general problems of the 2001 Ford Windstar

Rear axle snapped in half with no warning as I was driving about 40 mph on a busy road. Very dangerous.

Tl-the contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar minivan. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph when the rear axle detached from the vehicle. The contact stated they had rented a truck and towed the vehicle off the road because it was inoperable. The contact stated that the vhicle was previously repaired under a recall 15s27 15v608 regarding the rear axel, however, the failure recently occurred despite the original recall remedy being completed. The contact contacted the dealership (jordan Ford 609 e jefferson blvd, mishawaka, in 46545;(574) 259-1981) who informed the contact that the rear axel needed to be replaced again, however, the repair was no longer covered under the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed what the dealer stated. The manufacturer did open a case rearding the matter. The approxmate failure mileage was 164,952. Gl.

Driving home I heard a thud and my 2001 Ford Windstar spun off the road. Turns out the axle cracked in half and almost killed me. Towed the car into the Ford dealership and even though there is an open safety recall on my Windstar and Ford knows of thousand of axle problems they said that it is not covered. Ford's way of getting put of it even though my brothers 2003 Windstar axle failed and yet Ford covered that one. This is not right. They know there axles are bad and have had three safety recalls on these axles.

Rear axle broke while driving even though recall brackets were properly replaced. This issue could cause death or severe injury. Luckily for us, we were just turning a corner on the way to the store. Ford will not help with financial costs due "extended warranty having expired in oct of 2016". People still driving these vehicles should be made aware that unless you've had this completely replaced, and really that's no guarantee, this could still occur while you are driving.

Rear axle cracked while driving, this is the second axle that broke for this van.

While driving axle broke on van whlile going down alley. Contacted Ford motor company end result they say reinike Ford a dealership in lima, ohio replaced the faulty support brakets in 2011. Which was a recall on van. While all along dealership wasn't telling me they did the recall work. I feel this needs to be addressed before someone losses there life. Which there were drivers that have lost there life and many seriously hurt because of the same issue. Ford has put there recall out. But something needs done with the dealer.

Recall rear axle cracks. I took my Ford 2001 Windstar for 3rd recall and learned that I have cracks in my axle. Ford dealer and customer services said that the offer f discounted replacement expired on October 30th 2016 where I need to pay full price to fix it. We cannot afford to pay and why is consumer paying for defective parts which was the original recall where deaths occurred? instead of replacing the parts, Ford was allowed to put brackets to hold up the axle. The defect is still there and now consumer are driving unsafe and when realized of situation, a substantial cost by the consumer to correct Ford's negligence. Why it is allow and what can be done for working folks who cannot replace new cars. We took a lot of care of our car so we can have a car. Why is Ford not responsible to correct their problem at no cost to the consumer?.

While driving with my three small children, the rear axle of my van broke. I was going at a minimal rate of speed and was able to pull over without injury. This vehicle has been subject to numerous recalls, several of which have included corrosion of the subframe and axle. Our local Ford dealership is telling me that I may be responsible for payment for repair of the recalled product. However, I do not feel safe driving this vehicle anymore. They have stated that they will repair the damaged part with the same rear axle that has been recalled numerous times. This is not a remedy. I am trying to get them to consider a trade-in or product buy-back. If they will not, I will be leaving a signed statement with new south Ford (meridian, ms) stating that I do not feel comfortable driving the vehicle off the lot due to the risk of rear axle corrosion/failure.

While driving the vehicle at highway speeds, I heard a crunching sound in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle then began to sway on the road. I had to slow my speeds and pull over at a safe spot, which was a parking lot to inspect what the issue was. After inspection, I noted the passenger rear tire was at an angle with the top of the tire inward touching the frame. I took the vehicle to the closest repair shop where I found from their inspection that the axle was broke and the vehicle was not driveable. My vehicle was part of the Ford Windstar axle recall, which was serviced by the local Ford dealer in 2012. This vehicle had the reinforcements added to the axle in 2012. The axle broke between the reinforced plates welded to the axle during the recall check. Now after towing the vehicle back to the local Ford dealer for inspection, I find out that Ford will not stand behind the issue and not repair or replace the axle due to the length of time from the recall. I feel lucky that I was able to maintain control of the vehicle when the axle broke.

Tl-the contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the rear of the vehicle failed to stay in position. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the rear driver's side tire tilted inwards. In addition, the contact stated that while attempting to reverse after inspecting the vehicle, the axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 12v193000 (power train ) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,361. Djr.

Rear axle broke in half while driving causing a roll over accident.

Had the 2011 rear axle recall performed by Ford in 2011. They inspected the rear axle and installed the support brackets. Now my rear axle is cracked. I contacted the dealership where I had the recall performed who confirmed they had performed the recall but denied any further responsibility and told me to contact Ford. I have contacted Ford and spoke with both a customer service rep and her supervisor who both advised Ford is only responsible for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles since the recall was performed. I feel the repair was not sufficient to prevent additional cracking of the axle and they should fix/replace the axle.

My daughter was driving the Windstar at approximately 20 mph when she heard a noise and felt something break and she was unable to steer the vehicle and she was able to get the vehicle stopped. She exited the vehicle to see if she could see what the problem was. She noticed both front wheels were pointing in different directions. This vehicle was recalled in 2011 to have brackets placed to support the subframe. The vehicle was towed to a local garage. Upon inspection it was determined that the passengers side lower control arm had pulled out of the subframe.

Tl- the contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign id number: 12v193000 (power train). The contact was advised that there was additional rust on the transmission mount and the front driver's side corner of the under carriage. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The current and failure mileage was 96,000. Kmj.

Cpsc#i1360214a. 2001 Ford Windstar. Consumer stated she took her car in for a recall on the axle and was told everything was fine. Three weeks later she was driving and the car started sounding odd. Consumer pulled over an her tire was leaning in, because the axle had snapped. The dealer informed the consumer they would not repair the vehicle under the recall, because they placed on brackets on the axle, two years prior. The dealer stated they had complied with the recall.

Had recall work done10/30/11 preventative repairs failed. Rear axle split while driving.

This 2001 Ford Windstar minivan was towed to a garage for unrelated malfunction (overheating). Mechanic told us that the rear axle had a hole in it and was unsafe to drive. This minivan had been serviced at a Ford dealership for a recall for a possible crack in the rear axle and rechecked shortly before this incident. Obviously the recall did not fix the problem this was the second minivan to which we had this happen. The other was a 1998 Ford Windstar. We were told in January 2013 that this rear axle was cracked and undriveable. This vehicle too had been recalled and taken in. We had the 2001 minivan checked in January because of the problem with the 1998 and it was still found to be cracked in March.

Stopped to get my oil changed, they showed me where the entire right front subframe has rusted away making my Windstar unsafe to drive. I looked online and found this is an ongoing problem with this model with of these having the same problem with the passenger side right front. This can cause you to loose steering control or in an extreme the engine to fall out going down the highway, Ford recalled the same problem on the rear axel,,why not fix the front also. I live in arkansan but bought the windstorm from a person in missouri where I see Ford list as a state with a rust problem but doing nothing to fix it.

Me and my family were on our way to new york for vacation. Maybe about an hour into driving me and my husband started to smell something burning so I pulled off the high way and little do we know mg van was up in smoke we checked our oil that was good but I told my husband to check the transmission. Fluid and it was empty but before we left we had the right amount of transmission fluid in the van. We had to add about 5 or 6 quarts of fluid in order for the van to switch from reverse yo drive we were able to make to sn auto part store they tested the van on there computer everything passed except the tourque convertor.

Transmission.

Was riding on the highway when my car just stopped and seen transmission oil everywhere on the floor an now van wont move but turn on.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact smelled a burning odor. The contact stopped the vehicle and after exiting and inspecting under the hood, the contact noticed that the smell was coming from the transmission fluid. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

There was a problem with the transmission which required the vehicle to be pulled to the side of the road and towed to a dealer for service. The van only has 105,000 miles on it and has had regularly scheduled maintenance. After having a couple transmission places look at it, the problem was determined to be internal and the transmission needed to be replaced. At the same time that I had my van into the transmission shop there were 3 or 4 other Ford Windstars in for similar problems.

Occurrence: 12 October 2010. Traveling I-95 washington,DC/suitland, MD. Vehicle: Ford Windstar, 2001. Speed : 60-65 mph. Traffic : dense. Failure of defective part : rear axle snapped in two parts while traveling on smooth highway, northbound. Explosive sound , lots of smoke, extreme consternation/fear of heart attack experienced by my wife and I ( my wife has a dangerous heart condition "ihss") at occurrence. I immediately turned on hazard flashers. Managed to maneuver across several lanes of traffic to get to highway shoulder safely!! thank god for the alert fellow travelers behind us!!! if we were hit by any 18-wheelers on the highway, I wouldn't be writing this complaint now!!! concern for our safety was shown to us by fellow travelers; particularly, MD traffic safety person, who should be commended by his superiors for his professional and understanding actions!! he looked at the damage and said that he had never seen anything like it before; and he said that we were lucky to be alive!!! van was transported by professionals to the nearest Ford dealership where I first became aware that a recall notice was in force for my vehicle!!! at this point, I became greatly disturbed that I had no previous notification of this dangerous condition and that my wife, grand children, etal were traveling in potential rolling coffin! in my opinion, this seems to be criminal; particularly if greater profit motives might be involved! I certainly hope that inferior materials were not used in this regard!! I was informed that my van would have to remain at the Ford dealership until Ford motor company decides how I will be provided with a safe vehicle , since no replacement axles were available. (nb ; I have no idea whatever other damage exists as a result of this awful failure! I certainly don't want a duplicate axle replacement to replay this horrific catastrophe! in my wife's delicate condition, I cannot expect her to travel in this unsafe vehicle! justice!!!.

2001 Ford Windstar 150,000 miles, driving on highway approx. 55 miles per hour, vehicle starting swaying then heard a load crash and a lot of smoke coming from under vehicle, thought it was a blow out. Pulled on to a side road both rear tires were bowed in and rear axle had split.

1. Vibration in steering wheel. 2. Rear axel broke in 2 places on the new jersey turnpike. The car veered uncontrollably almost causing a serious accident. 3. The car was towed 90 miles to our local service station where axel was replaced with a used part.

Rear axle of 2001 Windstar broke in half.

I heard a squeaking noise in my vehicle,I took it to local garage for inspection of problem they found my rear axel is about one inch from snapping in half. I then called a few other local places that fix these type of problems and found out that this is a recurring problem with this vehicle and that it has been reported many times. I then checked to see if there was a recall on the rear axel and found that Ford has done nothing about this. I did a search on the web on this vehicle and found several stories just like mine only some more severe where accidents have been caused from this same break in the rear axel. I am still in the process of getting this fixed. I will need to replace my rear axel it can't be welded for safety purposes. This problem is very serious and needs immediate attention. My family and I have escaped serious injury but how many more complaints need to be made before something is done.

While driving 2001 Ford Windstar on a 1-hour trip toward home, I noticed the back wheels fish tailing that occurred in every rough spot in the road. I immediately thought the tire was going flat and pulled over to check it. Since the tires visually looked fine, I drove to the next exit to a gas station and checked the tire air pressure and found it was at proper levels. I was still unsure what could cause the "fish tailing" or "hydroplaning" feeling, yet I was able to make it the rest of the way home without a major accident; although my car kept "fishtailing". . The next morning, my husband took the Windstar to a service mechanic to inspect the tires. What he found was a rear axle that was "rusted from the inside out" about 3/4 of the way. The mechanic's initial estimate is $1000 (for replacement of new axle and labor). We are relieved that the rear axle didn't break while we were driving as the car could have flipped and killed all of us. What could cause corrosion on the inside? the rear axle should be made to never corrode or break under normal road driving conditions. After researching on the internet, I have found other 8 year old, same make/model Windstar owners reporting the same conditions. This is an unsafe part especially noting that people are keeping their cars longer due to economy. Ford should own up to this part failure and recall and replace this part at no charge to the owners immediately!.

My vehicle was manufactured in 2001. There was a recall put out for the suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly. In 2011, according to sunset Ford dealership (where I took it for axle repair and was denied) the recall was remedied in 2011. However, as stated along with the recall notice, the time that the brackets were mis installed caused damage to the rear axle, corrosion and fracturing. This is exactly what is happening to my vehicle right now and the dealership along with Ford corporate is saying this axle repair will be fully at my cost. According to their automated recall phone information, up until 2016 they were offering to replace the axle for $300 ( a discounted rate) for customers affected. I do not at all feel I should be responsible for this repair. I contacted Ford corporate a few times now and have been told no its not their fault. I was also told by sunset Ford, that I would need to pay them $140 an hour for them to diagnose it and tell me specifically what is wrong. It has already been there once to check the recall where they took pictures ( included) and sent them to Ford corporate where I was told no they will not fix it unless I pay for it. This repair should be fully covered and I need help getting Ford to agree.