NHTSA Complaint #10090809 — 1995 FORD CONTOUR

IN 2002, REAR SPRING BROKE ON HER 1995 FORD CONTOUR. WE WERE UNAWARE OF THE BREAKAGE, UNTIL A REPAIR SHOP FIXING THE CAR FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM INFORMED US. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL TIRE SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE REAR SPRING. NOW, SEPT. 8, 2004 WHEN TAKING OUR 1995 FORD CONTOUR TO THE SHOP FOR NOISE AND DIFFICULTY DRIVING, WE FIND THAT THE FRONT SPRING HAD BROKEN. WE WERE ADVISED TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED, NOT DRIVEN TO A LOCAL TIRE/FRONT END SHOP FOR REPLACEMENT. AFTER GETTING SUSPICIOUS, I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH SPRINGS BREAKING ON THEIR FORD CONTOUR. THIS FORD CONTOUR HAD LESS THAN 60,000 MILES. I CALLED THE LOCAL FORD SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THAT WE COULD BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEM FOR REPLACEMENT. AT THAT POINT, OUR CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN DISASSEMBLED AND THE BAD SPRING REPLACED. WE HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION OF A POSSIBLE FAILURE OF SPRINGS, LET A LONE TWO SPRINGS TO BREAK UNDER 60,000 MILES AND TWO YEARS APART. SO FAR FORD HAS NOT RESPONDED TO MY REQUEST TO REIMBURSE US FOR ANY OF THE CHARGES FROM THE TIRE/FRONT END SHOP. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS FAILURE OF A SPRING IN THE BACK AND FRONT OF THIS FORD CONTOUR. NOW WE HAVE THREE NEW SPRINGS (REPLACED TWO IN FRONT AND ONE IN BACK), BUT STILL HAVE ONE OLD SPRING ON THE BACK WHICH HASN'T BEEN REPLACED. THIS SHOULD BE A SERIOUS RECALL, NOT A PROGRAM, AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE NOTIFIED. WE ACTUALLY HAD THE CAR IN TO THE SHOP IN 2001 FOR ANOTHER RECALL, SO I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY FORD DID NOT NOTIFY US ABOUT THE SPRING PROBLEM. FORD NEEDS TO REPLACE ALL THEIR SPRINGS ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS CAR HAS HAD ENORMOUS REPAIRS FROM AIRCONDITIONING, TIMING BELTS, STEERING PROBLEMS, ETC., BUT THIS SPRING SITUATION COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. MY GUESS IS THERE ARE MANY MORE VEHICLES OUT THERE UNAWARE THAT THIS WAS A "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM". IT SHOULD BE A RECALL.*AK