1998 Ford Taurus

IN JUNE 2008 I STARTED MY REGULAR YEARLY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE OF MY 1998 FORD TAURUS WAGON. I HAD MY OIL CHANGE & ROTATED/BALANCED MY TIRES. IN OCTOBER 2008 I HAD TWO TIRES REPLACED (ALL OF MY SERVICE WAS DONE @ A FORD DEALERSHIP IN MY CITY) AND A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION FOR MY VEHICLE INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT MY CAR NEEDED REAR SHOCKS, AS THE OUTER CASING WAS ROTTED! LEFT INNER TIE ROD WAS LOOSE & FRONT BRAKES WERE WORN. I WENT IN ON OCT 23, 2008 AND HAD ALL OF THE WORK DONE!,$417.45 FOR FRONT BRAKES, RESURFACED FRONT ROTORS; REPLACED FRONT INNER TIE ROD. THEN ON 11/10/08 I WENT IN TO HAVE MY VEHICLE INSPECTED AND WAS ADVISED THAT IT FAILED, THE ROCKER PANELS WERE ROTTED OUT! I MADE AN APPT FOR 11/19/08 TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO FIX THIS & LEARNED THAT THE ROCKER PANELS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FROM FORD & THAT I NEEDED TO FABRICATE NEW ONES! MY CAR, WHICH HAD 142,555 MILES ON IT, WHICH I THOUGHT TO BE IN PERFECT CONDITION, DID NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE OF SUB-FRAME ROT! THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY FORD DEALERSHIPS, WHO HAD JUST POCKETED $621.45 OF MY MONEY TO PERFORM WORK ON A CAR THAT THEY REFUSED TO INSPECT! IN SEARCHING FOR ESTIMATES TO REPAIR THIS DAMAGE I LEARNED THAT ALL TAURUS' RUSTED IN THE SAME PLACE! UNDER THE ROCKER PANEL COVERS, RIGHT WHERE MINE WAS ROTTED. I WAS TOLD BY EVERY COMPANY TO JUNK MY CAR! I CALLED FORD TO EXPRESS MY CONCERNS AND WAS ONLY TOLD "YOUR CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY". I JUST LEARNED TODAY ABOUT RECALLS ON FORD VEHICLES DUE TO SUBFRAME ROT! MY CAR IS STILL SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIX IT AND HAVE NOT JUNKED IT YET BECAUSE I AM SO SADDENED THAT IT WAS NEVER FIXED BY FORD. I HAVE EVERY RECEIPT FOR ALL THE WORK PERFORMED ON MY CAR AND WOULD LIKE MY CAR TO BE INCLUDED IN THE UPDATED RECALLS ON FORD VEHICLES! THANK YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING IN REVERSE APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH WHILE IN THE DRIVEWAY AND HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE, FOLLOWED BY THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE COLLAPSING TO THE GROUND. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETECTED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE COIL SPRING FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SIMILAR DEFECT AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL ON THE 1999-2001 MODELS UNDER THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V332000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,450.

I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY AND MY COIL SPRING ON MY 1998 FORD TAURUS WENT THREW MY FRONT RIGHT TIRE. LUCKILY I WAS ONLY PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUS, JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE I WAS DRIVING TO SYRACUSE AND GOING 70MPH ON THE FREEWAY, I WOULD HAVE MORE THEN LIKELY DIED DUE TO THIS. NOW FORD KNOWS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE COILS IN THERE CARS BUT YET HAS DONE LITTLE TO FIX IT OR HELP PEOPLE. NOW I AM OUT 600 PLUS DOLLARS BECAUSE I HAD TO REPLACE MY TIRE AND PAY FOR A WHOLE NEW COIL SPING ASSEMBLY FOR BOTH SIDES ON THE FRONT OF MY CAR. ALL I WANT IS FOR FORD TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AND THESE FAULTY COIL SPINGS AND FOR ME TO GET MY MONEY BACK. *LN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD BANG AND STOPPED. WHEN HE EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE HAD BEEN PIERCED BY A BROKEN COIL SPRING. HE REPAIRED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF. TWO MONTHS LATER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE BUT THE TIRE HAD NOT BEEN PIERCED. HE AGAIN REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 61,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. WHILE BACKING UP IN THE DRIVEWAY AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE MADE A RUBBING NOISE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE COIL SPRING PUNCTURED THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT FOUND A 1999 RECALL FOR THIS COMPONENT ONLINE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 138,000.

MY WIFE WAS BACKING THE CAR OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND SUDDENLY THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT END DROPPED TO THE GROUND AND A FLAT TIRE OCCURRED. WHEN I TOOK OFF THE FLAT TO REPLACE IT WITH THE DONUT, THE ENTIRE INSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE WAS CUT. ONE OF THE COILS OF THE COIL SPRING HAD BROKEN OFF AND SLICED INTO THE TIRE. THE COIL SPRING APPEARS TO HAVE WORN HALF-WAY THROUGH AND THEN SNAPPED OFF. FORTUNATELY THE CAR WAS NOT BEING DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS! THE SHOCKS, MOUNTS LINKS, TIRES, ETC. WERE REPLACED AT THE TUNE OF $1,375.00. *TR

THE COIL SPRING IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE PUNCTURED THE TIRE IMMEDIATELY FLATTENING IT AND RENDERING IT UNDRIVABLE COULDN'T EVEN PUT ON THE SPARE BECAUSE OF THE SPRING I HAD MY 7 MONTH OLD SON IN THE CAR AND THANKFULLY WE WERE JUST BACKING UP AND NOT ON THE HIGHWAY YET! THIS HAPPENED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE LAST YEAR. I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DANGER THAT THIS POSES! *TR