Front Suspension Coil Spring problems of the 2000 Ford Focus - part 2

Pe02-044 is the investigation number. . . This is information with a link to pictures to show how lucky I was not to be driving. This can happen without warning. Ford agreed to fix it. I have my tire replaced as well, however this should have been recalled for inspection. There was a letter sent, but I, as a second owner of the vehicle used had no way to know it was a possibility. How many more people are driving these case as lease turn ins and have no idea of the potential. Please make this a recall. I was lucky, if I was driving on the highway, I could have been in trouble. Copy of my letter to transport California. I have recently had both my front springs fail in my 2000 Focus zx3. The right one failed and punctured the tire. Upon inspection, the left one was also shown cracked. The spring penetrated my right front tire and destroyed it as I reversed. What is concerning me, is there was never a recall on this issue. I am trying to obtain information from Ford regarding this. After some research, I have found a letter from Ford regarding an extension of warranty for springs for 10 years, 150000 miles. I was very lucky. If this spring failure occurred while driving at highway speed, the affect on steering and control would have been incredible. Not to mention the damage to the car after wards. If this is a know issue, there should be a recall to have these items fixed, not just replaced after failure (I am not sure if they will replace mine yet). . Read more...

During a routine driving, the front right spring of my 2000 Ford Focus, simply brook. As a result, the front shock was tilted to the right. I had to replace both springs and shocks. I was very lucky it occured when I was driving in the city at 25 miles per hour, otherwise I could be involved in an accident. On November 2004 Ford issued an extended warranty for these front springs saying that " portion of the front coil springs may not have received adequate corrosion protection which may eventually lead to a fracture of the spring. " I have called Ford dealership to fix the problem, but they wanted me to pay for the expenses, saying that it is not a recall. Any requests for a refund were denided. Please, I need your help. Thank you.

The front suspension has been making popping and groning sounds leading up to the problem. They were very loud when going over bumpy road. The failure happened when we went to pull away from a stop sign. The left front spring broke with a loud banging sound. The car pulled slightly to the right but was still controlable. To fix the problem we had to replace the front springs and struts. I replaced both sides of the car for fear that the other side would break while I was on the highway.

1. Several loud popping noises every time the steering wheel turned from left to right or right to left full. 2. Drivers side coil spring broke, 3. Replaces front coil springs.

At approximately 70,000 miles, I noticed a clunking noise while turning. After investigating the problem, my husband noticed that the driver side front spring coil was broken. If I would have continued to drive I'm sure it would have punctured the tire. We took it and had the spring coils in the front both replaced.

The front right coil spring has broke. The consumer has contacted the Ford manufacturer and was told that they would not do anything. Consumer says that Ford extended the warranty, but his did not comply due to the year it was built. Please provide any further information.

While driving at low speeds front coil spring snapped. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

Left front suspension spring fractured inside the sleeve at one coil from the bottom. Fractured end of the spring was forced against the tire, damamging the tire. This is the second oem coil spring to fracture on this car, reference odi confirmation number 10030978 describing the fracture of the right front coil spring. Why is there no recall on these springs? why hasn't Ford motor company's customer satisfation program 03m02 been extended to include all 2000my Focus instead of covering only Focus's built up tp December 1999?.

Front coil spring broke, leading to tire puncture.

Below is the email I just sent to my local dealer where I bought my car new. Yesterday we talked about the replacement of my front springs and struts on my 2000 Focus, VIN#1fafp33p9yw356073, as my passenger side front spring broke. Obviously, I think we both feel that this shouldn't happen with only 41,655 miles on the car. I went on line and discovered that this has been a problem with this model and in fact a replacement program, 03m02, was initiated to deal with it but mine is not one of the VIN's affected. I called Ford this morning and they are forwarding my report to the engineering department. They indicated that they were in some way going to be contacting the lofink service department about the vehicle. Would you let me know, as soon as you receive any information from them, if they are offering any adjustment to me for the approximate $359 cost estimate you gave me. Also, what would be the total cost (1)replacing just the one spring or (2) both springs without replacing the struts at this time in either case. I am sending a copy of this email to the NHTSA and to the center for auto safety.

I heard a squeaking noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. I turned into my parking space and heard a sudden clunk. After taking the vehicle to the dealer, was told that it was the right front coil spring that broke. Service technician stated that if right one needed to be replace, the left one also needed to be replaced, along with a front and back end alignment. It is a good thing that this did ot happen on the freeway, as the coil spring could have punctured my tire and resulted in a serious car accident.

Front coil springs failed on 2000 Ford Focus. The vehicle was in motion when the front springs failed. The consumer lost control of the vehicle and ended up in the middle of a flat field. The consumer had two friends that experienced the same problem.

While driving 25 mph front coil springs cracked in half. As a result, driver side tire was punctured. No impact reported.

Right front coil spring broke without warning. Spring wedged against front tire making the car inoperable.

Front right coil spring fractured with the lower portion piercing the front right tire, resulting in no steering while driving on the interstate at 60 mph. I contacted Ford and they acted like they have never heard of the problem. Several hundred dollars later the vehicle has been repaired.

2000 Ford Focus se, whiledriving 35 mph around a turn when the front right coil spring broke. I ened up in a field just missing a graud rail. I have not fixed the car yet do to money. I find it odd that Ford is recalling 2000 Focus for this problem but my car like many others is not being recalled due to the fact it was not assembled in a certain plant. Coil springs are not made at assembly plants and Ford should know that if more then one car not made in that plant is having the same problem that maybe their springs got sent to other plants.

I heard a clunking noise in the front passenger side of the car, I took the car into the dealer for several recalls at approx. 149,000 miles. Ford peformed the necessary recalls. 5,000 miles later I was backing up and I heard a loud knock and the car dropped on the passanger side. I went home and jacked the car up and found the spring broken into 3 pices so I lowered it back down to pull it into the garage. Upon removal of the spring/strut assy. I noticed where the breaks were in the spring assy one of the breakes was pretty rusty and the other looked like fresh metal. I pulled the drivers side apart and it looked like a totally diffrent part but there was a plastic wrap around the spring with an abnormal amount of rust near this wrap. Ford will not help me in this matter. This car is a lemon!.

[1] 2000 Ford Focus zx3, 27,500 miles, no known events prior to faillure [2] wile driving at 65 mph on I-65 the passenger side front suspension spring failed, dropped into the wheel and shredded the tire. Vehicle shook violently bordering on being out of control. Lifting the accelerator allowed the car decrease in speed and was brought to the side of the road. Tow and delay of 24 hours to secure parts ensued. Coil spring was found to have failed adjacent to a metal plate that received the spring as part of the strut assembly, at an area contained in a plastic sleeve. [3] coil spring, strut and tire replaced. Parts photographed in place prior to repair, spring and strut retained.

I was driving on the expressway at about five in the afternoon on may 20, 2004 at the beginning of rush-hour it was sunny, and I was driving at about 70 mph. Suddenly, I started to smell and see smoke on the front right side of the car. I started to pull over into the right lane. Then, the tire went, and I braked as I was pulled off into the shoulder. Upon examining the tire, I found that it had been shredded. I tried to then change the tire, when I noticed that the coil spring broke off and punctured the tire. Consequently, the car had to be towed to the dealership for repairs. I had to pay for the coil springs on both sides to be replaced along with the new tire and the balancing.

Driving through a paved parking lot, ran-over a small storm drain with the left side of the car. The right side front coil spring snapped in the area of a plastic covering. Turning the car was almost impossible due to the mis-placement of the spring. A new spring was purchased, Ford said their special warrenty did not apply to this car. Old part is available.

Right front passenger's side coil spring failed at bottom of spring underneath plastic sleeve. Spring failed at low speed in parking lot.

2000 Ford Focus front coil springs broke turning into a gas station. Ford honors some of the Focus's as a customer friendly warranty only cars made up to December of 1999. My car was made in may of 2000 so it does not meet the program as they put it but yet the same issues and parts needed to be replaced at my expense. 708 claims since Dec. 2003 where covered if your car was manufactured before 2000. Ford well aware of the faulty springs purchased over in europe. Not able to handle american rough roads with poor corrosion protection and inexpensive steel causing them to break while traveling. Ford feels it is not a safety issue and will not do a recall.

The front right passenger side coil springs broke. When this occurred it stopped the car and punctured the right front tire. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop. The repair bill cost $1000. The tie rod end was damaged along with the struts, upper bearing plates, front stabilizer rings, tire, a new right side axle, and control arm. They were replaced. The mechanic said there was a crack in the front coil springs that caused the aforementioned failures. In 11/04 there was a recall on the front coil springs and the consumer was notified by recall letter. Recall repairs had already been done in April when the incident occurred. Consumer took repair bill and recall letter to dealer, and they submitted it to Ford. However, Ford sent back a check for $480 but not the $1000 the consumer spent. They only paid for the coils and some other work, but claimed that some of the other repairs were unnecessary. The consumer wanted to file a complaint attempting to force Ford to pay for all repairs that were done.

2000 Ford Focus, right front coil spring broke. Car only had 44,849 miles on it when this occurred. The coil looked "very" old and worn for that new of a vehicle. Has this been a problem found on these vehicles. If this would have happened on a highway vs a parking lot, there would probably been a horrific accident.

The front coil spring was rubbing/cutting into the front passenger side tire. The coil spring had fractured and became wedged against the tire. This failure left the vehicle inoperable because it restricted movement and steering.

While driving 35 mph front coil springs broke without warning. The cause of the problem had not been determined, and the vehicle will be towed to the dealer for repairs. The spring broke without warning and caused the wheel to lock up and skid to a stop.

Complaint received via e-mail. "my car started making a terrible screeching noise. Fortunately, I was within 1/4 mile from a mechanic, so I pulled in there. The mechanic, dan, told me the front springs had broken on the car, and he even showed me just how close one of the springs had gotten to puncturing a tire. Had I driven to nappanee, I believe the spring would have punctured the tire. We both looked on the internet for recall information since broken springs seemed so odd. Nothing was there, so I paid over $300. 00 out of pocket for the repair. Now, I see cars like mine are having problems with the springs, and that Ford is covering these kind of repairs for ten years or 150,000 miles. I didn't know that when I paid for the repair. I want reimbursement, but more importantly, I would like to see Ford motor company acknowledge this serious safety problem through a recall rather than a service bulletin. I called Ford just today, and the service person said to take original repair bills to my dealer's service manager for review. The dealer is supposed to send them to Ford where a reimbursement decision will be made. This concerns me. I don't understand why in the world this obvious safety matter has not been made a recalled item. I didn't know the springs were broken until the mechanic told me. Springs, I do not believe, are something the common ordinary person checks during oil changes. I would like to see Ford initiate an immediate recall for the springs since it's such an immediate safety concern. Had I driven on those broken springs much longer and had I been going faster than town speeds, I probably would no t be here to write this letter today. My car has been great overall. Yes, I've had a lot of recall work, but I still like the car and do not regret buying it. I might buy another Focus. But still, I think Ford is wrong for not doing a recall on the springs. ".

Fail of front coil spings and sway bar link.

Heard a thunking noise driving to work lasted a few seconds-drove to nearby parking lot and parked ther till after work--started to drive out of lot and drove appx. 50 yds and heard it again this time a piece of metal hit the ground-stopped and upon checking found a large piece of metal ring -took it to car dealership and they said it was a spring -Ford has a consumer complaint on the springs of 2000 Focus and they fix some for no charge-my vehicle was not assembled in the right place for it to be covered-although it met all criteria (year, make and problem).

Front coil springs broke car 3 years old! need to replace springs and struts and private plate.

2000 Ford Focus. Driving 65 mph on freeway. Loud bang. Checked under vehicle, saw nothing. Several days later I was pulling into a driveway and there was a slight dip entering drive when horrible noise and grinding occurred. Sounded like wheel was going to fall off. Afraid to drive. Towed to dealership. Right front spring had broken. Dealer recommended replacing both front springs/struts. They must know something general public doesn't. When I asked about recalls, they said Ford had history of springs breaking and recalls on windstars but not Focus. I don't believe it. Has to be manufacturers' defect. Should not have broken under normal driving conditions. Car only 3 years old. Site indicates many incidents in 2003. Probably many more not reported.

Hello-I have contacted Ford multiple times in the last six months due to issues with my barely out of warranty Focus. One of them had a tracking id of kmm2116208c0km, case id of 716814. The other case id I have since lost but was under my name and this same VIN #, 1fafp3434yw152955. The morning of Monday, 6/30/03, with approximately 29,300 miles on the car, I went out the garage to back up. A horrible grinding noise was coming from the front of the car. The right front spring coil was sitting on top of my tire. This is of course related to a recent recall (the tenth one I've received). I'm outraged that Ford isn't requiring Focus owners to have their coils checked. There was no shift in suspension or noise with my vehicle. Suddenly, it just became very, very undriveable. The day before this happened, I put on 200+ highway miles at 65mph. If this coil would have broken on the highway, it would have been an extremely dangerous situation! I have had my car in the shop 14 times for non routine maintenace since I have bought it, but this last incident was incredible scary. Respectfully, michael hare.

The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a recall. Manufacturer recall# 03m02 subject front coil spring. The NHTSA campaign number could not be found in the artemis system. The dealer stated the parts were not available.

Consumer took vehicle into the dealer on June 2 and June 9 because she heard some noise in the front end. It was later determined that the right front spring broke. The dealer replaced the spring under warranty. The consumer fells that the spring should not have broken on a 3 year old vehicle.

Driver's side front coil spring broke while backing car out of driveway 10 mph.