One problem related to rear suspension shock absorber has been reported for the 1999 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
We traveled from agawam MA to scarborough me for a family party. 20 minutes after we parked in the driveway, we started to back up our minivan because someone needed to move their car out. We then heard a loud crack while backing up in the driveway. The van began leaning to the left. We found the rear axle broken into two pieces. The break is located about a foot away from the rear driver's side wheel. We had to have the van towed to a local dealer, prime Ford in saco me and had to leave it there for repairs. The service department says the rear axle was completely rusted out where the break occurred. We need to replace the rear axle, the left driver's side tire, and shock absorber that were damaged due to the axle break. We will let the service dept. Know that we would like to keep the old part if possible because of this preliminary investigation going on now. We will also have to take time off from work to return to maine to pick up the vehicle once it is repaired.