Ever have a spring break?

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A friend of mine was driving his 2007 Hyundai Entourage when suddenly the front end dropped. It was towed to the dealer (it had a recall on the lower arm 2 months ago) and they said the spring shattered into 6 pieces! I have never heard of such a thing. Neither had the service manager or any mechanic. Regardless, he is trying to call Hyundai for some assistance (the car is out of warranty), but to no avail. Anyone else ever have a spring simple collapse like that?

ref
 
I had a 2001 Taurus. Many broken springs. Got them replaced under warranty once or twice. Car ended up rusting in half (literally) before I ended up replacing them , yet again, on my dime.
 
Yes but not noticeably on my HHR. It broke down at the bottom coil. It was still "attached" by the rubbery paint they coat them in. State inspection brought it to my attention.

Surprise, every parts store has them.
 
On two different cars actually, both on the rear

On my 97 Escort, they were common fail points, right near the bottom of the spring, they would get immersed in salt and water where that part was covered in rubber to "insulate" it. As a result they both snapped. Not noticeable

On my 86 325es. One day while backing into my parents driveway, I heard a loud noise that I couldn't id. I didn't pay much attention, until my mechanic mentioned one was broken

so yes, it's pretty common
 
Rear spring in certain year Escorts break. They came from the factory with a plastic sleeve on them that retains moisture and promotes rust. The replacement aftermarket springs don't have this. Did not break into multiple pieces, just two.

Also plenty of cars that live in rust prone places have springs that break.
 
Had a rear spring break on the Z4. (So that's what been causing that noise at times....)
 
spring break is fairly common in salt belts, believe it or not, compounded with chassis rust/rot, suspension components rusting away, etc.

Q.
 
(and here I thought Spring Break was just a college thing...)... Heard of it on a 10 year old Saturn SL1 on a friends car. Seen broken tie rods on a 57 Chevy 40 years ago, and an 88 Lincoln front wheel drive type.
 
Originally Posted By: refaller
Anyone else ever have a spring simple collapse like that?

I've never seen one just fall apart.

However, I have personally known to break:
1) both original front springs on my old Integra at their bottom coils. You would never have realized until you looked at the springs themselves; the car sat and rode normally.
2) the right front spring on a 1980 Chevette. This one also broke at the bottom coil, and was not detectable judging simply from the way the vehicle sat.

Neither of these incidents were due to corrosion. Both appeared to be simple metal-fatigue, possibly on account of poor-quality hardening.
 
Originally Posted By: HM12460
Yup! Way back in the day! Went to Daytona Beach, tons of fun!


lol.gif
 
wow, f hyundai....love my civic for that reason original suspension rides 10 times better then the fully replaced brand new suspension on my celicas....

my 00 civic had 320k on original suspension and it looked new when i sold it, this 96 civic has 180k it looks slightly rusted on the struts but rides WAY WAY better then my celicas and turns way better as well.
 
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i would buy a 99-00 civic ex either body style in good condition in a heart beat, a joke to work on and the OEM suspension is Ridiculously reliable.
 
Yes. Years ago on my 1977 Chevy Nova that I no longer own the left rear leaf spring had a crack across one of the leaves. It stayed in place thanks to the clips and the car was driven for a time before I replaced them. Replacing the pair of leaf springs was not easy because they had to be "compressed" to get the holes to line up and bolt into place. It was a three-person job. Good times!
 
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
wow, f hyundai....love my civic for that reason original suspension rides 10 times better then the fully replaced brand new suspension on my celicas....

my 00 civic had 320k on original suspension and it looked new when i sold it, this 96 civic has 180k it looks slightly rusted on the struts but rides WAY WAY better then my celicas and turns way better as well.


The last Civics we had had no front springs to break.
Torsion bars!
Those were fun cars to drive, great turn-in, great shifters and very economical.
In many ways, the mid 'eighties Civic Wagons were the apotheosis of Honda design. Roomy little cars with smooth, eager engines that used very little fuel and were quite sporty to drive.
After that, every Honda got heavier and less entertaining to drive.
Still nice cars, but without the fun factor of the earlier cars.
 
Hello, The right rear spring (coil?) of my Dad's 1954 DeSoto Firedome broke when someone got in the right rear passenger seat. She was an overweight woman and was mortified by it. I was 5 1/2 years old. Kira
 
Last spring I broke was on a 69 Fairlane wagon. I had 16 bags of cement, a few of sand, and other building materials in it.
 
Bought an S10, pretty sure it came with a broken leaf. Never used it with a big load so it never bothered me. Just made a bit of noise over bumps (as it was still hanging on IIRC). But it came pre-broken; I haven't had one snap yet.

Coworker had one snap on his VW, but he also managed to have about every problem in the book with his. Same age as mine, about the same miles too. Some people just aren't lucky.
 
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