Structure Problems of Ford Windstar - part 2

While driving my Ford Windstar 2000 on a highway in maryland with my family, the vehicle became uncontrollable and smoke was coming from the back of the vehicle. There was also the smell of burnt rubber. Upon checking we realized that the rear wheels were inclined inward. A subsequent check under the vehicle revealed that the rear beam was broken. I have ordered a replacement rear beam .

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2001 Ford Windstar with a cracked rear axle. No letter has been received to address this matter. Our van made creaking noises and we had heard through the media that a recall was beginning. The dealership and the Ford customer relations dept. Will not give us a definite answer as to when we can expect a resolution. We were given a 30 day rental and 14 days have passed and no answers. We are given $30 a day for a rental car by Ford but must pay taxes totaling $3. 30 a day. The voucher is $38 daily with $8 used for insurance if needed. We pay through our private insurance company for such coverage. Why cannot Ford use the additional $8 a day to cover our taxes? the explanation for the recall was to be no expense to the owner for correcting the problem. We did not create this problem and bought our van in good faith of the Ford motor CO. Reputation. This certainly doesn't make for good customer relations. No definite deadline for repairs and giving up the van to use a 4 door car has been very inconvenient. I am requesting a deadline be established and for Ford to use the additional $8 we are not using but was allocated for coverage of this problem to be covered for those customers who already have insurance for rental cars under their private insurance carrier.

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Our 99 Ford Windstar that we purchased, broke its rear bar yesterday. However, we purchased it used from luther family Ford in north dakota, they told us that our Windstar had spent most of its life up north in ohio, minnesota etc. I looked at the Ford Windstars under body yesterday and you can easily tell that it has been corroded all along the underbody from the salt. Where the rear bar broke you can see rust and salt corrosion very easily, not to mention that the spare tire is completely rusted over from the salt. My wife and I have taken very good care of our vehicle, and have never driven anywhere it is not supposed to and yesterday she pulled out a parking spot and she heard a thud, and then a scraping sound. She called me and I came out and looked at it. I noticed that all across the rear bar area there is a large quantity of rust and where it broke you can see a build up of rust from salt. Mainly due to it spending most of its life up north. We did speak to Ford, and they mentioned that our rear bar snapped in two, and it was from rust and salt that weakened it to the point of breaking. They however state its not on the list so they will not do anything. We even double checked with luther family Ford, and they told us ours was manufactured in one of the plants that did have problems. So even though Ford states that it is not one of the vehicles with the problem, I believe there may be a larger underlying amount that they would rather not have to deal with. We had our vehicle towed to our house where are waiting to hear more about this recall to see if any other ones are among them.

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Rear axle fractured while driving my Ford Windstar 2001. As a result I lost control of the vehicle.

Large crack almost entirely around rear axle on driver's side. Discovered crack when investigating noise from rear of vehicle. Appears crack started on inside of formed channel. Also noticed a short approx. 1 inch crease line in the center of the formed channel not far from where the crack started. Corrosion appears to have occurred on the inside of the axle beam. While investigating the other side (passenger side) near another crease line, poked a hole in the axle beam with a screwdriver. No severe corrosion is evident on the outside of the axle beam. Attempts to find a used axle beam have been unsuccessfully do to similar damage. Repairing the axle seems ill advised considering the possibility of more internal corrosion and a new axle is being looked into. Luckily my wife pays attention to those little odd noises and wasn't going down the highway and it totally failed.

2002 Ford Windstar rear axel assembly/ axel beam. Van has 120,000 mileage. Rear axel beam sheared in half during highway travel, catastrophic failure caused van to almost roll over and skid out of control, since back tires, no longer connected, were flopping and wobbling. Skidded over 200 feet. No injuries luckily. Upon view of axel assemble it was rusted from the inside. Insurance did not cover this mechanical failure. $600 dollars to repair with used part. Pittsburgh PA.

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Rear axle on 2000 Ford Windstar completely failed and cracked today while pulling into driveway after completing a 300 mile trip on the highway. Recall notice received about a month ago.

The rear axel of my van broke in two. I wasn't driving very fast. I was dropping off some kids at the movie theater and it was a good thing I was already in the parking lot and not on the road where it could have been worse. Thankfully there was no one hurt and no car accidents.

2000 Windstar rear axle rusted thru.

Was driving my 99 Windstar south bound at about 70 mph on the garden state parkway and had thought that a tire went flat almost lost control tried to pull left but the van was still going right and almost spun me around and almost collided with three other cars,upon pulling over heard noises coming from rear. Looked underneath and the axle was broken in half. Had to wait over an hour for a tow just to get off the road and then wait for another tow from there. I drive 200 hundred miles daily 5 days a week. It was many only vehicle too.

Driving along at minimal speed, +/- 30 mph, I heard and felt a "snap" in the rear of my Ford Windstar. Then an immediate dragging feeling and scraping of metal from the rear end followed. The car swerved and slowed to a stop. No additional vehicles were involved, but an easy collision could have resulted, if not for the fact I was approaching a left turn lane and was able to steer clear of traffic. I checked the back of the vehicle and the axle was cleanly broken in two, as if a seam had split. This could have been an extremely dangerous situation, life threatening in my opinion if I was driving at highway speeds.

Front cross member on passenger side was discovered to be cracked which could have failed and caused serious injury. Mechanic told me that vehicle was not to be driven unless it could be repaired or replaced. I was able to have a welding specialist repair the crack.

2002 Ford Windstar broken rear axle 144,000 miles no accident Ford dealership to repair 1,200. 00 quoted.

The front frame near the right wheel of my 1999 Ford Windstar has rusted to the point where I have been advised by the Ford dealership repair department not to safely drive the vehicle. I have read where there have been 900,000 complaints about this which may result in an recall. The vehicle has only 77000 mile on it and is otherwise in good condition and now is useless unless repaired. I am adding to the complaint list!.

Rear axle crack for no reason. Person driving almost involved in crash. Assuming faulty design in axle.

I have a 2001 Ford Windstar that the front subframe failed on. I was sitting at a stop light waiting for it to turn green. When the light changed I took my foot off the brake and pushed on the gas. I heard a big clunk sound and the steering wheel began to spin freely. I slowly drove the vehicle into the center median and found that the front subframe had failed right under the floorboards. Had this occurred at a high speed the outcome could have been grave. I had no way to steer the vehicle. This failure needs to be addressed ASAP. The vehicle has been driven in the salt belt as they say all its life.

I own a 2003 Ford Windstar van, for a couple weeks I occasionally heard a creaking noise when I turned a sharp corner. Then one day while driving, thankfully not at a very high speed my van started to go all over the road every time it went over the slightest bump in the road. It felt as if the tires were going to fall off the van. When my husband looked under the van you could see the back axel completely broke in half. We travel a long distance every few months to take my daughter to a children's hospital, god was really watching out for my family and I, that the axel didn't go while we were on those long stretches of highway.

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I have a 2002 Ford Windstar with 94,000 miles on it. I have lately been hearing a loud banging sound whenever I make turns so I brought to the mechanic and was told that the rear axle is nearly cracked in half. I can see that this is a very common issue with this car. I am afraid to drive it, afraid that when it splits, I'm going to get into an accident. I simply can't afford the $1000 plus it's going to cost me to repair it, and better yet, my other car is a 2003 Ford Windstar. So I'm also afraid I'll have to deal with this twice.

I have a 2000 Ford Windstar lx, 2 weeks ago the rear axle cracked and cost me $350. 00 in parts and $175. 00 in labor. . . 1 week later the replacement axle cracked in the same spot. Thankfully my mechanic covered it, my rear tires are shot from the 2 occurrences and will have to be replaced when I can afford it.

Rear axel cracked in two driving around 40 mph as of today do not have the money to fix it 07/01/2010. Also pass side door opens every once and awhile when driving.

While traveling on vacation to tennessee I noticed a sway from the rear end. When arriving I notice both rear tires were leaning inward and the inside of each tire was worn down to the steel belts. I took the van to a Ford dealership and they replaced the complete rear axle assembly and both rear tires.

I was backing my 1999 Ford Windstar van out of the driveway at 3:45 p. M. On a clear day, Sunday June 20, 2010, when, without warning, the rear "axle" broke in half and collapsed. The wheels tilted in. Results on a highway would have been disastrous or deadly. Ford shows no recall for this issue, but numerous reports are online of the same problem for the same vehicle models of several model years. No repair report yet, as this just happened a day before this report. I haven't.

I was entering the highway as I started to accel I heard a loud thump. Immediately my car began swerving and almost tipped over, it felt as though the rear tires fell off. There was a large amount of smoke and sparks coming from the rear of the car and I struggled to stay in control of the vehicle. Ultimately the rear axle broke in half without warning and out of no where. I did not hit anything and was driving safely. Luckily there was a break in traffic or I have no doubt I would have hit other cars on the road. The car came extremely close to flipping, it tipped at one point and would have flipped on the passenger side if not for my quick reaction. The vehicle was towed and my mechanic immediately told me axles do not break like this and he advised me to call Ford to see if there was a manufactures problem with the axle. I called my local dealer and was advised that Ford have experienced no problems like mine and my car is out of warranty so there is nothing they could do. Only after I came home and searched the web did I realize there are thousands and thousands of other Windstar owners who experienced the same kind of breakage and I believe a more aggressive investigation needs to take place. The axle needs to be repaired and if this is a manufacturers defect it need to be fixed before someone is killed.

I own a 2001 Ford Windstar limited and while driving the car the rear axel snapped in half. I was stuck but thankfully was able to have a tow truck bring it to my house. Both back tires and totally bent in as the axel is literally broken in half. I now have no means of transportation which kills me as we always kept this car up to date on all maintenance. We just had the front aligned, tie rods replaced as well as many other repairs recently. As I said we always have the oil changed and all other scheduled maintenance on time. This is a real blow as right now we don't have the money to fix it or replace it. I cannot believe Ford does not have to have a recall on this and their error is our loss and the loss of many others. I am disgusted and although a Ford costumer for many, many years will no longer consider Ford in the future. Shame on you Ford, lives are at stake her; have a conscience.

I own a 2000 Ford Windstar with a rear axle that is cracked in two places. Noticed instability at freeway speeds and believed it to be an alignment problem, but technicians discovered rear axle problem. Vehicle is parked and hasn't been driven since axle problem was diagnosed. Estimates for replacement run from $1000 to $2200. Rear tires are worn unevenly and tires are noticeably tilted inward in rear.

Local news article broadcast yesterday regarding rear axel problem with Ford Windstar. My 2000ford Windstar lx was becoming more difficult to drive/control, similar to driving with flat tires & unable to maintain vehicle control. The van was"drifting" from side to side. I looked at the rear axel & there is a visible crack on driver side of rear axel. Passenger side of rear axel is also starting to crack.

While driving 65 mph on route 81, the car started reacting to bumps more severely than usual, and then there was a sharp noise at the rear of the car. After parking the car on the shoulder of the highway, we saw that the rear axle had broken, basically down the middle. The repairing of the car cost $960. 12.

Rear axle failure; Ford Windstar 2002.

2002 Ford Windstar. Picked my daughter up at college to come home for the summer. College 4 hours from home. Missed a turn to get on highway. Turned around in a gas station and thought I had a flat tire as the steering felt funny. Stopped, got out to look, here the rear axle had broken about 12 inches in from the wheel on the drivers side. Called aaa, got towed, tow driver tells me he has picked up at least 6 Windstars in last year with same problem and all in the exact place where it has broke. I just thank god I wasn't back on I 80 going 65 when it happened. Someone is going to get killed by this. I was lucky. Plus had to miss work, buy a used axle, stay in a hotel, etc. . . . . Ford should stand behind their product and reimburse these expenses.

I was driving about 25 miles per hour and my real axel broke in half.

I have a 2003 Ford Windstar. In April 2010 my rear axle suddenly broke. I paid a small fortune to tow and fix the problem. In July my front axle suddenly broke leaving me with another large towing and repair charge. And now the car just doesn't drive nice and my traction and brake warnings have been lighting up on my dashboard.

On Feb. 21, 2010 it was necessary to have my vehicle towed by aaa. After the driver got it on the ramp truck, he told me he wanted to show me something at the rear of the vehicle. There is a crack in the middle of the rear axle. He informed me that mine was the third vehicle of the same kind in about 2 weeks, that he had to tow because of a broken axle. I haven't driven it since, until I can make some arrangements to get it fixed. Apparently from information I have found, there are numerous people who have had the same problem. It happens unexpectedly and usually around 100,000 to 122,000 miles. There is as yet no recall but I think there should be. It's a definite safety issue.

I have a 2001 Ford Windstar and for the 3rd time the rear end tire support has broken in half driving down the road. My family and I feel lucky to be here to write this at this time and it is my 17 year old sons primary car to drive so I can have general insurance but not full coverage. I feel if he was driving when this happened he would have been in a terrible accident, god was watching out for us. It has cost me over a thousand dollars for each repair and at this time I am without the family vehicle and don't see that it would be a good idea to fix this again knowing that its going to break again. I cant afford a new vehicle and this car has been dependable other than this problem. The rear end is scarce at salvage yards, we haven't been able to locate one yet that tells me I'm not the only one having the problem. The van is made for seven and there are 5 in my family so overloading is not the problem, nor rust they are free from that and the last repair we replaced the shocks to reduce vibration problems if it existed. I fear soon I will read about a family tragedy because of this problem and I want it on record about this complaint. Before making each repair we checked to see if there was a recall and to date there is none. I am in the service work business and I understand thing fail, brakes, water pumps, computers, engines but I should have never had to put a nickel into this problem. Any help or guidance you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for listening.

Rear axle broke, car was towed (flatbed) to repair facility. Broken axle assembly removed and replaced with a new axle.

The rear axle beam of my 2000 Ford Windstar split in 2 while I was making a right hand turn causing the rear wheels to flare out. The service station said they have made repairs to other Windstars with the same problem. Lucky for me I was not going fast and there were no injuries. I learned later that the beam rusted out from the inside as water had infiltrated the beam.