Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
SUSPENSION - FRONT
1709408/01/200310003184Rattling or clunking noise from the front suspension under normal driving conditions. *tt10/09/2003
1671003/01/200310001950Rattling or clunking noise from the front suspension under normal driving conditions. *tt *jb07/28/2003

Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS
EA08018FORD MOTOR COMPANY08/28/200806/30/2011Front Suspension Coil Spring Fracture
 To date, odi is aware of 2,401 non-duplicative complaints related to the alleged defect. in addition, odi is aware of 1,411 subject vehicles with one or more warranty claims related to the alleged defect. in total, odi is aware of 3,645 unique subject vehicles that have experienced one or more front suspension coil spring fractures. odi is also aware of four minor crashes related to the alleged defect resulting in one minor injury.with greater than eight years of exposure, a large subject vehicle population and approximately 2,052 reported front tire punctures caused by fractured coil springs (at all speeds), there have been no reported severe crashes, deaths or injuries related to the alleged defect. the real world consequences of these defective coil springs have been a small number of minor control problems that resulted in minor damage; suggesting that the effect of the defect on vehicle control is minor.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. accordingly, this investigation is closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will continue to monitor this issue and will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. see the ea08-018 engineering analysis closing report for more details.
EA08018FORD MOTOR COMPANY08/28/2008FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING FRACTURE
 The office of defects investigation (odi) has received 355 complaints from consumers residing in salt belt states that allege front suspension coil spring fracture in the subject vehicles. (note: for purposes of this investigation, the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).approximately 72% of the complainants allege the broken coil spring punctured the adjacent tire resulting in loss of inflation pressure.odi is aware of 3 alleged crashes related to the alleged defect resulting in one person injured.the subject vehicles are substantially similar to those previously investigated by odi (pe02-080 and pe04-044) and recalled by ford (nhtsa recall no. 04v-332).an engineering analysis has been opened to assess the frequency, scope and safety consequences of the alleged defect.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SUSPENSION
02/04/20131010591
 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? *tr
02/09/201395000
 Tl* the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential garage when he heard a loud explosion. 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 not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000.
02/04/2013101059
 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 servely injuried. i drive 22 miles one way to work on hilly and windy roads. the broke spring was not damaged or have any corrision. 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 extented to year 2002?
02/09/201395000
 Tl* the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential garage when he heard a loud explosion. 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 not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000.
02/04/2013101059
 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 servely injuried. i drive 22 miles one way to work on hilly and windy roads. the broke spring was not damaged or have any corrision. 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 extented to year 2002?
02/09/201395000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential garage when he heard a loud explosion. 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 not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000. kmj
02/04/2013101059
 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 servely injuried. i drive 22 miles one way to work on hilly and windy roads. the broke spring was not damaged or have any corrision. 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 extented to year 2002?
02/09/201395000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential garage when he heard a loud explosion. 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 not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000. kmj
02/09/201395000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated the vehicle was sitting in the garage when there was a loud bang from under the vehicle. the contact inspects the vehicle and notice the strut spring broke and puncture the left front tire. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000. mw
02/02/201355000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle made a loud grinding noise while reversing then the left front end dropped. the contact inspected the vehicle and found that the left front tire was flat. the vehicle was towed to the mechanic and was inspected. the left front coil spring fractured due to corrosion and cut the tire side wall. the manufacture was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 55,000.
02/02/201355000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle made a loud grinding noise while reversing then the left front end dropped. the contact inspected the vehicle and found that the left front tire was flat. the vehicle was towed to the mechanic and was inspected. the left front coil spring fractured due to corrosion and cut the tire side wall. the manufacture was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 55,000. mah
02/02/201355000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that vehicle made a loud grinding noise while reversing from the garage and the left front end dropped. the contact inspected the vehicle and found the left front tire flat. the vehicle was towed to the mechanic an inspection was performed. the failure was located at the left front coil spring broken due to corrosion and cut the tire side wall. the manufacture was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 55,000. li
01/29/201372800
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while parked, the coil spring fractured and pierced the front driver's side tire. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who advised the contact that the the front coil springs and the struts needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance due to the vehicle not being included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and the current mileage was 72,800.
01/29/201372800
 Tl - the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while parked, the coil spring fractured and pierced the front driver's side tire. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who advised the contact that the the front coil springs and the struts needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance due to the vehicle not being included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and the current mileage was 72,800. kmj
01/29/2013
 Tl - the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while parked, the coil spring fractured and pierced through the front driver
12/03/2012113000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while parked, the vehicle made a loud snapping noise. the contact mentioned that while he drove the vehicle out of the garage the passenger front tire blew. after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the passenger front coil spring broken. the manufacturer advised that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v332000 (suspension: front: springs: coil springs). the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current and mileage was 113,000.
12/03/2012113000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while parked, the vehicle made a loud snapping noise. the contact mentioned that while he drove the vehicle out of the garage the passenger front tire blew. after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the passenger front coil spring broken. the manufacturer advised that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v332000 (suspension: front: springs: coil springs). the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current and mileage was 113,000. pmb
12/03/2012113000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle made a loud snapping noise while parked, and while he drove the vehicle out of the garage the passenger front tire blew. the contact inspected the vehicle and found the passenger front coil spring broken. the manufacturer advised that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v332000 (suspension: front: springs: coil springs). the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current and failure mileage was 113,000. li
11/06/20121470001
 Front left coil spring fractured when i got into my car. car was parked. coil spring penetrated the front tire and ruptured it. this is identical to the failure reported in 04v332000, but my car is about 6 months older than the manufacturing range of that recall. *tr
11/06/2012147000
 Front left coil spring fractured when i got into my car. car was parked. coil spring penetrated the front tire and ruptured it. this is identical to the failure reported in 04v332000, but my car is about 6 months older than the manufacturing range of that recall.
06/23/201272000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the front driver
06/23/201272000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated the front driver side coil spring broke on the vehicle. the contact stated they had just parked the vehicle and the coil spring broke and ripped through the tire. the contact stated the vehicle operated properly prior to the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage and current mileages were 72,000.rl
03/19/2011
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph in snowy weather, the contact heard a loud noise from the front of the vehicle. after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the front driver side tire was deflated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the coil spring had fractured and punctured the tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000. the vin was not available.
03/19/2011
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph in snowy weather, the contact heard a loud noise from the front of the vehicle. after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the front driver side tire was deflated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the coil spring had fractured and punctured the tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000. the vin was not available. kmj
03/19/201190000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph after a blizzard and heard a loud noise in the front of his vehicle. after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the drivers side front tire had deflated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and they advised him that the coil had fractured the tire. the vehicle was repaired for the drivers side coil spring, the struts, etc. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000. tb
01/02/2012104000
 Driver backing out of parking space when heard metallic grinding sound followed by a bang. then we heard the sound of metal on pavement. when got out of car the drivers side of the car was sitting so low that i could not get a jack under it. the driver front tire was completely shredded on the inside of the wheel well. it is costing us $700 to repair. as per odi resume ea 08-18 document under reason for closing the following sentence appears, the coil springs in the subject vehicles are defective. even if there is no real danger to traffic safety it is still and issue that ford should be required to address, we as the driving public should not have to pay hundreds of dollars to repair it. also if ford wants to keep their customers they should address problems such as this. we are thinking of looking to toyota or honda for our next car after driving fords since 1997.
11/28/2011123000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that the front driver's side tire was flat. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 123,000.
11/28/2011123000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that the front driver's side tire was flat. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 123,000. rvk
11/28/2011123000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that the front driver's tire was flat. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the front driver's side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 123,000. sm.
12/12/2011113000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable gs. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, there was a loud bang and the front passenger tire blew. the contact almost lost control of the vehicle as she merged onto the shoulder and rolled into a ditch. there were no injuries and the vehicle was not damaged. the tire was removed and the spare was installed. the vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where the tire was originally purchased and after inspection, the technician advised that the coil spring caused the tire damage. the dealer was notified of the coil spring failure and advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted who confirmed that there were no recalls and offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 113,000. kmj
12/12/2011113000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable gs. the contact stated while driving 60 mph there was a noise and the right front passenger tire blew out. the contact almost lost control of the vehicle as she merged to the shoulder and rolled into a ditch. there were no injuries and the vehicle was not damaged. the tire was removed and the spare was installed. the vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where the tire was purchased and after inspecting the tire was informed the coil spring caused the tire damage. the dealer was notified of the coil spring failure who stated there are no recalls or warranty. the manufacturer was notified who stated there are no recalls and to contact nhtsa to file a complaint. they offered no other assistance. the failure mileage was 113,000. mw
05/01/200759000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the vehicle was not balanced and dropped to the floor abnormally. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician advised that the front coil spring was fractured and caused damage to the brake pad and blower. the front coil spring, brake pad and blower were replaced. after the repair the front coil spring fractured a second time. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 59,000. kmj
05/01/200759000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while parked the contact noticed the vehicle was not balanced and had dropped to the floor. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technician stated the front coil spring had fractured and caused damage to the brake pad and blower. the front coil spring, the brake pad and blower were replaced. after the repair the front coil spring fractured a second time . the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 59,000. ds
04/12/2011140000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact was driving 15 mph when the front coil spring fractured and punctured the front tire. the vehicle was repaired by an automotive shop. in addition, the rear springs were also fractured and all four struts and springs were replaced as well as the sway bar. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
04/12/2011140000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the front coil spring broke and punctured the front tire. the vehicle was repaired by an automotive shop. both rear springs also broke so all four struts and springs were replaced. the rear sway bar also had to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 140,000-bk
07/15/201050000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact was driving approximately 15 mph making a turn when suddenly there was a loud noise coming from outside of the vehicle. the contact pulled over to the side of the road and noticed that the rear of the vehicle slightly collapsed in a tiled position towards the passenger side. the vehicle was driven at an extremely low speed rate to the nearest dealer for diagnosis. the rear passenger side coil spring fractured, and was replaced. recently, the front driver side coil spring completely fractured and caused the tire to explode. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired by an independent mechanic. the failure mileage was approximately 50,000. js
06/09/201070000
 Back springs both broke on 2002 sable..had to get fixed to pass inspection......in jan2009 front spring broke and punctured my left front tire..i understand ford had recalls or safety issues w/springs for 1999,2000,2001 & 2003 but not my 2002..i have tried w/ford to no avail for resolution with this issue to no avail....i have read many complaints on internet for same exact problem i have had w/2002 vehicles..how did ford skip the 2002 models?
04/09/201063905
 2002 mercury sable ls premium, 64,000 miles. the springs broke in the front wheel assembly. caused tire rip and cost $1,100 in repairs.
03/19/2010
 I drive a 2002 mercury sable that was purchased a few months ago. we are a family of three that doesn't drive often or like a nascar driver. but last week while reversing, my tires blew. we were going to put the spare on when we noticed that the strut/spring that punctured and blown the tire. we are so thankful that we were not on the interstate when this happened because we could've been killed. not only that, but we are spending hundreds of dollars on this issued that should be recalled! i have done some research on this car and noticed that this is a common problem for many owners of the mercury sable anad ford taurus. it is not right for a company to think that they can get away with this. our family was hit head on, on the interstate a year ago adn could've died!! we are still disabled and will be for the rest of our lives. the last thing i want in my life is to have another close call to death! this needs to be addressed! i now have to purchase 2 brand new tires, even though i just got new ones! need new strut/spring combos on each side, otherwise they wear differently and could have more issues later and new ball joints on each side. not only that but i have to get these tires balanced and rotated at another fee. didn't have a car for over a week, and missed school. fix this issue! do some research yourself and you will see we have a big problem on our hands!!! why should i have to pay and suffer for thier mistake? can you answer these questions for me?
02/26/2010750001
 Hi i am writing about my 17-year-old son's car. it is a 2002 mercury sable. he had a blow-out 4 nights ago which prompted him to call aaa to change it at 11:30 p.m. the next day we went to get a new tire for the front passenger side, they put a new tire on it, we paid them and proceeded to back out of the driveway and the tire went flat. the mechanic then took the tire off and told us we had a broken coil spring that was puncturing the tires. we then took the car to the garage to have this spring replaced for $150 and upon driving the car into the shop the other side broke and punctured the left tire. so now my bill is up to $300 already and he hasn't even checked the rear coils yet. it is very frustrating to me to see that they had recalls for the 2001 sable and obviously they haven't fixed the problem. this was a very terrifying thing for me to drive to stay with my son while waiting for aaa and to see this tire that was split in half. my son was only minutes from getting onto the highway where this could have been a horrific accident. i have read lots of complaints on the internet about the 2002 having problems so my question is why hasn't anything been done yet. i sure hope it doesn't have to come to someone getting hurt or even worse before this problem is fixed. *tr
03/20/20091080001
 I drive a 2002 mercury sable. i was turning left into a gas station driveway and i heard a loud metal sound, as loud as a gunshot. i got out of the car and looked underneath and all around the area adjacent to the car but i could not see anything. i was able to drive the car to a repair shop without incident, but every time i went over the slightbest bump, the car sounded like it was going to fall apart (lots of metal scraping noises). the repair shop said that my front coil springs had broken and that i was lucky that the spring had not punctured my tire. the mechanic called ford to check on a recall for the springs because he said that this was a very common problem for ford/mercury cars. ford informed him that my car was not included in the recall. i went ahead with the repair which was a complicated mess because of twisting, rust, etc. my bill was close to $900.00. i was just thankful that no one in my family was injured as a result of this faulty equipment. as stated in many of the complaint forums relating to this spring problem, i agree that ford is just waiting until there are deaths involved with this problem before they will take any action. just another example of what is wrong with the american automobile industry. i owned a saab for 18 years until my husband totaled it. i owned a toyota before that. this mercury was forced upon me because of my economic condition at the time. i will never own another ford/mercury vehicle again. just an added note: my husband just found out yesterday that his rear coil springs on his 2001 ford taurus are broken. i am anxious to see if ford will take responsibility for this spring failure. *tr
08/06/2008837361
 While having tires rotated at sam's club, the technician notified me that both rear springs were broken. *tr
06/16/20081300001
 My husband merely sat in our car and we heard a terrible noise from the back - it was the springs breaking. we spent $400.00 to repair both rear springs. a month later, i took the car in for new tires and the drivers-side front spring broke. we ended up replacing springs, shocks, and mounting hardware for a total of $650. ford has recalled the 1998-2001, but this problem obviously is still not fixed and the 2002 should be recalled as well. *tr
06/06/20081150001
 Regular driving. both of the rear suspension coils snapped and the front coils appear to be on their way as well. *tr
05/18/2008824441
 Front passenger side spring broke while driving the car out of the garage. the broken spring cut a 4 inch gash in the tire and caused a flat. there was not an accident because we were driving so slowly in the garage but the tire blew suddenly and could have potentially caused an accident. to the best of my knowledge springs are not supposed to break however the tow truck driver, tire salesman, and several dealers all reported it as a common problem with the model care i was driving. replaced both springs & struts in the front and tire $730.00. i was advised that the rear springs should be safe because i have a wagon and they are a different part. *tr
07/01/200560000110/08/2001
 The rear coil spring on my 2002 mercury sable is broken and needs to be replaced. my son also has a 2002 mercury sable and he had a similar problem with a broken rear coil spirng. please check the replacements on the ford taraus and mercury sables and i am sure you will find there is a defect problem. this is a saftey defect and neds to be addressed. thank you!
SUSPENSION - FRONT
06/22/201170000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the front coil spring fractured and punctured her tire. the dealer advised the contact that her vehicle had not been included in recall number:04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). the manufacturer was aware of the failure. the current and failure mileages were 70,000. the vehicle was awaiting repairs. bw
05/30/2011104000
 Tl*the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated while driving, she heard a loud noise, and noticed the passenger front tire was flat due to the coil spring which broke in half and punctured the passenger front tire. the failure occurred while driving at a low speed into the driveway. the vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the front coil springs, the stabilizer link, and tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer would not assist with the repair, because the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v332000 suspension: front: springs: coil springs. the failure and the current miles were 104,000.
05/30/2011104000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated while driving into the driveway she heard a loud noise, and found the passenger front tire flat due to the coil spring failed broke in half and punctured the passenger front tire. the vehicle was taken to the local mechanic replaced the front coil springs, the stabilizer link, and tire. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer would not assist with the repair, because the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v332000 suspension: front: springs: coil springs. the failure and the current miles was 104,000. li
05/26/2011123000
 My wife entered our 2002 mercury sable wagon to go to work today. as she sat down in the car, the left front tire exploded. when we removed the tire to see what happened, it was apparent that the coil spring in the suspension had broken and a sharp point on the spring punctured the tire. the car was stationary when this occured, thankfully.
05/16/201144372
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 5 mph the contact stated that it became difficult to control the steering wheel and then noticed the passengers front tire blew out. the contact inspected the vehicle and also noticed the front coil spring had broken. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated previously that the rear coil springs had also broken. the approximate failure mileage was 44,372.
05/16/201144372
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 5 mph the contact stated it became difficult to steer and then noticed the passengers front tire blew out. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the front coil spring had broken. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated previously the rear coil springs had also broken. the approximate failure mileage was 44,372. ds
05/01/201188000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 5 mph in reverse the contact smelled rubber burning and also heard the tire rubbing up against the vehicle. the contact inspected the exterior of the vehicle and noticed the front passenger side coil spring was broken. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic replaced the entire front end assembly. the vehicle was repaired. the contact stated the rear springs and shocks were also replaced approximately two years prior to the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 88,000. ds
04/28/2011112000
 We were pulling out of a parking space, heard a whoosh and found the front right tire had deflated. called aaa to have it pumped up or the spare put on. when the driver attempted to take the tire off, it was stuck. the coil spring had come loose and punctured the tire. the coil was sticking through the tire like a meat hook. we had to cut the rest of the rubber on the tire to release it. we had the vehicle towed and are awaiting the repair estimate. doing research, it appears this is a long-standing problem on ford vehicles, specifically the mercury sable and taurus. recalls on 1999-2001 models were not extended beyond those years, despite similar problems. we feel we were very lucky in this instance, as the previous day, we had a 230 mile business trip. it could have been a disaster at 72mph.
03/07/201175300
 Tl*the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact was traveling 30 mph when the front right coil spring broke on the vehicle. the failure occurred one year after the front left coil spring broke and punctured the left drivers side tire. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the coil spring was broken. the failure mileage was 75,300 and the current mileage was 75,450.
03/07/201175300
 Tl- the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact was traveling 30 mph when the front right coil spring broke on the vehicle. this happened one year after the front left coil spring broke and punctured the left driver side tire. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they confirmed the coil spring was broken. the failure mileage was 75,300 and the current mileage was 75,450.rl
02/01/2011125000
 While backing out of a parking space, a front spring violently broke damaging the strut also. god only knows what would have happened if this was at highway speeds.
03/31/201189000
 Backing out of my driveway i heard a loud clunk and the car wouldn't move. discovered my left front tire was flat. upon further examination, the spring coil had broken and popped the tire. getting the tire replaced the mechanic told me that the back spring was broken also.
02/01/2011125000
 While backing out of a parking space, a front spring violently broke damaging the strut also. god only knows what would have happened if this was at highway speeds.
03/31/201189000
 Backing out of my driveway i heard a loud clunk and the car wouldn't move. discovered my left front tire was flat. upon further examination, the spring coil had broken and popped the tire. getting the tire replaced the mechanic told me that the back spring was broken also.
02/01/2011125000
 While backing out of a parking space, a front spring violently broke damaging the strut also. god only knows what would have happened if this was at highway speeds.
03/31/201189000
 Backing out of my driveway i heard a loud clunk and the car wouldn't move. discovered my left front tire was flat. upon further examination, the spring coil had broken and popped the tire. getting the tire replaced the mechanic told me that the back spring was broken also.
02/01/2011125000
 While backing out of a parking space, a front spring violently broke damaging the strut also. god only knows what would have happened if this was at highway speeds.
03/31/201189000
 Backing out of my driveway i heard a loud clunk and the car wouldn't move. discovered my left front tire was flat. upon further examination, the spring coil had broken and popped the tire. getting the tire replaced the mechanic told me that the back spring was broken also.
02/01/2011125000
 While backing out of a parking space, a front spring violently broke damaging the strut also. god only knows what would have happened if this was at highway speeds.
03/31/201189000
 Backing out of my driveway i heard a loud clunk and the car wouldn't move. discovered my left front tire was flat. upon further examination, the spring coil had broken and popped the tire. getting the tire replaced the mechanic told me that the back spring was broken also.
03/19/2011112311
 Front coil spring broke and blew through front driver's side tire had to have car towed. had to replace broken front coil springs, struts and upper mounts and lower ball joints and the tire and a wheel alignment. thankfully this happened when the car was parked. it was very scarey.
03/16/201177000
 Tl. the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated while pulling into the drive way the front driver side tire blow out. the contact checked the tire and notice the a link to the sway bar was broken. that caused the coil spring to brake and puncher the tire. the contact called the manufacturer regarding the coil spring and the dealer stated there is no active recall so the contact is responsible for the repairs. the contact stated this is a very known issue with this year make and model that the manufacturer needs to address. the failure mileage was 77,000. jo
02/26/201195554
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the front passenger side coil spring fractured and punctured the tire, ruining the brake hose and stabilizer link. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where it was repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current mileage was 95,832 and the failure mileage was 95,554.
02/26/201195554
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the passenger front side spring broke which punctured the tire and ruined the brake hose and stabilizer link. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where it was repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current mileage was 95,832. the failure mileage was 95,554-bk
02/15/201190000
 Driving 15mph the front driver's side suspension coil (surrounding the strut) broke, it ripped the inside of the tire and severed the brake line. the car was unable to be driven or pushed because part of the coil was caught up inside the tire.
02/02/201165000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while the contact was driving in reverse out of the driveway approximately 2 mph, he heard a loud popping noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and observed that the front driver side tire was completely flattened. the defective tire was replaced with a spare tire. the vehicle was taken to a tire center where they defected that the front driver side coil spring fractured which caused the tire to puncture. the defective tire was replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired by an independent mechanic for the coil spring failure. there was a recall for the 1999-2001 model year vehicles under nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension: front: springs: coil springs). the contact planned to notify the manufacturer regarding the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. js
01/14/201183000
 While attempting to back out of my garage, the coil spring on the front driver side strut broke and shot into my front tire, puncturing and immediately flattening my tire. the spring was imbedded in the tire so far that they were unable to remove the tire to put on the spare. the car had to be forced in reverse far enough back to be able to hook it onto the tow truck which shredded the front tire. had to have front springs, struts, abs speed sensor, alignment and new tire put on the vehicle. very lucky that this incident happened in my garage and not out on the roadway.
01/17/201194000
 Around 7 months ago july,2010 my wife was attempting to back up her 2002 mercury sable and the passenger side front spring broke an went trough the side wall of the tire. today jan. 2011. i was attempting to back that same car an the driver side spring broke and ruined the tire an busted another part on the steering link. when is something going to be done about this.
12/31/201066000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while the vehicle was parked, the contact heard a loud boom noise, when he noticed that the front coil springs was broken, puncturing a whole in the tire similar to nhtsa campaign id number: 04v332000 ( suspension:front:springs:coil springs). both the dealer and manufacturer was notified who informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in any recalls and that they could not offer any additional assistance. the dealer repaired all four coil springs and struts. the current and failure mileages was approximately 66,000. bw
01/01/2011110000
 Ii am writing the nhtsa in order to warn of a dangerous, potentially fatal, hazardous condition on a mercury automobile. to the best of my knowledge this condition has been addressed by a previous recall notice on earlier year models of the mercury sable but not on the year model that i own. i own a 2002 mercury sable. in february of 2010 i had a flat tire on my driver
12/27/201080000
 2002 mercury sable-left front coil spring failed and destroyed the radial tire at that location. car has approximately 80,000 miles has been carefully maintained. ford motor co. says it is not covered under any recall. car is at the shop for repairs which include replacing both coil springs and replacing damaged tire. any other damage from this event is yet to be determined. this event took place december 27, 2010 @ approx. 01:00 p.m.
12/20/201088800
 Front coil spring of my 2002 mercury sable broke and punctured a hole in the tire. had to replace coil spring, strut, and sway bar links.
12/27/201080000
 2002 mercury sable-left front coil spring failed and destroyed the radial tire at that location. car has approximately 80,000 miles has been carefully maintained. ford motor co. says it is not covered under any recall. car is at the shop for repairs which include replacing both coil springs and replacing damaged tire. any other damage from this event is yet to be determined. this event took place december 27, 2010 @ approx. 01:00 p.m.
12/20/201088800
 Front coil spring of my 2002 mercury sable broke and punctured a hole in the tire. had to replace coil spring, strut, and sway bar links.
12/20/201092082
 2002 sable. left front coil spring broke and punctured the tire when backing out of the garage. i had the local ford garage replace both front springs and install the protective gaurd kit (used on the re-called vehicles) to prevent tire puncture if it happens again. this car was not re-called and ford did not cover the cost; $400 not including the tire.
12/27/201080000
 2002 mercury sable-left front coil spring failed and destroyed the radial tire at that location. car has approximately 80,000 miles has been carefully maintained. ford motor co. says it is not covered under any recall. car is at the shop for repairs which include replacing both coil springs and replacing damaged tire. any other damage from this event is yet to be determined. this event took place december 27, 2010 @ approx. 01:00 p.m.
12/20/201088800
 Front coil spring of my 2002 mercury sable broke and punctured a hole in the tire. had to replace coil spring, strut, and sway bar links.
12/20/201092082
 2002 sable. left front coil spring broke and punctured the tire when backing out of the garage. i had the local ford garage replace both front springs and install the protective gaurd kit (used on the re-called vehicles) to prevent tire puncture if it happens again. this car was not re-called and ford did not cover the cost; $400 not including the tire.
12/27/201080000
 2002 mercury sable-left front coil spring failed and destroyed the radial tire at that location. car has approximately 80,000 miles has been carefully maintained. ford motor co. says it is not covered under any recall. car is at the shop for repairs which include replacing both coil springs and replacing damaged tire. any other damage from this event is yet to be determined. this event took place december 27, 2010 @ approx. 01:00 p.m.
12/20/201088800
 Front coil spring of my 2002 mercury sable broke and punctured a hole in the tire. had to replace coil spring, strut, and sway bar links.
12/20/201092082
 2002 sable. left front coil spring broke and punctured the tire when backing out of the garage. i had the local ford garage replace both front springs and install the protective gaurd kit (used on the re-called vehicles) to prevent tire puncture if it happens again. this car was not re-called and ford did not cover the cost; $400 not including the tire.
12/20/2010120000
 The front driver side coil springs broke while i was backing from parking stall. it ripped a large hole in my brand new tire. when i inspected it, there was rust inside the fracture. i have not taken it to a dealer yet for repairs.
04/02/2010103000
 2002 mercury sable gs - 103,000 miles, never been in a collision, always maintained by the book. on april 2, 2010 at 8:00 am, i was pulling forward out of my parking spot when a loud thud and a grinding noise stopped me from going any further. this was a total surprise as nothing about the previous day's driving hinted at an suspension/steering problem. after checking behind both front wheels, i found that the left front coil spring had snapped and a plastic piece had been broken by the impact. no tire damage occurred. i was just pulling out of a parking spot so speed was less than 10 mph by the time the noise forced me to stop. had this happened at speed i would surely have lost control of the car. the sable was taken away on a flatbed truck and cost about $1300.00 to repair using new parts. something needs to be done, i did research on this and it only affects 2002-2003 sable/taurus, irrespective of mileage. i believe this is complaint number 356 for this specific manufacturer's flaw.
08/28/2010105000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that the coil spring on the driver front side failed and pierced the tire while driving 2mph. a spare tire was put on and was driven to a parking lot. he contacted ford motor co and they stated that there was a recall for this failure for 2001 model year but not 2002. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 105,000. rd
08/30/2010140000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated he has a broken coil springs. while driving at 55mph there was a popping noise where he saw a metal flew off and ripped the tire on the driver side. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they informed him the coils springs need to be replaced. there are no recalls for his year make or model vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted and informed him there are no recalls on his vehicle and the repairs are at a cost to him. the failure mileage was 140,000.....mw
06/06/201095000
 Tl- the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the mechanic stated that the front coils springs are broken on the customers vehicle. the rear springs were replaced on the vehicle prior and the front need to be replaced today. when the contact spoke with the dealer and was told that even though these are the same parts used in 2001 ford taurus
08/30/2010140000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated he has a broken coil springs. while driving at 55mph there was a popping noise where he saw a metal flew off and ripped the tire on the driver side. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they informed him the coils springs need to be replaced. there are no recalls for his year make or model vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted and informed him there are no recalls on his vehicle and the repairs are at a cost to him. the failure mileage was 140,000.....mw
06/06/201095000
 Tl- the contact owns 2002 mercury sable. the mechanic stated that the front coils springs are broken on the customers vehicle. the rear springs were replaced on the vehicle prior and the front need to be replaced today. when the contact spoke with the dealer and was told that even though these are the same parts used in 2001 ford taurus
06/12/201074000
 The left front spring on my 2002 mercury sable broke on june 12, 2010. the car was in a parking lot at the time of the spring failure. the motor was running, but the transmission was in park. the broken spring punctured the tire. there is approximately 74,000 miles on the car.
05/31/201097000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that while traveling down the road at approximately 70mph the left front coil spring failed. the vehicle was carefully driven home. the tip of the coil punctured the left front tire. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for repairs, which were the owners responsibility. both front springs were replaced and also the left sway bar link, part # 914347. the owner stated there are hundreds of complaints online about this failure on this vehicle. he has filed case # 1386333349 with ford motor company for reimbursement. the failure and current mileage is approximately 97,000. rd
03/23/201098000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the left and right rear coil springs failed in march 2010 while the contact was driving. on may 23, 2010, while reversing out of the driveway, the left front coil spring broke. the contact called the manufacturer who advised her to take the vehicle to an authorized dealership. the contact planned to take the vehicle to a repair shop for repairs at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000. the current mileage was approximately 102,000.
03/26/2010105877
 Broken front driver's side coil spring.
04/30/201083000
 My father went to move our 2002 mercury sable, which is currently in storage. after climbing in the driver's side he heard a loud bang; when he checked the drivers front tire was flat. he jacked up the car to remove the wheel for repair, and found that the spring had broken, cutting the tire. when i spoke to him he mentioned having the same issue with his 2001 sable, which was covered under a recall. it appears ford has not fixed this problem, and wants to sweep it under the rug. i'm just thankful it happened while sitting in a garage, and not when my wife or children were in it. we just stuck a lot of money into a head gasket repair on the engine (a problem i'd heard of others having with this engine), but hadn't heard how many times this had turned up with taurus/ sables. this is almost as bad as the toyota's; how many of these are on the road with springs that could break at any time? ford needs to take action to correct this, now.
04/17/2010143000
 Started up my 2002 mercury sable with 140,000 miles on it in the driveway. put the car into reverse. heard an awful noise. got out the car the left front driver's tire waqs flat. took tire of and found that the driver's side front coil snapped of and gouged the tire. luck this was in the driveway and not on the open road. noticed on line that there are many complaints about this, but that ford only has a recall for years 1999 to 2001. this doesn't seem right.
04/03/2010127991
 I have a 2002 mercury sable that broke a front coil spring and noticed that 2001 mercury sables were recalled for the same problem nhtsa campain id # 04v332000 action #pe04044 should this recall be updated to include year model 2002?
03/12/201074000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. he heard an unusual noise coming from the vehicle while driving approximately 25 mph, and upon further inspection, he noticed that the front driver
02/04/2010790001
 In february 2010 while leaving our home heading towards highway i noticed the car handling unusual. pulled off to the side and had a front left flat tire. had the tire changed it was totally shredded on the inside and was not able to move the car. after inspecting the tire there was a piece of broken coil spring inside the tire. my car now sits in the driveway because of the cost ford wants to repair the problem and if i have it repaired i can pursue a refund if a recall is made. this has caused now the need to also have to purchase new tires. *tr
02/12/2010985001
 A front coil spring broke and punctured my front tire on my 2002 mercury sable. it happened when i was pulling out of a parking spot. i had it towed to a dealership for repairs. *tr
01/03/20101010001
 While backing out of a driveway the front right coil spring fractured and tore a 1foot long hole on the inside wall of the tire. the car was towed to a repair facility, where beside the front right coil spring and tire replacement, i had both front strut assemblies replaced on each side. i have the spring and tire. evidence of corrosion on spring, mileage 101000. i contacted ford and they told me there was no recall and they couldn't do anything about it. i subsequently found out that the 2001s were recalled for the same problem, and the solution was to install a spring shield. ford did not tell me anything about it. i am appalled that the problem was recognized in 01 and was not rectified by 02, and that i was not told anything about a preventable spring shield on the 01s. why should i have to pay for something or worry about a potentially life threatening situation, for which ford appears to be fully aware of. *tr
10/15/2006600002
 My 2002 mercury sable has broken all four coil springs, both sets in multiple fractures in each spring. although they admit this is frequent (the local dealer service garage said that they had seen hundreds of 02s with this problem, i believe that the 450 or so shown on this site on this site is very far off) the front pair broke around the 50,000 mark, it took about five visits to the dealer to get even limited credit toward replacement. the failure was progressive, sag was only noticed when it got extreme. interestingly they did break in pairs. tire damage occurred when one edge of the spring protruded into the tire. they refused to allow me to keep the spring/strut combo(the struts were leaking from the added abuse and travel) the spring looked to have broken through inclusions in the steel, from my auto industry connections, i found these had been sourced in china, and were hold-overs from the 2001 model. at about the 80,000 mile mark, the rear springs were obviously failed, again multiple crack points, one tire was gouged out by the protruding spring. dealer service again indicated that no help was being issued, despite again in their words hundreds of complaints i still have both the damaged tire and spring/strut combos. again, the fracture surface was marked with inclusions, and voids, corrosion looked to be secondary. i have run into at least five additional owners who have a fracture and were denied any satisfaction from ford. ford zone and regional people underplay the problem as if trying to convince it is rare, yet both times the service people indicate it to be common. this has been very frustrating. there are also unscrupulous repair facilities, one of which initially refused to take my car down from the lift saying it was deadly, while trying to extort over $1,200 to repair same. i had to threaten to call the local police before they would let me have my own car. *tr
01/30/2010710001
 Spring on front struts broke on both sides, causing tire blowout and potentially dangerous condition. springs were broken at identical points and show partial rust prior to breaking indicating a defective manufacturer of the spring. *tr
01/21/2010779811
 On 1/21/2010 i discovered that the right driver side spring on my 2002 mercury sable had broke and punctured the nearby tire. somehow (luckily) this happened while the car was parked. i discovered that there had been a recall for the exact same problem on 1999-01 sables that included the installation of a protective shield to prevent a broken spring from puncturing a tire. this recall was not issued until july 2004, well after my vehicle had been manufactured. obviously my vehicle had not been equipped with anything to prevent the exact problem that initiated the other recall and as such i cannot understand why my own vehicle would not be also recalled. i am requesting that something be done. this is a very, very serious defect and i am baffled as to how it was overlooked when older model cars were recalled for the same problem. *tr
01/03/2010588601
 As i was beginning to back my car out of my driveway, the left, front suspension coil spring broke, ruptured the tire, and put a 4-8 gash into the back of tire. i had to have the car towed to a dealer for repair. the dealer's recommendation was to replace the coil springs on both sides, as this was the recommendation from a recall of earlier models with the same problem. after the repairs were made, i had to bring the vehicle to a tire dealer for a replacement tire. this also involved having to get an alignment. fortunately, this incident occurred in my driveway - we were about to leave and would have been on a highway in a matter of minutes. no injuries, but this could have been catastrophic. *tr
08/27/2009550301
 This complaint may be relative to nhtsa action number ea08018. this is in regards to my 2002 mercury sable. on 8-27-09 i was driving at a slow speed on a residential street when i heard and felt a loud pop followed by a friction grinding and before i could slow to a stop, my rear tire blew. both rear coil springs had broken with one of the springs piercing a tire. replacement of the rear assemblies and tire cost me approximately $1200. i feel that if i was going at a higher rate of speed, i would have been in a dangerous accident. i was headed to the expressway that day and was glad i never made it to a high rate of speed. today on 1-3-2010, i was backing my car from a garage when i heard the loud pop again followed by the hissing of my right front tire. this time the right front coil spring cracked and pierced my tire. affording to fix this defect is one headache. i am looking at tow and repair fees. worrying when the final coil will break concerns me more, as i drive the highway alot. this defect should be recalled. as of the time of this complaint, my vehicle has yet to be repaired, and i will save the old parts for examination if requested. i do live in a salt belt state, illinois, but my car is garage kept. it only has 56,000 miles on it. i have owned this vehicle since 2004 and not only has it been garage kept, but never used to haul heavy loads or anything to compromise the coil springs. they just snap and tear up your tires. *tr
12/28/2009896311
 Right front spring broke, puncturing the tire. thankfully, we were just pulling out of the garage, not driving on the expressway at 70 mph. *tr
05/30/2009941121
 Left front spring broke and punctured left front tire. occurred as vehicle was being backed out of driveway at low speed. vehicle was towed to repair shop. replaced both front strut springs, both sway bar links, and left front tire at a cost of $570. *tr
05/07/2009915001
 2002 mercury sable the front spring broke and punctured the front tire. the spring cracked in half. *tr
04/15/20091260001
 While backing-up my 2002 mercury sable, the drivers side front coil spring snapped and punctured the front tire. *tr
03/20/20091080001
 I drive a 2002 mercury sable. i was turning left into a gas station driveway and i heard a loud metal sound, as loud as a gunshot. i got out of the car and looked underneath and all around the area adjacent to the car but i could not see anything. i was able to drive the car to a repair shop without incident, but every time i went over the slightbest bump, the car sounded like it was going to fall apart (lots of metal scraping noises). the repair shop said that my front coil springs had broken and that i was lucky that the spring had not punctured my tire. the mechanic called ford to check on a recall for the springs because he said that this was a very common problem for ford/mercury cars. ford informed him that my car was not included in the recall. i went ahead with the repair which was a complicated mess because of twisting, rust, etc. my bill was close to $900.00. i was just thankful that no one in my family was injured as a result of this faulty equipment. as stated in many of the complaint forums relating to this spring problem, i agree that ford is just waiting until there are deaths involved with this problem before they will take any action. just another example of what is wrong with the american automobile industry. i owned a saab for 18 years until my husband totaled it. i owned a toyota before that. this mercury was forced upon me because of my economic condition at the time. i will never own another ford/mercury vehicle again. just an added note: my husband just found out yesterday that his rear coil springs on his 2001 ford taurus are broken. i am anxious to see if ford will take responsibility for this spring failure. *tr
03/29/20091068521
 I have a 2002 mercury sable. the front springs broke and ruined a tire. i know this is a known defect for ford co. why is 2001 sable springs covered but not a 2002. i am glad i was in a parking lot going slow instead of 65 mph on the thruway, i might have been killed and my family too. ford co told me that this year is not covered on their recall. i think it is a big safety issue and they should be forced to correct their defective springs. *tr
02/07/2009770271
 I am the owner of a 2002 mercury sable. while traveling on the mass pike , there was a grinding noise coming from underneath, and immediately after a burning smell. the drivers side tire blew out. we managed to the get the spare tire on and get to a repair shop. we were told the front coil broke puncturing the tire, and also damaging the sway bar link. the rear coil also was also broken and needed to be replaced, at a total cost of $1005.00. when this incident took place the mileage was just over 77,000 miles.this is a very serious problem , that could have resulted in very serious injuries. as a result of this incident, i am not very confident in driving my own car. both the dealership and ford assured me that this was not part of a recall. *tr
03/01/2009520001
 Pulling backwards out of the driveway a sudden bang occurred and the front left end of my vehicle dropped. i put the vehicle in park and checked the front left tire and it was completely flat and the bottom of the vehicle was nearly touching the driveway. i jacked it up and took off the tire and the 1st coil of the spring was sheared off and tore the inside sidewall tread with 8 length tear. i also noticed that the sway bar link was destroyed. *tr
02/28/2009750001
 Front spring broke on 2002 mercury sable while driving. *tr
02/23/2009703001
 When backing my car out of the garage i heard a grinding noise which sounded like the front pads were grinding on the rotor....i tried tapping the brakes to no avail..i drove about 1/4 mile and the noise was continuing...i stopped and noticed the tire was going flat...i chgd the tire and put on my donut spare and drove to work about 4-5 miles...at lunchtime i drove to my tire dealer and was going to have the flat fixed...when they took my donut off they informed me my left-front coil spring broke and had punctured my tire....they said to leave donut on until i could get broken spring broke..they also said to call my mercury dealer because this was such a big problem there was a recall....i called my dealer south hills linc-mer in smcmurray, penna. and gave them my vin # and was told my car didn't qualify...2002 mercury sable ls...i then made an appt with my body shop and paid &532.29 for new springs/struts for the front end....they also told me my left rear spring in presently broke also.. *tr
02/12/2009700001
 Front coil broke off & cut tire there was a recall on 2000 & 2001 models mine is a 2002 mercury sable the recall was sable suspension front springs coil springs recall -id #25630 what is on this recall is what happened to my car ford motor co. said it will not cover this recall it is the same problem as 2000&2001 this is a safety problem that should be addressed. *tr
01/30/2009710001
 Was backing out of the garage and a loud explosion type of noise was heard and the left front drivers side of the car was sitting on the concrete and the left front tire was blown out. i was not even able to drive the car after applying the spare donut. got the front spring coil and tire repaired for $480.00 i called liberty ford (vermilion, ohio) dealership and was told that there was not any recalls. *tr
01/23/200985741
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 30 mph, the front suspension coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. there was no crash or injuries. the contact called aaa and the dealer and was informed of all the defects with her vehicle. there is a nhtsa action id number ea08018 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs), but the investigation is still open. the repair and purchase cost for a new tire is $150 plus the cost of the coil springs. the contact also wrote a complaint letter to the ford manufacturer and was informed to pay for the repair on her own. the failure mileage was 85,741.
01/14/2009700001
 I pulled out of a parking space in my 2002 mercury sable, heard a loud bang and got out to look around the car, at the tires and under the car. not seeing anything wrong i continued to drive, heard grinding noises and smelled a burning smell. eventually my front tire went completely flat and i made it home. my husband took the tire off, it was completely cut around the inner side and the coil spring had broken. the mercury dealer said there was a recall but not on my 2002 mercury sable. one auto repair person told me this was a common problem with fords and mercury cars. my husband will try to replace the springs and we now need a new tire and possibly struts. *tr
01/12/2009120000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 40 mph, the front driver's side tire blew out and caused the vehicle to drift to the side of the road. upon further inspection, he noticed that the front coil spring fractured and punctured a hole through the tire. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the failure and current mileages were 120,000.
05/15/20071200001
 3 of 4 springs broke on sable at a hotel in indiana. 2 rear springs and 1 front spring. vehicle was not moving. repair included 2 tires, 1 rear strut, one front steering bar and all four springs also required rental vehicle for 1 week, and an additional trip to indianapolis to get the repaired vehicle. *tr
12/12/2008112000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving on a residential road at 15 mph, the contact smelled a strange odor. within a second, the front driver's side tire blew out. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. a private mechanic inspected the vehicle and discovered that the coil spring failed and punctured the front driver's side tire. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 112,000.
12/07/2008950001
 Driving along and tire blew out. coil spring put hole in tire per mechanic. new tire,spring,alignment-total bill $439. *tr
12/04/200895000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 55 mph on normal road conditions, the contact heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle. suddenly, the tire flattened. the driver attempted to pull over to the side of the road and swerved into a ditch. there were no damages or injuries. the vehicle was removed from the ditch and the driver's side front tire was replaced. the vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. the failure was related to the front driver's side suspension coil spring. the vehicle is in the process of being repaired at the authorized dealer. the failure and current mileages were 95,000.
02/28/2007460771
 I own a 2002 mercury sable. the right front coil spring broke as i was leaving my driveway on 2/28/07. this resulted in having to replace both front coil springs per technician's recommendation. also then had to pay for a wheel alignment after spring repair. total bill $418.00. while investigating complaints of this problem i discovered multiple complaints from other owners of same year, make, and model. then found out there was a recall on the springs, for 1999-2001 and then 2003, but not for 2002 models in spite of the large number of complaints. this is a serious safety issue and with so many complaints i wonder why the manufacturer has not recalled. and i am not alone in wondering this. i have to also wonder how many people are out there that had the same problem that have not registered a formal complaint. i am in constant fear that my rear coil springs will break next. i do not feel safe driving my car knowing that at any time these springs could break. springs are just not supposed to break like this on cars so new. my vehicle only had 46,077 miles on it when this occurred. this is quite a shock! please look into this and see about getting a manufacturer recall for springs on the 2002 mercury sable. *tr
10/05/200868827
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while the vehicle was at a local repair shop for minor maintenance, the mechanic test drove the vehicle and the front coil springs failed. the front passenger side tire blew out. there was no crash and the driver was uninjured. the vehicle was towed back to the repair shop and the mechanic stated that the coil springs were fractured due to corrosion. the vehicle has not been repaired. the mechanic also informed him of nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs). the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. the dealer has not been notified. the speed was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 68,827.
10/02/2008766001
 I took my 2002 mercury sable sedan in to the dealer to have the oil changed and the front left tire checked. when i called to pick up the car, i was told that the left front inner tie rods were loose and that the rear coils/springs were all broken. there are only 76,600 miles on the car. we are the only owners. the repair cost was nearly $1,000.00. this needs to be addressed by ford. very dangerous. and unheard of for a 6 yr old car with low mileage. *tr
01/28/2008979751
 Front right coil snapped puncturing the tire and resulted in flat tire and new coil having to be put on along with 2 new tires. , 2 new struts it took to fix it. ford needs to pay me the$742.93 i had to pay. i could have been going 60 on the highway with my kids in the car. *tr
06/01/2008920001
 Earlier this year my front spring broke and put a hole in my tire - thank goodness i was not driving - i was just pulling out of my parking place at work. when we took it to the garage to have it fixed they mentioned that my back ones were also broken and needed replaced. the technician told me that this is common in these cars and that i should try to find out about the recall on these parts from ford. i own a 2002 mercury sable. but apparently due to most of the reading i have been doing the recall only went until 2001. but i see that many many people with 2002 & 2003 cars are having the same issue. *tr
07/31/200882000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while attempting to back out of the driveway, the contact heard air coming out of her front driver's side tire. immediately afterwards, the front driver's side of the vehicle landed onto the ground. the contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side shock spring had punctured her tire. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they confirmed the failure. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the vehicle has been repaired. the speed was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 82,000.
07/08/20081170001
 Own a 2002 mercury sable sedan and on 2-11-08 had to replace both front coil spring/struts at a cost of aprox. $ 1200. now on 7-9-08 we will have to replaced both the rear coil/spring assemblies. i know there is a recall up to 2001 for the front. nothing for 2002. *tr
07/08/2008500001
 Right front coil spring broke while car at rest and took out the strut. needed to be towed in for repair. right rear spring broke a few weeks earlier. *tr
06/30/2008880001
 Front left strut coil spring broke and punctured the tire. *tr
01/07/20081
 Front coil springs went out in january 2008. car had set for a few days and when attempted to drive car, the car had a flat tire. upon inspection, the passenger side front coil spring had punctured the tire. the coil springs in the front were replaced and a new tire was bought. in march 2008, the driver's side left coil spring broke and rubbed a ring into the tire. again, the back coil springs had to be replaced and a new tire bought. *tr
06/19/2008450151
 Front spring broken. *tr
06/06/20081150001
 Regular driving. both of the rear suspension coils snapped and the front coils appear to be on their way as well. *tr
05/18/2008398631
 2002 mercury sable. 40k miles. front driver's side coil spring failed (broke) while backing car from driveway. spring failure caused rupture of front driver's side tire. spring caused the front wheel to lock up, disabling the vehicle. it was towed to dealership where the damaged tire and all 4 coil springs were replaced as a preventative measure. there did not appear to be any corrosion on the broken coil spring. the paint was intact, there was no evidence of pitting or bubbling, and the steel looked like a clean break. *tr
05/08/2008850001
 On 5-8-08 after pulling out of my driveway, the passenger side front coil spring broke piercing my front tire and causing me to lose control of my vehicle. this occurred on a busy state highway, luckily there was no traffic in the oncoming lane. i understand that this problem was recalled for the same car up to 2001, but does not cover 2002 vehicles. *tr
01/09/200835000107/29/2007
 Mercury sable 2002 with 35,000 miles. while in the parking lot i opened the vehicle, and stepped in. all of a sudden i heard a loud metallic noise, stepped out and inspected the vehicle, nothing was noticed. i started the vehicle and tried to move it in reverse, immediately the front conductor side tire blew up. further inspection revealed a broken suspension coil in the front conductor side. *tr
04/08/200734000210/28/2002
 Left front &left rear coil spring broke. dealer replaced, gave me a hard time about replacing the tire that was destroyed. i think the other 2 springs should be replaced , and shields put on all 4 wheels in case it happens again. *ak
SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT
07/01/200650200212/24/2002
 The kost tire store told me that my right rear spring appeared to have been broken for some time, and the left rear spring had a crack in it, on my '02 sable with 50k miles they informed me the car was a danger to drive, and that it needed new struts and springs. i returned it to the dealer immediately, and was told there was no known problem with springs on that year sable. the dealer replaced both springs for $350, not covered under the ford extended warranty, and informed me that there was no need to replace the struts. i picked up the car on july 6, and realized there was a further problem because of the loud rumbling going over bumps, and a loud bang when hitting a bump at highway speed. it went back to the dealer july 7, and they determined the struts needed replacing. by then, the car had bounced on the rear tire so much that it had two bulges and also had to be replaced. *jb
SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - AIR SUSPENSION - SPRINGS/BAGS
06/01/200550000106/01/2003
 I had the front driver side spring break and puncture the front tire. *jb
SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS
11/06/20121470001
 Front left coil spring fractured when i got into my car. car was parked. coil spring penetrated the front tire and ruptured it. this is identical to the failure reported in 04v332000, but my car is about 6 months older than the manufacturing range of that recall. *tr
05/01/201188000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 5 mph in reverse, the contact smelled burning rubber and stated that the tire was rubbing against the vehicle. the contact inspected the exterior of the vehicle and discovered that the front passenger side coil spring was fractured. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the entire front end assembly was replaced. the contact stated that the rear springs and shocks were also replaced approximately two years prior to the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
04/16/2011134320
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the vehicle exhibited a loud, abnormal noise from underneath. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the mechanic stated that the coil springs were fractured on the front and rear driver and passenger sides due to corrosion. the vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was contacted who advised that there was not a recall for the failure. the dealer stated there were similar failures reported but there was only a recall for the prior year, make and model. the approximate failure mileage was 134,320.
02/02/201165000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact was driving in reverse out of the driveway at approximately 2 mph when he heard a loud popping noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and observed that the front driver side tire was completely flattened. the defective tire was replaced with a spare tire. the vehicle was taken to a tire center where they confirmed that the front driver side coil spring fractured which caused the tire to puncture. the defective tire was replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired by an independent mechanic for the coil spring failure. there was a recall for the 1999-2001 model year vehicles under nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension: front: springs: coil springs). the contact will notify the manufacturer regarding the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
02/23/201056000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while exiting a parking space, there was a loud banging noise and the front driver's side tire blew. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they found the suspension coil spring snapped and punctured the front driver's side tire. there was currently an open investigation for the described failure (see nhtsa action number ea08018: component :suspension:front:springs:coil springs) however there were no recalls. the failure and current mileages were under 56,000. the contact was awaiting repairs and the vehicle was in the dealer's possession. updated 04/13/10. *lj
07/09/2008
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 5 mph into his driveway; suddenly, a loud noise came from outside of the vehicle and the front end of the vehicle collapsed. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. the failure was contributed to a broken front driver side coil spring. the vehicle was repaired per the service warranty. the failure mileage was unknown.
01/02/2010102000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated as he was driving the front passenger coil springs broke and ripped the tire opened. contact had to replace the tires with the spare and drove it home. the dealer or manufacturer have not been contacted in regards to the problem. there is a defect investigation nhtsa# ea08018, component : suspension:front:springs:coil springs, opened since august 28, 2008 and is still opened. vin number is unknown. the failure mileage is 102,000....mw
12/28/200970000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while attempting to drive he noticed that the driver-side front tire was flat. upon further inspection he noticed that the coil spring had fractured and then punctured the tire. the vehicle was taken to the dealership in which the technician stated that both front coil springs needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 70000.
08/24/200977000103/01/2007
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable which was purchased in 2006. he stated that the front driver's side coil spring broke on the vehicle while in the reverse position at a speed of less than 5 mph. the sharp end of the coil spring punctured the tire and flattened it. the manufacturer was notified and although there were no recalls an engineering analysis (nhtsa action number : ea08018) was opened to assess the frequency, scope and safety consequences of the alleged defect. the vin was not available. the current and failure mileages were under 77,000. the vin was not available. updated 10/5/09 *cn updated 10/07/09*jb
07/31/200955900
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while backing out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the front driver's side tire flattened. the contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side coil spring punctured the tire. the current and failure mileages were 55,900.
07/01/200945000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving 10 mph, the front driver's side coil spring failed and punctured the front tire. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the coil spring failed. the vehicle is currently being repaired. the estimated repair cost has not been disclosed. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 45,000.
11/22/200898000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. in november of 2008, while driving 10 mph, the rear coil spring failed and punctured one of the rear tires. the vehicle was repaired at a tire dealer. there were no injuries. in march of 2009, the contact believed that he had a flat tire while driving. aaa arrived and inspected the vehicle. the contact was informed that the front coil springs failed and caused the tire to flatten. the dealer stated that there were no recalls for his model vehicle. the manufacturer has not been notified. the current mileage was approximately 105,000 and failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
05/30/2009941121
 Left front spring broke and punctured left front tire. occurred as vehicle was being backed out of driveway at low speed. vehicle was towed to repair shop. replaced both front strut springs, both sway bar links, and left front tire at a cost of $570. *tr
05/30/200990000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while backing out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the front driver's side coil spring failed. the coil spring created a loud explosion as it punctured the tire. the tire was repaired. the current and failure mileages were 90,000.
02/23/2009703001
 When backing my car out of the garage i heard a grinding noise which sounded like the front pads were grinding on the rotor....i tried tapping the brakes to no avail..i drove about 1/4 mile and the noise was continuing...i stopped and noticed the tire was going flat...i chgd the tire and put on my donut spare and drove to work about 4-5 miles...at lunchtime i drove to my tire dealer and was going to have the flat fixed...when they took my donut off they informed me my left-front coil spring broke and had punctured my tire....they said to leave donut on until i could get broken spring broke..they also said to call my mercury dealer because this was such a big problem there was a recall....i called my dealer south hills linc-mer in smcmurray, penna. and gave them my vin # and was told my car didn't qualify...2002 mercury sable ls...i then made an appt with my body shop and paid &532.29 for new springs/struts for the front end....they also told me my left rear spring in presently broke also.. *tr
12/22/2006836502
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. two years ago, the coil spring on the driver's side of the vehicle failed and the front tire exploded while the vehicle was parked in the garage. while driving at an unknown speed, the passenger side coil spring also failed and punctured the front passenger side tire. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic and repaired. the dealer was not notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 83,650. updated 04/21/09. *lj updated 04/24/09.*jb
01/02/200970773110/01/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while changing the front passenger side tire, the contact did not realize that the coil spring failed and punctured the tire. he was able to replace the tire with a spare and drove the vehicle to the dealer to have the tire changed. the dealer stated that the two front coil springs failed and punctured the tire. the front tire and front coil springs were replaced at the cost of $735. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and he would not be reimbursed for the repair costs. the failure mileage was 70,773 and current mileage was 70,793. updated 01-26-09 *bf updated 01/26/09.*jb
12/22/200824965109/29/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while backing out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the contact heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle. she immediately turned off the engine. she inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side tire was flat and the strut spring was sticking out of the tire. the vehicle is in the process of being repaired. the failure and current mileages were 24,964. updated 2/23/09 *cn updated 02/25/09. *jb
01/28/2008979751
 Front right coil snapped puncturing the tire and resulted in flat tire and new coil having to be put on along with 2 new tires. , 2 new struts it took to fix it. ford needs to pay me the$742.93 i had to pay. i could have been going 60 on the highway with my kids in the car. *tr
09/05/200860026103/01/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. after placing the vehicle into reverse and driving approximately 2 mph, the contact heard a loud pop. air released from the front driver's side tire and the front end of the vehicle lowered to the ground. the front tire was removed and it was discovered that the coil spring failed and ruptured the tire. there is a recall on the 2001 mercury sable regarding this issue. the current and failure mileages were 60,026. updated 10/03/08 *bf updated 10/15/08. *jb
08/25/2008112000112/25/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving between 65-70 mph, the contact heard a loud banging noise. he continued to drive until he heard another loud bang. the tire flattened immediately and he lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and repaired. the contact was informed that there was a recall for the failure; however, his vehicle year was exempt. the mechanic also stated that the spring damaged the sway bar linkage and tire which caused it to flatten. the dealer advised the contact to notify the manufacturer; however, the nhtsa campaign id number 04v332000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs) recall ended for the 2001 sables. ford also recommended that he have the front springs repaired at his own expense. the failure and current mileages were 112,000. updated 092308 *bf updated 09/26/08. *jb
05/01/2008118951
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 25 mph, the front driver side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the tire and coil springs were replaced and repaired. approximately a month and a half later, the rear driver side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the current mileage was 119,400 and failure mileage was 118,951.
03/13/20082
 2002 mercury sable. consumer experienced a tire blowout. consumer states that while changing the tire it was noticed that the spring snapped. she noticed that the broken spring was also rubbing against the spare tire. *kb the consumer stated 12 hours later, the same thing happened to the left front tire/spring. *jb
04/20/200873000211/22/2005
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while pulling out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the contact heard a rumbling sound coming from his vehicle. when he made it to the highway, the vehicle suddenly dropped to the ground. the contact was driving 20 mph at the time of failure. he was able to get the vehicle off the road and have it towed to bill wilson's auto body shop. the vehicle is currently at the shop being repaired at the cost of $570. the repairs consists of a new strut, spring, and alignment. the failure and current mileages were 73,000. update 05/13/08 *bf updated
04/12/200881650106/10/2006
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 60 mph, a tire blew out. the failure was attributed to the suspension:front:springs:coil springs. the dealer confirmed the failure and is currently repairing the vehicle. the failure mileage was 81,650 and current mileage was 81,660.
02/05/2008716081
 2002 mercury sable recall for front coil springs. consumer states that the front coil spring snapped and shredded the front tire. consumer would like reimbursement. recall was for 1999 to 2001. *kb
03/15/200890655103/15/2007
 On march 15th, 2008 we proceeded to enter our vehicle a 2002 mercury sable, upon putting the vehicle in reverse, the front driver side suspension coil busted our tire. luckily no one was hurt. i called the dealership after finding this website of the same complaints. after a few wrong numbers i got a hold of the recall department and so far there aren't any recalls on this issue. i would like to see something done about this, because if we were en route somewhere when this happened, there very well could have caused an accident. *tr
03/02/200890600104/16/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. in an attempt to back out of the garage, the front driver side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the current mileage was 90,680 and failure mileage was 90,600.
02/12/200845100105/28/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the vehicle shook and veered off the road. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and they stated that the front coil spring failed and damaged the tire. the current and failure mileages were 45,100. updated 03-18-08 *bf
02/14/200851792208/11/2003
 While backing my 2002 mercury sable out of my driveway the front passenger side coil spring snapped puncturing the tire. the car has been inspected by a ford dealer and i am supposed to call ford customer service tomorrow to try to resolve this. the driver side spring snapped under the same circumstances almost exactly two years ago, feb. 23, 2006. the car had 44,000 miles when the first one broke, and now has only 52,000 miles. i will have the old parts available. i wish i had known about this complaint site when the first one broke. i would have pushed ford to cover it. i am pursuing the second one. *tr
12/24/200793000109/26/2002
 Front drivers side spring snapped causing puncture and immediate bursting of tire. this happened when i got into the car, but had not yet pulled out of the garage (i am not that heavy). if this had happened while driving, it would have definitely caused an accident, as the tire popped like a balloon. the tow-truck driver and ford service people informed me this is a common problem for this make/model. if so, a recall should be issued. it is very unsafe and i am worried about the spring on the front passenger side. *tr
12/24/200793000109/11/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. in an attempt to drive the vehicle, the front driver's side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for repair. the speed was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 93,000.
02/04/200881811102/20/2006
 Front left coil spring failure on 2002 mercury sable sedan. occurred in my driveway, so thankfully no human or property damage other than the car. the failed spring also cut through and destroyed the tire. i will be making another complaint for a 1998 taurus sedan - with identical circumstances. how lucky for me to have one on each side of a recall range. *tr
01/18/20081
 My 2002 mercury sable suffered a tire blowout caused by the front coil spring breaking and penetrating the drivers side tire. i called ford motor company to report this incident. there was no recall issued for the model year 2002 but there were recalls issued for later model sables for the same problem. the representative from ford told me that they thought the issue was resolved for the 2002 model year and thus there were no recalls for it. when i expressed my concern ,they only offered me to pay a partial amount for the repair. i felt that this was totally unsatisfactory and told the ford rep. that not only should the total repair be paid but that another recall should be issued since the design change did not fix the problem. luckily the incident occurred while the car was in my driveway. the night before we were on the maine turnpike traveling at 65 miles per hour. had the spring broke at that point we could have been seriously injured. i told the ford rep. that i was going to file a complaint with the local news media consumer hotline. he told me that i had that right but that he was going to revoke the amount of assistance ford was willing to pay for the repair. i said fine. a life is worth more than the cost of the repair. *tr updated 3/20/08
12/25/20071
 The front spring on my car broke and nearly punctured the tire. i was just pulling out of a parking space after leaving work, and it made a loud bang, thankfully i wasn't going 30mph or more. it may have caused a crash. *tr
11/30/200785000208/01/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving 1-5 mph, the left front coil spring broke and punctured the left front tire. the mechanic stated that the vehicle needed a wheel alignment, a new tire and a new coil spring. as of january 3, 2008, the mechanic had not repaired the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 85,000. the purchase date was unavailable. updated 01/29/08 *bf the consumer stated the repairs were completed on 01/03/08. 01/29/08 *tr
12/17/20071
 Went out to my car and noticed a flat front, left tire. tried to replace tire but noticed that the coil spring popped and went into my tire! had to have it towed to repair shop where i needed new springs, tire, and sway bar which cost me $1,200. i am very upset about no recall on 2002 models and will attempt to get reimbursed by ford. *cn
12/11/200693000108/05/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving 2 mph, the front suspension spring cracked and as a result, it punctured the right front tire. the contact stated that the suspension spring was replaced last year. the failure mileage was 93,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.
12/24/2007108/01/2002
 The front coil spring on my 2002 mercury sable broke, puncturing and shredding the tire while driving. had the vehicle been on the freeway i am certain anyone in it would have been killed. i have learned that this is a common problem and ford has agreed to fix model years 1999-2001. *tr
12/20/200791700102/10/2003
 2002 sable driver side front coil spring broke while driving at low speed. the broken spring then punctured left front tire. *tr
12/14/200784000202/01/2004
 The day after a snow storm i backed up my 2002 mercury sable and the right front spring broke and punctured the adjacent tire. during repair of the vehicle a rear spring was found to also be broken. i needed to have four new springs and two new tires. *tr
12/05/200785403102/15/2005
 Front coil spring shattered. *tr
10/14/2007352101
 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 sables 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. *jb
07/06/2007700001
 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. *jb
08/13/200751255107/01/2002
 Tl*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.
07/17/200778039106/17/1994
 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. *tr
03/18/200766027112/23/2000
 Broken left front spring causing tire puncture both front springs replaced. part not available
06/05/2007690001
 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.
06/03/200775000102/10/2003
 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. *tr
05/02/200796400107/05/2006
 Front drivers side spring broke on 2002 mercury sable while driving 15 mph on a flat paved road in dry conditions. *tr
04/17/200755381103/20/2003
 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. *jb
04/10/200769000101/01/2003
 Tl*- 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. *ak
04/02/200767000107/01/2005
 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.*ak
03/23/2007850002
 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. *jb
03/22/200711600108/31/2002
 Tl*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.*ak
03/14/200774236201/01/2003
 Tl*- 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. *ak
03/02/200775000103/02/2004
 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. *jb
01/27/2007107/18/2006
 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? *nm
01/22/200762171110/08/2002
 Tl* - 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.*ak updated 02/22/07. *jb
01/08/200756118111/06/2001
 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. *jb
12/27/200699576101/05/2005
 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. *jb
12/13/200657841102/02/2005
 A front spring broke and slashed my driver's side front tire. fortunately, the car was parked at the time. i have the slashed tire, the springs, and repair receipts. *nm
12/06/200677154305/12/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated the front left coil spring fractured and pierced the front left tire on 1/5/2006. the coil spring was replaced at the sales/service dealer. on 12/6/2006, the vehicle was taken to a national chain to replace the tires and the two rear coil springs were found to be fractured. the vehicle was returned to the sales/service dealer for replacement of both rear coil springs. the manufacturer was notified.
08/25/200661000108/12/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated while reversing and slightly turning the wheel, the rear coil spring detached and punctured the front driver side tire. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where it was determined that a fractured coil spring caused the spring to rub against the tire. the dealer replaced all 4 coil springs and 2 tires as a result of the fractured coil spring. the manufacturer was notified. updated 09/13/06. *jb
05/25/200650345006/13/2003
 Right front spring failed without warning causing tire and strut damage while backing up. car towed to nearest repair shop both front springs and struts were replaced. tire was replaced under warranty. garage repair man noted that this was a common problem. *jb
05/01/200670400101/01/2002
 Dt*: the contact stated while pulling into a driveway at 5mph the front driver side coil spring fractured. the coil spring ripped the driver side tire apart. the dealership and manufacturer have been alerted who determined there was a recall, #04v332000 concerning the suspension: front: springs: coil springs however, the vin was not included in the recall. the contact is concerned about the safety of the vehicle and fears this could have occurred at highway speeds.
04/27/200646000111/25/2001
 Dt*: the contact stated while stopped at a stop sign, the right front tire blew without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop. upon initial inspection, it was determined the front coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. there is a nhtsa recall, # 04v332000, regarding the front coil springs. the vin was not included in the recall.
04/14/200681898105/17/2002
 Driving with my family eastbound on the massachusetts turnpike at a speed of approximately 60 miles per hour the front driver's side coil spring exploded with no warning. luckily we were able to pull over even though as we learned later, the coil spring had exploded downward breaking the axle and slicing the tire repairs were replacement of left front strut spring and axle assembly, top strut mounting assembly,left front tire, we were encouraged by ford dealer service to also replace the right front coil spring! gee i wonder why!!! although we consider ourselves very lucky not to have been seriously hurt by the sudden failure of the front coil spring on our 2002 mercury sable with build date of 2001,and even though ford has been aware of front coil spring failure in northeastern states. ford when contacted felt there was no problem with sudden failure of the front coil spring on our vehicle. i have owned fords for the last 20 years, after this experience i do not know if i will buy another ford. *jb
01/09/200679616109/20/2002
 Dt*: the contact stated while pulling out there was a loud noise that came from the front end of the vehicle. the front end dropped and the left front tire blew out. the vehicle was towed to the dealership for inspection. they replaced the left and right front coil springs, left front tire and struts. the manufacturer was contacted. left front spring fractured while pulling out of driveway. if this type of failure would have occurred on a 2002 vehicle at speed it would have led to a serious injury or fatality. *ak
02/05/200642933106/18/2005
 Dt*: the contact stated while in the driveway, the front driver's side spring broke and punctured a tire. the vehicle was towed to the dealership were the spring was replaced. the dealer suggested replacing both sides at the same time. updated 03/22/06. *jb
01/14/200643125110/16/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated when pulling out of the driveway, the left front coil spring fractured and punctured the tire. there is a nhtsa recall, # 04v332000, regarding the front coil spring. the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the vin. the vehicle was towed to the dealership for repairs. *nm updated 2/7/2006 - *nm
12/28/200540716107/26/2002
 Dt*: the contact stated while backing out of the driveway the driver's side front tire went flat. the vehicle was towed to the dealership. the dealership determined the front coil spring broke, puncturing the tire. the two front coil springs, and the front driver side tire were replaced. *ak
01/04/200650000210/04/2002
 The front drivers side coil spring fracutured and caused the plastic stabilizer arm to break. the stabilizer arm then cut into the tire. ford replaced the coil and arm under my extended coverage plan but refused to change the tire. this happened while pulling out of the driveway in a snow storm and the car was backed into the driveway and towed via a flatbed to the dealer. i am convinced that if it had happened at highway speed the tire would have blown and it would have caused much bigger problems. *nm
12/30/200534788110/01/2001
 Dt*: the contact states there is a nhtsa recall, campaign 04v332000 regarding the front coil springs. the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however, it is not included in the recall due to the vin. *ak updated 1/25/2006 - while pulling out of a driveway one of the tires on the vehicle blewout. the tire was replaced with the spare and the vehicle was taken to the nearest garage. it was determined at that time that the coil spring broke and punctured the tire. the strut and sway bar were also damaged. the dealer informed the consumer that a recall was not issued but rather an extended warranty program. *nm
09/28/2005850001
 2002 mercury sable both front & both rear springs/ corroded & snapped. front left tire punctured. no official recall for 2002. my father has a 2000 with same exact problem which was covered by recall my car needs rear struts/rear springs /sway bar links/front struts/& springs with link kits basically the whole front & rear suspension. transmission failed a just over 80,000 miles. *jb
07/09/200593505112/09/2004
 Front coil spring broke puncturing a tire.
05/21/2005110/17/2001
 My 2002 mercery sable had corroded springs which broke. i had to pay $449.77 to repair the car and could not get reimbursement because there was not recall on the 2002. this appears to be the same problem that occurred with the 2001 model .
04/29/200568500110/15/2001
 Dt: i am ware of a recall of 1999-2001 for mercery sable vehicle for the springs corroding and breaking. i had the same issue with 2002 mercery sable in which i have had to pay out a exorbitant amount of money to repair, $550.61. i have been denied refund because there was no recall.*ak
SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR
06/07/200832075109/05/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while attempting to pull out of a parking space at an unknown speed, the contact heard a popping sound and then a rubbing noise. she parked the vehicle. a mechanic arrived at the scene to diagnose the vehicle and stated that the sway bar failed, which ruined the struts and cv boot. the mechanic replaced the sway bar, struts, and cv boot. the vehicle also had to be realigned. the current and failure mileages were 32,000. updated 07/15/08. *lj the mechanic stated the sway bar was made of plasitc instead of metal. updated 07/15/08
SUSPENSION - REAR
01/01/2011110000
 Ii am writing the nhtsa in order to warn of a dangerous, potentially fatal, hazardous condition on a mercury automobile. to the best of my knowledge this condition has been addressed by a previous recall notice on earlier year models of the mercury sable but not on the year model that i own. i own a 2002 mercury sable. in february of 2010 i had a flat tire on my driver
10/14/201020400
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a routine maintenance and the technician noticed that the rear coil spring broke. the contact was in the process of taking the vehicle back to the independent mechanic to replace the defective coil spring. the failure mileage was approximately 20,400. js
06/15/201069000
 2002 mercury sable with 60,000 miles and always garaged. rear spring broke on smooth city street puncturing and shredding tire causing violent jerk and sliding of rear of vehicle. i understand front springs are covered under recall 04v332000 but ford claims they don't have to do anything about the rear. if it is established that springs are defective why does front versus rear make any difference?
06/09/201039750
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving 4-5 mph driving out of his driveway he heard a noise. he stated he continued to drive. he stated on another occasion he heard the noise and pulled the wheel off and discovered a broken coil spring on the left rear of the vehicle. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileage were 39,750. vwb
04/20/201070000
 Both rear suspension coil springs on my 2002 mercury sable broke at the same time. they have been replaced. why isn't this a recall since it seems to be a common problem with both the sable and ford taurus?
03/23/201098000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the left and right rear coil springs failed in march 2010 while the contact was driving. on may 23, 2010, while reversing out of the driveway, the left front coil spring broke. the contact called the manufacturer who advised her to take the vehicle to an authorized dealership. the contact planned to take the vehicle to a repair shop for repairs at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000. the current mileage was approximately 102,000.
02/15/2008650001
 Suspension spring braking. *tr
12/27/2009125000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact was driving approximately 5 mph in the driveway and heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle. he immediately shut the engine off and observed that the rear driver side strut was broken. the vehicle is in the process of being taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. there are photographs available of the defective component. the failure and current mileages were 125,000.
08/27/2009550301
 This complaint may be relative to nhtsa action number ea08018. this is in regards to my 2002 mercury sable. on 8-27-09 i was driving at a slow speed on a residential street when i heard and felt a loud pop followed by a friction grinding and before i could slow to a stop, my rear tire blew. both rear coil springs had broken with one of the springs piercing a tire. replacement of the rear assemblies and tire cost me approximately $1200. i feel that if i was going at a higher rate of speed, i would have been in a dangerous accident. i was headed to the expressway that day and was glad i never made it to a high rate of speed. today on 1-3-2010, i was backing my car from a garage when i heard the loud pop again followed by the hissing of my right front tire. this time the right front coil spring cracked and pierced my tire. affording to fix this defect is one headache. i am looking at tow and repair fees. worrying when the final coil will break concerns me more, as i drive the highway alot. this defect should be recalled. as of the time of this complaint, my vehicle has yet to be repaired, and i will save the old parts for examination if requested. i do live in a salt belt state, illinois, but my car is garage kept. it only has 56,000 miles on it. i have owned this vehicle since 2004 and not only has it been garage kept, but never used to haul heavy loads or anything to compromise the coil springs. they just snap and tear up your tires. *tr
05/28/2009556231
 I have a 2002 mercury sable that has only 55,623 miles on it. both of the rear springs broke. the spring on the drivers side broke in a way that it punctured the tire. thankfully i happened to be backing out of my drive way when i heard the noise of the spring rubbing and not on the highway when the tire was punctured. i think the springs should last longer than 55,000 miles. i contacted my dealer who said this was not covered under any warranty. i was also told by the dealer that many other people have had this same problem. i contacted ford and they will not cover this repair. i think that this could be a very dangerous failure when the spring can break in a way that it pops the tire since people could be driving at highway speeds. ford should be recalling this vehicle and replacing these springs. *tr
03/13/200973000103/01/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while the vehicle was undergoing a state inspection, the contact was informed that the rear coil springs failed. he heard a rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they confirmed the rear coil spring failure. the coil springs, stabilizer mounts, and two stabilizers were replaced at the cost of $1,198. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 73,000 and current mileage was 73,010. updated 04-14-09 *bf updated 04/16/09.*jb
02/27/2009700001
 02 mercury sable has broken rear spring that caused the tire to explode. it is going to cost $450.00 to have repaired plus a new tire. after reading numerous other complaints about the same, i am afraid this may also happen on the front end. the care only has 70,000 miles and there is no sign on rust. *tr
12/24/2008630001
 In mid-december 2008 i purchased 4 new tires for my 2002 mercury sable. on december 24, 2008 while driving home i had a catastrophic failure of my rear passenger tire. when the tire was pulled, it was determined that the rear coil spring had broken, puncturing the tire. i found the following on a website: the office of defects investigation (odi) has received 355 complaints from consumers residing in salt belt states that allege front suspension coil spring fracture in the subject vehicles. (note: for purposes of this investigation, the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).approximately 72% of the complainants allege the broken coil spring punctured the adjacent tire . resulting in loss of inflation pressure. odi is aware of 3 alleged crashes related to the alleged defect resulting in one person injured.the subject vehicles are substantially similar to those previously investigated by odi (pe02-080 and pe04-044) and recalled by ford (nhtsa recall no. 04v-332).an engineering analysis has been opened to assess the frequency, scope and safety consequences of the alleged defect. i would appreciate it if someone could review this complaint. *tr
01/12/2009256001
 Had a catastrophic blowout on rear tire. this was caused by the failure of the coil spring on the left strut. i was able to get home and my local mechanic replaced both rear struts. the cost was more than a weeks pay. *tr
05/15/20071200001
 3 of 4 springs broke on sable at a hotel in indiana. 2 rear springs and 1 front spring. vehicle was not moving. repair included 2 tires, 1 rear strut, one front steering bar and all four springs also required rental vehicle for 1 week, and an additional trip to indianapolis to get the repaired vehicle. *tr
11/27/2008720001
 Had normal tire maintenance (rotation), was advised both rear coil springs on my 2002 mercury sable were broken and would need replacement. mechanic indicated this was a common problem with the 2002 sable and taurus models. with spring replacement, also had to replace the shocks/struts and control bars to the anti sway. total price of repairs was $624.00 searching on the internet, found this problem is common among other 2002 sable/taurus owners. *tr
08/06/2008837361
 While having tires rotated at sam's club, the technician notified me that both rear springs were broken. *tr
10/02/2008766001
 I took my 2002 mercury sable sedan in to the dealer to have the oil changed and the front left tire checked. when i called to pick up the car, i was told that the left front inner tie rods were loose and that the rear coils/springs were all broken. there are only 76,600 miles on the car. we are the only owners. the repair cost was nearly $1,000.00. this needs to be addressed by ford. very dangerous. and unheard of for a 6 yr old car with low mileage. *tr
06/01/2008920001
 Earlier this year my front spring broke and put a hole in my tire - thank goodness i was not driving - i was just pulling out of my parking place at work. when we took it to the garage to have it fixed they mentioned that my back ones were also broken and needed replaced. the technician told me that this is common in these cars and that i should try to find out about the recall on these parts from ford. i own a 2002 mercury sable. but apparently due to most of the reading i have been doing the recall only went until 2001. but i see that many many people with 2002 & 2003 cars are having the same issue. *tr
09/04/2008510111
 2002 mercury sable with 51,000 miles - took car in for an oil change; dealer informed me that both rear coil springs were broke, almost touching the rear tires. replaced those but then heard & felt thump in back; dealer said the strut was broke on the right rear & left rear was almost broke. now both struts are being replaced. told by dealer there were many complaints about the sable front and rear springs but no recall as of yet for the rear. how can that be if so many people are having this problem? can this be researched - there are a lot of people being affected by this. i am a senior with limited income! i could have been in an accident! please help!!!!! *tr
08/02/2008490001
 2002 mercury sable both rear coil springs in suspension are broken. *tr
08/17/2008910001
 2002 mercury sable. rear springs and struts sagging causing low/unstable ride and crunching noise. service attendant said condition could be dangerous and is common problem with sable/taurus. *tr
07/08/20081170001
 Own a 2002 mercury sable sedan and on 2-11-08 had to replace both front coil spring/struts at a cost of aprox. $ 1200. now on 7-9-08 we will have to replaced both the rear coil/spring assemblies. i know there is a recall up to 2001 for the front. nothing for 2002. *tr
01/07/20081
 Front coil springs went out in january 2008. car had set for a few days and when attempted to drive car, the car had a flat tire. upon inspection, the passenger side front coil spring had punctured the tire. the coil springs in the front were replaced and a new tire was bought. in march 2008, the driver's side left coil spring broke and rubbed a ring into the tire. again, the back coil springs had to be replaced and a new tire bought. *tr
06/16/200889000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. on june 16, 2008, while the vehicle was being aligned, the contact discovered that both rear springs failed. he called the dealer and was informed that the total cost for the repair would be $500. the vehicle needed to be inspected and repaired. the manufacturer stated that there was no recall. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 89,000.
06/06/20081150001
 Regular driving. both of the rear suspension coils snapped and the front coils appear to be on their way as well. *tr
05/03/2008623451
 Noise in rear suspension. strut coil spring broke and rubbed hole in rear tire. replaced rear struts and replaced tires. *tr
SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS
08/17/2007208/19/2004
 Car not handling properly. brakes squealing. very poor gas mileage. car riding lower in back. sounded/felt like i was riding on a flat, tire pressure was down, but not badly (3 lbs). took to mechanic for tuneup. advised rear tire bad with flat spots. purchased tires to be installed. when mechanic pulled tire/wheel to install, noticed rear spring was broken. pulled tire/wheel from other side. it too, was broken. one break was new, the other older as ends were rusted over. there are rub marks and wear on the rubber covering over both springs as well as the coating coming off. i have the broken springs and have taken photos that show brakes and discoloration. two (2) new tires, two (2) rear springs and alignment cost $614.68. i frequently have my grandchildren with me. either one or both of them could have been severely injured has the pieces come through the seats. *tr
07/02/200783000107/15/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while the tires were being rotated, the contact was informed that the rear springs had failed and punctured the rear tires. the mechanic stated that this should not have occurred on a vehicle of this year, make, and model. there was a recall for the front springs on the 1999 and 2001 models. the dealer stated that nothing could be done since the vin was not related to the recalls. the contact sent an email to ford motors and was informed that she would hear from them in three days. the rear tires were replaced. the contact has the invoice for the tires. the rear springs have not been replaced. the powertrain was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 83,000. updated 02-01-08. *kb updated 02/01/08 *tr
04/01/2007105156203/30/2002
 My 2002 mercury sable, which has 104000 miles, had a second broken rear spring in less than a year. the first one,at 92000 miles, was not covered by a recall and comprised replacing the rear strut as well, both at my expense, $382. i don't believe a spring should break under normal driving conditions. it looks as if i may have to go the same way this time, as i haven't see a recall on rear springs for this vehicle. or is there? *jb
02/22/200773000103/15/2006
 Rear springs on a 2002 sable have broken. nothing is being done by the companies despite numerous complaints. *nm
07/14/200697459210/23/2001
 Rear springs on my mercury 2002 sable purchased in december 2001 needed replacement and i have discovered there was a recall on the issue on 2001 sables. *nm
07/01/200650200212/24/2002
 The kost tire store told me that my right rear spring appeared to have been broken for some time, and the left rear spring had a crack in it, on my '02 sable with 50k miles they informed me the car was a danger to drive, and that it needed new struts and springs. i returned it to the dealer immediately, and was told there was no known problem with springs on that year sable. the dealer replaced both springs for $350, not covered under the ford extended warranty, and informed me that there was no need to replace the struts. i picked up the car on july 6, and realized there was a further problem because of the loud rumbling going over bumps, and a loud bang when hitting a bump at highway speed. it went back to the dealer july 7, and they determined the struts needed replacing. by then, the car had bounced on the rear tire so much that it had two bulges and also had to be replaced. *jb
06/23/200658000111/09/2001
 I own a 2002 mercury sable with 58,000 miles on it. the right rear spring broke while the car was parked. the end of the spring was now rubbing the sidewall of the tire which made a loud noise so i didn't drive it. the repair shop estimates $400 for repair. there is a recall on other ford springs, including 2001 sable, but not this car. i think they have a larger problem. *jb
04/04/200689000110/01/2001
 Rear springs broke. about 1 year ago i replaced the front springs. although my car is a 2002 this should have been involved in the 2001 recall related to suspension. this is a safety issue that ford should take care of before anyone does get hurt. *nm
06/18/200532979111/19/2001
 2002 mercury sable left rear coil spring broke. *ts the rear coil spring failure also caused damaged to a new tire and the left rear strut. *jb
SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS
04/16/2011134320
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the vehicle exhibited a loud, abnormal noise from underneath. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the mechanic stated that the coil springs were fractured on the front and rear driver and passenger sides due to corrosion. the vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was contacted who advised that there was not a recall for the failure. the dealer stated there were similar failures reported but there was only a recall for the prior year, make and model. the approximate failure mileage was 134,320.
03/01/2010130000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated the rear drivers side tire was worn prematurely and was causing the rear of the vehicle to veer abnormally. the vehicle was taken to a local tire specialist who advised that the rear drivers side coil spring had failed causing the tire to wear. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 130,000 and the current mileage was 134,000.
01/02/201089000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. the contact stated that both rear coil springs broke and punctured the rear driver and passenger tires. a local mechanic replaced the rear coil springs, the tires and the brakes at the owners expense for $2000. the contact has not notified the manufacturer of the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 89,000.
11/22/200898000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. in november of 2008, while driving 10 mph, the rear coil spring failed and punctured one of the rear tires. the vehicle was repaired at a tire dealer. there were no injuries. in march of 2009, the contact believed that he had a flat tire while driving. aaa arrived and inspected the vehicle. the contact was informed that the front coil springs failed and caused the tire to flatten. the dealer stated that there were no recalls for his model vehicle. the manufacturer has not been notified. the current mileage was approximately 105,000 and failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
05/01/2008118951
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 25 mph, the front driver side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the tire and coil springs were replaced and repaired. approximately a month and a half later, the rear driver side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. the current mileage was 119,400 and failure mileage was 118,951.
09/03/200758000101/22/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury sable. while driving approximately 10 mph, the contact heard a rubbing sound from the driver side rear tire. he noticed smoke and immediately pulled off the road. the rear of the vehicle was extremely low. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the rear coil springs failed, causing the driver side tire to fail. the dealer replaced the driver side rear tire and the rear coil springs. the contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 58,000 and current mileage was 65,000. updated 02-14-08 *bf
12/22/200758289108/10/2003
 Almost immediately after starting the car today and pulling out into the road, i heard a loud scraping or rubbing sound coming from the right hand passenger side. after examining all four tires for deflation, it was determined by removing the right side rear tire that the spring by that tire had fractured. the fractured end of the spring was gouging a deep trench all the way around the edge of the tire. the spring will need to be replaced and most likely the tire as well. the car has not yet been repaired as of this writing. *tr
07/19/2007690001
 2002 sable rear coil spring failure. coil spring broke and punctured tire. ford recall for front coil spring failures but not rear coil spring failures. *jb
05/15/20071022111
 Replacement of both rear coil springs because of failure. i have been having the ford dealer watch for this since both front coil springs failed when going 60 miles mph. read complaint 0155857. *ak it appears that both the front as well as the rear coil springs are defective on 2002 mecury sables! so owners beware!! ford customer care: they don't !! is there any wonder why fords car sales are down !
04/17/2007212/16/2002
 I have a 2002 mercury sable with 17000 . i own it since 20000. i noticed that it was a little low in the back. so i thought well it has some miles so the springs and struts were wore out. i bought new ford struts and coils for the rear. i dropped the car off at the shop on 4-17-7. then i get a call at 7:00 pm saying that both off the coils are broke. so i went to pick the car up, and he said that he had never seen this in 43 years of working on cars. so the mechanic put the springs in a box so i could save them in case of a recall. *ak
03/23/2007850002
 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. *jb
01/26/200776000102/23/2003
 Rear coil spring broke. a piece of the coil actually fell off of the vehicle. i was able to retrieve piece of coil off of the road. it broke at the top of the spring. no further damage occurred. *nm
01/01/200789500102/01/2005
 On my 2002 mercury sable gs the suspension coil spring on the passenger rear of the vehicle broke while driving on a smooth highway. was told by dealer that it is not covered. luckily, the tire was not punctured... i noticed that you are investigating it so i wanted to report it. *jb
12/06/200677154305/12/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated the front left coil spring fractured and pierced the front left tire on 1/5/2006. the coil spring was replaced at the sales/service dealer. on 12/6/2006, the vehicle was taken to a national chain to replace the tires and the two rear coil springs were found to be fractured. the vehicle was returned to the sales/service dealer for replacement of both rear coil springs. the manufacturer was notified.
11/07/200648497112/29/2001
 Broken rear spring. broken in two places. discovered during routine servicing. *jb
08/25/200661000108/12/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated while reversing and slightly turning the wheel, the rear coil spring detached and punctured the front driver side tire. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where it was determined that a fractured coil spring caused the spring to rub against the tire. the dealer replaced all 4 coil springs and 2 tires as a result of the fractured coil spring. the manufacturer was notified. updated 09/13/06. *jb
06/29/2006424031
 2002 mercury sable left rear coil spring broke. *kb the spring appeared to have been corroded. *nm
05/13/200640106109/12/2002
 Rear passenger side coil spring broke and has damaged my new tire dealer said i would need to bring it in. is not covered by warranty this needs investigated i read 2 other complaints of this occurring on 2002 sables as with earlier years. *nm
09/28/2005850001
 2002 mercury sable both front & both rear springs/ corroded & snapped. front left tire punctured. no official recall for 2002. my father has a 2000 with same exact problem which was covered by recall my car needs rear struts/rear springs /sway bar links/front struts/& springs with link kits basically the whole front & rear suspension. transmission failed a just over 80,000 miles. *jb
05/30/20057000010/01/2002
 The car had a noise in the rear sounded like a lose pipe was waiting to have the car look at. some days later all of a sudden one day the spring must have moved and flattened the tire. installed the spare tire and drove to the dealer turns out that both rear coil springs were broken.