| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 005041879 | Incident Date: May, 16 2005 |
| Consumer's City: MEDINA | Consumer's State: OH |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: Ford Motor Company |
| Model Name: SABLE | Model Year: 2001 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Suspension:rear:springs:coil springs |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 1MEFM55S21A | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Oct, 07 2005 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Feb, 16 1999 |
| Was Original Owner: No | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 6 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: On may 17 2005, when entering my 2001 mercury sable i heard a sharp cracking noise. upon close inspection the drivers side quarter panel was lowered over the tire. i was luckily i was just a few miles from john lance ford of westlake ohio. the service writer knew exactly what was wrong, the strut spring had broken and was within 1/16 of the side wall of my tire. had this event occurred at speed i probably wouldn't be here today. the service advisor informed me that ford was acknowledging that they had a problem with the front springs, but were not admitting to any failures of the rear springs. i had to therefore pay for the repair, however ford would retro fit the front springs with a containment device for no additional charge. ford realizes that failure of the front strut spring will result in loss of control of the vehicle. having an automotive back ground i began questioning why the failure had occurred on such a late model vehicle. the explanation i received was that any moisture on the spring would lead to corrosion and subsequent failure of the metal. i found this very interesting given the fact that i own a 1970 ford torino with original springs, which after 35 years appear very rusty, and yet still support the weight of the vehicle. the dealer response was, "well ford out sources these springs to india and the quality of the metal is very suspect." i still have the lower coil of the spring in my possession, which will be available to you at any time for your inspection. in viewing the cross section break, one can clearly see rust half way across the diameter of the coil, with fresh metal on the remaining.*jb |
