22 problems related to rear suspension coil springs have been reported for the 2003 Ford Taurus. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Ford Taurus based on all problems reported for the 2003 Taurus.
When backing up from being parked, the front drivers side tire exploded and the front left corner of the car dropped. The cause was a broken coil spring which punctured my new tire. 74k miles. I am upset that the NHTSA has investigated this problem that has been occurring for 15 years with Ford Taurus' vintage 2000 through 2005 and concluded its not a safety issue because there have been "no serious injuries or deaths". Previously I had three spring failures on another (2001) Taurus. I had a front spring break and had both front springs replaced. One of the replacement springs broke two years later. Both failures caused tire failures. Shortly before getting rid of the 2001taurus, I noticed a rear spring had failed, but did not damage the tire. I do expect a few "serious injuries or deaths" to occur in the future because of this serious safety issue. It's too bad some of us will have to sacrifice our lives or limbs for the good of the rest of us. If such a dreadful thing happens, I feel NHTSA may be equally liable with Ford for wrongful death lawsuits for not requiring Ford to address this safety issue. In their investigation, NHTSA also mentions the relatively small number of complaints on this topic. That is because consumers do not know about filing a complaint with the NHTSA. I advise the NHTSA to request the number of replacement parts from Ford along with parts suppliers such as advance and autozone. I would estimate millions of springs have been replaced for just the 2002 and 2003 model years. I'd bet my craft beer money on it. Btw, the true cause of failure is that road dirt and salt causes the ball bearings in the mount to bind which in turn restricts the springs free movement. The spring does not rust, the binding of the ball bearings against the spring surface causes the failure. Poor design causing a very dangerous situation if driving at highway speed.
Minnesota: front drivers side coil spring broke and punctured tire while traveling at approx. 15 mph. Replaced both front coil spring, strut assemblies. Cost: $1183. 20 included alignment + new tire install + balancing. About 4 months later right rear coil spring broke. $cost not known at this time.
Brought my car in for an oil change and the mechanic informed me that both of my rear coil springs are broken. Not sure when this happened but notice a couple of weeks earlier that the back end of the car was sagging.
At approximately 126000 miles first of two coil springs broke in the front driver's side of the car. Had both front coil springs replaced. Three weeks later was backing out of parking space at work only to have the transmission pump fail. Car acted exactly as described in many other complaints here, sudden loss of power, high engine rev and an inability of the car to work in any gear. Had the car towed to my mechanic and was then told that not only did the transmission need to be rebuilt but I also had a rear coil spring that now was broken. Have purchased many Ford vehicles but this is enough to make you look at a different manufacturer.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that after having the vehicle inspected, the contact was advised that both rear coil springs were fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised that that there were no related recalls on the vehicle. The failure and current mileage was approximately 133,000.
Was told by Ford dealer both front and rear coil springs on drivers side were broke on my 2003 Ford Taurus. Found out this is a ongoing problem that Ford has with no recall. Bought this car new and now I have only 71,000 miles . Paid 1354. 12 to have car repaired and im very unhappy with Ford over this. Ford should make good for this repair.
2003 Taurus s/w left front and right rear coil springs broken at 103,000 miles. Found under routine inspection. No tire damage, no crash fortunately.
2nd broken coil , 1st passenger rear, now front driver springs. On each occurence ractured and punctured tire - similar to complaint ea08-018. 2003 Ford Taurus - 102,864 miles. Date of latest occurence. January 2011.
About 4 months ago as I was backing my car out of the garage, the front left coil spring broke which prevented me from driving the vehicle. I had to replace both of the front struts and coil springs which cost me several hundred dollars. Today, as I was backing out of my garage once again, the left rear coil spring broke. Again, I will need to spend several hundred dollars, this time to replace the rear struts and coil springs in order to assure my vehicle is safe to drive. My vehicle is only used to drive a few miles every day on smooth, paved roads so there should be no reason why I am having to replace these parts due to their breaking. I feel fortunate that the parts broke as I was exiting my garage, and not driving down the road at 50 mph. I believe this ongoing issue is a safety concern and should be addressed. I hope some type of financial compensation can be agreed upon to cover the costs associated with this ongoing safety issue.
On 12/20/2010 left front coil spring broke and punctured tire while driving on state highway. Incident occurred just 2 miles after departure from home. Thought it was just a flat tire. The shoulder was narrow and the road was snow covered. When pulling off the road the car got stuck in the snow. Upon retrieval from the ditch and subsequent tow to the tire store we discovered the broken spring issue. We have not yet repaired the spring/strut problem as the tire store does not perform that type of repair. We are planning to replace both front springs and struts as well as rear springs to have some peace of mind. We purchased four new tires and will have it towed to the full-service repair shop on 12/21/2010. The tire store could not mount the new tire on the left front because of the broken spring. The tire store mounted the "Mini" spare that could clear the broken spring. We feel Ford should reimburse us for the cost of repairs. We are fortunate that there were no injuries!.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus se. The contact stated the vehicle was having a routine oil change performed when he was advised by the mechanic that the rear coil spring had fractured. The coil spring was repaired. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 21,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving at 10 mph, the contact noticed a rubber burning smell. He then noticed that rear left tire had become flat and that the cause of the flat was a coil spring that broke. The contact spoke with the dealer who stated that it would be easy if the contact purchased the part himself and repair it. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure and current mileages were 26,837.
2003 Ford Taurus - started car morning of 2 18 10 heard a loud noise car sagged to the left got out of car and saw that left front tire was completely flat there was a blow out and there was a big piece of coil spring that was broken lying next to it on the garage floor. The mileage on the car was 89,700 miles. Car was towed to dealer. Mechanic put in whole new suspension system on the left and right side front. The cost was $856. 00. I would like to see a recall for the 2003 Ford Taurus to replace all 4 springs front and rear. I would also like to have my $856. 00 refunded to me since I understand this same type of occurrence has occurred to hundreds of 2003 Ford Taurus owners. My vehicle identification # is [xxx] . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
I heard a rubbing noise in the rear of the car thinking it was my brakes, when checking the brakes which was not the problem. I discovered that the noise was coming from the left rear coil spring which broke. Thanks goodness that I seen this problem and the spring did not puncture the tire it is about a 1/4 of an inch from puncturing the tire. The car has a 78,000 miles on it 2003 Ford Taurus.
Rear coil spring failed on 2003 Ford Taurus October 2009 - both rear tires and coil springs had to be replaced due to failure. . Front coil spring failed on same vehicle Jan 4 2003, punctured right front tire which then blew out.
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.
No events, the rear coil spring on my 2003 Taurus 4 door sedan simply broke. I hear from the Ford dealer mechanics and the tire store people that broken coil springs on a Taurus and sable are as common as flat tires.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While backing out of the driveway, the contact heard a grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. He drove to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the rear driver's side coil spring was cracked and puncturing the rear driver's side tire. The vehicle was not repaired and the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The current and failure mileages were 35,896.
Rear passenger coil spring broke and destroyed the tire while driving 15 mph. Will not know what additional damage was done until I talk to my mechanic.
Recently purchased a 2003 Ford Taurus sedan se with 45,000 miles on it. I have put very few miles on it myself (about 3,000). Today I discovered that the rear coil springs are both broken. I had a flat tire in the left rear and found that the coil spring has broken and cut the tire. The right coil spring must have been broken previously but did not cause any tire damage (that I know of). Luckily the flat happened as I was exiting on an offramp from the highway. The coil springs will have to be replaced today to avoid continued problems (total cost $840 including new tire).
I have a 2003 Ford Taurus and on 8-7-08 I was backing out of my mother's driveway and heard a loud pop. After inspecting everything under the car, I found the rear coil spring broken and sticking into my left rear tire. I had to purchase a left rear coil spring for $98. 00 and I haven't received the repair bill yet.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While proceeding through a stop sign at an unknown speed, the contact heard a snapping sound. He continued home and noticed that the rear driver's side quarter panel was lower than the passenger side. The dealer stated that the rear coil spring caused the failure. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls on his vehicle related to this failure. The failure and current mileages were 60,066.