This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Our family was in our 1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L V6 when we were loosing control over the rear end of our van. We thought we had a tire problem. We drove to the tire store. They showed us that our rear axle had almost broken completely in half. With some research, we found this has happened to many families and we could have been injured. Thank god we made it to the shop in time.
While cornering at 20 miles per hour, my 1999 Ford wind star gave out a loud metal cracking noise. The driver side of the rear axle assy. Had snapped exactly where everyone who has complained about the same thing on line did. This is not coincidence nor from those, rotten denying reps of Ford, telling us that this is from jacking up the car using the improper position on this axle. Go to the actual Ford service manual and you will see instructions on doing a lot of rear end work using this rear axle housing as a jacking point ( center of housing assy. ). I work from these expensive factory manuals. Ford has a defective part and refuses to admit it. Anyone with basic mentality can understand. This is about money, not safety. I would not blame any man that would lose his family due to this nonsense denial from getting a gun and shooting these '!@#$%. they don't seem to give a'!@#$% about their faulty parts nor families. So far I have not heard of anyone dying in a crash, but I'll bet it will happen, if it hasn't already.
I have been hearing a clanking noise from the rear of my car. I brought it to my mechanic who told me I had a crack in my rear axle. He said it was the third Windstar he had seen with the same problem -- two 1999 Windstar (one being mine) and a 2001 Windstar. This is possible a recall situation.
1. rear of van swaying and a squeaking noise..............2. investigation revealed the rear axle cracked at the mid point 3/4 the way through..............3. plan to replace the axle, have not done so as yet. I will keep the old axle or make it available if needed.............."the whole story"..............over the last couple of weeks I've noticed when hitting a bump the rear of the van would sway a little, and occasionally I?D hear a squeak/screech that sounded like it was coming from under the van. I decided to investigate the under carriage of my vehicle, I was shocked, dismayed, dumbfounded, and disbelieved what my eyes where showing me. The rear axle, a rather beefy looking piece of steel and engineering, was cracked of the way through. After doing a little research to my surprise I found this to be a common problem with Windstar vans. Apparently dozens of Windstar owners have had this problem and apparently Ford like the valve cover snafu has decided to ignore it. Please, before someone tragically pays the ultimate price make them stand by their product and fix this problem.
On May 22 my 1999 Ford Windstar van started to make a squealing/whining noise at approximately 10:30 in the morning during what should have been a 40 minute drive to my mothers house. Due to the weird noise I stopped and checked the air pressure in my tire (right rear) where the sound seemed to be originating from. The pressure was a little low so I topped it off and continued on my trip. The sound continued and I decided to stop at a service station about 20 more miles into the trip. The service station was little help, they checked my power steering fluid, drove the van around the parking lot a couple of times and it made no noises. The attendant told me he didn't have any idea as to what the sound might be and asked if I could return in an hour when his superior would be there. I agreed to return after dropping off my kids at my mothers. After going on down the road about another ten miles I felt the steering wheel start to float and drift and my brakes became useless and the van came to an abrupt halt and there was a huge bang as the entire rear end of the vehicle became disabled. As we all piled out to see what was wrong we found the rear wheels pointing inward under the van at a backwards angle. Some men came to help me who were nearby they informed me my axle was snapped. Looking under the vehicle I could clearly see they were right. My van will be repaired this weekend. I called Ford they basically told me to eat the repairs myself. In wv a yearly inspection is required, I passed inspection at the beginning of April which tells me there was nothing visually wrong with my axle less than two months ago. I find it hard to believe that without any outside damage or force (accidents, force ect) an axle can just snap in two. If I had been traveling any faster my 4 children and myself would have been killed or harmed as at the moment it broke I had little control over the vehicle and the brakes were failing. Only people with children buy mini-vans, this is scary.
1999 Ford Windstar - broken rear axle - van made minor clunking noises at low speed over bumps. On the highway, the van acted like the rear end was loose / tracking badly. A flashlight inspection at home showed a large open-gaped crack in the rear axle. Negative camber noticeable on driver-side rear tire. There are numerous examples on internet car forums with photographs documenting identical axle failures. Some reports mentioned total failures that led to motor vehicle accidents. The van is presently at a Ford dealer pending repair. Dealer personnel had no knowledge of this issue. I am extremely concerned for Windstar owners that may not be aware of the problem. Windstar are often used as school vehicles. I hope present Windstar owners can be notified prior to any fatality occurring.
The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 5 to 10 mph, the contact heard a loud noise after completing a turn. He noticed that the rear axle cracked. The manufacturer took a report; however, the vehicle was out of warranty and they would not assist with the repair. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact wants the manufacturer to pay for the repair. The failure and current mileages were 135,000.
Driving in the 93 southbound tunnel near exit 23 the rear axle of my vehicle snapped in half. Nothing has been done yet, Ford refuses to provide financial responsibility.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Toledo, OH, USA