10.0
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$1,103.00
Average Mileage:
107,000 miles
Total Complaints:
6 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replaced rear axle beam (4 reports)
- not sure (2 reports)
suspension problem
Helpful Websites About 2002 Ford Windstar broken rear axle beam
2009Aug 18
Windstar LX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 153,000 miles
WHEN DRIVING MY 2002 FORD WINDSTAR MINI VAN ON THE HIGHWAY WE NOTICED A LOUD SLAMMING NOISE FROM THE REAR CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL, SWERVING TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND STALLING WITH THE TAIL END STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TWO LANE HIGHWAY, AS THE TRACTOR TRAILER BEHIND US WHO WAS VERY ALERT NEARLY MISSED A REAR END COLLISION WITH OUR VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WE NOTICED THE REAR AXLE BEAM WAS SPLIT IN TWO, RUSTED AND ROTTED OUT AND HANGING TO THE GROUND, A TOW TRUCK WAS NOTIFIED AND THE OPERATOR STARED IN DISBELIEF THAT THE AXLE HAD BROKEN IN HALF. THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT COULD HAVE COST US OUR LIVES. THIS DEFECT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE A SOME LIVES ARE LOST AS A RESULT OF THE FORD WINDSTAR REAR AXLE BEAM BREAKING WHILE OCCUPANTS AND PASSENGERS ARE RIDING IN THIS VEHICLE. THIS INDCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSISTANCE CENTER AND THEY TOOK THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VEHICLE AND THE NATURE OF THE COMPLAINT ADVISING ME TO SPEAK TO A FORD SERVICE MANGER AND FOR THE DEFECTIVE VEHICLES BROKEN AXLE TO BE INSPECTED BY A FORD DEALER.FORDS CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE REP ADVISED ME NOT TO RETURN A CALL TO THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE INCIDENT ON FILE AND THE FORD SERVICE MANAGER WOULD FOLLOW UP ON THE COMPLAINT. UPON SPEAKING TO THE FORD SERVICE MANAGER HE ASKED A BOUT THE TYPE OF PROBLEM YEAR AND MODEL OF THE VEHICLE. BEING A 2002 WINDSTAR WITH 153,000 MILES HE STATED THAT BECAUSE OF THE MILEAGE AND THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE FORD WOULD NOT ASSIST ME IN GETTING THIS SITUATION RESOLVED. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE COST TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE 5 HOURS LABOR CHARGE @ $100.00 PER HOUR AND THE COST OF THE AXLE BEAM WOULD BE $500.00 PLUS WHAT EVER OTHER DAMAGES INCURRED. AS THESE WOULD BE MY OUT OF POCKET COSTS PLUS A $275.00 TOW CHARGE. NEEDLESS TO SAY HOW COSTLY THIS EVENT BECAME AS WELL AS THE POSSIBLE WORST CASE SCENARIO A FATAL ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT. THIS MUST BE ADDRESSED.
2009Aug 05
Windstar LX 3.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 114,000 miles
I ordered a new axle. List price 483.32 I plan to install it this weekend.Pretty simple to do.The thing that really troubles me is this problem Is going to kill someone.I contacted Ford and they seemed more interested in selling me a new car then fixing this problem.I have been an A.S.E master technician for 25 yrs.The steel being used in cars today is much thinner than it used to be.Just wait until the new fuel standards take place.You cannot get 35mpg and seat 7 people without making them cheaper.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Jul 16
Windstar LX
- Automatic transmission
- 108,000 miles
My rear axle broke in half at approx. 30 MPH. This is a family vehicle used for vacations and all sorts of things that require having lots of people in the van. This time it was only me and I can only imagine the possible outcome if I was on the highway at 70 - 80 MPH with the whole family. Ford refuses to acknowledge there is a defect even though they sell 3 to 4 times as many rear axles for this vehicle than any other. My mechanic said it was defective without question. I am filing a claim against ford and any one else who has had this issue should too. It is the only way they will respond.
2008Sep 03
Windstar
- Automatic transmission
- 96,000 miles
click to see larger images
Complaint Photos
Could have been on a highway when this happened.
Real safety issue
2008Jun 30
Windstar
- Automatic transmission
- 70,000 miles
click to see larger images
Complaint Photos
Similar complaint as others in this category, except I caught mine before the beam completely snapped in two. My wife heard the rear of the van "clunking" when she made right turns and going into and out of the driveway. I removed the rear tires and brake drums to see if there was something loose there, but found nothing. Had the wife drive in and out of driveway until I narrowed down the location of the sound and crawled under with a flash light and found the crack (photo one). Took it to the local Ford dealer for repair and got the same "Gosh, we've never seen that before" song and dance that others have heard. My wife was very upset and called the Ford customer complaint line. They told us they would investigate and get back to us. When the customer complaint line called the dealer's service center the manager of the shop said that the damage was caused by improper jacking of the van. Citing the "marks" in the axle as the spot where the damage originated - you can see the "dimple" on the second photo to the right of the crack. Ford, of course, refused to pay based on the "improper jacking" comment. This didn't sit well with me, and so the day after the van came out of the shop, I took a mirror and flashlight to see what the new axle looks like. Lo and behold the new one has the same "dimples" (third photo). These are machining marks left from the stamping process when the axle was formed. Now quite irritated, I call the service manager back and give him an earful, he calls customer service and Ford still refuses to pay saying the van is 8 years old and those things happen...well the van is not quite 6 years old and these things shouldn't happen.... Now I am waiting to hear what the "zone manager" says about the repair...then it'll be the district manager and so on and so on...
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Sep 29
Windstar LX
my wife called me this morning and said that the van was swerving all over the road like it had a flat tire , she pulled over to see and the tires were fine. so she called me when she got to work and i along with her father came to check it out and we thought that it was in the suspension by the way the tires were sitting. so i crawled under the van and the metal was split in half front to back with less than a inch holding it together. now i cant find one, and dont know what to do about it.
toole
Kenna, WV, USA
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