Frame And Members problems of the 2001 Ford Windstar - part 2

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact stated that the sub frame on her vehicle was covered with rusted and damaged. The dealer was notified and stated that the sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle will be repaired by an authorized dealer. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The current and failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

Vehicle front subframe structure corroded and caused the passenger side lower control arm to break off where the mounting tabs connect into the frame and the passenger side sway bar mount also corroded causing it to fail at the same time. Occurred while driving causing the car to skid as the passengerside axle came right out of the transmission when the frame failed.

My wife and I own a 2001 Ford Windstar. The other day as we were driving down the road we heard a loud pop from the front passenger side of the car. We pulled over to find that the subframe had broken.

2001 Ford Windstar confiscated by dealer during recall inspection on 11/10/2010 due to crack in rear axle. As of 01/04/2011, no parts are available or expected to be available in the next few weeks. I am concerned about the mounting costs of this confiscation including loss of use of vehicle, reduced vehicle value even after possible repair, cost of interim rental vehicle, lack of communication by Ford and the dealership.

Whilst turning a corner the front subframe mount sheared at the lower control arm connection. I lost steering and power. My car ended in a ditch at the side of the road. Myself and my one year old son were in the car at the time, we were both shaken but not injured. When the subframe failed the half axle left the transmission, thus losing power and the two front wheel were left pointing in opposite directions. We have not had this repaired yet but have been told that's parts will be in excess of $1800 plus labor. This could cost $2500. Worse still if this had have happened on the motorway, it does bear to consider the consequences! I have seen thousands of similar cases posted on various internet sites, this needs to be remedied before someone gets seriously hurt!.

We heard a noise when vehicle turned and then while pulling away from a stop light the subframe fell off of the car landing on the road. It had completely rusted through. The bolt was still attached. The mechanic confirmed that it had rusted through. This is a dangerous problem.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 5 mph and attempting to make a turn, the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle exhibited a slight vibration for a couple of seconds and continued in operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed and they informed that the engine cradle completely rusted due to corrosion. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The failure mileage was 142,000.

My 2001 Ford Windstar was brought to my mechanic for potential problem with front stabilization. Upon lifting to vehicle on the lift, it was obvious to the mechanic that the rear mount on the passenger side of the subframe was completely rusted to the point that it was hanging down. I was instructed not to drive this vehicle. . The issue at hand appears to be as identified in the NHTSA action number: pe10026.

On a Sunday evening, October 10, around 9:00 p. M. , while making a turn into my street,, I heard a loud noise, the van abruptly stopped leaving most of the vehicle in between two roads. The van could not be pushed out of the way. The police responded to redirect traffic and called for a flat bed tow which cost $180! they needed to be extremely careful so that the tires or other parts would not be damaged. Without knowing what was wrong with the vehicle, it was towed to my repair shop. The next day I was informed they could not do the repair. Then it was towed to a repair shop that could do the repair (another $40). I understand the frame cracked. The repair shop removed axel shaft, seal rebuilt frame at rear of lower control arm and undercoat. Installed new seal, axel assembly and fluid for the cost of $546. I can't imagine the outcome if this happened while driving home from work on the thruway doing 65 mph.

Vehicle becan to pull dramaticaly when operated and could not be alligned properly. Makes a loud thumping sound when driven. The front right sub frame has corroded such that it has nearly broken off. I have spoken to several machanics and there is no repair that can be done short of a replacement of the front sub frame. It is to the point where the engine will drop out of the vehicle and the right front wheel will no longer be attached to the vehicle. While I have had the vehicle in for allignment, it can not be alligned again and I have been advised that the condition is extremely dangerous. I brought the vehicle in to a Ford dealer for other recall work and was advised that there is no recall for this dangerous condition.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While having the vehicle examined by an independent mechanic for steering issues, the contact was informed that the sub frame was corroded. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 116,000.

I was driving down I-75 in toledo ohio at 70 mph when my rear axle broke in half on my 2001 Ford Windstar minivan. Lost control but was able to not hit anyone or roll over. I have had no help from Ford and nothing but a run around from them help!!! I have 4 children and no transportation. My eldest daughter has no busing in our county so I have to transport both ways and no vehicle. No way to get groceries or dr. Appts. Ford promised me a rental but 9 days have gone by and no help. What do I do? they are telling me it will be over three months before I can have my van repaired.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving 35 mph downhill when the vehicle made a loud, crashing noise followed by a loss of power steering and braking power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was advised that the sub frame cradle had fractured from the frame while driving. The dealer also advised that the steering components, transmission, drive train and frame would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

My wife pulled out of someone's driveway and without a warning, the front end of our 2001 Ford Windstar had fallen out destroying the control arm, strut and possibly more damage. The van got taken to a garage where it was revealed that the cradle had basically split and if this had happened on the highway, there was a high percentage that my wife and three children would have been seriously injured or killed thanks to Ford manufacturing deathtrap parts. Parts like this should be the last thing to ever go. We bought the van in June 2009 with only 112,000 kms on it. Ford should be footing the bill and a recall should be ordered immediately. I will never buy a Ford ever again. I will be getting the van fixed next week and I will be keeping the old cradle as evidence and my receipt for the cost of repairs.

My 01 Ford Windstar van sub frame has lot of corrosion. I have notice this after reading rear axel recall.

After hearing some noise when turning I inspected my 2001 Ford Windstar lx and found the subframe/cradle rusted out on right side rear mount. I have not done anything yet to fix it (looking for prices) but I know the subframe/cradle is bad and needs to be replaced.

Product recall made on personal vehicle in febuary 2011 ( notification sent ) however vehicle was turned in for repair because hood and engine was smoking and overheating ! I was informed then that the car could be potential danger and could relate in vehicle detachment. I turned car into Ford dealership and check engine light still appears and car can not pass inspection. I feel very unsafe.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving approximately 70 mph when the rear axle fractured followed by a loud noise which caused difficulty in steering. The contact had received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension: rear: axle: non-powered axle assembly) and the vehicle was towed to the dealer for repairs. The dealer advised that the part needed for repairs was not yet available and the contact would be notified when the part had become available. The contact was still waiting for the parts to become available. Most recently, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 11v030000 (structure: frame and members: underbody shields) but the vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact believed that a reasonable time to adhere to the recall had passed and the vehicle had not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000. Updated 03/29/lj.

My family (7 members) was returning home from a vacation day. We were 2 1/2 hours from home when suddenly our van jerked to the right very hard and I lost all control of the steering. Our vehicle was heading straight for a guardrail and concrete bridge wall. Somehow we managed to miss both and ended up in the ditch over 500 yds from where we first lost control. Imagine my surprise when I got out expecting to see maybe a flat tire, but instead saw the passenger front tire sideways. Not knowing alot about cars, I called my neighbor to possibly help me. He drove the large distance with his trailer to come pick us up. When he got there he looked and saw the front subframe had completely rusted away from the body mount and had caused the lower control arm to sheer off the frame. This in turn caused the axle to pull out of the transmission rendering the vehicle completely inoperable. When I got home the next morning I found out through the newspaper that the rear axle had just been recalled for similar corrosion problems. I was astonished. What more amazed me was given the fact that serious injury or death could have easily occurred that more was not done to resolve the situation. When we contacted the manufacturer we were told that they wouldn't help us, but we could take the vehicle to their dealer and they would be happy to repair it at our cost, but it would come with a 1 yr. /12,000 mile warranty. This repair could cost upwards of $5,000. I nor my neighbor,who has been a mechanic for years, have never seen a vehicle less than 10 years old rust apart like that when there is barely any rust on the body of the vehicle. This situation needs serious action because the problem is not one that is easily detected by anyone who doesn't know what they are looking for. Unfortunately ours was not detected ahead of time , and thankfully my family was able to make it through with only some bad dreams and scared kids.

The front sub frame and control arm rusted at 116,000 miles only. This is a big safety issue on all Ford Windstars, mine is a 2001 model.

2001 Ford Windstar was making noises in the back for a couple months. Just recently, the noise got much louder when backing up and going out of my driveway. Before driving today, I looked under the back of the vehicle to see that the rear axle beam was cracked at least 95% about 18 inches from the drivers wheel. I could have been killed if I was driving on the expressway and lost control. I have to get this fixed and cannot drive the van.

Ford Windstar rear axel break 1. Heard odd sound under car 2. Rear axel broke near driver side of car. 3. Dealer says they cannot get the part, I must find my own.

While driving our 2001 Ford Windstar which has only 60,000 miles at about 20 mph, a loud snap sound occurred, followed by wobbling from the back of the car and burning rubber smell as the vehicle came to a scrapping stop. We got out to see that the rear axle bar had snapped in two about a foot or so from the drivers rear wheel. We called geico and filed a claim, they are going to repair it but we will still have to pay a $500 deductible. They said that if they are successful in going after Ford for this "defect", we would them be eligible for the $500 back . We see on the internet that there are two youtube. Com videos about this same problem and these axles are snapped exactly where ours let go. We also see on the internet that the NHTSA has been investigating this problem since may of 2010. As of that date there were almost 300 occurrences of this failure in the northeast, I guess more and more of this occurrence will continue until Ford recalls this defective weld or inadequate thickness of the rear axel bar itself. We hope no-one has to loose their lives before Ford addresses this issue. We are so glad that we never made it to the entrance of the highway, because I cannot imagine what would have happened at highway speeds.

2001 Ford Windstar. Right front subframe rotted at mounted point to main frame. Had been hearing slight grinding noise for past week or so from right side of vehicle. Several attempts were made to diagnose noise with no success. Vehicle was raised on jacks for inspection and it was found that the frame had rotted through at the mounting point. Vehicle requires complete front subframe replacement.

For several months, my wife and I noticed a creaking/thumping sound coming from the left rear of our 2001 Ford Windstar sel, which has 111,000 miles on it. The sound was especially noticeable when turning at low speeds and at the same time experiencing an elevation change (e. G. , entering a driveway from the road). The Ford dealer told us we needed new rear shocks, which we replaced for $500+. The vehicle handled a little better and the sound seemed to be reduced, but never totally went away. Over the next couple months, the sound gradually worsened. We were planning a long road trip for our summer vacation, so we took the vehicle back to the dealer the day before we were going to leave. This time, the dealer told us the rear axle beam was cracked. I'm sure that was part, if not all, of the problem that we experienced the first time we brought it in, because the sound was the same. Regardless, we were fortunate enough to discover the problem before we were on the road with our three children and a van fully loaded for a 10-day vacation. I asked the Ford technician how it could possibly be that Ford could make a minivan with a rear axle beam that failed after only nine years of routine use. He didn't have much to say, but all you need to do is take a close look at the axle beam to understand why. It's as thin as an aluminum baseball bat, and it's just as hollow. A pop can has more structural integrity. I mentioned the problem to a neighborhood auto mechanic, and he said this happens on 'all' Windstars. Rather than pay the $1000 repair bill, and given the dozens of other issues we've had with this substandard vehicle, we decided to just buy a new vehicle. We were considering trading the Windstar, but before doing so, I decided to see if this problem was as common as the local mechanic implied. Turns out it is. This is a serious safety issue, and all affected vehicles need to be recalled immediately.

Broken rear axle in my 2001 Ford Windstar-2nd occurrence had the axle repaired/welded in 2009 on the left rear and now the right rear is cracked rendering the car undriveable.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact noticed an unusual cracking noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who stated that the frame that held the rear wheels together had fractured in half. The contact informed the dealer of the failure but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The current and failure mileages were approximately 106,000.

While driving our 2001 Ford Windstar pulling a 7'x12' trailer at 60 m. P. H. On a two lane state route road we crossed an intersection of a county road there was a small hump at the intersection there was a very loud bang followed by a tire screeching and loss of steering the van pulled very hard to the right into the grass correcting we came back into our lane and started into the oncoming lane I was able to bring the van back to our lane and then slowly back to the grass where we came to a stop 1500' past the intersection after looking at the van I had found that the back mount of the right lower control arm was wet and had rusted and broke off causing the right wheel to turn out pulling the drive shaft out and locking up the wheel causing the loss of steering I believe that over time the evaporator dripped condensation on to the mount causing it to rust a fail this is a very serious structural failure and could cause serious injuries or death and is just not a pleasant time not wanting to pay $900 to $2000 to be repaired I found a good sub frame at a junk yard for $150( some frames may be more money) and will replace it myself this is a very big and hard project that will take a lot of time I have the right tools and knowhow I don't recommend trying for everyone this is a backup vehicle so I have the time to fix it Ford or the n. H. T. S. A. Should recall all vehicles with the potential of this problem before some one gets badly hurt or dies this problem will not go away only get worse I urge all owners of any Windstar to check there right lower control arm mounts to see if they are bad.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The main sub frame was separated and covered with rust on the front passenger side door. While driving 35 mph he heard a noise coming on the front passenger side of the vehicle. A local mechanic discovered that the frame was covered with rust and separating from the side of the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no program or warranty to cover the failure. Claim#0355841870 was filed with the manufacturer regarding the failure. The failure and current mileages were 69,000.

I was driving my 2001 Ford Windstar making a right turn when I straightened out I noticed that my steering wheel was still turned at a 45 degree angle. Being cautious now listened for warning sounds of possible further problems, there was no strange sounds or shaking nothing to indicate what would happen next . As I continued on my journey I was driving 50km an hour when suddenly the front end of the van dropped sitting on both front tires, causing me to lose control of steering and braking. I slid down the street eventually crashing into the curb thankfully no one was injured and no other vehicle was involved. I exited the vehicle and noticed transmission fluid pouring out onto the road. My van was towed to the mechanics and we discovered that the right control arm that is connected to the front sub frame brackets were totally roughed out due to bad design in the sub frame in which the brackets are welded to the frame which has a bowl like base which collects water and salt and speeds up the corrosion time. This is a serious safety issue for other Windstar vans, if I was on a major highway doing 100km this would of been a fatal accident. If this would of happened the police would of determined that I was going to fast or some other reason other than the control arm breaking of. There has been a recent recall for the rear axle cracking and splitting in half due to bad u shape design of the axle in where again salt and water become trapped and speed up the corrosion time. So I believe that the control arm is a serious safety issue which needs to be dealt with by issuing a recall as well.

2001 Windstar rear axle broke in half causing the rear tire to smoke and burn the rubber off the tire and the undercoating on the wheel well. Driving on highway at 55 mph. Started to feel a sway just before it broke, nearly causing an accident. Tire was very hot and smoking,we were told she was lucky the tire did not blow.

It was raining & I was driving home with my sons in the van when it suddenly swerved out of control, fish-tailing into the direction of oncoming traffic. I almost lost complete control and narrowly avoided hitting another vehicle. I proceeded home cautiously, thinking the way the van was now handling was due to road conditions. The next day it continued to handle difficultly, and I noted a squealing tire sound with turns - I thought perhaps the tires needed air, and it was still raining. That afternoon, as I was merging onto the highway, the van randomly started to fish-tail over two lanes, nearly rolling over. I was barely able to obtain control. I proceeded home cautiously, noting the tires were squealing more with turns & it was more difficult to handle. Once home I checked the tires & they seemed fine. I loaded my sons in the van, against my better judgment, to have dinner at a friends house. I planned to have her boyfriend check it while we were there (my husband was gone for two weeks). I cautiously drove down our road and when I took the long curve by the school the tires began to squeal loudly and the van started swerving all over, into oncoming traffic. It rocked and swerved & nearly flipped, scaring all 3 of us nearly to death. I finally was able to stop the van & had my son get out and watch as I drove past slowly. He immediately started screaming to get out! the wheels were about to fall off! I slowly & fearfully pulled into the church lot we were next to and discovered that both rear tires were tipped in at the top, like a tee-pee. We were all shaken, knowing how close we came to dying. The van was eventually loaded onto a flatbed truck and brought home. My husband got home & discovered the steel support beam was split nearly in half in the middle. I thank god we didn't go over the bridge that night - we would've had a massive accident, injuring/killing who-knows how many people! we wont replace it with used parts & there aren't new ones.

Brake light was on in my 2001 Ford, Windstar. Brought the vehicle to our mechanic to check it out and make necessary repairs. Our mechanic called me and informed me that the frame of the vehicle was rotted out and that in his opinion it was unsafe to drive and the cost to repair it were not worth it. We bought this vehicle new in October of 2001 and it only has about 28,000 miles on it. We do not live any where near the ocean, but live in massachusetts, where salt and sand are used on the roads in the winter. But as you can tell with the low mileage on the vehicle it was not driven much any way. I am forced to buy a new vehicle to replace this one.

I am the original owner of a 2001 Ford Windstar. While driving at highway speed, the rear axle snapped, which resulted in the loss of control of the vehicle. As a result, I was involved in a collision with a vehicle in the next lane.

2001 Ford Windstar minivan rear axel break. Went on-line and have read hundreds of complaints about rear axles breaking in half. No other cars axles are breaking.