NHTSA Complaint #10131497 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

1) NO KNOWN EVENTS LEAD UP TO THE FAILURE. WE HAD NO WARNING. WE DID NOTHING UNUSUAL. 2) WE WERE DRIVING AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE. WE HADN'T RUN OVER ANYTHING AND THE CAR APPEARED FINE. UPON TAKING IT TO BE LOOKED AT WE FOUND THAT WE NEEDED A NEW SPRING. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN THE 2000 FOCUS AND ALSO THAT THE FORD TAURUS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. HOWEVER THE TAURUS WAS GIVEN A SAFETY RECALL. I WAS INFORMED BY MY MECHANIC THAT HAD THE SPRING PUNCTURED MY TIRES SIDEWALL, I WOULD HAVE BLOWN A TIRE AND COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH, EVEN AT LOWER SPEEDS IS UNDESIRABLE. 3) THE MECHANIC PUT IN A NEW SPRING, BUT THINKS THAT THE OTHER SPRING MAY BE MORE VULNERABLE NOW HAVING BEARED THE EXTRA LOAD. ALSO, HE SAYS OUR STRUTS MAY HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED AS WELL... I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY SO HE REPLACED THE SPRING ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AND THAT IS ALL FOR NOW. *NM