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.

- East Patchogue, NY, USA

On 2/6/2017 my 2002 Mercury Sable wagon with 63512 miles on it the front spring broke tore the inside of tire apart not sure what else was damaged at this point. My car being in very good condition not your typical N.Y rust not a issue this is a very dangerous design defect.

- Lockport, NY, USA

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.

- North Providence, RI, USA

Our 2002 Sable was brought in for an emergency brake cable issue. While working on the rear brakes, the mechanic noticed that a rear suspension spring was broken. He said we were very lucky it did not rupture the tire. We had both rear springs replaced, because we did not know what caused it to break. After that work was done the car needed to be aligned, and that is when they noticed that a front suspension spring was even more severely broken that is when we searched for possible bulletins or recalls. There were many complaints about 2002 Sable spring breakage, and some actually rupturing tires. There in fact was a recall issued for 2001 Mercury Sable with spring breakage problems, but not for 2002S. We know in fact that the same part is used on 2001 and 2002S. So, for safety reasons we had no choice but to replace both front springs. We feel that this is a severe safety issue. We were lucky that the springs did not break and rupture tires when we were driving at a high speed. We believe that a bulletin should be issued to notify owners of this safety issue, and that repairs should be covered under a recall. We put out some $1200 to remedy the issue. Do we have any chance of compensation for our expenses? I did call Ford and made a complaint, and have been assigned a case number #[xxx]. thank you for any assistance you can provide. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Elkridge, MD, USA

Approximately 39,000 miles. No rust car. Rubbing noise and all tires with history of losing air. While replacing all tires, wheel tech noticed right rear coil spring was fractured and completely wore off interior tire ridge. Placed doughnut tire on and advised I take to mechanic to have all springs fully checked. Car currentlyat mechanic shop this evening. Right rear coil spring definitely fractured. Seems many reports of same nature on this model. Why no recall on rear coil springs with so many complaints? rubbing sound from beneath car has been noted and tires constantly needed air. Other issue(s): 1) ignition extremely hard to turn.2) accelerator seems to stick upon attempting to decelerate by letting up foot pressure. I inherited this car from my deceased father. I was always concerned that he accelerated too quickly from a stopped position. Father took down a large concrete planter due to this type of car jerking, yet I thought it was due to his putting too much pressure upon the accelerator. Now that I am driving the car, I note that car does not slow when I let up on the accelerator, leading me to believe that the accident was not due to father's driving. This was never a problem with his former car. 3) driver's door makes loud clunk upon opening and closing. Are these known problems?

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

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 MINIspare 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 MINIspare 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.

- Skokie, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, a tire became flat without warning. The contact did not specify which tire became flat. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it 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.

- Weymouth, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. While driving in reverse. The front passenger spring and strut fractured. The contact mentioned that the front passenger wheel was damaged due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician verified the failure of the front passenger spring and strut. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 112,867.

- Blissfield, MI, USA

Per EA08018 front right coil fractured upon backing up, ripped deep hole in newer tire causing flat.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

While vehicle was sitting unattended in a public parking lot the driverside coilover spring failed. The results was suspension and tire damage totaling the vehicle.

- Lawrence, KS, USA

As I tried to pull forward from a parking spot, I noticed the vehicle would not hardly move forward, and a very loud groaning noise was present. I could not turn the wheel, and as I tried to back up, I heard a loud pop. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the left front tire had blown, and the left front spring was broken and sticking into the tire on the inside! the spring did not look rusty or excessively dirty.

- Fenton, MO, USA

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 occurrence on this car and the similar Ford Taurus.

- Valencia, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, an abnormal noise from the front end of the vehicle. The contact indicated that the driver's side coil spring was fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact notified the manufacturer of the defect but no solution was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign 04V332000 (suspension) the contact stated the vehicle experienced the same defect listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 109,000.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

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.

- Mequon, WI, USA

I moved the car in my driveway and the left front spring broke and went through the tire sidewall. If this had happen at highway speed or even less the car could have gone off the road and rolled. I had the car towed and the truck driver told me this was a common problem. He said he ran into a couple time a month. I called Ford and they said there was no recall. I know the car is 11 years old, but it has very low miles and the spring had no rust it looked like new. This seems to be a serious safety issue please look into it.

- Jackson, MI, USA

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.

- Essexville, MI, USA

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.

- Glenville, NY, USA

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.

- St Michael , MN, USA

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?

- Rural Ridge, PA, USA

The contact owns 2002 Mercury Sable. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential garage when he heard a loud sound. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the strut spring was fractured and had punctured the front driver's side tire. The vehicle was taken to a repair facility. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 95,000. Updated 03/15/13

- Holland, MI, USA