Ford Suspension: Coil Springs

Ford is recalling about 281,000 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. The front tire could deflate due to a broken front coil spring contacting the tire, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Campaign
98I002000
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
24 June 1998
Vehicles
281,000
Built between
Aug 1992 – Jul 1993
Models
2
Recall type
Other
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
30 June 1998
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 1992 and July 1993. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1993 Ford TaurusBuilt August 1992 to July 1993
  • 1993 Mercury SableBuilt August 1992 to July 1993

What the defect is

This is not a safety recall in accordance with federal regulation 573. However, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of new york, michigan, ohio, illinois, wisconsin, pennsylvania, massachusetts, indiana, new jersey, maine, connecticut, new hampshire, rhode island, vermont, minnesota, iowa, missouri, kentucky, maryland, delaware, and west virginia. Ford is providing an extended warranty through the year 2001 for replacement of fron tsprings due to fracture. The front coil springs can fracture as a result of corrosion in combination with small cracks in the springs.

What could happen

The front tire could deflate due to a broken front coil spring contacting the tire, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

What gets fixed

CUSTOMERS WITH VEHICLES THAT HAVE BROKEN SPRINGS ARE TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLE FOR SPRING REPLACEMENT. BOTH SPRINGS WILL BE REPLACED EVEN IF ONLY ONE SPRING IS FRACTURED.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 1992 to July 1993
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA24 June 1998
  3. Owners notified30 June 1998

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 24 June 1998.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Ford has decided to provide an extended warranty through the year 2001 for replacement of front springs due to fracture.owners can contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand