall, but ford will not honor the recalls.
As I was backing my car out of the driveway, I heard a noise and then a hiss. Then the car resisted further motion. The right front tire was completely flat. I tried to reinflate it but could not. I removed the front wheel and mounted the mini spare tire. There was a complete circumferential tear of the tire sidewall near the tread. I assumed it was a spontaneous failure of the tire. When I bought new tires today at costco, the mechanic said he could not put the right front wheel on the car because a piece of broken spring was projecting outboard and hitting the sidewall of the new tire. Inspection showed the left front coil spring was also broken but the pointed end was aimed inward. The inferior coil was broken off and was loose but could not be easily removed from the strut. I told the mechanic to remount the mini-spare on the right front. Until I looked on the internet I had no idea this was a common failure that fomoco had partially addressed years ago in other model years but not 2002. It seems that many of these failures have occurred at rest or slow speeds, but I also think this is a function of the fact that cars sit most of their lives. There has been significant financial damage to owners for tires and repairs, but luckily there have been no serious physical injuries. Because the failures are sudden and catastrophic, there is certain to be a serious and perhaps fatal incident in the future. Fomoco and the us government should not be subjecting the unknowing and trusting public to the risks of luck, because it will eventually turn bad. Apparently fomoco does not care enough about its drivers to repair the defect, or mitigate the danger and damage, or even inform owners of the danger. The federal safety agency act now, do your job, and protect us from those who build automobiles, but don't care.
Originally, 2 days prior, car felt like I was dragging something underneath. Got out and looked around car, didn't see anything. Left car for 2 days, then started to head to work. Was going only about 20mph when smoke poured out from under my car. A moment later my front passenger side tire blew. Had a friend come to help me change to the spare. He drove the car about 2 minutes back to my house and as soon as he parked it, he took the spare off because we heard a weird popping noise when he was jacking the car back up. Looked and the coil spring on the passenger side had broken and rubbed so violently against the tire that it had torn a 10-14" long hole in the tire and had burnt a ring around the inside of the tire. Thankfully I had 2 friends to replace the whole unit. I also was able to take my goodyear tire back to sam's and they prorated my tire (had less than 6,000 miles on them!!) and replaced it. Time will tell if the other one will go out but the federal safety agency needs to look at this problem. If I had been going faster, I most certainly would have been in a very bad accident. I am very thankful I had friends who were able to change the whole coil spring for me. But if this were to happen while traveling at a high rate of speed, the end result could be catastrophic.
Related recalls
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 Mercury Sable coil spring
Which Mercury Sable years have broken coil spring problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (188 complaints), 2001 (147 complaints) and 2000 (125 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix broken coil spring on the Mercury Sable?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $624 (median of 67 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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