Problem with Ford tauris

RJMALOY

MEMBER
2003 FORD TAURUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
105,000 MILES

I have a 2003 Tauris with 105,000 miles.

Last weekend I got in the car and heard a load boing, like a large spring breaking.
When I tried to back out of the driveway there was a scraping sound coming from the right from front tire. I checked the tire and it's about 2 inched hire into the wheel well that the other tires. My questions are:

1) What could it be?
2) How much would it cost to fix?
3) Is it drive able to the repaire shop?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,729 POSTS

Broken springs are real common on Fords and that's what has happened. Your observation on ride height is the proof. Look underneath to see where the ends are pointing. Typically when they shoot outward a sharp end will poke through and rip the sidewall of the tire.

It's hard to say if you'll make it to a repair shop or if the tire will be punctured. This usually happens while driving and causes a loss of control. The easiest repair involves buying complete bolt-in strut assemblies with new springs already installed with new upper bearings / mounts. Ford is also famous for building cars that have no alignment adjustments related to new struts. Whatever you have is what you get, however "toe" is still one thing that is adjustable. That is the direction each wheel is steering. That can potentially change a little when replacing the struts so the car should still be aligned.