Two problems related to clunking noise have been reported for the 2001 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Ford Windstar based on all problems reported for the 2001 Windstar.
I heard a clunking noise for about a month my husband looked under vehicle and seen rear axle was broken in half. The van was towed and a used rear axle was put on. We do have old axle.
I had been hearing a dull squeaky, clicking noise from the left rear of my van for approximately a month. I took my van to the mechanic on 8/31/09 and they told me I needed new tires, an alignment and some front end work. I told them again that the noise was coming from the back, so I wasn't sure why I needed front end work and not back. I paid $767. 00. On 9/2/09 & 9/7/09, I took the van back because I was hearing the same noise. They test drove the car and didn't hear anything. They put the van on the lift, took the tires off and they couldn't find anything. The more I drove the van, the more I heard the noise. I noticed that the van would "fish tale" or shake more whenever I went over a bump. On 9/20/09 I took my van to a different mechanic to see if they could find anything wrong. I told them that it felt like I needed an alignment, although I had just had one on 8/31/09. The mechanic showed me that the top of the left rear tire was bent inward, causing the van to lean to one side. The mechanic put the van on the lift and showed me a crack so deep that if I had gone over one big pothole, my daughters and I could have been injured. I became infuriated at the place where I took my van initially, because I thought there was no way they could have missed that crack when they changed the tires. I took my van back to the initial mechanic. When they put the car on the lift, they said that they definitely would have noticed a crack that significant if it had been there before. I went on line and was amazed at the amount of cases I found that were very similar to mine. There is no way that all of these incidences are coincidences. The total amount to have it replaced was $836. 00. I called the Ford place and the person that I spoke with said that Ford won't do a recall unless there are at least 2,000 complaints. I wonder how many have actually died in a 2001 Ford Windstar because the axle broke . Unfortunately, they didn't live long enough to write a complaint.