Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I received a recall notice from Ford motor company on 4/7/08 that my 2001 Ford Taurus was being recalled to have front anti-corrosion shields installed on the front springs. On 4/8/08 the lt front spring rusted through and punctured the left front tire. Had I been driving at the time I would have been pulled into oncoming traffic. I contacted Ford customer service and was told sorry the car was out of warranty by 3900 miles even though it was a recall problem. I tried to explain that 4/7/08 was the first notice I received and was told that they had been trying to recall the car since 2004 but had been sending the notices to the previous owner. I purchased the car in 2006. It did not matter that was the first notice I had received. I was told that it was my fault because I had purchased a used vehicle. …
Tl* - the contact's vehicle was in a crash due to the strut failure. The contact said that she was driving 40 MPH under dry conditions when the failure accurred. The contact's vehicle spun and then hit a tree. She stated that she had a mechanic look at the vehicle. And mechanictold her that the coil spring was the cause of the failure. She also stated that she had the crashed car in driveway. Update (June 17, 2008): ms. Edward said that she was driving around a curve when she suddenly lost control of her 2001 Ford Taurus and struck a tree. The mechanical told her that it was a rear (not front) suspension spring had failed. The crashed vehicle was towed back to her house and sat there since (not repaired).
Heard a bang heading off an off ramp and car shot into guard rail with drivers side of car breaking headlight, bumper, bending hood, fender and door and various scratches along side of car. Had car towed to dealer where purchased upon investigation both front coil springs were broken and front tires were shredded. As repairs were being made I found there was a Ford recall on the front coil springs for the fractures an shredding of tires. Never received recall notice. The Ford motor company, after repairs were made, don't want to reimburse repairs made because the repairs weren't made through them and refuse to pay the body damage.
Since I've owned the car the transmission on the dash has been off meaning ... To put it in drive it has to say 1 st. On the dash reverse is where drive is or d. ... Yesterday I came to a stop sign and there was a huge thunk and I could not drive the car had froze then after messing with the shift arm it went thunk again and I got it home but cant drive any farther ..I also have had electronic problems since I got it one dash lights inside wont work next day blinker next day radio next day head lights .... And the front end thunks when driving and is not connected to the road ...it feels
On 5 15 2015, 2001 Ford Taurus with 32K miles was taken in for an alignment at a local auto repair business. Mechanic observed the rear drivers side spring was broken and had damaged the tire. After further research, this is a common defect for this vehicle and year. There is a NHTSA recall for the front springs for vehicles in specific states, however recall does not apply to rear springs or suspension as of May 2015. On NHTSA safety complaint website, documentation has been submitted indicating at least two deaths have been linked to the failure of the rear springs.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front coil springs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V332000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 149,341.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 35 MPH, a popping noise and a foul odor emitted from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coil springs failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000. The VIN was not available.
Driving 25 MPH, straight & smooth when rear coil spring snapped puncturing tire & hit garage before stopping. Part replaced at my expense at a dealer. Part is not available. Real safety issue here and could have been bad if it happened while highway driving. Ford should have extended the warranty on these springs like they did on the front ones. The front coil spring also snapped on this car earlier in the year.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While the vehicle was at the dealer for routine repair, the rear and front coils springs were found to be exposed and fractured. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V332000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 118,000. Updated 10/26/16
While driving 30 MPH rear driver side spindle snapped, cutting the brake line. This caused the vehicle to have extended stopping distance which resulted in a roll over. Consumer sustained neck and back injuries.
Related recalls
Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the…
Remedy: Dealers will install protective spring shields. In addition, Ford is extending the warranty coverage of the front coil springs in all other states, for fracture only, up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles,…
NHTSA investigations
Rear coil spring fracture
The office of defect investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation, pe05-054, based on 131 vehicle owner questionnaires related to alleged rear coil spring fractures.since opening the investigation there have been an additional sixty-three (63) complaints alleging rear coil spring fracture.an analysis of the vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) submitted to odi reveals that 42% of the complainants allege that the…
Rear coil spring fracture
Odi's analysis identified a high complaint rate for the rear coil springs in the salt belt states (approximately 250 per 100,000 vehicles).approximately 59 percent of the complaints alleged that the coil spring failure caused damage to the adjacent rear tire, with about half of these (30 percent of total complaints) alleging that the damage resulted in air loss.because air loss from a rear tire can result in changes…
Suspension complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2001 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 515 complaints about the suspension of the 2001 Ford Taurus, 50% of the model year's 1,037 complaints. The component named most often is rear › springs › coil springs (217 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Taurus suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-332 (coil springs, Jul 15, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Taurus suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries and 4 deaths to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.