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 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic to replace the water pump, the mechanic determined that the rear axle was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the previous owner had the vehicle serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V385000 (Suspension). The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle and drove off the side of the roadway. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who discovered that the rear axle had fractured due to severe rust. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 125,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V385000 (Suspension) and 11V030000 (Structure) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the subframe was severely corroded. The failure mileage 59,839.
Broken rear axle on the van. The axle has broken where the reinforcements were welded in from the recall in 2010. NHTSA action number is PE10016. So, the corrective action did not work and now I have broken axle as a result. The axle broke while driving the van and we were very fortunate to be driving at a slow rate of speed.
The rear axle broke in half without warning while driving down the road. Prior to breaking the axle looked to be in good shape. Upon looking it up Ford had previously recalled this part for that specific reason. I called Ford after this happened and the informed me there was no open recall currently. When I called the parts department to order a replacment axle I was informed by the parts counter that they have seen several of these failing in the same way recently. This is a pacitularly dangerous issuse beacus it looks fine from the outside untill it gives up and the van is not rusty in general anyway
- Leavenworth, KS, USA
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Rear axle cracked through on the driver's side, even after a recall patch/repair was made. No collisions, no hard driving. Not a corrosion issue. Metal is cracked perpendicular to the axle..across the grain. Axle was heard to make noise while backing out of driveway, then vehicle felt fish-tailing while drive down paved neighborhood street. Turning to the right made noticeable grinding noises from the rear driver's side wheel well. On closer inspection, the rear wheels were severely tilted in at the top, and the axle was clearly, obviously very cracked open on the driver's side, and appears ready to break into 2 halves. The vehicle was recalled in 2010 for axle defects, but the repairs made seem inadequate. The vehicle was dealership maintained.
I took my van for inspection and was told I cannot get it inspected because the rear axel corroded and has huge hole on it. I was told it was a danger to continue to drive the van like. I've called Ford and was told there is no longer a recall for my van but yet there was a recall back in early 2010 to 2015 and it's exactly was is wrong with my van. I am scared to get in the highway or drive it for that matter.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the rear axle seized without warning, causing the contact to almost lose control of the steering wheel. The contact managed to regain control of the steering veering the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact placed the vehicle in park got out and looked under the vehicle and noticed the vehicle rear axle was fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was towed to thoroughbred Ford of platte city (1901 E. prairie view rd, platte city, mo 64079) where the technician inspected the vehicle and noticed the rear axle was fractured. The rear axle was temporarily fixed. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle home however, the rear axle fractured completely while leaving the dealer. No further assistance was provided. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension), 12V195000 (suspension) and 12V194000 (suspension) as possible solutions to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that after replacing the driver's and passenger's side rear tires, the tires started to wear to the inner cord. The vehicle was previously taken to an independent mechanic to be aligned however, the contact was informed that the rear suspension was fractured. The contact called thoroughbred Ford of platte city, Inc. (1901 prairie view rd, platte city, mo 64079) and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle repaired by the independent mechanic. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was included in and repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 15V608000 (suspension) in 2015 prior to vehicle ownership. The dealer was called back and confirmed the information provided by the manufacturer. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was 161,000.
On Saturday August 29, 2020 I was driving in my 2002 Ford Windstar down a road that was under construction. The speed limit of the road is 35 mph and there is a current bump in the road at an asphalt elevation change. As soon as I went over the bump it was obvious that something was severely wrong with the vehicle. There was a loud "bang" and the vehicle began vibrating wildly and making severe noises. It was obvious that something significant had occurred in the rear of the vehicle. Fortunately I was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pull onto a side street shortly thereafter. I exited the vehicle and immediately noticed the rear driver-side wheel was angled into the body of the van. Upon further investigation, peering under the vehicle it was obvious that the actual cause was that the vehicle's rear axle had fractured nearly completely through (see pictures). In this condition both rear tires collapsed into the vehicle frame. Upon further investigation I discovered that there had already been recalls related to the rear axle on this vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local Ford dealership for inspection. After the inspection, I was informed that the previous recall for the vehicle to install brackets on the axle had been performed in Dec 2010 and that they had been installed correctly. Due to this, Ford's position was that the recall was done according to specifications related to the recalls and refused to accept responsibility for this safety failure on their vehicle. I tried to contend that the intent of the recall was to prevent the axle from fracturing, which obviously their previous recall "fix" didn't appropriately accomplish. It was a frightening experience to have an axle fracture while driving my vehicle, and Ford's previous recall "fix" failed to correct the problem making the vehicle a hazard to drive.
On July 02, 2020, I was driving along the southfield freeway in detroit. The travel speed was 20 mph due to a police situation (road rage shooting) which caused all motorists to exit at seven mile road. After exiting on seven mile road, I drove to greenfield road (5 minutes). I proceeded down greenfield to macdonald's, but I did not stop due to the long lines (in drive through). I drove for about one minute (or less) when I heard a loud pop. I heard something dragging on the street and smoke began to enter my van. I saw smoke coming from the back of my vehicle. In addition, I smelled a foul odor. I immediately exited to a vacant shopping mall (northland). I parked the vehicle in the parking lot at pillar G. I called my mother for a ride. Next, I called aaa to have my vehicle towed. I exited the vehicle and looked at the damage and concluded my rear axle had split. Both tires were misaligned. I purchased my vehicle in July 2009 from a detroit auction. Years ago, I recalled receiving a notice (from Ford) of a recall for the rear axle. I took the vehicle to fairlane Ford for an inspection which addressed the recall. The technician informed me that the rear axle was not cracked. My vehicle has over 272,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while stopped, the contact heard an unknown part detach from the vehicle. The contact stated that the steering wheel then became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic was contacted by phone and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension) and 11V030000 structure). The vehicle was taken to metro Ford Chicago (6455 S. western ave, Chicago, il 60636, (773)776-7600, to have the recall repairs performed. The contact was informed that an unknown bushing needed to be replaced prior to the recall repair being performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at a low rate of speed, the rear axle failed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured rear axle. Upon investigation, the contact associated NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension) with the failure. A dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
The consumer owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The consumer stated that the vehicle had a reinforcement brackets which were not installed properly and caused the rear axle to fracture and in turn, caused the inner center wall of the rear tires to wear. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that a recall was done in the past under (NHTSA campaign number: 12V194000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 161,300.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. While driving over a bridge at 70 mph, the rear axle fractured without warning. The contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle as smoke bellowed from under the rear of the vehicle. Upon pulling over and inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the axle was fractured in half and both rear tires were turned inward. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it currently remained. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. No further assistance was offered and the contact was transferred to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 98,600.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. While the contact's husband was driving 20 mph, the contact heard an abnormal noise. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The driver was able to park the vehicle on the side of the road and noticed smoke rising from the rear driver's side tire. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that the rear driver's side axle detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact called fred beans Ford of newtown (located at 10 N sycamore St, newtown, pa 18940, (215) 968-3806) and informed them of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V608000 (suspension). While driving 45 mph over a bump in the road, the rear passenger side wheel folded and the axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to raceway Ford of hartsville (1504 S 5th St, hartsville, SC 29550, (843) 332-0185) where it was diagnosed that the axle was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: Cas-24147438. The contact was informed that the failure was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V608000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 145,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lebanon, OH, USA