Sway Bar Problems of Ford Taurus - part 1

Driving down the road straight, our car made a pop sound and suddenly lurched and steering was impaired. Car was taken to the nearest dealership where they found the engine cradle/front sub frame had rusted through internally causing the sway bar to break away and it had perforated around the mount for the control arm. We were extremely fortunate the control arm didn't completely drop out causing an accident. Failure is almost identical to the Ford escape subframe recall. Dealer technician said he has replaced a lot of these engine cradles in the Taurus x's for the same failure (some worse than ours, completely rusted in half etc. ). Lack of sufficient paint inside of the cradles causing premature failure is a major safety concern. I would not be surprised if there are accidents reported for this concern. I have requested the engine cradle from the dealership after it is removed for photographic evidence.

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I own a 2013 Ford Taurus limited. I keep my vehicle well maintained by myself or the mechanic. I have has clunking sounds coming from the passenger side front end. My mechanic replaced both front struts and both sway bar links. The noise had stopped for approx: a week. Noise came back mechanic changed strut saying bad strut. Again have same problem. Details of bad clunking noise. . . . . . . Noise seems to be front left side, I and be parked and move steering wheel 1/4 turn left and right and hear noise. It seems to effect steering at low speeds turning. I travel 500 mile a week for work 98% highways. I have read countless complaints and no one has a solution. From others replacing steering modules, steering unit $2000, strut replacements. Control arms, wheel bearing??????? need assistance I owe more on my car than its worth and cant afford to keep paying for a problem that has not been determined by Ford or anyone else. I hope accidents do not need to happen before this issue is taken seriously.

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Left front coil spring snapped in two places - approx 3/4 of a coil at the top and approx 1/2 coil at the bottom. Sliced tire all the way through the inside sidewall - almost all the way around. Also damaged the top mount of the sway bar link. This is my daughter's car. Had this occurred at speed on a two-lane highway I shudder to think of the result - the drag would have sent the car immediately into oncoming traffic! as possible background, we had a cold snap recently where the temp got down to single digits. My daughter's Taurus was parked beside our garage. There was a sudden loud, metallic bang in the area of her car - sounded almost as if a rock had been thrown at it - but even louder. I went outside to investigate but I couldn't see anything obvious. Next time my daughter attempted to drive the car she only got a few feet down the drive when she stopped to alert my wife of a 'horrible grinding noise'. My wife thought it was just rusty brakes due to non-use of the car while she was away at college. When my daughter put it back in gear and pulled out into the street the left front corner collapsed to the ground. I had the car repaired today but now I'm seeing evidence on the internet that these coil springs have been failing and continue to fail even beyond the 1999-2001 models previously recalled. I also have a 2004 sable and a 2007 Taurus. How can I not be concerned about a possible spring defect on them as well?? regardless, how can Ford be allowed to trivialize our lives with such a glaring risk which can only be mitigated by proactive recall? (it sure would help to know the resolution of prior recall - was it better metal or thicker coil spring?) anyway, please help!.

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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 mph, the front driver's side tire blew. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered that the tire was shredded. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the coil springs fractured and punctured the tire. The mechanic advised that the coil springs, struts and sway bars needed replacing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 90,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the front driver side coil spring fractured. The failure caused the sway bar to detach and puncture a tire. The contact stated there was no warning prior to the failure. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer but the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 109,000.

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The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact started the vehicle and when shifting into reverse, a loud noise emitted from the outside of the vehicle. The contact noticed the front driver's side tire exploded due to a severe puncture. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the front drivers side shock and strut module assembly were replaced. The tire and front sway bars were also replaced. The failure mileage was 45,708. Updated 06/01/lj.

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The car is my daughters. I maintain and service the car. The car is a 2003 Ford Taurus. A week ago both front springs failed at once, and subsequently cut the insides of both front tires causing them to blow out. Fortunately the tires failed in the driveway and not while she was on the highway commuting to or from work. I called the Ford dealer and asked if there was a recall on this failure. The person said that the 'oasis' system did not show any recalls on the specific VIN. I then arranged for the car to be towed to my local mechanic (who previously worked at the local Ford dealer for over 15 years), since the Ford dealer is excessively expensive. He said that the broken springs (both) twisted in such a way as to cut both the front tires on the inside side wall. He also had to replace a sway bar link (broken in the spring failure), and both front struts blown out when the broken springs allowed all the cars weight to bottom out on the struts. The car is currently at the tire shop getting two replacement tires (the blown out ones had 70% tread remaining) and a front end alignment. This failure could have been catastrophic had it happened at higher speed or on the highway. This is an extreme safety hazard and should be investigated by the NHTSA. I'm aware that the failure of springs on Ford's Taurus/sable, escort/tracer, and other Ford models is not uncommon and has been a problem over the years. This specific type of failure, where the tires are cut and blowout is extremely dangerous and should be investigated ASAP. I have notified fomoco as well.

Have a 2003 Ford Taurus. I went to pull out of my driveway, when I heard a pop. And my left front tire flat. My coil spring broke which proceeded to tear my tire and and broke my sway bar in the process. This could of caused a serious accident if I was on the road driving. I have to replace all parts for both sides and tires. I have read some of the other reports on the same subject. And there are hundreds. I also in January had to replace the rear end suspension too. The coil springs were broken too.

2002 Ford Taurus ses with aprox 125k miles front left coil spring broke about six inches from the bottom end, the spring extended to the next coil, the broken end cut through the front left tire. The front left tire looked as if it was cut with a razor, the spring completely severed the tire at the junction of the top of the side wall and the tread. Both sides of the tire remained seated on the rim. The spring broke when backing out of a drive that is level with the street. The operator heard a clunk and thought that ice had broken free from the fender, as experenced in winter operations. The car was operated 100 feet then the operator felt the flat tire. The front left corner of the car was low to the ground without the full support of the spring the left front sway bar link broke under the extra weight. The broken peice from the link was about 60 degrees of the outter ball retention cup (upper end of the link). It is plastic. This car is the model year after an established recall for the same issue, a report was fillled with Ford. The FL strut and spring where replaced. The right spring was bought with the left and will be installed with a new strut shortly. Also the left front sway bar link will be replaced. All failed componets are retained by the owner, (we where able to get the stuff out of the drive)with the exception of the tire. Tthe owner has photos of the tire and the spring ( still installed ) the morning this happened. Inspection of the spring at the break shows signs of intergranlure corrosion through the spring eminating from filiform corrosion on the surface. Owner bought the car used, it is unknown if the spring was original or a replacement.

I was backing my 2002 Ford Taurus out of a parking space when the tire blew. I had to have the car towed. The front coil spring broke and put a hole in my new tire. Had to replace broken spring, sway bar link, new strut and new tire for a cost of $441. 82. Had replaced the back springs a month earlier.

My car is a 2002 Ford Taurus ses, today I sat down in the drivers seat, but when I did I heard a loud crash much like if someone dropped a metal pan on the drop, and the car sunk noticeably. I wasn't sure what to do, so I was going to drive it around the block to test it, but I barely made it three feet. As soon as I put it in drive the car began shuddering and making a shrieking noise. I immediately stopped and put it in reverse, but as I soon I took my foot off the brake it made a nasty noise and the tire was shredded. We got it towed to the mechanics and he said the spring snapped. He said that fixing it would require replacing the front strut assembly, springs, sway bar and the links.

My 2002 Taurus with 76,097 miles that has been garage kept for 7. 5 years had the front drivers side coil spring rupture. Fortunately it broke when I put it in gear and moved about three inches in my driveway. If I had been driving down the highway, I would have flipped and rolled as I would have had no time to brake. When it broke, it took only about a half second to shred my tire and drop the rim to the ground. The ruptured coil spring put a 5-6 inch gash in my tire and broke the sway bar link. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer told me that they (Ford) knows that there is a problem and they refuse to issue a recall. My service representative also had this happen to his car. I asked the dealer to replace both front springs, broken sway bar link, and struts. When I was leaving the rep told me that I still have two of the same springs in the rear and that I may experience the same problem with one of those, as was his experience too. I also had to buy a new tire. Total cost of $989. When I started to research the problem, I noticed that this had happened to so many other people and that there was no recall, I was deeply concerned. I believe that this should be investigated fully as it has the ability to cause loss of life. Thank you for your time.

While backing out of a driveway, the right front coil spring broke allowing it to slip past the bearing plate and rip open the front tire. Required a tow and replacement of the spring, sway bar stabilizer and the tire. Also had to have a front end alignment. Because the 2002 Taurus is notorious for this problem, I had to replace both front springs.

I have a 2002 Ford Taurus station wagon. While pulling out of the driveway there was a loud noise. I immediately pulled back into the driveway to get the vehicle off the street and called a mechanic. Upon removing the left front wheel he discovered that the left front coil spring had snapped and that the jagged edged of the spring had sliced through the tire side wall. The car was towed the mechanics garage where upon further investigation he found that the left front sway bar link and the left front strut assembly were also damaged. The failure has occurred only once - so far. The consequence in this case were not catastrophic - loss of use of the car for 2 days and a $950 dollar repair bill although I hate to think of the consequences had I been driving at highway speed and had this happen. I'm afraid it would have resulted in complete loss of control of the vehicle and a serious crash perhaps with serious or critical injuries or death. My research shows that Ford recalled the 1999-2001 Taurus models in northern states for this same defect and paid to replace both right and left front coil springs modified with a guard to prevent such catastrophic damage should a spring break again. This recall should be extended to include at least the 2002 model year which I'm told uses exactly the same springs as the 199-2001 model Ford Taurus.

Front suspension spring broke, disabling the car. The sudden break took out front left sway bar support. Car was immediately disabled. This is dangerous. Could cause a car to loose control and possibly flip. Issue was addressed on Ford Taurus models for 2001. The issue has not been addressed for Ford Taurus models for the year 2002 this is my car.

I was backing out of my garage and heard a loud hissing sound and my vehicle stopped moving in reverse and wouldn't move forward, I got out and observed my front left(drivers front) tire going flat. I looked under the vehicle and couldn't see anything, so jacked the Taurus up and saw that the front spring had broken and stuck into my tire(which deflated it quickly) and also had broken my stabilizer link off at the strut ,I had to replace my spring, strut, sway bar end link, and front left tire to correct the failure.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that as she was driving in reverse at approximately 5 mph, the front end locked up on the driver side breaking the strut assembly spring and the left sway bar link. As a result, the tire on the driver side separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the strut assembly spring and the left sway bar link were replaced. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was outside of the warranty and had no open recalls. The failure mileage was 81,781.

Driver's side spring broke destroying the tire, bending the strut and breaking the sway bar link. The car had to be towed and the repair was over $550. The car was parked when the incident occurred.

2003 Taurus 25k miles. As the car was being backed out of garage a popping sound came from the left front tire. During the removal of the flat left front tire we found that the coil spring had broken at the bottom first coil and rotated into the tire sidewall destroying the tire. Looking at the broken spring it looks like the crack started at a rusted area and fractured across the coil. It appears to be the same as Ford safety recall 04s17. I called Ford to see if this applied to this car and they said no. In order to fix this the strut, spring, sway bar link, and tire need to be replaced. The right side spring needs to be replaced before it brakes and causes an accident.

Left front coil spring broke on my 2002 Ford Taurus sel abruptly while driving down a clear winter road resulting in both front coil springs needing to be replaced along with a sway bar link. So far no other damage to the tires, struts, vehicle, or occupants is apparent. I am being charged for the repairs, plus towing, and rental car while my car sits in the garage for 5 days over the weekend waiting for parts. I see there is a recall on Taurus for coil springs up to the 2001 model year and that many other people indicate coil spring failure on model year 2002 and 2003 Taurus. Why is the recall not extended to cover these model years?.

1. Normal driving condition. 2. Front left coil spring failure resulting in a punctured tire, broken sway bar end link and possibly ruptured brake hose. 3. Vehicle not drivable, towed to repair facility. Will need to replace spring, strut, sway bar end link, possibly brake line. Failed coil spring is available.

Backed out of garage, front of car shook then left front end dropped. The tow truck driver retrieved a piece of the broken spring out of the tire, which was the cause of the puncture. This is the only occurrence under current ownership. To correct the problem, the car had to be towed to the garage where the left front spring and tire were replaced. In addition, the sway bar link was broken when the spring broke therefore this part also had to be replaced. The blessing here is that this defect occurred while backing out of my own garage rather than a highway--hence greatly decreasing my risk of personal injury.

Left front coil spring broke unexpectedly, puncturing/ruining left front tire, and breaking sway bar linkage. Luckily, car was moving at low speed when this happened.

Ford Taurus 2002 station wagon parked overnight; in morning found that the front left tire was flat. Discovered that the front coil spring surrounding the vertical strut had broken , punctured the tire. . . Ripped gash that could not be repaired. Required new front struts coil springs and sway bars and a new tire. . . Total cost was apprx $1200. Mechanic reports that hew has seen this before . Question ? what if this spring failure has occurred at highway speed?.

I had my 2003 Ford Taurus inspected by a local garage on Friday, July 31st. 2009 in ambler, PA. I was informed that I needed to have my sway bars replaced to pass inspection. The work was performed and my car passed its state inspection. On Wednesday August 5th, 2009 as my wife backed out of our driveway with my 1-year old and 2-year old daughters in the car, the front, driverside tire suddenly, and without warning failed. Thinking it was just a flat, I prepared to put the spare tire on the car. Upon removing the lugnuts, I realized the problem was much more serious. The coil spring had snapped and punctured the tire, rendering it useless. (the tires were brand new, I had just purchased them in order to pass my state inspection. ) I was forced to have my car towed back to the garage that performed the inspection. This was the first time this happened. My local repair shop fixed the problem, but I was forced to pay out of pocket.

While backing up, I heard a terrible noise and the car dropped to the ground. Upon further investigation, the driver's side front tire was flat due to the spring breaking and puncturing the side wall of my tire. My car was taken to the repair shop where they replaced the springs, sway bar, struts, and tire. They also had to do a 4 wheel alignment. The old parts are not available.

Car: 2002 Ford Taurus ses indecent: exiting driveway and heard loud noise, that shook the car, pulled over and discovered front drivers side spring had broken, in turn hitting tire and and braking sway bar. Note:July 15, 2004 | recall id# 15302 hide details recall reason suspension:front:springs:coil springs recall date July 15, 2004 model affected taurus potential units affected 899060 recall summary 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. Consequence 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. Ford motor company 04s17 my car has the same issue, but with the has the plate.

My fiance was driving southbound on I-75 when the front driver's side coil spring broke, causing damage to sway bar link, tire and strut. This caused her to almost crash into left concrete barrier. Vehicle was towed due to it no longer being drivable. A few months back the rear passenger side spring also broke causing us to replace strut mount, strut and spring.

I placed my car in reverse to back out of the driveway when I heard a swoosh and the front of the car dropped. I got out and noticed I had a flat tire. I removed the tire and found part of the coil spring on the ground and a white cap. After removing the lug nuts the tire was stuck to the remaining coil spring. I twisted the tire off the coil spring and found the coil spring had broke in two. The strut assembly and the sway bar linkage was broken as well. I am sure there may be more damage once I get the car towed to a garage. I am glad I was not driving at any speed when this happened.

I was driving my 2003 Ford Taurus at 30 mph, suddenly, there was a loud series of cracking noises,followed by a bang as the nose of the car dropped and it veered to the right. I brought the car under control, and had it towed to a repair shop. The driver's side front coil spring had shattered - pieces of it tore the cv joint boot, broke the plastic sway bar and the strut itself was damaged. The sidewall of the tire was cut, but it did not lose air pressure. The cv joint, strut, spring and sway bar needed to be replaced, and I felt it prudent to take the shop's advice and have the passenger side done also (they told me that they have seen a number of these failures) total cost was $1380. My Ford dealer told me that there is not a recall for this problem on the 2003 model years (yet). He also told me that Ford was not responsible because they didn't make the spring! yes, but they put it in their cars that they made! I was told by the repair shop that my rear springs need replacing as well, but I will get a second opinion on that. The car has 140,000 miles on it, but I still don't feel that these springs should break like this. Thanks,.

Ford Taurus 2003 failure front coil spring fractured and punctured tire resulting in a flat tire. Front suspension needs coil spring struts and wheel speed sensor and sway bars. Ford refuses to help even though there is a recall NHTSA action number ' ea08018' recall # 04v-332.

Slowly backing up and heard a loud noise and immediately the front drivers side tire went flat. Had to have car towed to the youngblood Ford dealership (madison, GA) I was told the front drivers side coil spring broke loose and it destroyed the drivers side sway bar and also destroyed the tire. I saw that the 1999 through 2001 Ford Taurus had a recall for this same problem. It is evident this problem was not resolved on my 2002 Ford Taurus.

The car was parked in the drive way and when I backed up to leave, front driver side spring broke, destroying the tire and the sway bar end link. From my research this is a very common problem on the Ford Taurus. Glad I wasn't on the highway at 65mph.

Front left coil spring broke while the vehicle was parked in my garage.   the spring punctured the tire and also I had to replace the sway bar link.   this was damaged when the spring broke.   the mechanic recommended replacing the entire strut assembly on both sides.

While backing out of my driveway (12/17/08), the driver's side/front of my 2002 Ford Taurus simply collapsed. The front coil spring had completely snapped dropping the front vehicle structure onto the tire. A jagged coil spring piece had also ripped a large gash into the interior sidewall of the tire resulting in an immediate loss of all tire pressure. The repair resulted in replacement of the front coil spring pair (passenger side coil spring was corroded and in very poor mechanical condition), a sway bar link, strut mount, and new tire (total cost-$600). Additionally, I needed a rental car to get to work during the repair period (additional $132). Due to the catastrophic nature of the tire failure, if this incident had occurred at highway speed, I suspect that severe injury/death could have been a possible outcome.