Front Suspension Coil Spring problems of the 2002 Mercury Sable - part 1

Tl the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the front driver's side tire exploded. The suspension coil spring on the driver's side fractured and slashed the tire causing the tire to explode. The contact stated that the suspension needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,500.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. Upon starting the vehicle, it would not move. The failure occurred without warning. Upon inspection, the front coil springs fractured and detached, damaging the front driver side tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 04v332000 (suspension), but the VIN was excluded. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

As I was backing my car out of the driveway, I heard a noise and then a hiss. Then the car resisted further motion. The right front tire was completely flat. I tried to reinflate it but could not. I removed the front wheel and mounted the Mini spare tire. There was a complete circumferential tear of the tire sidewall near the tread. I assumed it was a spontaneous failure of the tire. When I bought new tires today at costco, the mechanic said he could not put the right front wheel on the car because a piece of broken spring was projecting outboard and hitting the sidewall of the new tire. Inspection showed the left front coil spring was also broken but the pointed end was aimed inward. The inferior coil was broken off and was loose but could not be easily removed from the strut. I told the mechanic to remount the Mini-spare on the right front. Until I looked on the internet I had no idea this was a common failure that fomoco had partially addressed years ago in other model years but not 2002. It seems that many of these failures have occurred at rest or slow speeds, but I also think this is a function of the fact that cars sit most of their lives. There has been significant financial damage to owners for tires and repairs, but luckily there have been no serious physical injuries. Because the failures are sudden and catastrophic, there is certain to be a serious and perhaps fatal incident in the future. Fomoco and the us government should not be subjecting the unknowing and trusting public to the risks of luck, because it will eventually turn bad. Apparently fomoco does not care enough about its drivers to repair the defect, or mitigate the danger and damage, or even inform owners of the danger. Nhtsa act now, do your job, and protect us from those who build automobiles, but don't care.

Tl-the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle expirenced a flat tire without warning. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed that the front passenger and driver side coil spring was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. Sa.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while backing the vehicle out of the garage, the front driver's side suspension coil spring suddenly fractured and punctured the side tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Backed the Sable to the end of my driveway, was moving very slowly, when a loud bang was heard under the car. Upon inspection, the drivers side front coil spring had broken and a jagged edge of the broken coil spring punctured the tire. I contacted my local dealer who said there was no recall on the spring for this year and model. I then did some research on the internet and discovered that this is a fairly common occurance on this car and the similar Ford taurus.

My car was parked in the garage, when I sat down in the seat I hear a loud noise, which was caused by the driver front side coil spring broke and plunged into the tire. Had this had happened while driving it would have most like cause a severe accident. The cost to fix it was higher as it was recommended that both front springs be replaced for safety reasons.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured the front driver's side tire. The contact replaced the coil spring. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that both front coil springs were fractured and punctured both front tires. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer for repair. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 04v332000 (suspension) but was advised that the recall only pertained to the 2001 model Sable and not the 2002 model although the vehicle was manufactured in December 2001. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 95,000.

I started my car and started to back out of my garage. I went about 1 foot when I heard a pop, then the front left side of the car dropped instantly. The tire was flat, so took another vehicle to work. When I came home from work, I jacked the car up to pull the tire off, but couldn't. At inspecting the front wheel assembly in noticed that the coil spring was into the tire side wall. Not knowing what happened, I called my mechanic who came the next day to inspect the damage. He was able to pull the tire off the car and we saw that the bottom part of the spring had broken off and went into the tire. My mechanic said both front springs would have to be replaced with the tire and strut support. He said I was very lucky that I was not driving, because I or persons could have been severly injured. I drive 22 miles one way to work on hilly and windy roads. The broke spring was not damaged or have any corrosion. There was a recall of Sable and taurus vehicles (NHTSA #04v332000) for this exact problem. After searching the internet, I have found hundreds of people with the same problem for 2002 Sable / taurus. Why hasn't the previous recall for the earlier vehicles be extended to year 2002?.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the vehicle made a loud grinding noise while reversing then the left front end dropped. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the left front tire was flat. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic and was inspected. The left front coil spring fractured due to corrosion and cut the tire side wall. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 55,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while parked, the coil spring fractured and pierced the front driver's side tire. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who advised the contact that the front coil springs and the struts needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance due to the vehicle not being included in any recalls. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and the current mileage was 72,800. Updated 3/13/13.

Front left coil spring fractured when I got into my car. Car was parked. Coil spring penetrated the front tire and ruptured it. This is identical to the failure reported in 04v332000, but my car is about 6 months older than the manufacturing range of that recall.

Per ea08018 front right coil fractured upon backing up, ripped deep hole in newer tire causing flat.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the front driver’s side coil spring fractured. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently parked when the coil spring fractured and pierced through the front driver’s tire. The vehicle operated properly prior to the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 72,000.

Driver backing out of parking space when heard metallic grinding sound followed by a bang. Then we heard the sound of metal on pavement. When got out of car the drivers side of the car was sitting so low that I could not get a jack under it. The driver front tire was completely shredded on the inside of the wheel well. It is costing us $700 to repair. As per odi resume ea 08-18 document under reason for closing the following sentence appears, "the coil springs in the subject vehicles are defective. " even if there is no real danger to traffic safety it is still and issue that Ford should be required to address, we as the driving public should not have to pay hundreds of dollars to repair it. Also if Ford wants to keep their customers they should address problems such as this. We are thinking of looking to Toyota or Honda for our next car after driving fords since 1997.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable GS. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, there was a loud bang and the front passenger tire blew. The contact almost lost control of the vehicle as she merged onto the shoulder and rolled into a ditch. There were no injuries and the vehicle was not damaged. The tire was removed and the spare was installed. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where the tire was originally purchased and after inspection, the technician advised that the coil spring caused the tire damage. The dealer was notified of the coil spring failure and advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted who confirmed that there were no recalls and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 113,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that the front driver's side tire was flat. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 123,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the front coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number:04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 70,000. The vehicle was awaiting repairs.

The contact owns 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated while driving, she heard a loud noise, and noticed the passenger front tire was flat due to the coil spring which broke in half and punctured the passenger front tire. The failure occurred while driving at a low speed into the driveway. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the front coil springs, the stabilizer link, and tire. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer would not assist with the repair, because the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 04v332000 suspension: front: springs: coil springs. The failure and the current miles were 104,000.

My wife entered our 2002 Mercury Sable wagon to go to work today. As she sat down in the car, the left front tire exploded. When we removed the tire to see what happened, it was apparent that the coil spring in the suspension had broken and a sharp point on the spring punctured the tire. The car was stationary when this occured, thankfully.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. While driving approximately 5 mph in reverse, the contact smelled burning rubber and stated that the tire was rubbing against the vehicle. The contact inspected the exterior of the vehicle and discovered that the front passenger side coil spring was fractured. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the entire front end assembly was replaced. The contact stated that the rear springs and shocks were also replaced approximately two years prior to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

We were pulling out of a parking space, heard a "whoosh" and found the front right tire had deflated. Called aaa to have it pumped up or the spare put on. When the driver attempted to take the tire off, it was stuck. The coil spring had come loose and punctured the tire. The coil was sticking through the tire like a meat hook. We had to cut the rest of the rubber on the tire to release it. We had the vehicle towed and are awaiting the repair estimate. Doing research, it appears this is a long-standing problem on Ford vehicles, specifically the Mercury Sable and taurus. Recalls on 1999-2001 models were not extended beyond those years, despite similar problems. We feel we were very lucky in this instance, as the previous day, we had a 230 mile business trip. It could have been a disaster at 72mph.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the vehicle exhibited a loud, abnormal noise from underneath. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the mechanic stated that the coil springs were fractured on the front and rear driver and passenger sides due to corrosion. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was contacted who advised that there was not a recall for the failure. The dealer stated there were similar failures reported but there was only a recall for the prior year, make and model. The approximate failure mileage was 134,320.

Backing out of my driveway I heard a loud clunk and the car wouldn't move. Discovered my left front tire was flat. Upon further examination, the spring coil had broken and popped the tire. Getting the tire replaced the mechanic told me that the back spring was broken also.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph in snowy weather, the contact heard a loud noise from the front of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the front driver side tire was deflated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the coil spring had fractured and punctured the tire. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.

Front coil spring broke and blew through front driver's side tire had to have car towed. Had to replace broken front coil springs, struts and upper mounts and lower ball joints and the tire and a wheel alignment. Thankfully this happened when the car was parked. It was very scarey.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated while entering a residential driveway driving 5 mph, the front driver side tire blew. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the coil spring and was advised there was no active recall for the failure and the contact would be responsible for any repairs. The failure mileage was 77,000. Updated 05/04/11 the consumer stated the srping failed, breaking the sway bar end link and tore a hole in the sidewall of the tire. Updated 05. 09. 11.

The contact owns 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact was traveling 30 mph when the front right coil spring broke on the vehicle. The failure occurred one year after the front left coil spring broke and punctured the left drivers side tire. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the coil spring was broken. The failure mileage was 75,300 and the current mileage was 75,450.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the front passenger side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire, ruining the brake hose and stabilizer link. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where it was repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The current mileage was 95,832 and the failure mileage was 95,554.

Driving 15mph the front driver's side suspension coil (surrounding the strut) broke, it ripped the inside of the tire and severed the brake line. The car was unable to be driven or pushed because part of the coil was caught up inside the tire.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact was driving in reverse out of the driveway at approximately 2 mph when he heard a loud popping noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and observed that the front driver side tire was completely flattened. The defective tire was replaced with a spare tire. The vehicle was taken to a tire center where they confirmed that the front driver side coil spring fractured which caused the tire to puncture. The defective tire was replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired by an independent mechanic for the coil spring failure. There was a recall for the 1999-2001 model year vehicles under NHTSA campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension: front: springs: coil springs). The contact will notify the manufacturer regarding the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

While attempting to back out of my garage, the coil spring on the front driver side strut broke and shot into my front tire, puncturing and immediately flattening my tire. The spring was imbedded in the tire so far that they were unable to remove the tire to put on the spare. The car had to be forced in reverse far enough back to be able to hook it onto the tow truck which shredded the front tire. Had to have front springs, struts, abs speed sensor, alignment and new tire put on the vehicle. Very lucky that this incident happened in my garage and not out on the roadway.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable GS (na). While driving approximately 35 mph, there was a loud noise from under the vehicle and it pulled to the left. Also there was a burning rubber odor. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front coil spring on the driver side was broken. The contact stated there was an open investigation for that failure (NHTSA action number: ea08018). The manufacturer was contacted and stated they could not provide assistance and the contact would have to repair the vehicle at his own expense and save receipts if in the future there was recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 112,409. Updated 03/29/11.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when there was a loud boom. The contact discovered that the coil spring was fractured and punctured a hole in the tire similar to the failure described in NHTSA campaign id number: 04v332000 ( suspension: front: springs: coil springs). Both the dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure who then informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in the recall and that could not offer any additional assistance. The repair shop repaired all four coil springs and struts including preventative maintenance at the contacts expense. The current and failure mileage was approximately 66,000. Updated 2/28/11 updated 05/26/11.