Yesterday, I finally got around to installing the new tire carrier (that has a spring on the end of the cable) and the spare wheel and tire. I looked carefully at the severed cable on the old one. It appears that it broke instead of being cut. I did some research and found out the NHTSA tried to get Ford to recall these carriers in 2000 and fix them. Ford got out of it by saying that they wouldn't break if you didn't crank it up too tight. Anyway, like I said, the new replacements have a spring on the end of the cable under the wheel that reduces the stress on the cable. It also appears to have a cable with smaller, more abundant wires wound together.