Body problems of the 2003 Ford Windstar - part 1

The rear axle on my vehicle snapped while I was driving causing me to lose control and leave the roadway. I contacted Ford who told me there was a recall for the rear axle of my vehicle and that I would have no out of pocket expenses for the repairs and the towing of the vehicle to the service center. After they set up the towing I received a message saying I had to pay $381 for the towing before they would dispatch the tow truck. I called Ford customer service and they told me that now they can't find in their notes where they told me towing was covered. After asking to speak with a supervisor and being told they're not going to transfer me because they know their supervisor can't do anything more then what they can do I was placed on hold for an hour just to be told they can't find it in their notes and then I was hung up on. I shouldn't have to pay almost $400 to have my vehicle that just had a catastrophic failure causing me to wreck towed for servic after I was lied to about the towing being covered.

I own a 2003 Ford Windstar lx. It was at the mechanic for some repairs and he pointed out the issue with my rear axle being cracked and corroded. Which its very dangerous to keep driving like this.

The rear wheel well is corroded and the corrosion is into the structure that the seat belt is mounted to and it ruined the rem(rear electronic module) there is supposed to be a recall on it but all the Ford garages say its been done but it hasn't and now I have no way to work or to take my kids anywhere and the van only has 96000 miles and we just bought it.

Tl the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 60 mph, a clunking type noise was present coming from the subframe and the vehicle became unstable. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front passenger side subframe mounts separated due to rusting. The cause of the rust was not determined. The vehicle was previously repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 11v030000 (structure); however, the failure continued. Toycen Ford (1000 chippewa crossing blvd, chippewa falls, WI) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 220,000.

Rear axle broke under the bracket Ford put on the axle for the axle recall. I was pulling out of a parking lot with my husband, 4 kids and myself when all of a sudden I heard a loud noise and my tire rubbing the wheel well. Pulled over immediately and looked under the rear end of my van and I could see the brake. Had it towed home. Called Ford and towed my van to the dealership. Paid $300 between towing bill's and a service charge just to hear Ford tell me they won't do anything to help me and make this right.

Rear axle broke under bracket that was put on by Ford for the axle recall. I was pulling out of a parking lot with my husband and 4 kids in the van when all of a sudden there was a load noise and the tire was rubbing the wheel well. I immediately pulled over, looked under the rear end and could see the brake. Had my van towed to my house. Called Ford on Monday morning and towed van to dealership. $300 between tow bill's and a Ford service charge just to have Ford tell me they won't do anything to fix my van and make this right.

Axle broke under bracket that was put on by Ford for the axle recall. I was pulling out of a parking lot with my husband and 4 kids in the van when all of a sudden there was a load noise and the tire was rubbing the wheel well. I immediately pulled over, looked under the rear end and could see the brake. Had my van towed to my house. Called Ford on Monday morning and towed van to dealership. $300 between tow bill's and a Ford service charge just to have Ford tell me they won't do anything to fix my van and make this right.

This is due to a recall. The rear axle and subframe snapped and Ford is not honoring fixing it even though it happened at the repair site of recall.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the subframe on the rear passenger door was rusted. The contact stated that when operating the sliding door falls through the rust and got stuck. The contact mentioned the only way to close the door was to pick the door up and put it back on the door track so that it can close. The vehicle taken to fair oaks Ford inc. 1351 e ogden Ave, (630) 357-7100 where the contact was informed that the door had a rust hole through the frame. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,595. Dr.

Hello I was driving my 2003 Ford Windstar minivan. I purchased around March 2016 I was taking my kids to school when the rear axel broke. I looked under and it looks like Ford put enforcement brackets on it but it is broke at one of the brackets . Thankfully I was able to keep control of my vehicle. 20 minutes later I would've been on the freeway. One man has already lost his life from the same thing with this vehicle. I have a lady from Ford offering to give me any information she has because it is not right and there is things she has that I cannot find. I looked up my year on the vehicle and what was wrong and realized there are thousands of people with the same problem. Not only that there has been three recalls since 2010 for the same thing. Ford put brackets on to fix the first problem instead of just fixing the problem. That explains my brackets. Ford realized the brackets wasn't working so in 2015 offered to replace them for 300 dollars. Even though it was there fault. But that expired in Dec 2015. I purchased the car around February March 2016. The problem is if its happening with so many Windstar's why not fix the problem in the beginning instead of patching it and taking the easy way out. I'm sure the mans family and kids that lost there loved ones wish this would've been taken care of the right way. I was on the phone all day Thursday with Ford there not offering to help at all. There telling me it will be over 1,000 dollars to fix it. So we almost lost our lives someone could've died thankfully were okay. We have no vehicle the stress of getting kids to school and work and what we are going to do. I have 5 children plus 2 I have taken legal custody of from children services there is no way I can pay that. All because Ford didn't want to fix it right and just replace it the first time around. How does a safety recall ever expire.

When I was pulling out of a parking lot onto a busy highway I could smell rubber burnig and I heard and felt a big loud bang,. Then there was smoke all around van. It was the rear axle/ sub-frame fracture and yes there were recalls and work was done by Ford dealer thank god me and my children were not hurt or killed this was very scary. .

The rear axle on my vehicle cracked and caused my tires to rub against my vehicle, damaging brand new tires. When bringing the vehicle to the shop, was told that a patch had previously been made on the vehicle, but it was done badly and did not hold. Ford would do nothing to right this and denied that there was a recall on the vehicle. I was driving to school while this occurred on city streets.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a clunking noise was present coming from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered that the sub frame had cracked and separated due to rust and corrosion. The vehicle had previously been repaired under a related recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 236,000.

Our engine cradle recently broke and needs to be replaced. We just found out this falls under recall number 15v608 (Ford recall # 15s27). We would like this to be resolved at little or no cost to us, but we are unsure how to start the process with a recall.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While attempting to turn into the driveway, the contact heard a clunking noise and a snap. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who stated that the subframe fractured and the tie rod snapped. The vehicle was not drivable. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While driving various speeds, there was a noise underneath the vehicle. In addition, the steering wheel became loose and the contact had to steer the vehicle in excess to keep it in position. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the cradle fractured due to corrosion and the rack and pinion was protruding through the fractured site. The mechanic stated that the cradle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 273,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while in park, the steering wheel seized. As a result, the contact was unable to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine cradle had corroded and needed to be replaced. The mechanic also stated that the cradle was previously glued. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,000.

The rear axle on our 2003 Ford Windstar cracked while my daughter was driving it. Thank goodness it did not result in an accident and she was able to pull into a nearby lot. We purchased this vehicle new and it has been rusting from the inside out and now the axle. We did have the recall "brackets" placed on the vehicle, however, it appears they did not work! Ford needs to take care of this issue with its customers and needs to understand a vehicle purchase is a difficult expense for most individuals. Not only do most of us expect the vehicle to last, but we do not expect to be in danger because of negligence and cost-cutting measures that save them money, while screwing the consumer financially. This is completely unacceptable and I can only hope for the sake of all the consumers that have been affected by this negligence, there is serious consideration given to the litigation of this issue on behalf of hard-working people.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for a routine inspection and it was noticed that the rear axle had extensive rust and corrosion. The part needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v608000 (suspension), 12v195000 (suspension), 12v194000 (suspension), and 10v385000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no solution. The failure mileage was not available.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while at the local dealer for a recall repair. The technician diagnosed that the rear axle had corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v608000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 187,000. Oo.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated while getting NHTSA campaign number: 15v608000(suspension) remedied the technician informed the contact that the rear axle had corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to replacing the axle not falling under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact was informed that the recall only cover the bracket and the ends of the axle were covered under the recall nothing else. The vehicle failure mileage was 141,000. Kh.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a vehicle inspection however, the contact was informed that the front sub frame of the vehicle was severely corroded. The contact was informed that the vehicle could not be inspected because it was unsafe to use a lift to raise the vehicle up to do the inspection under the vehicle. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 11v030000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000. Ah.

I was driving down the road . In muncie indiana . The rear end on the right side went down all most caused me to wreck . Found o ut that day when I got it to the auto garage that the rear end had rusted threw . At 66,000 miles . How can a company put out crap like this that might have coast me my life ? it would have if I was not a semi driver when I was working . And new how to handle a van in case of a problem like this u have me to thank that no one was killed . I think Ford needs to fix this problem for me .

I have a 2003 Windstar Ford Mini van. About 2 1/2 years ago they put a patch fix on the rear axle that was so when the axle breaks instead of the wheels seperating it holds it together. Well recently I was on my way to a major highway I thought my brakes locked up, but in actuality the patch fix broke and so did my axle. So a big thankyou for almost killing my 2 children in the back seat, does Ford motors care? no they don't! because when I called the dealership they said Ford is aware of this ongoing problem with numerous complaints and will not fix it again. But I can buy another part for $800. 00. If they are aware of the problem and the patch was not a safe fix then why bother at all! I feel this company should put their children in the back seat and then maybe they would actually care to find a safe fix.

Van started making a loud metal banging noise while on vacation. Took to a local shop where I was shown that the subframe ( where the ac water leaks down) was completely rotted thru and broken, makeing the van unsafe to drive/ the van already had brackets on the subframe and rear axle installed by Ford just weeks earlier, but this was not repaired or addressed.

Rear axle completely snapped in two. Also, the van has the abs and brake lights are on took in for a code read and nothing. The electrical acts very strange music and lights fade in and out and the cruise control is very jerky.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while reversing at unknown speeds, he heard an abnormal noise. Upon inspection, it was found that the rear axle was fractured and the front sub frame was completely rusted. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign id numbers: 11v030000 (structure) and 12v195000 (suspension). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failures were confirmed. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

There was a safety recall initiated by Ford for corrosion of the engine cradle - 2003 Ford Windstar structure: frame and members:underbody shields NHTSA campaign #11v030000. Ford repaired the left side only, leaving the right side rusted and now several significant rust holes have appeared on the right side. Ford disclaims any responsibility saying that they made the repair properly but I claim they made the repair inadequately. Bad metal is bad metal and regardless of the fact that the holes were discovered over a year later is inapplicable as good metal does not rust through to the point of creating a safety hazard. If the engine cradle fails, the engine will fall from the vehicle, potentially while moving. Gas will spew across the road and a fireball will ignite. Other drivers will either hit the engine, swerve to miss it and hit other vehicles, and/or get caught in the inferno which will cause significant damage, human harm and needless deaths. Ford initiated this safety recall because there was this safety issue and the issue remains. Safety was not improved by simply repairing one side of the engine cradle allowing the other side to corrode to the point of sizeable rust holes being created in a short period of time following the initial inadequate repair. Once a safety recall is initiated, it is in the best interests of the public to ensure that the repair is properly and completely made and therefore that the safety issue is fully resolved.

The rear drivers side automatic sliding door does not always shut all the way. It also does not usually open without pulling the lock at the same time as trying to open it.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign id number: 11v030000 (structure: frame and members: under-body shields) however, the dealer recommended that the sub-frame also be replaced, due to corrosion. The manufacturer was made aware of the dealer 's recommendation to replace the sub-frame, but the manufacturer denied any assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 70,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While parked, the contact noticed the rear driver and passenger doors would not open from the interior. The contact exited the vehicle and opened the doors from the exterior so the passengers could exit the vehicle. The same failure occurred to the rear lift gate. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the automatic doors would open and close without anyone operating the control buttons. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised that there were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer was notified and confirmed that there were no recalls and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 119,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign id number: 11v030000 structure: frame and members: underbody shields repair was performed, but the failure was not corrected. The front subframe developed a new crack due to corrosion, and the rear passenger side subframe was severely corroded within the suspension attachment which developed a crack and a hole. The vehicle did not pass stated inspection and was deemed unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,694 and the current mileage was 129,399.

Recently issued recall of 2004 Ford CO. Minivans for input shaft failure, all Ford Windstars including 2003 models have the same issue. Freestar van is nothing but a name change for the same poor unsafe vehicle. Along with the many safety issues, owners should be compensated for the repairs made on substandard vehicle. Including the frame issues, brakes issue, electrical and engine quality.

Ford safety recall 11s16 was to reinforce or replace rear axle to ensure vehicle safety. Ford installed brackets that were either ineffective, improperly installed, or axle was already cracked when installed. When owner was informed of possible cracks in rear axle April 2013 Ford was immediately notified and Fords response is that there are no factory warranties or programs in effect to assist with this issue. This vehicle currently has 110200 miles on it. It has been driven 12,000 miles since the recall. At the time of the safety recall 11s16 repairs the owner had requested that Ford replace the axle instead of installing brackets, and was willing to contribute towards the additional repair costs. Ford refused to replace the axle, installing the brackets instead. Subsequently, Ford repairs were ineffective and resulted in cracks in the rear axle. As of this date, Ford has taken the position that the repairs to the vehicle are the responsibility of the owner. The owner disagrees and is requesting that Ford be required to live up to their agreement under the safety recall 11s16, to ensure that the rear axle of said vehicle meets or exceeds safety requirements.