NHTSA Complaint #11240824 — 2012 FORD FUSION

BACKED OUT OF GARAGE AND NOTICED LEFT FRONT OF HOOD WAS LOWER THAN RIGHT SIDE. FOUND A BROKEN SPRING ON LEFT FRONT STRUT ASSEMBLY. WHEN REPLACING THE LEFT FRONT SPRING, I FOUND THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY THE 2ND BREAK ON THAT SPRING, THE OTHER BREAK WAS HEAVILY RUSTED, SO HAD HAPPENED LONG BEFORE. THE NEW BREAK WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 COIL FARTHER UP THE SPRING. WHEN I REMOVED THE RIGHT FRONT STRUT ASSEMBLY, I NOTICED THAT SPRING WAS ALSO BROKE AND HAD BEEN FOR A LONG TIME AS WELL. BOTH SPRINGS WERE BROKE IN ALMOST THE EXACT SAME SPOT, RIGHT WHERE THE SPRING IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED BY THE LOWER SPRING SEAT. IT APPEARS THAT THIS WOULD BE A HEAT TREAT ISSUE WITH THE SPRINGS AND THERE WOULD BE MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I DID HAVE A COWORKER WITH THE SAME BREAKS ON HER MERCURY MILAN, SAME MODEL YEAR. MULTIPLE DEALERSHIP VISITS DID NOT NOTICE THE BREAKAGE, BUT DID NOTICE AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE, NOT SURPRISING. ASSEMBLIES ARE STILL IN MY POSSESSION. I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE RIGHT SIDE SPRING, YOU CAN SEE THE AMOUNT OF RUST ON AND AROUND THE BREAK AND ALSO SEE THE BREAK IS AT THE END OF THE LOWER SPRING SEAT.