Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension a question from me and a FYI for you

The question for me is what should the price of a set of front springs be for a SVT contour? i had one break on me and ford was going to sell me a pair for the front and they were going to be about $700-$750 Canadian. i nearly craped my pants when i heard that and apariently they werent' even genuine ford parts.

now i bet some of you are finding it hard to belive i had a spring break on me but it happened. it sheared into two pieces at the bottom of the spring. boy was i mad when this happend because i have never heard of this happening to any vehicle. so after haveing my car at the dealer for a few days and under the impression that this was going to cost me about $1200 to $1500 for the springs, replacement tire because the other one blew out when the spring broke, and the labour. well i went in the other day and they say did you hear the good news. i thought what good news could there be my car is still broke and there are no parts in yet. i was told that there is recall on the suspension and that everything is going to be fixed for free. boy was i happy to hear that. so just so you SVT owners out there know there was a recall out there so maybe it would be good to get that checked out so you don't have the same hassle i am going through.

FORD still honors the recall still??is there a mileage exemption if they wouldnt cover the spring recall ?? or is it a safety issue and they will prob change ANY contour svt with broken spring(s)?? can anyone clarify?

I'm not 100% sure if there ever was a recall, but I do know that there is an extended warranty on the springs for the 98 SVT's (iirc). I believe the warranty is 10 years/150k miles. The warranty only applies to vehicles in states where a vehicle may see a high chance of corrosion (states that use salt). Apparently the springs used for that year are prone to cracking/breaking if they see too much salt.

well i am not entirely sure what the qualifications are for the recall. i was told that there was a recall and that my car qualified. now i have a '98 and maybe there was a problem with the first year SVT's spring/strut assembly. i can't see it being milage but maybe it is i have just never heard of that. i do have just under 80,000kms so maybe there is something to that theory. i am very happy though that i don't have to pay for the repairs because i could sure use that cash for a future winter car.
maybe i will have to ask what other recalls there are and have those fixed if there are any. if anyone knows what recalls there are for the SVT contour post them so we can get what needs to be replaced, replaced.

well i do live an area that has salt on the hiways and streets so maybe that contributed to the spring breaking. in the last 2 winters there hasn't been alot of salt on the car but i did get it used and it originaly came from calgary alberta and alberta is knowen for really salty road so maybe this problem stared a few years ago. corrosion and poor metal is the only thing that makes sence but you would think that Ford would be able to make a spring that doesn't break. i mean they have only been making them for over 100 years. there should have been some better quality control for such a simple part. oh well stuff happens even toyota has mechanics.

All the same you would have deserved multiple trout slaps if you had paid $700 for springs from the dealer.

Heres some for even thinking about it!!


Next time they quote you something crazy like that check the aftermarket and save yourself some cash!!

well ya i see you point and it is a good one but i didn't have the time to wait for an aftermarket kit to come in and then get it installed. i figured the dealer could get the parts in faster than i could get parts from an aftermarket company. i really didn't plan on haveing to replace springs so i just wanted it fixed as soon as possible. i knew that the price was outragous but i was between a rock and a hard place. i guess that is why they call them stealerships. oh well now i know. thanks for the information guys.

From what I remember, there are two front spring related recalls, and neither of them included the SVT.

Have someone at a dealership run an OASIS to see what recalls are involved on YOUR car according to the VIN.

The first recall was for guards to protect a tire if a spring were to break and the second was an extended warranty to replace the front springs if one were to break.

Since what happened to you was well within the spirit of the recall, it is most certainly worth talking to a dealer to see if they can get Ford to step up even if the recall doesn't strictly apply to you.