10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
141,659 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2002 Ford Windstar suspension problems

suspension problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Ford Windstar:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2002 Ford Windstar Owner Comments (Page 5 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #89

Aug 142015

Windstar

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 12V195000 (suspension) however, the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. As a result, the contact had to coast forcefully to the left side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear axle had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Gladwin, MI, USA

problem #88

Jun 282013

Windstar

  • miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle received the recall repair for NHTSA campaign id number: 12V195000 (suspension) and indicated that the reinforcement bracket on the rear axle did not support the frame and the reinforcement bracket fractured as well as the rear axle. The vehicle was not repaired and was towed to the contacts residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

- Rutland, IL, USA

problem #87

Jul 162015

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the tire began to rub the inner fender wall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the axle was fractured and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 11V030000 (structure) but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the axle should have been replaced initially under the recall and not bracketed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000. Updated 12/03/15 updated 12/09/15.

- Dubuque, IA, USA

problem #86

Jul 242015

Windstar

  • 230,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. While driving at 60 mph, the rear passenger side axle fractured. As a result, the vehicle veered into a ditch and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who diagnosed that the rear axle was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 12V195000 (suspension); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 230,000.

- Ceresco , NE, USA

problem #85

Jul 242015

Windstar

  • 230,000 miles
My wife was driving down the highway to meet me for lunch and all of a sudden with no warning the back axle broke going 60 miles an hour which made her lose control and then crashed her van in a ditch Ford says they won't cover it because it's part of not part of the recall which is crap because they recalled 500,000 more vans just like it with the same problem but they say they won't do anything for me don't understand

- Ceresco, NE, USA

problem #84

Jul 212015

Windstar

  • 127,400 miles
I am writing before I encounter a serious problem on the road. While in for state vehicle inspection, my mechanic noted that the rear axle "repair" (a reinforcement bracket) on my 2002 Windstar van is failing. It can look ok on the lift, but once weight is put on the axle, the seriousness of the cracking is apparent. The repair was made by a Ford dealership in 2011 under recall 10S13. I already spoke with Ford customer service, and they say there is nothing they can do because the recall was completed. I am now waiting to see if the dealership that made the repair can help to correct the problem they (Ford) have acknowledged exists, but without an adequate fix to date.

- Roslyn, PA, USA

problem #83

Jul 202015

Windstar

  • 146,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Rear axel cracked after period of time resulting in blow out tire in a parking lot. After researching this online, I have found Ford recalled this same van for this same problem but did not in our state although the recall was due to states with weather like snow, ice, salt, etc which caused said issue. Why wouldnt Nebraska be included in this since its Nebraska and its snowy alot" luckily we were in a parking lot, we were not driving at high rate of speed down highway like I saw while researching this online which a man was killed who had this happen. I have found that this seems to be a very dangerous and tragic mistake made by Ford and now my van sits in a parking lot with no way for me to get it to a shop to get a repair made even if I did have the funds to do this. At least I would want my van in my driveway, not in a grocery store parking lot with no means of getting it home, besides the fact that being a woman, I would have kept driving it not knowing and could have been in a serious accident such as ones I have seen since looking into this issue. I have taken photos of cracked axel in rear and also front due to weather and climate and found the court papers saying which states were included in this recall, yet Nebraska not one of them? makes no sense. So do I go and drive it home anyways and just hope we dont die in the process..or do I let it sit in a shady part of town parking lot forever" being a single mother of 3, I would have thought Ford might see the all the news about this and have done more to prevent so many incidents, one of which someone died. The court papers indicated that they knew about it 10 years before recall. I noticed the van drove rough over bumps recently, but thought maybe it was shocks, until I found my tire not just flat, but looking as if it was slashed in the parking lot because it literally blew up.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #82

Jul 042015

Windstar

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph making a right turn, there was a loud abnormal noise and the vehicle veered a little off course without warning. The contact pulled over and discovered that the axle had fractured and the driver's side rear tire had bend inward. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). However, the vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed that the rear axle had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #81

Mar 272015

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 157,000 miles
I was driving and hit a dip in the road. I then heard a load noise coming from the back of my vehicle. I stopped and looked. I saw the rear axle beam cracked in half. I was just glad I was not on a busy street when this happened. I called Ford after I learned of a recall. I was told the recall was performed four years prior. The recall only holds a 12/12 warranty. Now this puzzled me. I retained a copy of the recall. It turns out the mechanic "inspects" the beam and decides whether there is internal rust or not. ( how they see this I don't know). If not, they spray a rust inhibitor on the axle and place brackets on it. If rusted, they replace with a known good axle.the axle broke at the brackets installed. To me, all this tells me is they are putting a "band-aid" on a known failing part. What if it was a bad Friday for the mechanic, or was not paying attention ? being able to put a 12/12 warranty on an item that can cause a fatality is just wrong. I have been stone walled from speaking to anyone who can make a decision on this issue. The dealer says I can tow it in ( I pay), and if they think it will be covered, they will see what they can do. If not, they want me to pay a check out fee as well as the tow. This is just wrong in so many ways, I don't even know where to begin. I am now forced to find alternate transportation until this is resolved one way or another. " great customer satisfaction ", not !

- Palos Heights, IL, USA

problem #80

Jun 042015

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 151,000 miles
This complaint relates to a previous recall for Ford Windstar rear axle corrosion and breaking. After coming home from work, I noticed my rear tires were negatively cambered over 5 degrees. Upon further inspection, I noticed my rear axle was breaking in half underneath a supposed patch from a previous recall for the rear axle. Had the axle broken two minutes earlier on the highway, I would be in the hospital! my complaint is for the shoddy recall "fix" done by Ford, this issue needs to be recalled again and fixed correctly...updated 07-08-15 updated 10/25/2017

- Westminster, CO, USA

problem #79

Apr 302015

Windstar

  • 159,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving in town when I smelled rubber burning and pulled over. My drivers side tire had tilted in and my brand new tire was rubbing on the firewall. Took it to get fixed and they said the rear axle had broken and there was a recall so to take it to Ford dealership, which we did. They were all set to fix it and had ordered "parts" and then called back to say Ford declined to honor recall because the "fix" was already in place, which just consists of a bandaid on a gushing wound. To my understanding, the recall was due to a defect in design on the 1999 - 2003 Ford Windstar and they were corroding and rusting through. The spots on my vehicle which broke are beneath the safety brackets they had placed in 2012. Thank god I didn't have my grand babies with me at highway speed. I feel that their "fix" for this problem was not only inappropriate but woefully inadequate and I feel they need to stand behind their products 100%, especially as lives may be lost due to their design error.

- Sterling, IL, USA

problem #78

May 132015

Windstar

  • 183,082 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle and both rear tires shook violently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the axle needed to be replaced. The VIN was not affected by NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 183,082.

- East Saint Louis, IL, USA

problem #77

Dec 172014

Windstar

  • 177,000 miles
I was happy with Ford to this day. I have a 2002 Windstar that had its recall work done on the rear axle 2011. Like everyone that responded about this fix, it was a just to get you through till Ford was not responsible anymore. I happen to take the van into Ford for a coolant flush and they discovered the cracked axle right in the middle on the sleeve they installed. The wheel was tilted out. Thank god it did not break when the kids, new drivers (I thought Ford products were safe with their recalls) my question to anyone out their can we file suit against this form of knowing negligence.

- Menasha, WI, USA

problem #76

May 052015

Windstar

  • 149,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. While the vehicle was parked, the rear wheels extended outward. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension) and believed the failure was related to the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.

- Patchogue , NY, USA

problem #75

May 022015

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
Total sudden loss of steering the car went off the road totally out of control. No notification of recall subframe collapse. Entire steering parts destroyed and coolant leaked from engine this is incredible that no one was injured I was about to get on the highway!!!

- West Nyack, NY, USA

problem #74

Apr 152015

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 140,450 miles
I have a broken rear axle, Ford say's it's not underany recall's.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #73

Jul 022014

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 128,987 miles
I heard a loud popping noise coming from the back of my van. Took it to the repair shop and learned the rear axle had a large crack and was almost broken in half. Ford has a recall in effect for 2002 Ford Windstar's for axles that are cracking/breaking (NHTSA campaign number: 12V195000); however, Ford is saying that my VIN number is not a part of their recall even though I have a 2002 Ford Windstar. I had the rear axle welded to repair the crack. This was on the passenger side of the axle. I started hearing popping sounds again, returned to the repair shop only to learn the axle is now broken on the driver side of the axle. This is a serious situation and I feel since Ford has a recall on this issue that my vehicle should be included. I am afraid to make another repair since the axle may still crack again. Please contact Ford to make them include all effected 2002 Ford Windstar vehicles before someone gets seriously hurt!!

- Kingsport, TN, USA

problem #72

Mar 232015

Windstar

  • 170,000 miles
2554 enid ave broke and almost sent in to a pole and oncoming traffic I will never ever buy a Ford again I've got recalls on it but fixed them our selves because Ford does no honor anything but I however never got a recall for the rear axle garage we took it to said its a recall and its on us nice Ford you suck the old saying is true found on. Road dead (Ford) F. O. R. D.

- Crescent Springs, KY, USA

problem #71

Mar 202015

Windstar

  • 157,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the contact heard a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the rear axle had fractured from the vehicle as the rear driver side tire deflated and separated from the wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the rear driver side tire but did not diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.

- Springfield, IL, USA

problem #70

Mar 142015

Windstar

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. While driving at approximately 55 mph, the vehicle drove over a bump in the road and an abnormal noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. The driver lost control of the vehicle without warning. The contact observed that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Elmont, NY, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?