I own a 2002 Ford Taurus with 95000 miles. I had (fortunately) parked my car for work; on return had a flat tire. On changing it, found the inside of the tire ripped open almost all the way around. When I took it in for a new tire, it was found the front driver spring had broken, and I was told "the Taurus has a problem with this". I had to replace both front springs and struts, get new tires and a wheel alignment to the cost of $1300. Now I'm researching and found the 2002 was not included in the recall for this problem, and the rear springs can break too, usually at much lower mileage. I'm now afraid to drive my car, and am looking for a new one sooner than I had planned. This could have been catastrophic if it had happened on the highway.

- Rochester, NY, USA

2002 Ford Taurus was sitting in the garage when a loud bang was heard, it turned out to be the front coil spring. It broke in half just sitting in the garage. I have heard many complaints that 2002 Ford Taurus' are notorious for this issue. The tow truck driver told me that he's towed a lot of these vehicles with the same issue and that I was lucky I wasn't driving it.

- Brunswick, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 30 mph, the front passenger side tire blew out. When he was replacing the tire with a spare, he noticed that the front passenger side spring failed and punctured the spare tire. The front driver's side spring also failed. The vehicle will be towed to the dealer for repair. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04V332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs) and did not offer assistance with the repair. The failure and current mileages were 28,000.

- Rochester , NY, USA

Driving and smoke began coming out of the driver's front of car. Loud bang. Coil punctured tire. Almost had accident.

- Palmyra, NY, USA

Front left coil spring brook on my 2002 Ford tarus sel.

- Byesville, OH, USA

The front driver's side spring on our 2002 Taurus broke and punctured the tire. I will need to tow the vehicle because the spring is embedded into the tire and cannot be removed. Towing, repairs and a new tire will be required.

- Canton, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving 15 mph in icy road conditions, the front passenger side coil spring failed. A sharp edge on the coil spring punctured the front passenger side tire. The spare tire was utilized and the vehicle was taken to the nearest tire dealer. The tire dealer stated that the vehicle was the third Taurus they had seen that day with the exact same failure. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.

- Rumney, NH, USA

I purchased a new 2002 Ford Taurus in Nov. 01'. I have had three coil spring break. The first one was on 2/16/07. I was backing out of my driveway and my front left tire blew. Had to have it towed to a garage. They had to replace the broken coil spring and front left tire and both front ball joints. On 5/15/08 during my state vehicle inspection, the inspection garage notice that one of my back coil springs was broke. I had to have it replaced. On 1/13/09, once again I was backing out of my drive and my front right tire blew. Once again I had to have my car towed to the garage. The front right coil spring was broke. I have to have it replaced along with a new tire. I called Ford Motor Co. Customer service and they said there was no recall on 2002 Ford Taurus coil springs and could do nothing about it. I have since learned there was a recall on Ford Taurus coil springs for model years 1999-2001 & again for Ford Taurus coil springs for model year 2003. I have researched this online and have learned there are 100's if not more complaints about 2002 Ford Taurus coil spring breaking. This situation is very upsetting. I worry every day wondering if a coil spring is going to break and blow my tire while I'm driving. I think it is an outrage that a company as big as Ford cannot do something to correct such a defective piece of equipment.

- Morrisdale, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 20 mph, the front driver's side tire detached from the vehicle and split in half. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop and the mechanic stated that the front driver's side springs failed and punctured the tire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was repaired at the cost of $1,800. The current and failure mileages were 57,816.

- Palatine , IL, USA

Front coil spring broke in half while the vehicle was parked and off, and the broken coil damaged the strut and punctured the tire. All the broken items were replaced, and the non broken items were replaced on the opposite side to ensure safety.

- Gladwin, MI, USA

My 2002 Ford Taurus with 93,000 miles was parked overnight in our garage. Placing the car in reverse, there was a loud bang and the front left of the vehicle dropped. Upon inspection, it was apparent that the left front coil spring had snapped, slicing the adjacent tire. Cost of repair was $850. Ford will not assist in paying for the repair.

- Depere, WI, USA

While my car was sitting in my drive way at my home, the front drivers side spring broke and blew out my tire front tire...shredded it. Thank god I was not driving when it happened.

- Mendota, IL, USA

1- I drove out of my driveway and my front left coil spring snapped and punctured my almost new tire, and my plastic sway link 2- it happened once, but from what I hear it happens alot and it should be recalled. 3- I had an estimate for about $600 not including the tire at about $160.

- Frankfort, IL, USA

My 2002 Ford Taurus front coil spring broke, and sliced into the tire. I replaced the tire and will have to replace both front springs.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

2002 Ford Taurus ses purchased 12/31/01. Front coil spring broke, slashed tire as I backed out of garage. On inspection, a piece of the strut broke and had to be replaced. Also a rear coil spring was broken and strut was damaged. Now having to replace 4 coil springs, the struts and 4 tires. $1700, with only 56, 000 miles on the car. I will contact Ford about this. There was a recall through 2001 and many documented incidents on the internet chats about the 2002 coil springs. I feel Ford should be accountable and should have included the 2002 model also in the recall. Please advise

- Toledo, OH, USA

My wife was driving our 2002 Taurus, and noticed a rumbling from the front end. She got out and looked, and the tire had blown out (purchased one month prior). When I arrived (and the tow truck right after), we noticed that the coil spring had broken, and had punctured and pretty well shredded the tire. A web search online of this problem (I was trying to find a damage estimate) has shown numerous other hits, as well as this Agency's own investigation into the problem. I am currently unsure of any further damage. I do know the coil is broken, and that the tire has been punctured by the coil. We are waiting to hear back from the mechanic about other problems that may have occurred (tie rod, rim, etc). We will ensure that the original damaged coil spring is kept.

- Windsor, VT, USA

Our 2002 Ford Taurus SE suffered a broken coil spring on the left front and ruined the left front tire. To fix the problem we are incurring more than $750 and Ford knows of this problem on previous Taurus models due to NHTSA recall 04V332000.

- Plymouth, IN, USA

Backing out of driveway, front end of car lurched up; accompanied by extremely loud noise. Upon inspection, discovered front driver's tire shredded. I assumed at the time, this was the only problem. Tire mechanic advised that there had been a recall of make and model for catastrophic failure of front springs. This recall was discontinued just prior to my model year. Contacting several dealerships as well as the manufacturer came to the same conclusion - "we know there is a problem but we cannot help you." Transferring the car to another repair facility, it was determined that left front spring had indeed broken and recommended repairs were estimated at over $350 to include the other side front coil spring and, of course, a new set of tires and associated alignments. At the time of this complaint, there has been no repair accomplished - as claimant is seeking legal recourse through state attorney general's office as well as private legal counsel.

- Madison, OH, USA

I was backing the car out of the garage when the drivers side coil spring broke and also punctured the tire.

- Butler, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While backing out of a parking lot, the contact heard a large popping noise. When she arrived home, she noticed that the coil spring failed and punctured the tire. The alignment also failed due to the coil spring that split into two pieces. The dealer stated that they would repair the failure at the contact's expense. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 22,469.

- Schenectady, NY, USA