13 problems related to body have been reported for the 1998 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Rear axel broke in half while driving down a flat road. Ford dealerships telling me it will take at least a month to fix. No talk of providing a rental vehicle. They were even saying they might or might not pay for fixing it. I called Ford customer service who said I would get a day car rental and if it takes longer than a day, the dealership needs to get a rental preapproved by Ford and pay for as long as it takes to repair. She said to call them that they were waiting to set things up. I called them, was transferred to 3 people and then a voicemail. Left message and no one called. I then called back and they said I would be transferred to head manager and again given a voice mail. I called the customer service again and explained all this. The guy answering was breathing on the line, would not say anything or respond after I had finished and put me thru to survey which I gave him all 1s. I called back and a case was opened. I need help. Please help.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact heard an unusual noise underneath the vehicle. The contact pulled to the side of the road, looked under the vehicle, and noticed that the front passenger side was completely rusted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed the excessive rust and advised the contact not to drive the vehicle until it was repaired. The contact was unable to find a used part. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not provide any assistance. There was no recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 160,376.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed, the mechanic notified him that the sub frame was completely corroded. As a result, there was a possibility that the engine could possibly fall out from the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 170,000.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that after performing routine maintenance on the vehicle, he noticed that the front sub frame was completely rusted and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted in regard to this issue and advised him that his year vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 11v030000 (structure: frame and members:underbody shields). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 23,982. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 to 15 mph, she suddenly lost control of the vehicle and the rear end of the vehicle dropped downward. The vehicle was unable to be towed, so an independent mechanic came to the location to examine the vehicle. The mechanic stated that the frame fractured in half and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified and they offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were approximately 160,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle taken to a local mechanic for inspection of the sub frame when the contact was advised that the sub frame was severely corroded and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact stated that the brake lines were also found to be corroded. The brake lines were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the sub frame failure and denied any assistance with the repair. The sub frame was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 114,000.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while having the vehicle examined by an independent mechanic, she was informed that the frame on the front driver's side was rusted through. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure and the current mileages were 97,500.
Upon inspection of vehicle for inspection, it was determind vehicle was unsafe to drive because of badly corroded subframe on passenger side of vehicle. Also, coil spring on passenger side was broken posing a driving hazard. Vehicle has approximately 80,000 miles.
I have (had) a 1998 Ford Windstar that transports not only my own three children but two other children from time to time. After pulling out of the garage one day the rear of the Mini-van made a horrible sound. I looked out the door and saw my rear tire in a very precarious position. After further review I noticed that what one would think could never happen, sure as !@#$% did, the rear axle was cracked in half. I did some searching on the net and found that I am not alone. Ford says it is not their problem (until someone's family dies) because it is past the 5 year warranty. The root of the problem seems to be a manufacturer defect that allows water to enter the axle and not escape. This event causes the axle to rust from the inside out. Not very happy here, but really don't want to see anyone get hurt or killed!!!!!!!!.
Extensive peeling of paint atop of van exposing surface thus creating extensive damage to vehicle requiring expensive repair.
1. Ford sent recall notice (01s19/01m03) in September, 2001. Vehicle was taken in for service (11/7/01) and the receipt indicates that safety shields were installed 'to prevent a front spring failure from puncturing the front tires'. The notice also stated that 'what Ford will do for you': "Ford motor company will also pay far any repairs directly relating to the front coil springs of you vehicle free of charge (parts and labor). " it was at that time (2001), the owner received an 'extended coverage transferable warranty notice' on the front springs for 10 years from the warranty start date, regardless of mileage". 2. The springs may have fractured at a later date, or were broken at that time and not replaced. The vehicle has always had very low front ground clearance. Because of the low ground clearance and the installed shields, the spring failure was not noted even when new tires were installed. Returning the vehicle to the dealer in 2009, after a front break line failure, the owner inquired about checking for broken front springs under the recall campaign mentioned in the notice from 2001. That is when he leaned that the safety recall issue was satisfied with the "shield installation". This action apparently also removed the VIN from the safety recall data base. Thus, assuming that this is no longer a safety issue, the owner continues to drive the low mileage vehicle (less than 100,000 miles). 3. The cost of replacing the springs was estimated at $400 to $600 dollars by the dealer and no corrective action is being taken as apparently this is no longer a safety issue. The vehicle is a 1998 Ford Windstar that was purchased on 10/16/97, with five miles on it. 4. Is this vehicle safe to drive as there are nearly 100 similar complaints on this safety complaint web site? 5. As this vehicle did not qualify in the clunker program, is spring failure a lemon law issue?.
Vehicle has front axle hub and speed sensor replaced due to antilock warning signal continuing to stay on. Recall# 01i007000. There was a noise in the front right wheel and on another occasion a loud bang had come from the vehicle due to the left front spring exploding. The service department stated on another occasion that the sub from had rusted badly.
During normal highway operation, the overhead console fell from the roof of the car, striking the driver in the head. The driver almost lost control of the car. There are 5 fasteners which hold the console to the roof and 3 of the 5 were broken off. 2 of the fasteners were never inserted properly into the mounting slots. When it fell, the wiring held it, causing it to swing inside the vehicle.