Ford has issued a recall for the Windstar minivan that affects a total of 575,000 vehicles. If you own a Ford Windstar van from 1998 to 2003, you are affected by this recall and should visit your nearest Ford dealer. The recall is issued due to corrosion on the rear axle. NHTSA says that road salt is the cause for deterioration.
Update! Two people have been killed by faulty Ford Windstar axles. Read the report here!
"This recall comes too late for us and many other owners. The 2000 Windstar van we had, the rear axle broke on it last year. It cost us a $1000+ dollars to get it fixed. Now we are out of the money and no longer have the van. Now what happens with all the owners that had already paid to get theirs fixed?"- Leo K in NJ
If you think you are affected, don't hesitate and take your vehicle to the nearest Ford dealer for an official inspection. If the axle shows a crack, owners will be offered a repair and alternate transportation according to Ford. If there is no cracking, owners are asked to bring their vehicles into Ford for reinforcement brackets to be placed on the axle, in case any future cracking occurs to prevent any safety issues that might arise.
The following states are affected by the Ford Windstar axle recall:
- Canada
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Utah (heat treated axle recall as of 12-16-10)
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Opinion: Take a look at the following video. This footage was submitted back in March of this year. "As we were backing out the driveway, as you can see, our rear cracked in half." Had this owner been traveling down the road at highway speed, him and his family of five could have been hurt badly or possibly killed. This is a very serious recall, and you should proceed with caution. Take a look under your van, and check the current status of your axle. If you feel that it might break on the drive to the dealership for the recall, I urge you to have the vehicle towed.
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Source: ABC News
Comments
We have a 2002 Ford Windstar SE and had heard about the possibility of a cracked axle while reading online about 3 weeks ago. I told my husband about the problems Windstar owners are having with this and he inspected our van. Sure enough we have a crack in our axle. He contacted the dealer a couple weeks ago and they said they could not do anything since For had not issued a recall. So my husband contacted Ford and was told the issue was being addressed and that there would be a future recall. I am so glad that this is warranty has been issued! Like most mini van owners I have young children and the mere thought of that axle giving out while driving on a highway scares me to death. It may have taken Ford a while to issue this warranty but at least they finally did it and hopefully no one has sustained any serious injuries as a result of this problem.
My mom has a 2001 ford winster..her rear axel cracked..she just 2 days ago had it fixed..can she get her money back?
I have a 2000 windstar and it just cracked on Wednesday, thankfully backing out of a parking , ten more minutes my son and I would have been on the interstate, I don;t have money to fix so this is a godsend
i well never buy a ford again usa
I have a 2002 windstar and checked mine out. No cracks, thankfully. Gonna go have the dealer check it out though in case I missed something.
i have 2002 ford windstar also, i took mine in to get the recall checked out, and get it inspected,,, well low and behold,, no cracked axel,, but everything else was wrong! abs module and brake light, and , a bunch of other things ,, bottomline,,, the ford dealership says going to cost 5,000 dollars to fix all... WHOOOOHAAA i just bought this van less than a yr ago,, was a southern car . before me,,, i am mortified,,, im thinking the ford dealership is robing people!! or ford problems are more extensive than they are addmiting too!!! by the way the dealership is PRIME FORD IN SACO ME... I HOPE YOU PEOPLE ARE LOOKING!!!! now i havea junk ford in my yard sitting in a snow pile!!!! WAY TO GO FORD!!!!!!!!!!!!! will NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD!
Hey Michelle,
I live in Biddeford and took it to Saco too. They said the exact same thing about my Windstar($2500). I took it to my guy..200 later and it passed inspection and runs great. Its worth a second look.
I live in North Carolina...my state is not listed as an "affected" state and I have a 2002 Windstar. Anyone know why certain states aren't listed???
Has your axle broke or is it cracked? I live in Oklahoma and we are not listed under the recall either but my axle broke last week and I am taking mine to the dealership. This is Fords mistake and they are trying to cover up the fact that the axles are junk and some one could have been killed. I will fight to my dying day to get FORD to cover the repairs.
They are blaming in on rust from salt used to melt snow. maybe they dont think your van will be affected. or maybe there havent been any cases in your state.
The recall is issued due to corrosion on the rear axle. NHTSA says that road salt is the cause for deterioration. Because you & I live in NC they think it doesn't snow here, hince no snow, no salt, no corrosion. That's a bunch of crap!
call a ford dealer and give them your vin number and they will tell you if your van can be fixed. i have a 2002 ford windstar i got a year ago in pa and i live in nc now and i took mine to a ford dealer and they looked at mine
in the north states they use salt to melt the snow, salt causes corrosion,, i hate working on cars from the north states, cause they are all with corrosion caused by the salt, lucky for me i live in florida and we dont have that problem here.. unless of course you own a boat and take it to the sea.
I just had the same happen to me. I was backing out of my driveway when the backaxle broke in half in the same spot as the one in a video.
We took ours in and the dealer said they had so many waiting on axles that it will probably take them 3 months to fix it. In the meantime Ford is paying for us to rent a car. I told them to just give me $2000 on a trade in and they said they couldn't do it. So I guess they'd rather drop $4000 on renting me a car for 3 months.
i own a taxi company, 3 vans broken axle one just 2 wks ago will take this one to get fixed,but it did cost me 2000.000to fix others, and i own more. more how due we recieve the money back after we already pay. for the repairs?????????also check (a)frame motor sits on this frame . in front where passenger side motor mount rust out and frame does as well .this happens in the front passenger side as well.
we have a 2000 windstar and the axle broke on me one week ago when i was going to pick up my kids thank god it didnt broke when me and my wife was driving to chicago and back now need the axle fix and two new back tires
My Windstar's axle broke after pulling off at a turnpike service station. I had just traveled 950 miles that day all on interstates, the van's ride became irregular, so pulled off. I was going to backup when the axle totally broke. It cost me about $3,000 in repairs; they also found a few other rusted parts. Van has less than 72,000 miles and I am not in the recall states. We were excited to hear about the recall until I read this morning that it applies to certain states.
It is not only applying to certain states. I am in Mississippi and mine falls under the recall. I have been driving my kids around in that van and it upsets me to know what could have happened
the problem is the rear axle no the state that you live if it broke you can take it to a ford dealership and they will help you there
My axel just broke litterally 2 weeks ago. Snapped right in half while driving with kids in te car. Luckily we were on a side road doing like 30 mph. We also lost both back tires. So since I just had tis fixed do i get reinbursed?
I got mine fixed also BEFORE i got the recall notice and I am having a hard time getting reimbursed because they are saying i didnt get it fixed at an 'authorized' ford repair place. Even though I got an estimate from my local Ford dealership and it was $600 dollars more than my local repair place, so of course i went with the less expensive place to repair. Has anyone else had this problem before?
I have a 2003 windstar and i live in Mississippi. Mine has a crack in the axel and i am very upset that yes, they will provide a rental, but you have to pay out 500 for the insurnace on the rental. How does that make since that you have to pay to have transportation when it was thier mistake? I just don't understand.
The axle in my 2002 Windstar broke in May. I was traveling on the interstate at over 60mph. Thankfully I was able to get off the road without causing an accident. We had it repaired at a dealership. I contacted them when I heard about the recall and was told that I still need to bring it in to be checked to comply with the requirements of the recall, but I will be reimbursed for the repair, parts and labor, by Ford. If you had your vehicle repaired somewhere other than a Ford dealership, you will need to bring the receipt for your repair to a dealer and have them re-check the replacement axle. I recommend calling your local dealer for specifics.
I intend to ask for the cost of replacing the two (nearly new) tires that were destroyed as well as the mount, balance and alignment; this racked up several hundred more dollars in addition to the axle itself. Don't know how successful this will be, but it's worth a shot. As far as I am concerned, this is part of the axle repair.
My 1998 Windstar's rear axle cracked while driving with my 3 children in the car. Thankfully, we were not on a highway....although I was on highway with my kids just days before! Ford should be aggressively reaching out to people for this repair. I understand that as of August 2010, there is a recall...thank God! I tell everyone I see with a Windstar to contact a Ford dealer immediately for a repair!
Ours snapped in half Saturday night - while we were on the Interstate, with all 3 of our children in the van. This was terrifying! I have told all of my friends to pass along the message that anyone with this van needs to have it inspected right away. I hope they replace the tires and anything else that was ruined because of the break. I am also asking them to inspect/brace the front axle as well. This problem can happen on the front - is not as common - and our front end has been making a popping sound.
axle just cracked on my 2001 windstar, the dealer provided a rental for $40 but will pay only $30 a day only. The parts won't be here for 2 months. So I continue to pay $10 a day i.e. $600 for 2 months. The enterprise rent a car doesn't have anything less than $30.
my 2001 Windstar the control armed rusted away and the axle from the frame.I take my car in to the shop for oil changes and No one told me The front frame was rusted more than normal.I was doing 70 on interstate and like th officer said I had an angel riding with me.Don't know how I didn't get killed or kill the other people on the interstate,Ford will no even address this.Everyone needs to check their front frame.Someone is going to be killed from this.
how unfair that ford will only pay $30 a day for a rental. This gets us a small vehicle. I need a car equivilent to the size of my windstar. I carry 5 grandchildren (3 in car seats) everyday. First they gave me a Dodge Charger. I refuse to drive a rear wheeled car in the winter so they traded it for a Chevy Impala. Still i can only carry 3 grandchildren! I call Ford hdqtrs they basically said "too bad". I called Fox News and WBZ news stations. WBZ is going to come to me for an interview. I called atty general they said a mediator will contact me, but can't guarantee Ford will participate. I can't afford $10 a day for 4 or 5 months till Ford gets me a new rear axle as I got laid off from my job in June. I plan to keep calling and fighting to get a larger car at Ford's expense. Enterprise also charged me a $50 deposit. This is crazy waiting this long for a part...and Ford paying for rentals! i hope their assembly line is working 24/7 making them NOW!
I am happy with that Ford is taking responsibility with the recall. But they need to work out the details better! Took my Windstar in for routine maintenance and they found a crack in the rear axle. Since this is a safety condition they will keep it until it can be fixed. We were offered a free Ford Fusion rental. I was fine with this until I heard that it would take 1-2 months to fix, possibly 3. We are a family of 6! and a 5 passenger vehicle as a replacement for a 7 passenger vehicle is unacceptable when it will possibly be 3 months till I get my minivan fixed. I think it is good that they are taking responsibility for the recall but they need to work on the replacement vehicle. For a company that is suppose to be family-friendly this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!!! Called the customer relations center and was told there was nothing I can do about this unless I wanted to pay the extra rental cost for a 7 passenger vehicle
That is not fair at all! I was able to make sure they got our family another mini van as a rental until our van is fixed. I got the rental through Enterprise and the dealership said that Ford Motor Company will foot the bill for the rental and reimburse the dealership for the charges.
I got a small car too and ford will only cover $30 a day, no change. My insurance (Geico) covers a rental for 30 days only so i just changed my rental.
We brought our 2000 Windstar in and it had a crack. At first Enterprise gave our family of 5 a Kia Spectra- which we affectionately called the Skateboard. After about a month, the dealer called and told me the axle wouldn't be available until after the first of the year. OK, the Kia had to go! I called Enterprise and they swapped me out for a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country!! I am quite sure this van cost more than the $30 a day that Ford was paying, but they didn't charge me anything. And with no charge mileage, I will have absolutely no problem driving this until they get the part- heck, I won't want to give it back! This has been a huge blessing to our family!
My Windstar has been in the shop since August 31st and they still do not have a replacement or repair for the axle for it yet! They have no idea when it will be repaired. Thankfully they offered me a Chrysler Town an Country to rent free of cost until the repairs are made.
Can you tell the dealer name. I was provided a small car
how is it that enterprise is offering some people min vans at no extra charge and others want $10 a day in addition to what Ford is giving them? Doesn't make sense. what state do you live in?
9/27/10 - Lucky for me, I brought my windstar into my dealer for another repair and they found the bad axle while inspecting. I had not heard of this recall yet. Northampton Ford did me a favor finding this scary problem in the shop and not on the highway!
What about the front axle? About 2 months ago I was pulling out of the drive and tire broke off. I had to be towed to a repair shop. Seems the air conditioning unit drips on the axle causing a problem. Ford is aware of this problem! Will I get reimbursed for the cost of repair as there was not any recall it this time. I received a call from Ford yesterday concerning a recall. What about the ABS lights and brake problem?
I don't think Ford really care and this is why..... We have a 1999 Windstar We haven't been able to drive it for over 2yrs after putting thousands of dollars into fixing different things that didn't correct the problems. 1. Cracked fly wheel started everything Fixed it $800.00 I was drving it home 98 degrees outside brings me to issue #2. I heard a strange sound (like I was holding the gas and brake down at the same time and revving it) all of the sudden I lost my A/C, sped odometer, my mileage dashed out, OD light flashes, interior lights flash off and on just to name a few. Anyways I researched the issue and found some interesting information on this exact same issue. This is what happened and then I'll tell you what I found out. I called Ford they said the ABS recall wouldn't have anything to do with the mileage, speed odometer, A/C and Heater (Doesn't blow Cold Air or Heat just blows air) they advised me the only way this would be included in the recall is if fluid leaked and burt wires and I was sure it happened because of the issues I was experencing so I took the van in. Ford fixed the faulty switch and said I had electrical problems unrelated to the recall. So I continued researching this since so many other people had the EXACT ISSUE.HERE IS A COPY OF THE RECALL
Subject Ford Molor Company (Ford) Recall No 09809
Fairlane Plaza South
330 Town Center Drive
Dearborn, MI 48126-2738 USA
/
Summary
• Ford Action - Ford is conducting a voluntary safety recall Involving certain 1995-2003
model year Ford I/Vlndstar, 2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003
Ford F-Super Duty diesel, 1992-2003 Ford Econoline, 1995-2002 Ford Explorer and
Mercury Mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger, and 1994 Ford F53
Motorhome vehicles equipped with the Texas Instruments speed control deactivation
switch (SCDS) Ford is making a safety-related defect determination for the Windslar
vehicles. We have not made a safety-related defect determination for the other vehicles
included in this recall, but are including them to avoid any future concerns related to a
potential fire risk resulting from the Texas Instruments SCDS either from the agency or
from our customers,
• Number of Vehicles Involved - Ford estimates there are approximately 4 5 million vehicles
currently registered in the United States and Federalized Territories.
• Effect on Vehicle Operation - The SCDS may, under certain conditions. leak internally and
then overheat, smoke, or burn In addition, a small number of 1999-2003 Windstar
vehicles, brake fluid was found to migrate from a leaking switch to the anti-jOCK brake
system (ABS) module connector, which could also overheat, smoke, or burn Ford is not
aware of any smoke or fire related accidents, injuries or fatalities in any of the recalled
vehicles
• Service Procedure - Owners will be nollfied and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford
or lincoln/Mercury dealer for installation of a fused wiring harness to eliminate the
potential risk of fire. On 1999-2003 Wlndstar vehicles with a leaking switch the repair will
also involve an inspection and repair, if necessary, of the ASS module connector. Repairs
will be completed at no charge to owners. What they don't tell you is that the problem can't always be seen Check this out I copied and pasted more info
Problem #2 - ABS ECM Failure - ABS Brake Light.
The issue of the the ABS brake light is critical in that the ABS brake system does not function as designed by Ford. The issue is caused by HEAT in the ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) ECM (Electronic Control Module) (2C219) module causing expansion of a large aluminum plate (heat sink) in the ECM which is attached to the ECM main circuit board at all points. The expansion occurs when the unit gets warm especially in the summer months and causes intermittent electrical connection in the unit because the fragile board is being stretched and malformed. The code most commonly scanned by professional mechanics is code c1185. Seen by us owners as a Yellow ABS Brake Light.
In August 2010 Jeffery P. took apart another unit and found a cold solder joint (broken joint) which makes intermittent connections on the master replay. He fixed it and it seems to have resolved the problem. It is NOT easy to fix this, it took patients, tools, electronics tools, glue and GUTS to make a go at this. The two pictures from Jeffery P are below. Thank you Jeff for the contribution.
The October 2009 recall will NOT likely fix this problem unless you had a fire at the ABS connector, in which case Ford should replace this unit as part of the recall. If you have had the recall work done (which reduces the chance of fire) and you still have the Yellow ABS brake light on. Report the problem to the NHTSA.GOV (safercar.gov) website. Report the issue as "Braking distance suddenly increased" in category "Service Brakes, Hydraulic". This is best (and only) way to get Ford to pay attention to this issue.
Here is what I know about this issue in terms of resolution. A new ECM will fix the issue. There is one report of a sunday mechanic cracking open then case to this unit, resoldering all of the joints and putting it back together. It is my understanding his solution worked, however it is impractical for 99.9% of us.
The picture below indicates how well attached/glued the aluminum board was the to circuit board. So well, that when removed the top layer of the board came with it.
Broken Master Relay Soldier Joint. Thank you Jeffery P for the above picture. August 9 2010.
Broken Master Relay Soldier Joint. Thank you Jeffery P for the above picture. August 9 2010.
Below are two pictures the one of the left was a mesurement of the board after it was in my freezer all night (same as your car parked outside in the winter), the one on the right was after I heated the board. There is at least a .25 mm difference in length! Obviously when this aluminum plate it attached to the board the way it is it will expand the board too. Making for BAD connections on the board when HOT.
Here is an excel snip-it to prove the expansion issue. a 4-1/2 Aluminum plate with 250 degrees of temp difference will expand .312108 mm! That is alot with a fragile circuit board!
I guess you can't see the pictures but here is the web address it has so much info on ALL of Ford Windstars problems and recalls Great INFORMATION
.http://www.fordwindstarrecall.info/
I H AVE A 2001 FORD WINDSTAR WITH A RUSTED OUT ENGINE CRADLE THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IS THERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM .A USED CRADLE PLUS LABOR IS ABOUT $800. WHICH I DONT HAVE.
I just found out the same thing with the same vehicle andf it wil cost me over $1600.00 to get fixed. I don't have that kind of money, I have already put over $1000.00 into this vehicle for problems with the brakes and ABS (which both warning lights STILL are coming on). Ford needs to step up and take care of these problems for us, this is NOT a coincidence.
Having the same problem....
I own a 2000 Ford windstar van an my rear axle has a crack in it. I contacted my local dealer only to find out the parts are backed order for several months. My only question is,
who has the extra money to fork out extra money for a rental when you are still paying on the van and the holidays are around the corner.
No offense, but you are still paying on a 2000 Windstar? Really?
Whaaa, I'm guessing he bought it used as of recent, Not that he has been paying on it for 10 years. Not everyone can afford to buy outright or the newest model out there!!!
I have been driving a rental for 2 months now paying $7 a day i.e. $240 a month.. Paying so much i could have fixed it myself.... parts for rear axle still not available. Also has anyone read this news about a fatal crash of ford windstar in whitman mass due to axle crack. Ford should just buy back all windstar and pay us off.
Here's the news article link: http://wbztv.com/local/ford.winstar.defect.2.1965222.html
They haven't offered to buy back your Windstar. Dealer had my 2000 in for inspection in early November and within two weeks Ford offered to buy it back for $4000.
Why are you paying for the rental it is up to the Ford Cop to pay for it plus milage all you are suppose to do is pay for gas and insurance. Which if you have full coverage then you dont have to take their insurance that comes with the rental. Our windstar has been at the dealership since Oct 29 and we have not paid anything except the gas. It was stated in the recall letter that we received that it was up to ford to pay for the rental if the car could not be fixed in a reasonable time.
WISCONSIN - My 1999 Windstar failed the evaluation Tuesday. (Holes in the axil) Ford Motor Co put me into a rental car (Nisson Maxima) AWSOME RIDE. Ford Motor is paying all costs. Maybe 3-6 months if at all. Ford has an option to purchase the car back. ...
I own a 2001 Windstar which went down with the rear axle on 10-26-10. After being scared to death from what happened, I contacted Watertown Ford, Watertown Ma, which put me in a rental a Ford Fusion, which is much smaller than my 7 passenger van and was told Ford will pay for the rental but not the tax on the rental. So if we are without our cars for several months this could cost consumers around $200.00 when we finally get our vans back. So make sure you know exactly what Ford will and will NOT pay for. I spent over three hours on the phone with ther cusomter realtions department and was told that there is nothing they can do. So I have a car that is out of service for several months no fault of mine and it still going to cost me money. Nice job Ford!!! I am letting everyone I know not to buy a Ford product.
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