broken coil

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Small Town Raptor

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Old-Raptor-guy

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@FordTechOne is Ford tracking this coil issue? This is the third confirmed case all under the same circumstance - sitting in the driveway.
The OP, now myself, and this guy
Maybe just maybe it is the Raptor Gods telling the owners to go off-roading or else.
 

rschap1

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Crazy to hear these things breaking or finally letting loose just while setting.
A good thing, has to be less dangerous than while traveling at speed.
But seems odd while resting, not when the suspension is cycling.
HHMM
 

FordTechOne

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@FordTechOne is Ford tracking this coil issue? This is the third confirmed case all under the same circumstance - sitting in the driveway.
The OP, now myself, and this guy
There hasn’t been anything published regarding this issue. I would be curious to know if any of the affected vehicles had the coils or shocks serviced at any point, such as by the dealer for a warranty issue or by the owner or shop to change/upgrade the shocks. The springs have a coating on them that can be damaged by spring compressors; once that is compromised, corrosion can build up in the damaged area and migrate under the coating.

If the springs were never serviced, the best course of action would be to file a case with NHTSA. They track reported safety related issues, and if a trend/pattern emerges they will contact the manufacturer for a possible recall.
 

Zeusmotorworks

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Pics I've seen might be a failure possibly attributed to heat treat (bad batch?). Most common failure on springs NOT attributed to being taken out of their designed range of motion limit. Weather flat or coil. However, if one were catching major air slamming the coils together, well... then again I DO NOT know if the dampener travel allows coil bind. @FordTechOne?
 
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FordTechOne

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Pics I've seen might be a failure possibly attributed to heat treat (bad batch?). Most common failure on springs NOT attributed to being taken out of their designed range of motion limit. Weather flat or coil. However, if one were catching major air slamming the coils together, well... then again I DO NOT know if the dampener travel allows coil bind. @FordTechOne?
Good question, I am not sure how far the coils compress on full upward travel. OP’s coil spring shows internal rust, which is a sign that the spring developed a crack before failing. It could be a defect, or possibly the protective coating was compromised.
 

GordoJay

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Good question, I am not sure how far the coils compress on full upward travel. OP’s coil spring shows internal rust, which is a sign that the spring developed a crack before failing. It could be a defect, or possibly the protective coating was compromised.
Any notch type imperfection in the surface can cause a stress riser. Which causes a crack to propagate into the body. Could have been a manufacturing defect or an installation booboo or maybe even a ding from a chunk of gravel. I'm not sure how likely or possible that last one might be. Bottom line, you don't want sharp inside corners with steel. That's why portholes are round. They figured that out after a lot of the first generation steel ships broke in half and sank ...
 

New recaros

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Do you think the initial spring install might be the culprit? Sharp edge on spring compressor or over compression. I think the other failures we saw pictures of, broke in the same place.
 

Zeusmotorworks

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I've seen all kinds of dinged up/pebble blasted springs last longer than useful. I also find it hard to believe (but not outside the realm of possibility) such an abrupt failure would manifest itself so. Seems over hardened. But I don't have a degree in metallurgy nor did I stay at a Holiday end last night.
 
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