I stepped into my vehicle to go to work, and the torsion bar broke. Snapped into two pieces. Was thankful I was not driving. I have been told by the tow truck driver and the mechanics, that they have never seen this before, and that a piece of 1" round steel should not just snap.

- Lindsborg, KS, USA

The R/H torsion bar broke at low speed turning into a parking lot. The bar is being replaced at the dealership. They say they have never seen this before. After seeing all the reports on line, I find this hard to believe.

- Fall City, WA, USA

Front right torsion bar snapped while vehicle was parked in my driveway.

- Harvard, MA, USA

On December 30, 2003, I sent the following letter to Ford Motor Company and as of yet have not received a reply. Hopefully you can give me some pointers on how I should proceed. Thank you, [xxx]. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] enclosed are pictures of the torsion bar from my 1998 Ford F-150 pickup. VIN# [xxx]. it has 56,000 miles. The portion that is pictured is the front. The bar broke while sitting idle in my garage. I had been out of town for the weekend so the pickup had not been driven for two days. I found the center piece on the garage floor. From rust spots in the broken area, it appears that it had been cracked for some time. I have owned the pickup for about three years. Almost all of my driving has been highway driving. During that time it has very little off road driving. I am not a hunter or land owner. It has been used for hauling cargo, but not extended use. It was involved in an accident and I have also enclosed the repair records from that. The damage was to the right side. There was no suspension damaged noted. I have looked to see if there were any recalls on it, and have found none. The mechanic who replaced it for me said he had never seen a torsion bar break like this. This is a repair that I donT think I should have to pay for. I have enclosed my statement. I am just thankful that I was not driving the vehicle when it broke. It concerns me that there may be other suspension problems. What I would like to know is what can be done" is this a flaw in the pickup that needs to be addressed" I am also writing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ask for their help in what process I should follow. I can be reached during working hours at[xxx], at my address at [xxx] or by E-mail at [xxx]. I will be waiting your reply. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Clark, SD, USA

Driver side torsion bar snapped, causing front left corner of vehicle to drop unexpectedly possibly damaging sway bar, shock absorber and related bushings. Ford customer service stated there is no coverage, recalls or service bulletins that cover damage/defect. There have been reports of similar issues with Expedition and Ford models.

- Belvidere, NJ, USA

The vehicle was parked, when the left torsion bar failed.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Right side torsion bar snapped in two going across parking lot.

- Manchester, MO, USA

Driver side torsion bar broke driving 60 on freeway. Made truck veer hard to left almost hitting guard rail. Thank god my son didn't hit it. Brought the truck used and of course dealer said it wasn't under warranty that we had. Only the 60 days or 2500 miles from time of purchased. Only had in 25 days.

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

The front torsion bar broke. The torsion bar had experienced a brittle fracture at the hexagon to cylinder interface.

- Soddy Daisy, TN, USA

Passenger side torsion bar broke while parked in parking garage. Don't know what would happen if occured at normal driving speeds. Scary drive home as truck was laying down on right front severly. Took to garage this morning. Five minutes later, woman comes in and says she has a broken torsion bar. You guessed it, another 1998 Ford F150 4X4. Looked at hers, was on drivers side, similar shaped failure as mine, said hers was just parked in driveway when failed. I am afraid to let wife drive my truck now.

- Centerville, TN, USA

Torsion bar snapped causing truck to lean to one side. I was told I was fortunate I wasnt driving it at the time they had many ( over 50) break some while driving. Dealer should replace at no cost to owner only had 21,552, 1998 F-150 dealer wanted $500 at first then claimed part was defective and I would have to pay labor( jack demmers in wayne, mi.48185) please help this isnt fair.

- Westland, MI, USA

The torsion bar had broken while the vehicle was parked. Ph the torsion bar was replaced and the front end was aligned. Scc

- West Land, MI, USA

While driving, right front torsion bar snapped during regular driving.

- Temple, NH, USA

While driving, right front torsion bar snapped during regular driving.

- Temple, NH, USA

Front torsion bar exploded while vehicle was parked in consumer's driveway. Dealer has been contacted. Consumer has damaged parts.

- Mt Plymouth, FL, USA

The truck was sitting in the parking lot at work when the drivers side torsion bar broke. From some people I have talked to this has happened to quite a few other trucks-same side torsion bar. The dealer has worked with us as well as can be expected considering that the manufacturer refuses to acknowledge a problem. I haven't been able to speak with a representative because they are " on vacation". I am concerned about what could happen to another family with the same truck if perhaps the bar would break while driving. This a a dangerous problem that Ford Motor Company is refusing to do anything about. I have written to them on two occassions now asking for them to issue a recall since this is not just my truck, but many others. Also, I do not believe the anti-lock brakes should fail on a truck with the mileage it had at the time. The dealer also worked with us on this problem. Our total bill was for $90.87 for both of the problems, but I still believe that Ford Motor Company should reimburse us this money considering that this is a major defect both with the tortion bar and the anti-lock brakes. Thank you for your time regarding this important matter. I do not want anyone to be injured because of Ford Motor Company ignoring these problems.

- East Alton, IL, USA

Torision bar on left side failed while vehicle was in park position, causing front suspension to fall towards back.

- Freeland, MD, USA

While pulling into a parking space torison bar broke.

- Bowmanstown, PA, USA

Front torsion bar broke while parked in garage; dealer/manufacturer were notified; manufacturer informed consumer that they would pay all except 20%, which would be at consumer cost. The consumer states that there were many other owners of this model vehicle with torsion bars problem, but the manufacturer was not even trying to make better quality parts available.

- Butte, MT, USA

Dealer told me there were no previous known problems with the torsion bar.

- Clinton, MI, USA