Front coil spring shattered.

- Newbury, OH, USA

Pulling out of driveway, heard snap, followed by a rush of air and drop of vehicle. Inspected tire and which was resting on the rim, attempted to change tire and discovered that spring was protruding thought back of tire and I could not remove. Consequences scare me had I been traveling at any rate of speed I would not be here today. Repair shop informed me that they see this frequently with the Mercury Sable cars. New tire, coil spring and labor concluded a bill of $331.68. Lincoln Mercury dealership would not do anything but advise to contact Ford, Ford car was no longer under warranty and they had no complaints for this years model. However 2001 and prior they had recalls for this very problem and provided the Sable with a protective spring shield. Driving this car and others who drive this car are dealing with a major safety hazard that has a history with this manufacture.

- West Allis, WI, USA

I own a 2002 Mercury Sable gs. I returned to my car in a parking lot to find it had a flat tire. After attempting to inflate the tire with no luck, I started to jack the car up to put the spare on. In this process, I realized that the tire was blown out from the coil spring breaking and puncturing the tire. This was the front driver's side tire and I am very lucky to have not been driving at the time of the incident. I had the car towed and started doing some research because I had never seen anything like this before. I found several recalls for Mercury Sable's and Ford Taurus', but none that matched the year of my vehicle. I called Ford Motor Company and a Ford dealer and they both confirmed that there was no recall on my car. I ask Ford Motor Company to indicate that I wanted my conversion documented as an official complaint, but I didn't feel like there was anything that would result from this. I had to replace the two front strut assemblies, get two new tires and also new sway bar links that were damaged in the process. I also decided to replace the rear springs (not the shocks) because I could not drive the car again knowing that this could happen. The research I did reported problems with front and rear springs. The grand total for all the repairs needed because of this failure was $1500. I still say I am lucky I was not driving at the time.

- Dover, NH, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. While driving 2 mph, the passenger side front tire blew out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they determined the cause to be a failed coil spring. NHTSA recall number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs), for the 2001 Mercury Sable, was referenced. The current and failure mileages were 51,255.

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

Front drivers side spring broke off from it's mounting. This condition was detected by a service tech before any other damage was done. It was recommended that the front passenger side spring be replaced at the same time, as well as both front struts, since the car had over 75,000 miles on it at the time. I called the dealer to see if there was a recall on the vehicle. They said that there was not any recalls at this time on this vehicle. I had all of the recommended work done at a cost of over $900.

- Wakefield, MA, USA

Broken left front spring causing tire puncture both front springs replaced. Part not available

- Roscommon, MI, USA

2002 Mercury Sable - front suspension coil spring fracture: Suspension:front - the broken spring punctured the adjacent tire. My wife drove the car home, the day before(no problems). I got in the car the next morning and went to back out of the driveway - car moved less then a foot when the tire blew. Has not been fixed yet. I have photos of tire and end of the spring (you can see the area of corrosion that worked into the spring). There was no rubbing of broken coil on the tire. 1999-2001 were recalled by Ford.

- Kennebunk, ME, USA

2002 Mercury Sable front coil spring failure causing spring to puncture tire. Ford refuses to cover under recall stating recalls are VIN and year specific. This failure was exactly the way the recall describes potential problem but Ford states my car was not included in recall even though part failed.

- Cloquet, MN, USA

Front drivers side spring broke on 2002 Mercury Sable while driving 15 mph on a flat paved road in dry conditions.

- Plainwell, MI, USA

My 2002 Mercury Sable sedan was parked. The car was started and put in to reverse. The left front coil spring broke and punctured the tire. Aaa was called. They told me that the vehicle was not drivable because of the broken coil spring. I had it towed to a Ford dealership. They repaired both front coil springs, as recommended. This vehicle has had recalls in 1999, 2000, 2001 for front coil spring failures due to insufficient corrosion protection of the springs. I called Ford Motor Company for resolution of this matter. The customer service rep said that there were no recalls on the 2002 model. He denied knowledge of and previous model year recalls for this type of failure. Ford will not refund me for my repair costs. Ford's manufacturer's campaign number for this problem is 04S17. This failure could have resulted in a serious accident. I have another 2002 Sable and I am very concerned for the safety of this vehicle. Ford will not stand behind their defective product.

- Beverly, MA, USA

- the contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. He noticed the front driver's side tire was flat due to a puncture by the coil spring. The dealer had not inspected the vehicle to determine the reason for the failure. Recall # 04V332000 concerned the coil spring, but the 2002 models were not included. The contact felt that this vehicle should be included as part of the recall. The vehicle currently had 69,000 miles.

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

My husband was driving my 2002 Mercury Sable at a low rate of speed in our neighborhood when the front coil spring brioke. I was advised by Ford that I need to replace the strut and tire. I have about 67,000 miles on my vehicle. I was also informed by Ford that this part is not covered under my warranty, and my mechanic found that there are no recalls. My mechanic advised me that he is seeing more and more of this problem. I do not believe that this should have broken because of the serious safety issue. I normally drive on the highway and believe that if I had been driving too or from work, I would have been injured.

- Bridgeville, PA, USA

Front and rear coil springs broke on 2002 Mercury Sable. Both breaks occured within 10 days of the other. Both caused blowout of tires. I have replaced the front tire and coil spring. I will have to replace the rear coil spring and tire next week.

- Casstown, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. At 5 mph the contact heard a loud noise near the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed the front passenger tire was detached from the rim. Majka auto service informed the contact that the front passenger side coil spring snapped in half. The mechanic replaced the failed coil spring in addition to the front driver side coil spring. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in recall # 04V332000. However the contact stated otherwise. The current and failure mileage were 11600.

- Utica, NY, USA

- while backing out of the driveway at 5 mph in the 2002 Mercury Sable the front passenger side tire went flat when the coil spring snapped, causing the sharp end of the spring to puncture the inside wall of the front tire. Failure mileage was at 74,236 miles.

- Oneida, NY, USA

My 2002 Mercury Sable had a coil spring break while it was parked in my garage. There were no injuries, however it blew out the tire and if we would have been going down the road somebody could have been hurt or killed. I have gotten no satisfaction from my local dealer or Ford.

- Sycamore, OH, USA

I own a 2002 Mercury Sable. When my son backed the car out of my driveway, the drivers side front coil spring sheared completely, punctured the tire, ripping it apart around the perimeter of the rim. After putting on the spare, I drove to my dealer, thurby motors in uniontown, pa. Since the spare was smaller than the tire profile it did sit high enough for the sharp end of the coil spring to puncture it. I was informed, by Ford customer service, that Ford had a recall out for model years only up to 2001. Even though this was clearly a defective coil spring Ford insisted that they were not obligated to pay since it was not part of the 2001 recall. This car was manufactured in August of 2001 but sold as a 2002 model. Ford offered to pay for 75% of the cost of new coil springs "out of the goodness of their heart and respect for thurby and customers like myself" this is absolutely outrageous. Had that car been on a highway a fatality would surely have occurred. I have photographs of the sheared coil spring, the part of the spring separated, and of the tire. I resent the fact that a huge corrosion can simply dictate to me what they will do when it is so patently obvious that their product is at fault. I deal with specification submittal for quality as a construction manager. I know that mill certificates have to be issued for steel products if they are requested. At the very least Ford should pay for all of my damages. If not the government, who else can a consumer turn to when they are obviously being abused by corporate policy?

- Uniontown, PA, USA

- the contact ownsw a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that as she parked the vehicle she smelled burning rubber, and noticed that the driver side was lower than it should be. The contact had a mechanic look at the vehicle, and found that the front coil spring had failed and punctured the tire. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer to be fixed. Updated 02/22/07.

- Hickory, PA, USA

After accumulating 56,118 miles on my 2002 Mercury Sable, the left front coil spring fractured, punctured the tire and damaged the sway bar link. A Ford dealer replaced both front springs and the link. A Firestone dealer replaced the tire. I do not have the old parts.

- Troy, MI, USA

2002 Sable front spring broke and punctured a hole in the tire, in the driveway. The front of the car hit the ground with a loud noise. Ford charged me $795.92 to fix it.

- Hartland, WI, USA