Rear Suspension Coil Springs problems of the 2001 Mercury Sable - part 2

I sent car in for inspection. I got a phone call from the shop and was told both rear strut assembly and springs were broke. I understand there have many complaints about this problem. Why is nothing being done and where am I going to come up with $650. 00 to get the repair done.

The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that both rear coil springs failed and were replaced. Approximately four months later, the front driver side coil spring failed. There is a recall for the front coil springs, but the contact was unaware of the recall. The recall number was unknown. The current mileage was 87,000 and first failure mileage was 80,063. Updated 05/05/08 updated 05/05/08.

During a routine servicing in Nov. 2007 a rear coil spring was noted to be broken, which I had replaced. Subsequently in February 2008 a similar incident was reported to me, however it was a front coil spring which was replaced under a recall (NHTSA action #peo4044). I then investigated to see if a recall existed for the rear spring and found that under ea06002 although their were 162 incidents reported the only action is "continued monitoring". I believe with this many incidents Ford should have been required to issue a recall and return the cost of repair to the owners.

On Sep 6, 2007, my 2001 Mercury Sable at 56,640 miles was determined to have broken rear springs. My local Ford dealer replaced rear springs, struts, sway bar links, and upper strut mounts. This seems similar to problems that you have previously investigated.

Passenger side; rear spring and strut of 2001 Mercury Sable failed causing an abrupt stop and minor loss of control. Vehicle was taken to repair shop where both rear springs and struts had to be replaced. Passenger side rear strut was bent. Repair cost over $700. Was told front springs under recall but not rear.

Have a 2001 Sable that the left rear coil spring busted. Cost is over $900 to replace. Saw on many forms that other Sable owners are having same issue. Mercury replaced front coils, but not back. . . . . . Why not?.

Rear of my 2001 Mercury Sable had been sagging for some time, to the point I was afraid that the top of the wheel well would hit the top of the tire, (on several occasions the rear end did bottom out on slightly steep inclines). I finally took it to a mechanic, who said that both rear springs had failed (broke), and from the rust accumulated on the brake areas, it had been broken for sometime. I called the local Ford dealer in quincy who said that this wasn't an issue. I had another mechanic, (my brother due to the high cost), replace the rear springs and shocks. I know that there has been a recall on the front springs (road salt corrosion), but I would be curious to find out how many other Sables/taurus's have had the same problem.

I work nights in kankakee,I had just got off of work and was heading home on route 45/52 south 3 miles from kankakee at 60 mph when I heard a noise coming from under the car about 15 seconds later the left tire blew,I pulled over to change the tire,when I removed the wheel I noticed the tire (side facing coil spring)looked as though it had been cut open like the top of a tin can,I then noticed the coil spring was broken and had a sharp edge protruding toward where the inner side wall would be,I mean this tire was cut all the way in a perfect circle aproximately 2 inches from the wheel edge,while changing the tire I was almost hit by a car that was passing another car.

The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the driver side rear coil spring failed and caused damage to the vehicle. The failure occurred while driving 25 mph. The Ford dealer stated that there was a defect with the coil spring. The manufacturer stated that there was a recall regarding the front coil springs, but not the rear coil springs. The current and failure mileages were 52,000. Updated 02-01-08.

The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. The contact noticed that the vehicle was lower to the ground on the driver side than on the passenger side. Prior to purchasing the vehicle and during the vehicle inspection, the dealer stated that the rear coil spring on the driver side needed to be replaced. The coil spring was replaced. The front coil springs were a part of recall # 04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). The contact was advised that since the front coil springs have after market parts, he would be required to pay $250 for the repair. The current mileage is 86,000 and failure mileage was 85,000.

Right rear coil spring broke - puncture tire while driving.

The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. While driving 50 mph, the front end of the vehicle would vibrate. The dealer noticed a fracture on the drivers side rear coil spring during a routine inspection. The vehicle is currently being repaired. There was recall # 04v332000 for the front coil springs. The current and failure mileages were 67,000.

Left rear coil spring failure on my 2001 Mercury Sable with only 48,000 miles. Spring was rubbing on the tire. Little damage to the tread. Not enough to warrant tire replacement. I learned of an NHTSA probe of this problem on consumer affairs. Com.

Heard a loud bang in rear of vehicle while driving. Further inspection revealed a broken driver's side rear spring. I then found out there was a dealer recall on the front springs due to them breaking prematurely, but no recall on the rear spring. I will have to replace rear strut and spring.

The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. While driving 20 mph, the contact heard a loud noise. She noticed that the rear driver side tire was flat because the coil spring punctured the tire. There was a recall for the front coil springs (recall# 04v332000). The contact feels that the rear coil spring should be included in the recall. The current and failure mileages were 130,000.

The contact owns 2001 Mercury Sable. While driving 25 mph he heard a noise in the right rear. He looked in the right side mirror and he could see part of the coil spring falling off the vehicle. The contact retrieved the coil spring. The dealer noticed there was missing pieces on the passenger side rear coil springs. There is a recall for the front coil springs (recall #04v332000). The failure mileage was 92,500 and the current mileage was 93,000.

Yet another Ford taurus - Mercury Sable rear spring failure and no corrective action to date by the company or nhts. Your database is full of complaints. The mfg has recognized the failure of the front spring (recall# 04v332000), yet will not offer repair service or corrective action on the rear springs that appear to be the exact same part/design and are exhibiting the same defect. How many people don't even know of the website or the recall? Ford plays off the front spring failures to less than 2% failure, but mechanics performing state safety say they fail more then 25% of this model for the exact problem. If it's a failure for a state safety inspection, then it must be a safety concern, someone needs to take immediate action and add the rear springs to the recall list. I see avg repairs totaling over $500-$600 + cost of a new tire. Some one please review this major concern.

I own a 2001 Mercury Sable sedan. On April 26 I was driving on the highway at approximately 9 mph when my rear passenger tire blew out. I was able to keep control of the car with difficulty, and get it to the side of the road. Upon having the car inspected by a mechanic, it was found that the rear passenger side boot had broken and the coil spring had pierced my tire. I had the 2 front boots and springs replaced on January 10, 2006 because the same thing happened to the driver side front coil and boot. I found out at that time that this was a recalled problem. Upon calling the Ford dealership on April 27 to notify them, I was informed that this is a "frequent problem with the taurus and Sables, but there is no recall for the back coil springs". I then notified the Ford motor company and was informed that what the dealer told me was true. This could have been a fatality. The public should be made aware that not just the front coils are an issue. The car is having both rear springs repaired at a cost of approximately $470. 00 this does not include the cost of replacing the destroyed tire which will cost an additional $85. 00. Thank you.

The rear coil springs in my 2001 Mercury Sable both broke within days of one another. I believe that this may be a similar situation to the recall that was made on the front coil springs related to salt problems.

Turning left had extremely loud noise due to fractured right front and left rear coil springs, replaced 4 coil assemblies.

My wife was driving home from the hair dresser when she heard a noise under our 2001 Sable that she never heard before. She then called to tell me the tire was going flat. When I got home from work I tried to put air in the tire and it would not hold any air. I pulled the tire off to take it to get repair and I noticed that the tire had been damaged beyond repair, I had just brought all new tires two weeks prior. After getting the tire replaced I put it back on and went to spin the tire around as I reinstalled the lug nuts and it would not move. I then pulled the tire back off and found that the right rear coil spring had broken and that's what damaged the tire beyond repair. I called Ford motor customer assistance because I knew of the front recall but I was told they Ford motor company were not doing anything about the rear springs because it wasn't in the recall. I then took pictures of the broken spring as the car was jacked up in my garage because I need to cut the portion of spring that was sticking out so I could put the new tire on so I could drive the car to the repair shop. As it turned out the left rear coil spring was also broken but it was broken at the top on the left hand side. I had the car repair at t. C. Auto service in ann arbor and they have seen more then just mine. To make a long story short I think this is bull that Ford/Mercury knew they had a problem and would only cover the front springs by putting a spring protector on the front spring to prevent it from damaging the tire when it failed. I have both rear struts and coil spring assembly. I had them changed as assembly not just the coils.

Rear springs breaking on Mercury Sables and Ford taurus. My Sable is a 2001. The service manager told me that it happens very often.

- the contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable and while driving on the highway at a speed of 65 mph the contact heard a rubbing noise coming from the vehicle, but didn't know exactly where it was coming from until he arrived home. The contact stated that he noticed the driver side rear spring was cracked and that the sharp end of the spring went into the tire. The contact took the vehicle into the local mechanic and the mechanic replaced both rear springs. The contact can provide springs if needed. The current and failure mileage were both 83,000. The dealer informed customer that struts needed to be replaced as well and customer wants to reimbursed for out of pocket expense totaling $564. 74. Customer states car was fine until rear spring broke. Update 4/25/tr.

I have experienced a rear coil spring failure as described in complaint ea06-002. While backing my car out of my driveway I heard a grinding noise that got louder the faster I went. I stopped and looked under the car and noticed a black ring on the inside of the passenger rear tire. I removed the wheel and noticed that a gouge had been dug into the inside of the tire by a spring that looks to have been welded to the strut. It appears that the weld failed causing the spring to detach. I consider myself lucky because this did not happen while I was driving on the highway. At highway speeds this failure could have caused a crash that could have resulted in injury or even death. Coincidently I recently received a recall notice in the mail stating that this exact failure could happen to the front struts and that I should bring the car to a Lincoln/Mercury dealer to have them fixed. I was going to schedule an appointment to do so, but this has happened. It seems as though there should be a recall on the rear strut assemblies as well. Ford/Lincoln/Mercury performed the recall repair on the front coil/strut assemblies. They offered to repair the rear coil/strut assemblies for approximately $850. 00. (both rear coil/strut assemblies, rear alignment, and a tire) they stated that both rear coil/strut assemblies should be replaced because they expect that the drivers rear will fail soon also. Most disturbing is that Ford/Lincoln/Mercury said that they would be replacing the failed coil/strut assemblies with the same parts. Parts that will fail in this manner in the future! there needs to be a recall on the rear coil/strut assemblies in addition to the front. They have the same design defect and someone will eventually die in a crash caused by the coil piercing a tire at driving speed. I have not repaired my car yet, but I plan to have it repaired soon. I would welcome an inspection.

- the contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. The rear coil springs cracked on the vehicle the contact stated the tires were leaking air, and the rear driver and passenger tires were resealed. While repairing the tire the mechanic noticed the rear coil springs were cracked. The contact also stated that the lights on the dashboard will not turn on until 20 minutes after the vehicle has been started. He was unable to view the speed on the speedometer and other gauges. Updated 02/27/07.

The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Sable. While driving 55 mph, the passenger side rear coil spring snapped. By the time the contact was able to pull over, the tire was shredded. He replaced the spring assembly at the time of failure. He later noticed that the driver side rear spring had failed in the same place as the passenger side spring. Ford motor company stated that there is a recall for just the front springs, not the rear. The current mileage is 45,000 and failure mileage was 40,000. The consumer stated the problem was due to corrosion from salt. The consumer stated does not know why the salt corrosion affected the front spring but not the rear spring. Updated 07/31/07.

2001 Sable (purchased new 10/20/2001) had four new goodyear tires installed on 3/24/2006 at 25,998 miles. After several weeks of listening to my son, the driver of the car, complain that the rear was very low to the ground, I took it into the goodyear dealer on 9/4/2006 with 29,255 miles. They discovered the cause was fractured rear coil springs on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. The knife sharp fractured ends of the broken springs were extending down below the spring seats and resting up against the tires making slight contact with the inside walls of both rear tires. The service mechanic advised that it was unsafe to drive the vehicle. Being labor day and with no Mercury dealerships open, I had them replace the fractured springs with monroe quick struts at a total cost of $740. 92. Since the service tech advised me that this was a common occurrence on the taurus and Sable models, I decided I should check for recalls. I see that there is an investigation underway on these rear springs and felt compelled to voice my complaint after reading Ford's unacceptable response to the NHTSA initial inquiry. I saved the original springs/struts which show multiple fractures in each spring in case someone wanted to check the metallurgical properties of the steel. Both of these springs have failed within 5 months of each other. These should be recalled before someone is seriously injured. I consider myself fortunate to discover these defective springs before they punctured the side walls of the tires.

: the contact stated while driving at 55 mph. , on a clear dry day, the rear driver side tire blew out. When the tire was changed, the interior side wall was observed to be worn away and had been punctured by a fractured coil. The vehicle was driven to the dealer service for repairs. The manufacturer was also alert.

: the contact stated while driving at 45 mph, a loud indescribable noise was heard from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. Upon investigation, the source of the noise was undetectable. The noise continued when travel resumed. An independent service mechanic inspected the vehicle and discovered the rear passenger side coil was fractured and shredded the inside sidewall of the tire. The tire and both rear coils were replaced. Updated 10/25/06.

I was starting to drive home after visiting a friend, and I heard a very strange noise coming from under the car. I had my friend listen and he determined I should go home and call right away to my car dealer/repair shop.

Broken rear coil springs on my 2001 Mercury Sable, one spring ripped my left rear tire. Both springs replaced along with the tire.

I own a 2001 Mercury Sable with 54,300 miles on it. As I was driving, I noticed a particular noise coming from the back end of the car. I needed to have the oil changed anyway, so when I took it in to the dealership, I asked them to check the back end because it sounded as if the brakes were hanging up. When the dealership checked, they told me that both of the back springs were broken and that one of the springs with a pointed portion had ruined my new tire (the tires had 7,000 miles on them). When I asked about a recall or warranty, I was told by the dealership that only the front coils/springs had been recalled and the total cost would be my responsibility. Thus, I had to purchase two rear coils/springs, a new rear tire, and have my car aligned again. At first, I considered myself lucky because I was not in an accident and hurt myself or someone else. But after I heard that the front coils/springs were recalled by Ford, then I did not understand why the back ones were not as well. Now that I have done some research on the matter, I understand that this has been a problem with other consumers and that the NHTSA is investigating the 2001 and 2002 Ford taurus and Mercury Sable because of consumer complaints of fractures in the rear coil springs.

: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the driveway a portion of the rear spring on the driver's side fractured and fell off. The dealer has been contacted. Also, contacted Ford motor company, and they were not interested in taking care of the problem since there was no recall on the rear springs. Front spring fractured and broke on 07/08/2004 at 54101 miles. Both front springs were replaced. A recall was issued for them in August 2004. Springs were replaced again on 03/02/2005 as per the recall. The consumer was reimbursed by Ford motor company for the cost to replace front springs on 07/08/2004. Updated 06/07/2006.

Had a failure of the left front coil spring while starting up from a stop and turning right. There was no lose of control of the vehicle since the speed was only 10-15 mph at the time. The failure was contained by the "spring shield" and this spring was replaced under a recall. When the service department took the car in to replace the front springs, they noted that the left rear coil spring had also failed and the right side was about to fail too. They told me "this was a common problem but it was not covered under the present recall though it maybe covered by a future recall. " the failure caused the bottom of the spring to pass by the lower spring mounting and the point of the spring was less than 1/4" from the sidewall of the left rear tire. Any further travel of the spring would have punctured the tire and this failure was not visible unless the tire was removed or the vehicle was lifted. Both rear springs have been replaced and the failed springs have been saved.

Failure of rear coil springs, similar to safety recall #04v332000 applicable to front springs. Both rear coils broke, and sharp end of right rear contacted inside of tire. Ford offered no help or remedy.