Two problems related to carrier/rack have been reported for the 1998 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Regarding Ford motor company safety recall notice 15s27: Ford motor company is refusing to repair my rear axle which fractured due to a poorly designed axle that has been the subject of numerous recalls, including the installation of axle reinforcement brackets (which had been done and later inspected at phil's Ford in port jervis, NY - winter of 2015). I was told the bracket reinforcement repair had been properly installed, however the axle still broke on 8/17/17 while I was driving at 65 mph on the interstate - an incredibly dangerous situation! the break occurred at and within the reinforcement bracket. Eventually, someone will be hurt or killed because of Ford's neglect to fix this problem. The more I see of Ford's resistance to take care of this safety issue the greater my concern is for other drivers (of a van designed for families with children) who are unaware of the danger they are in due to the company's neglect. They are telling people that their Windstar vans are safe to drive after the bracket reinforcement repair. They are not safe to drive. My local Ford dealership (healey brothers Ford in goshen, NY) is refusing to honor the earlier recall, Ford motor company customer relations is refusing to honor the earlier recall claiming that the offer to repair my vehicle has expired.
First the interior light stay on and blinds driver at night the dash lights for door open shows all 4 door are open but they are closed. In addition the spare tire hoist will not go up and being that this part is not used but for emergencies and proper storage of an emergency item I feel the part should last for many yrs.