Tie rods were worn out. Dealer notified.
1997 Ford Windstar: ball joint or control arm failure
5 of the 192 complaints about the 1997 Ford Windstar describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
Left side tie rod broke while driving at 50 MPH. Vehicle taken to dealer for repairs, also, suspension joints needed to be welded. Please provide any further details on this matter .
Had shacking problem right after purchased and did not get any satisfaction from dealer. Now the front suspension went out and 2s ets of ball joints, and did not have the van since july of this year. Please call me at 920‑899‑9650 we have put alot of money into this van and they are asking for more to fix other items in the suspension. Is their any recalls?
I noticed that my speedometer was behaving erratically at about 41000 miles. I contacted the dealer who said that it would have to be replaced at a cost of $250 if I wanted it fixed. I said that I didn't believe the speedometer should fail at that low mileage. The manufacturer contacted me about this and said there was nothing they could do (financially) to help with the replacement. At about 50000 miles I was informed that the right tie rod end was worn and advised it should be replaced. Again, I protested because of the low mileage. I finally had the replacement done for safety reasons at my expense. I was also told that the right wheel bearing was out of tolerance at a mileage of approx. 40000 miles. None of these defects were mentioned at the pre-36000 mile servicing I had done of the vehicle. I am very dissatisfied with the durability of the vehicle, and will probabably not purchase another ford vehicle again. Ford has not been helpful in helping with the repair costs on the vehicle at this relatively low mileage.
Why would tie rods fail at 47000 miles.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Some vehicles may exhibit a popping / grinding noise from the front of the vehicle when going over bumps...
- Grunt / popping noise coming from the front suspension at speeds below 20 mph when turning
- Some vehicles may exhibit a front end grind/crunch noise during a slow speed turn
- Some vehicles may exhibit a front end grind / crunch noise during a slow speed turn
- Exhibiting a customer concern of rear end noise over bumps
- Some model year vehicles may exhibit a customer concern of rear end noise over bumps
- Buzz noise in AX4S transaxles at all speeds or idle on vehicles
- Suspension-diagnostic aan inspection for front suspension noise (s)- service tip
Related recalls
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
- What is wrong
- On certain minivans originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin, and in the district of columbia. The front coil springs could fracture as a result of corrosion. Depending on the location of the fracture, a broken spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire.
- Risk
- Some tires have deflated due to contact with a broken spring.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install protective shields around the front coil springs. Owner notification began september 6, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 01V199000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Ford Windstar ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 1997 Ford Windstar?
5 of 192 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford Windstar (3%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford Windstar?
There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Ford Windstar
Coil spring 26ABS 14Adaptive cruise 9Fire or smoke 8Check engine light 7Transmission failure 6Engine failure 5
VIN decoder
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