NHTSA Complaint #10375729 — 2002 FORD TAURUS

STARTING ON TRIP IN DRIVEWAY, HEARD SCRAPING SOUND AS PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND THEN FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW. SLOWLY BACKED CAR FEW FEET BACK INTO DRIVEWAY. JACKED CAR UP AND PULLED TIRE OFF TO REPLACE WITH MINI SPARE AND NOTICED BROKEN, SHARP END OF COIL SPRING STICKING STRAIGHT OUT AT WHERE TIRE WAS. APPARENTLY, COIL SPRING BROKE AND IMPALED TIRE. TIRE HAD CIRCULAR SCRAPE COMPLETELY AROUND INNER SURFACE OF TIRE WHERE THE TIRE HAD ROTATED AGAINST SPRING EDGE. SPRING HAD THEN COMPLETELY GONE THROUGH TIRE CAUSING BLOWOUT. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED IN DRIVEWAY AND NOT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE ON FORD TAURUSES AND THERE IS A RECALL FOR CARS FROM MODEL YEARS 1999 - 2001. THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO AT LEAST COVER 2002 MODEL YEAR CARS.