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.

- Toledo, OH, USA

I had my front coil springs replaced in 01/2007 under the standing recall on 2001 Mercury Sable. Now I have to replace the rear springs that are obviously defective and no recall has been initiated. How Ford/Mercury is not required to issue a recall is beyond me. As I drive I notice numerous Sable and Taurus with rear ends that are sagging due to this obvious defect......and Ford does nothing....and NHTSA follows suit.

- Commerce Twp., MI, USA

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 Sable, 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 this does not include the cost of replacing the destroyed tire which will cost an additional $85. Thank you.

- Moscow, PA, USA

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.

- Canton, MI, USA

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

- Sandusky, OH, USA

- 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 4/25/07

- Indianopolis, IN, USA

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. (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.

- Deerfield, IL, USA

- 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.

- Bayside, WI, USA

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.

- Canton, OH, USA

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.

- Waconia, MN, USA

: 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.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

: 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.

- Lake Ariel, PA, USA

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

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

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.

- Galesburg, IL, USA

: 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.

- Diamond, OH, USA

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.

- Cranston, RI, USA

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.

- Cohoes, NY, USA

2001 Mercury Sable both rear coil springs fractured while turning a corner. Nothing in the car except the driver. No other damage.

- Coxsackie, NY, USA

Defective rear springs in 2001 Mercury Sable. The manufacturer admits a defect in the front coil springs and launched a recall. However, the rear coil springs also proved to be defective on my vehicle. Manufacturer refused to cover expense. The rear coil spring broke which in turn damaged the strut and gouged the new tire while vehicle was traveling on highway. It is apparent there was a flaw in the metal. The total amount of the repairs was $446.66 fortunately I was not involved in an accident when the tire blew out.

- Allentown, NJ, USA

The rear coil spring on my 2001 Mercury Sable broke days after I had the vehicle in to a Ford dealer for the recall on the front coil spring. After the rear coil spring broke it was rubbing against the inside of the tire and would have punctured the tire if I drove the vehicle beyond to the repair garage. Due to the rear spring breaking I needed to replace both rear coil springs and struts.

- Columbus, OH, USA