Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the rear axle broke. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who repaired the rear axle. The contact referenced recall 10v385000 (suspension: rear: axle: non-powered axle assembly) but was informed by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was 194,000. The consumer stated she had to pay a deductible and some f the repair cost.
1998 Ford Windstar suspension complaints
Page 3 of 9: complaints 41 to 70 of 228, newest first, as owners wrote them.
1998 ford windstar. Consumer states problems with rear axle *tgw the consumer stated her husband was in the process of exiting a garage, when suddenly the rear axle completely broke in half. He then discovered the axle was defective due to it being severely corroded in the middle. The consumer has since received a recall notice and is now requesting reimbursement. *jb the consumer is only seeking reimbursement for the part, because the repair was done by a non-ford repair facility. Updated 02/10/11*jb updated 04/16/13
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact was driving approximately 40 MPH when the vehicle exhibited an abnormal noise from the rear. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 01i007000 (suspension:front:springs:coil springs) and beleived the rear suspension had experienced the same failure. The approximate failure mileage was 222,000.
The rear axle broke into two separate pieces while coming to a stop in my driveway. The rear wheels were canted in at the top as a result, completely disabling the car. The vehicle had to be towed for repairs and a new rear axle from ford motor co was installed. Fomoco has denied my claim for repair because denver, co is not in the recall area issued 8-26-2010 and expanded on 11-30-2010. "VIN not identified for this field service action." I am the original owner and the vehicle continues to be driven daily. (gs for dennis dolan)
1998 ford windstar. Consumer writes to follow up to an inspection for the rear axle recall *tgw the dealer informed the consumer that her vehicle did not have a broken axle. The consumer inquired as to whether or not a sealant or protective coating should have been applied to prevent the axle from failing in the future.
1998 ford windstar. Consumer writes regarding notice of defect
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle began to fishtail unexpectantly. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and the contact was informed that the rear axle was fractured and exhibited excessive corrosion from the inside out. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 81,000.
I own a 1998 ford windstar(manufacture date aug..1997. I have been having problems for a while. My van was making a whining grinding noise. Gear is hard to get out of park bad popping noise when backing up...replaced all 4 wheel bearings and both tie rod ends..still making a bad whining noise.3 days ago I was driving down the highway and the steering started acting weird and shaking and the back of the van started swaying back and forth .. Was told at the shop about the recall on axel I called ford and was told my van is not on the list my van has a excessive amount of corrosion throughout the whole bottom the shop told me this van has been exposed to salt. When I bought the van it had a inspection sticker from previous owner from one of the recall states.(pens) ford would not give me any information onwhat state it was sold in or dealer, what brand of axel that was being recalled (said they didn't know the brand) come on what company spends money on parts and don't even know the brand or manufacture they buy from. I'm scared to death to drive this automobile.. I think ford should honor there promise to its customers and fix this problem on all 1997-2003 windstars not just certain months of 1997 or does someone have to lose there life before they do something? Ford>>> you took our money for your product now stand behind your product.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. While in the parking lot the contact noticed that the rear axle was fractured. The contact stated that he was having the same problem as recall 10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact stated that after receiving a recall letter for recall 10v385000 (: rear: axle: nonpowered axle assembly), he called three local dealers all who did have parts to perform the repair. The dealer would not inspect the vehicle as stated in the recall notice. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000. Updated 01/12/11
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact received a recall notification associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 10v385000 (suspension: rear: axle: non-powered axle assembly). The authorized dealer was notified and they informed that the part was unavailable for the recall repair until late november of 2010. The contact stated the recall notification specified the urgency of the repair; and expressed his concern of the potential safety hazard. There was no failure mileage. The VIN was unavailable
This has happened on the inner roads and near from my house. I had heard the creaking noise coming from the rear and thought about my car's shocks are shot. Then suddenly I lost control and stopped the car, luckily no injuries either to me or the nearby property. With hazard lights on I drove the car very slowly home and looked under the car. What I saw really shocked me. The rear axle beam of my ford windstar(1998) cracked approximately 18"-24" from the driver side rear wheel and the entire welding (?)has separated from the mid portion. I could see the right portion of the beam welded and intact. I had just repaired the break fluid line for almost $600 and the mechanic never said a word about this crack before the repairs. I believe the rear axle / beam is a part of the vehicle that should last the lifetime of the vehicle and at least should not crack without giving any sign on the dashboard. Thanks
My 98 ford windstar rear axle split in two pulling into my work . I had noticed a noise from the back a few days before. I just put new tires on the van and noticed while a fellow employee was welding my axle so I could get home that the insides of my new tires were wore down already .I can not afford a new axle now and I have kids .I'm also aware that this is not the first windstar to have this problem I'm glad I was not going down the highway with my family and that happen. This is a ford problem and I should not have to fix a steel axle because water gets in it and it rusts it should of been put together so water cant get in it. Thank u please take care of this.
My 1998 ford windstar gl rear axle broke in two with no prior warning such as noise, handling problems or vibration. Being only 12 miles from home I was able to drive very slowly until we got home. By the time we got to our driveway we had also lost almost all brake pedal. The following day I raised the rear of the van and found the crack in the rear axle about 18 inches from the drivers side rear tire, and the abnormal movement after the break had caused the brake line to the rear tires to separate. Total replacement cost so far has been 500.00 dollars and I did all work myself. I have not yet finished the brake lines and shocks which will be even more costs. I kept the axle and will be glad to submit it for testing and/or send photos if requested.
1998 ford windstar's rear axle broke while driving on the road. No apparent reason for failure. The consequence of the failure is the loss of the ability to drive or handle the car. Axle snapped completely into two pieces and dragged against road. Rear wheels were at a 45 degree angle to the road. Rear axle had to be replaced.
I have a 1998 ford windstar and just noticed that the rear axle has cracked. As I checked online I noticed that this was being investigated for 1999 - 2007 windstars, and I just thought I would add my 1998 model to the list. I would like to see 98 models included in any recall.
1998 ford windstar - rear axle broken in two pieces.
My wife called me at work today because she was stranded along the road. When I got there what I found was a major surprise. The rear axle of out 1998 ford windstar had broke in 2 and was lying on the ground. She said that earlier she had heard a noise coming from the rear and stopped to check to see if she had a flat tire because the steering felt weird. Not seeing an flat tires she decided to drive home seeing that she was only a mile from home. About 3/4 of the way home she made a turn onto our road and there was a load noise and she was not able to easily control the van and ended up on the bank of a neighbors yard. Half the car on the bank and the other half on the road. I have contact ford via email and I am waiting for a reply. I am trying to decide if I should fix the minivan or purchase a new automobile. An axle snapping in 2 is not something that should ever happen unless the automobile is in an accident. If my wife and 3 kids would have been on the highway things would have been much worse and probably deadly.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, a rattling noise was heard coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon examining the vehicle the contact noticed the rear axle was cracked about 12 inches left of the center. The vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer to be examined. The failure and current mileages were 126,000. Updated 10/28/10. *lj the consumer stated the a plate was welded to the axle which was a temporary fix so he could drive the vehicle home. Updated 10/28/10
Broken rear axle on a 98 ford windstar with only 90,100 miles on it.
I have replaced the rear axle now for the third time. The first time it broke in half coming into my home driveway. The second time I heard a thumping noise from the rear of the van and looked to find a crack in the axle,I replaced it yet again. This last time the same thing happened,clunking noise to find yet another crack. The van has 130,000 miles has some body rust,but no reason for something critical like this to be happening.
Reading on-line because my mechanic's puzzled about the noises, I find that it's not only the 1999+ windstars that have had a problem, but -- if you would look at #2 and #3 here at this link: http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/1998/ford/windstar/suspension it's apparent that this axle breakage has occurred in 1998's as well. That is what I have, in which I'm hearing similar noises. Living in a salt-belt state, this is scary; don't even dare take it on the freeway! Hard to get out of town (such as to a graduation this weekend) without freeways. Very sad ... & hard to replace it, too, while on only social security. Something should be done to include 1998s (see link above) in this investigation, too, it appears. I didn't pay nearly $4000 to only drive a vehicle in town, and not be able to go anyplace! :o( [xxx] ps * didn't give "day" b/c this has been occurring the last few months, and finally asked the mechanic last month, once I was driving more again (in winter don't do much, and then at other times drive ma's car taking her places). Well, it insists on a date, after all, so will put on there, arbitrarily. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The rear axle on my 1998 ford windstar cracked. I was lucky enough to catch it before it completely broke in half.
While entering the merge ramp of the northern state parkway rear axle snapped in two.
The rear axle of our 1998 ford windstar gl, with only 99,630 miles, broke while going down a road going about 30 MPH. I hit small pothole, heard a clunk and then noticed that the vehicle was not handling properly. Not knowing what was wrong and since I was close to home, I drove it home and looked underneath and noted that the rear axle was split about 75% through. The rear wheels were sitting tilted toward the vehicle. We had a tow truck take the van to have it fixed.
The vehicle was driving normal and began to make noises in the front end. I had the vehicle inspected at a service garage and told the front coil springs are fractured.
I noticed my van was 'feeling weird' when I drove it-almost like I was driving on a slippery road and the back end was sliding. This went on for about 4 days. I had to drive my son to visit his father on an extremely snowy day. The roads were drivable but did have some snow on them. When I proceeded down the hill I live on, the sliding sensation was extremely exaggerated. The further I drove, the worse it got. I had to drive in 1st gear going less than 20 m.p.h. With the back end of my van fishtailing. I thought for sure we were going to roll over. Thank god I was passing the mechanic's garage I use, and I was able to pull in. I have just been informed that the rear axle has snapped and the vehicle is not drivable. Upon searching for how much a rear axle is going to cost, I was surprised to find a site where people list the problems they've had with the same vehicle. This is not an unusual thing to have occur!!!! People could very easily be killed when this breaks. It was only by the grace of god that we didn't wreck. Ford needs to further investigate this and put a recall on the rear axle.
Our 1998 ford windstar mini van rear axle broke. We were returning home. When we returned I went online to check how much it would cost to repair and was surprised to find that this van was not the only 98 to have this problem.
I have a 98 for windstar gl. On oct 9th I was coming back from work and the rear of the car kept fish tailing / slipping to oneside and as well as that night when I had to take my son to the hospital and back. Almost lost control coming back from the hospital. I did not get in the car at all that 10th cause of that. On oct 11th 2009 I was backing out from my parking spot in my apartment complex with my family in the car. As I backed up and as I put it in drive I heard a loud bang like I backed up into a car. Got out to see my back tires bent in. I pulled up slowly and looked underneath it and saw that my rear axel assy split in half. My mechanic never saw anything like it. I searched the web to see if there was any recalls but there wasn't any but found a bunch of people having the same problem from 98 to 02 windstars esp. While driving. So my van still sits. I think their should be a recall the rear axel assy split in half. Nothing was done yet part is going to cost 400 dollar and to get it installed will cost as much. Part was available through ford. But looking for part in junk yard for the van.
1. Ford sent recall notice (01s19/01m03) in september, 2001. Vehicle was taken in for service (11/7/01) and the receipt indicates that safety shields were installed 'to prevent a front spring failure from puncturing the front tires'. The notice also stated that 'what ford will do for you': "ford motor company will also pay far any repairs directly relating to the front coil springs of you vehicle free of charge (parts and labor)." it was at that time (2001), the owner received an 'extended coverage transferable warranty notice' on the front springs for 10 years from the warranty start date, regardless of mileage". 2. The springs may have fractured at a later date, or were broken at that time and not replaced. The vehicle has always had very low front ground clearance. Because of the low ground clearance and the installed shields, the spring failure was not noted even when new tires were installed. Returning the vehicle to the dealer in 2009, after a front break line failure, the owner inquired about checking for broken front springs under the recall campaign mentioned in the notice from 2001. That is when he leaned that the safety recall issue was satisfied with the "shield installation". This action apparently also removed the VIN from the safety recall data base. Thus, assuming that this is no longer a safety issue, the owner continues to drive the low mileage vehicle (less than 100,000 miles). 3. The cost of replacing the springs was estimated at $400 to $600 dollars by the dealer and no corrective action is being taken as apparently this is no longer a safety issue. The vehicle is a 1998 ford windstar that was purchased on 10/16/97, with five miles on it. 4. Is this vehicle safe to drive as there are nearly 100 similar complaints on this safety complaint web site? 5. As this vehicle did not qualify in the clunker program, is spring failure a lemon law issue?
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