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.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, she noticed smoke emitting from the vehicle as the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the rear tires were awkwardly turned outward. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the rear axle was fractured. The contact was informed of a recall for the failure under NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the recall had been performed on the vehicle more than a year prior to the recent failure. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure and current mileage was 136,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 12V195000 (suspension). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the axle had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 177,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle became fractured. The contact was able to stop the vehicle without incident. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 12V195000 (suspension) for the rear axle, but the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall campaign. The failure and the current mileage was 190,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that after having repairs to the vehicle under NHTSA campaign number: 12V195000 (suspension) he noticed that the rear axle was corroded and a cracked had developed where the reinforcement brackets were installed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician refused to provide any assistance since the vehicle had been repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 124,000 and the current mileage was 144,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA campaign number 12V195000 (suspension) and took the vehicle the dealer for repairs. On a later date while driving 65 mph, the rear axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who inspected the vehicle and stated that the rear axle recall replacement had never been completed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 163,000.
- Mahopac, NY, USA
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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.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 12V194000 (suspension). The contact noticed corrosion in the engine cradle and sway bar mounting after the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
I heard loud clunking sounds in the front that were more pronounced when I went over bumps. The sway bar has broken off from the front sub-frame passenger side of the car. The dealer said the sub-frame is so rusted that the only way to reattach the sway bar is to replace the entire front sub-frame at a cost of $3,500. It is not covered under previous recalls, since the prior 2 recalls in 2010 and 2011 only specifically covered the rear axle and the separation of the front lower control arms attaching brackets and body mount attachments at the rear of the front sub-frame. This problem is so similar to the Jan. 2011 recall w/a part breaking off from a rusted sub-frame. It's the corrosion of the sub-frame that is at the root of these problems. They should have just replaced the sub-frame at that time instead of doing a patch job w/ brackets. The dealer deemed my car unsafe to drive, as I won't have control of my car on quick turns or be able to make fast maneuvers in the event of an accident or to avoid potential accidents. Another risk is that my engine may fall out the bottom of my car while driving (which I see has happened to others with my same problem), endangering my family and others on the road. I plan on parking this car in my driveway and waiting for Ford to be forced to recall these vehicles. In the meantime, if any of you have a similar problem, please report them to Ford corporation and the NHTSA, so what I believe to be an inevitable recall will be expedited. Even the Ford customer service rep encouraged me to file a report with the NHTSA because she has gotten calls with other similar complaints. She was very sympathetic to my situation but said there is nothing she can do until enough complaints get filed with the NHTSA so they open an investigation. What happened to companies wanting to help their customers w/O being forced by a governmental Agency?!
The rear axle, is rusted and snapped literally right in half while driving with my two young children! we were lucky enough not to have been seriously hurt or in an accident!
I took the van in for service and I was told the right front sway bar could not be re-attached because of excessive rust. My mechanic mentioned he thought there was a recall for this but I never received one. Is there anything I can do about it now?
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph in snowy conditions, the vehicle began to slide and veer to the left. The contact moved the vehicle to the shoulder to inspect the vehicle and noticed that the front axle had failed and the passenger front tire was leaning inward in the wheel well. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 12V194000 (suspension:front:control arm). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.
Just 18-months after the Ford Windstar safety recall repairs were completed, the front sub-frame of my 2001 Ford Windstar cracked resulting in loss of stability. The vehicle was taken to the Ford dealership in midland Michigan. It was deemed unsafe to drive by the Ford dealership service manager and repair technician.
I took my vehicle for a recall for the rear axle a year ago and they sprayed some sealer on it and said it was good to go. So now the axle is cracked, and ready to snap. What should I do" also there is a recall on the brake pressure deactivation switch on my vehicle which is leaking brake fluid on the wiring harness. I shouldn't be driving it, but I need to get to boston. Again what can I do about this"
Making a left turn, heard a loud bang. The sway bar link came loose attached to a chunk of rusted metal from the subframe. The sway bar and link are fine. It is a part of the subframe where it attaches to that came off. There is no way to reattach the sway bar as the whole section where it attaches to subframe is rusted. Called Ford dealer in ithaca, this is not covered by their recalls.
I was driving home when I went around a corner I heard a thump in the front passenger side of my Windstar, the following morning I took it into my mechanic. He looked the vehicle over and told me the sub frame has rusted out where the stabilizer bar connects. This issue was supposed to have been addressed by Ford the previous year when they had it in for the rear axle recall. I find Ford had made the decision to put some useless brackets in and not replace the sub-frame. I called customer care concerning the problem and was told there was only a year warranty on the work so there was nothing they could do as I had picked up the van end of April /beginning of May 2011. A recall was issued for this problem and quite evidently their fix with some little brackets did not repair the issue, I am not sure how some brackets are suppose to correct a rusting out sub frame to begin with.
Today returning home from Wisconsin me and my family was almost killed, it was a 4 hr drive of tollways of speeds of 65-70, when we were coming to a rural stop( thank god) when we heard a loud thud and smoke, lost control of van, pulled van to shoulder where upon examination of van seen rear axle split in half...thank god we just got off tollway- of 70 mph driving, had 2 kids in car, and my brother, stranded miles from home....all these vehicles should be taking off the roads B4 more people are hurt or killed I am still upset over the incident of cheating death, and hope this don't happen to any body else...
On Sunday July 8th, 2012 I was driving my 2001 Ford Windstar I stopped at a light and as the light changed I began driving and then heard a loud noise, my wheels began to squeel and pull all over and my van came to a complete stop in the road and would not move.. the front passenger side wheel was turned outward but my wheel was straight. Thank god I was not on an expressway or highway with all my kids in the vehicle.. I called a tow truck the driver inspected it and said something underneath the front frame had snapped off.. so today I had it towed into a Ford dealer to find out it is a new recall how can these Windstar vans have so many frame and axle issues and be safe to drive exspecially with all these brackets they are having to put on them for the recalls.. if I was on an expressway me and my son would of been hurt badly if not killed.. not to mention if I would of hit someone else I could of injured others too..I will never trust another Windstar with my family this is crazy.. it is the subframe front lower control arm rear attaching flages completely broke/snapped off while I was driving down a basic 40 mph road..when it broke it messed up the underneath of my vehicle it ripped the drive shaft right out of the transmission.. and who knows what else is damaged now.. people need to know about this now before someone is seriously hurt..
This vehicle has been ruining every front tire put on it ever since the recall front subframe work was done on it by Ford in 9/2011 and it has been through 2 sets of front tires in the last 4,500 miles since the work was done. Ford does not acknowledge any responsibility and the last dealer who looked at it told me I needed tires. No kidding. The last time I took it to Firestone to get tires, they told me they wouldn't touch it and that I needed to take it to a body shop; the specs were so off. The dealer that did the original work redocumented the car's problems 3 times but the manufacturer refused to buy it back and they did the work on it the best they could and this is what I am left with: An unsafe vehicle. I had a blow out on interstate 95 on christmas eve that could have taken my life and another blow out since then at a slower speed (thank god!) I need help nailing Ford to the wall on this and making them be responsible for risking my safety and I am sure that I am not the only one. I wonder if other people have been hurt or lost their lives over this"? over a few dollars?" Ford needs to be made to admit they did not protect their customers properly. I wonder if it all comes down to avoiding liability for people that have been injured. Please help me.
Front sub-frame badly rusted and sway bar welded mounts on the sub-frame have rusted and broken in half causing poor steering control and excessive body roll. As a note, this vehicle was rustproofed when new and inspected over the life of the vehicle each year. Also, Ford has inspected the front sub-frame in January of 2011 on a recall and it appears did not find a problem with the sub-frame in this area. Given the severity of the rust it would appear the problem existed at the time of inspection.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Philadelphia, PA, USA