Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation of spring failures in the 2002 and 2003 Ford Taurus and Sable sedans that could puncture a tire and cause a vehicle crash.
The investigation follows a recall in 2004 of more than 899,000 Ford Taurus and Sables from the 1999 through 2001 model years because of similar spring failures.
As many as 410,000 Ford Taurus and Sables could eventually be recalled to repair the suspension system because of the current investigation.
The safety agency reported that consumers have alleged 3 crashes and one injury as a result of spring failures.
The Ford vehicles are "substantially similar to those previously investigated by the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) and recalled by Ford," according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site.
More than 50 owners of 2002 and 2003 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sables have reported spring failures to ConsumerAffairs.Com.
A Bloomington, Minnesota Ford owner described the failure in his 2002 Taurus as a sudden snap of the coil spring. "Of course this happens to be a model year that isn't covered in the recalls and of course my warranty expired last fall. I've also had the rear driver's side break," he wrote.
The federal safety agency has received 355 consumer complaints from Ford owners living in salt-belt states describing a "suspension coil spring fracture."
"Approximately 72 percent of the complaints allege the broken coil punctured the adjacent tire resulting in loss of inflation," according to ODI.
Investigators are examining Fords in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
A Pennsylvania reader reported in March to ConsumerAffairs.Com that his "2002 Ford Taurus front spring broke, bursting the tire while it sat in our garage."
In Davenport, Iowa a consumer driving 2002 Taurus SES was told by her mechanic that both of the rear end springs in the Taurus were broken.
A New Hampshire Ford Taurus owner reported a loud pop from the front of his car. "The dealer said the driver's side coil spring was broken," they wrote.
Ford has already recalled 899,060 Taurus and Mercury Sables from the 1999, 2000 and 2001 model-years because of spring failure.
The 2004 recall involved Ford Taurus Mercury Sables that were sold in 22 northern states where large amounts of salt are on icy roads. NHTSA reported that the salt could lead to corrosion, causing the springs to break.
NHTSA warned in the 2004 recall that the spring failure could also puncture a tire.
