Front Suspension Coil Spring problems of the 1998 Ford Taurus

1998 Ford Taurus front driveside coil broke while driving.

98 Ford Taurus waggon build date of 11/4/97 with 105,000 miles, front passanger coil spring broke while driving slowly, thank god. Apparently very common, why is there no recall for this!! no apparent reason, light useage mostly highway miles.

I was pulling out of my drive way and my coil spring on my 1998 Ford Taurus went threw my fornt right tire. Luckly I was only pulling out of my drive way. This could have been very serious, just two days before I was driving to syracuse and going 70mph on the freeway, I would have more then likely died due to this. Now Ford knows there is a deffect in the coils in there cars but yet has done little to fix it or help people. Now I am out 600 plus dollars because I had to replace my tire and pay for a whole new coil sping assembly for both sides on the front of my car. All I want is for Ford to take responsibility and be held responsible for this and these faulty coil spings and for me to get my money back.

My wife was backing the car out of the driveway and suddenly the driver's side front end dropped to the ground and a flat tire occurred. When I took off the flat to replace it with the donut, the entire inside circumference was cut. One of the coils of the coil spring had broken off and sliced into the tire. The coil spring appears to have worn half-way through and then snapped off. Fortunately the car was not being driving on the highway at highway speeds! the shocks, mounts links, tires, etc. Were replaced at the tune of $1,375. 00.

The contact owns a 1998 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 2 mph, the contact heard a loud bang and stopped. When he examined the vehicle, he noticed the front passenger side tire had been pierced by a broken coil spring. He repaired the vehicle himself. Two months later, the failure occurred again on the front driver side but the tire had not been pierced. He again repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000 and the current mileage was approximately 61,000.

The coil spring in the front driver side punctured the tire immediately flattening it and rendering it undrivable couldn't even put on the spare because of the spring I had my 7 month old son in the car and thankfully we were just backing up and not on the highway yet! this happened on the passenger side last year. I am really concerned about the danger that this poses!.

The contact owns a 1998 Ford Taurus. While driving 20 mph the driver's side front coils spring failed and damaged the front tires. There was a recall # 04v332000 concerning suspension:front:springs:coil springs. The manufacturer would not repair the vehicle because it was excluded from the recall. The current and failure mileages were 62,257.

The contact owns a 1998 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact heard a loud clunking noise coming from the vehicle. He pulled over and noticed that the vehicle's front end was lower to the ground. He took the vehicle to the shop and they stated that the passenger side front coil spring failed. The repair shop replaced the spring. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

While going down road, the right front coil spring broke causing it to slice the front tire. This caused the replacement of both front coil springs, both front struts, as well as both strut mounts.

1998 Ford Taurus with 68000 miles. Front drivers side coil spring fractured. One full broken coil still on strut. Damaged rack and pinion steering unit. Only found problem after had looked at for loss of power steering fluid. Apparently coil failure pulled rack apart on end. Recall for 1999-2001 issued NHTSA #04v332/Ford recall 04s17. See other websites with people with 1998 model year having same problem. Why wasn't recall extended to 1998 model year? or was it? car is in excellent shape and never in accident of any kind. Obviously the description in the recall fits my situation.

: the contact stated while entering the vehicle a loud snapping noise was heard. While reversing out of the driveway, the front driver tire became flat. The vehicle has not been inspected by a mechanic. There is a NHTSA recall, # 04v332000, regarding the front coil springs; however, it is not included in the recall due to the VIN. The consumer had both springs replaced at his expense. Updated.

Vehicle is a se wagon, build date 8/4/1998. Purchased new 8/26/1998. Mileage at failure is 29,608 miles. While reversing at under 5 mph, left front coil spring broke at lower retainer. The spring sliced through the inner sidewall of the tire. Contacted Ford customer relationship center and was told that 1998 vehicles were not covered under any recall, only 1993 and 1999 through 2001. Ford would not do anything except record the failure. Total bill was $1,075 for replacing both front struts, two front sway bar links, 1 tire, alignment, and towing. Fortunately the failure occurred at low speed in driveway.

On April 24, 2006, I experienced a tire blow-out. I had the car towed to the Ford dealership in keene and was told that it was caused by a broken front suspension spring. The tow driver had informed me of a recall for that particular problem. I was told that it was for 1999 Taurus. My car is a 1998. I had to replace 2 front tires because of this and a spring. The bill totaled $537. 78. I would like to have this looked into.

On Saturday, March 11,2006, I parked my car in my carport at 7 pm, having driven 30 miles that day with no problems. It remained there until Monday morning, March 13, 2006, when I discovered a flat front left tire. The aaa tower noticed the tire was completely destroyed by a coil which had broken off from the spring, preventing him from releasing the tire from the wheel. The Ford dealer said my car was not included in the recall. However, my car clearly had the same problem. The spring break was clean, there was no rust, and there had been no provocation to cause a break. Had I been driving, there could have been a major accident. The repair bill was $875. 00 to replace the front springs and struts and tire. The tower, Ford dealer and both repair mechanics examined the coil that broke off. I do not have the part.

: the contact stated while backing out of driveway, he heard a loud noise. After parking the vehicle, he realized he had a flat tire. The contact changed the tire, replacing it with the spare tire. When he drove the vehicle to an independent tire shop they found the front coil springs broke which punctured the front tire. The manufacturer was contacted and the vehicle is now at the dealership. The consumer was informed a recall had been issued for the coil springs, however the consumer vehicle identification number was not included. Updated 01/19/06. Updated 02/22/06.

While backing out of our garage, the right front tire blew. The tire was sliced all around on the inside and was in two pieces. This vehicle has 4 new tires and I thought the tire had to be a defect. A local garage came to my house to change it with a spare studded tire that was in good condition. I drove 2 feet when that tire blew. It was obvious that it wasn't the tires. I had to have my vehicle towed to a garage. The mechanic had to replace the front right suspension spring coil and strut mount. He also replaced the left one; it was about ready to snap. I researched this problem on the internet and noticed that Ford motor company had recalls on the front suspension coil springs for the 1997 and 1999 vehicles, but not 1998. I contacted Ford motor company for any recalls for this vehicle year, as they had recalls on the previous year and year after. There wasn't any concern at all and no recalls; now I am stuck with a bill of $489. 71. Luckily I wasn't on the highway going 65 mph or it could have been tragic.

While backing out of my driveway I heard a grinding noise and my tire suddenly went flat. Removed the tire and saw that right coil spring broke puncturing the entire inner sidewall of the tire. The car was towed to the dealer who first said that all expenses would be covered including the tire due Ford's recall for the exact same problem with their Taurus. Then the service manager told me that my car was not covered under the recall because it's a 1998 Taurus. It is plain to see there is a defect in the coil spring. This is the same exact problem the the 1999 -2001 Ford Taurus' recall. I'm surprised that Ford will not stand behind this problem with their 1998 models.

13 March 2005, pulling out of our driveway, right front tire went suddenly flat. Removal of the tire showed that the spring on the right front strut broke, puncturing the tire. Looking at the fracture zone it appears that corrosion had started at a defect in the steel, creating a crack that eventually yielded to the applied stress and failed. Looks exactly like the problem in 1999 Tauruses identified in NHTSA recall number 04v332000.

Front coil springs broke twice in six months on 1998, Ford, Taurus. I looked up recall information on the Ford web site. I found out that there was a recall on 1999-2001 for the coil springs breaking. So I called customer support line and explained what the problem was. They said that there was nothing that they could do,they would put in a complaint. So I expressed my concerns about if im driving down the highway with my kids in the car and my tire explodes would they worry about it. Then?they said there was nothing that they could do,I have to just keep getting it fixed, and wait and see if a recall comes out. So I was wondering if there was anything that you people could do about this problem that I'm having with Ford. Thank you.

Nhtsa recall campaign 04v332000; Ford issued a front coil spring recall. This vehicle was included in the recall, but the coil springs broke before the recall work was performed.

Upon backing out of the driveway, moving approximately 10 feet, front coil spring broke, blowing the front left tire out. Recall 04v332000 concerning front coil spring was issued.

The vehicle was pulling out of the garage. In the process of doing so he heard an unknown grinding noise coming from the front. He proceeded to pull back into the garage and pulled the left front tire off. He discovered that the front coil spring was broken off the vehicle. Please describe details.

While driving 15 mph the front coil spring broke without warning. As a result the front passenger side tire was punctured. A manufacturer's recall 04s17 was issued for that coil spring, however this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.

While pulling out of the driveway the front coil spring broke without warning. As a result, the front passenger side tire was punctured. There was a cut on the inside of the sidewall. The consumer also had a 2001 Ford Taurus that was recalled for the problem and a 1993 model that experienced the same.

The front coil spring broke and punctured the tire. This incident happened during a rain storm.

While traveling out of town, had the left front coil spring break on my 1998 Taurus station wagon, destroying the tire. Repair shop told me there was a recall on something similar, contacted local Ford dealer who said the recall only covered 1999 - 2001 ones. Had both front springs and tire replaced, along with an alignment. After returning home, I checked out the details of the recall on the NHTSA website. Interesting to see that I wasn't the only one with a 98 that had the same problem as was covered under the recall program. Contacted Ford customer service directly, they told me there wasn't anything they could do since my car was not in the recall. Contacted my local Ford dealer, who said he would talk to the district service rep to see if Ford would cover my repair costs. Rep said that they would not cover the repairs. Dealer recommended that I hang onto my paperwork in case the recall was expanded in the future.

Ford Taurus 1998, driver's side spring coil cracked. The consumer stated there should be a formal investigation regarding the coil springs on 1998 Taurus.

Got blowout so had 2 new tires put on front of vehicle. Drove 1/2 mile down road got another blowout on busy highway. We were able to get off road safely and put spare (doughnut tire) on and return to where we had new tires put on. When they checked after removing tire they found the coil spring on drivers side was broken and had punctured tire. We now have the spare still on vehicle as we can not afford the repairs right now.

Purchased vehicle from government agency. Drove vehicle 197 miles to my home. Parked at back of driveway until could transfer title and purchase insurance. Was mowing grass backed up car about three feet. Heard a loud "thud/pop" with the sound or air escaping, pulled forward about five feet. Tire was flat. I thought I had a "blow-out" thought it was odd because had a new set of tires with less than 400 miles on them. Asked son to put the donut on so I could take the tire to goodyear for replacement. Was the left front tire inside part of tire looked as if someone had taken a knife and cut the tire. Upon returning from the tire dealer my son pointed out the broken coil spring on the left front (drivers) side. Had car towed to a local garage for repair. The tow truck driver and the mechanic at the garage stated they had never seen a coil spring fracture. Let alone one fracture in three place the way the coil spring did on this vehicle. Paid to have both front springs shocks and struts replaced. Heard about recall for Taurus and sable 899,000 on radio station. So I stopped by local Ford, hudson in madisonville ky, they could find no information about a recall involving my VIN. Was given Ford customer relation 800 number. Called and was essentially told that it was my problem that my VIN was not involved in the recall. Asked to speak to a supervisor, she returned my call somewhat timely, but reiterated that my vechicle was not involved in the recall, and it was my problem. In the mean time I visited your site and found four complaints with 1998 Taurus's with almost identical coil spring fractures. It is my opinion that the recall needs to be expanded and/or the investigation needs to be reopened. The Ford customer relation person said their engineers had not determined there is a problem. I think if you wait until Ford takes action hell will be froze over.

While driving home from the airport on may 14, 2004, my 1998 Ford Taurus experienced a broken front driver side coil spring. I was traveling approximately 40 mph at the time. The front end of the vehicle dropped down so that the front tire was rubbing on the body of the car (generating tire smoke). I immediately pulled over to the side of the road to survey the damage. It was evident that if I drove the car any farther even more damage would occur. Unfortunately, this breakdown occurred in a local prison area where posted signs warn people not to pick up hitch hikers. This made it challenging for me to find someone who would let me use their phone to call a tow truck. I had the car towed to a local garage to get it back roadworthy. To make that happen, I had to purchase 2 new coil springs, 2 new front struts, a new strut mount, 2 new front sway bar links, and a front end alignment. It then took me a few days to feel comfortable driving on any road surface that had bumps on it. In July I became aware of the recall activity associated with 1999-2001 Taurus and sable sedans for coil spring breakage. I contacted Ford and was informed that this recall did not apply to 1998 models. It appears there may be an issue with 1998 vehicles also. Hopefully, more people will utilize this site to document additional incidents to re-open an investigation.

My 1998 Ford Taurus experienced the driver side spring breaking and shooting into the tire flattening it while attempting to back up. I went less than an inch when the tire completely deflated. The car was towed and repaired including 2 front struts,1 set front coil springs ,1 upper strut mount, 2 front sway bar links, and tire with frontend alignment. When my husband contacted Ford motor CO. After the recall for 1999, 2000, and 2001 models he was told my car was not included in the recall, so there was nothing they could do but turn it in as an incident for futher investigation. Had I been on the interstae etc this could have killed me, my family or many others. There were no known problems or noises etc prior to this event. I have also had to have the ball joint on that side of the car replaced since that incident.

While trying to back out of our garage, the front left spring coil in our 1998 Ford Taurus broke and punctured the tire, causing a blow out. In researching the NHTSA website I learned that the 1993 Ford Taurus, 1998 Ford contour, and 1998 Mercury mystique were recalled for the same problem. I also found a complaint indicating the same problem in the 1998 and 1999 Ford Taurus. This appears to be a chronic problem, and I feel fortunate the incident did not occur, as in other reported cases, while traveling at highway speeds. The dealer and Ford motor company were informed of his problem but have made no efforts to contact me regarding this safety issue. Also, I am concerned because we had reported excessive vibration of steering wheel and wobbling of the car to the dealer in October and November of 2003 but were told that our brakes were out of round. This makes no sense to us, as the problem occurred not only when braking, but also at higher speeds and when accelerating. I believe that the problem was misdiagnosed and put our safety at risk. I would greatly appreciate an investigation into this problem, as I have concern for others driving the 1998 Ford Taurus. I would also appreciate some assurance that our car is now safe- I have read that in other situations a shield was installed to prevent a broken spring from making contact with the tire in the future. I have kept my repair receipts and am hoping that this will be treated as a recall and result in reimbursement for my expenses.

I own a 1998 Ford Taurus. After reading another report of malfunctioning of front coil springs I have decided to report the same type of incident which happened to the vehicle in 2005. The front left coil spring snapped and punctured the tire, the entire spring was lodged through the front driver's side tire - the vehicle was not drivable, and had to be moved on a flat bed tow truck to the repair shop, where both front coil springs had to be replaced.

While driving 15 mph consumer heard a loud noise, and then vehicle's front shifted down on the driver's side and stopped moving. Vehicle was towed to a repair shop, and mechanic determined that the front coil spring broke, damaged the sway bar, and punctured the front tire on driver's side. Dealer was notified.

Our county agency purchased two Ford Taurus vehicles new, in 1998 and 1999. At the end of February 2003 within one week of each other the drivers side front coil springs fractured and punctured the tire. In research I have discovered there were recalls in 1998 on the 1993 Ford Taurus and in 2001 on the 1998 Ford contour and Mercury mystique, however I see no recalls concerning this problem with the 1998 and 1999 Ford Taurus. I would appreciate an investigation into this concern with the 1998 and 1999 Ford Taurus. I believe there is an obvious problem with the coil springs on these vehicles as well. Thank you.