At the 75000 mile check up with henry curtis ford, we asked that they check out an abnormal noise in the front left wheel. They reported that they could not hear any problem. We drove the van to utah the next week. On the way back the noise became increasingly worse. We drove it locally for two weeks with the noise becoming worse. We called for another appointment after it sounded like something broke. We tried driving to the dealership but ended up needing a tow when the wheel broke. About six weeks later the right front tire began to lose air. Thinking that we had picked up a nail we went to the tire shop to get the tire repaired. The shop discovered that the wheel was leaking air at the welds. After calling around to find a new wheel they came and told us that wheels were hard to find because so many were leaking and breaking at the welds. Quite frankly I am afraid to let my wife put herself and our children at risk of the wheels breaking while she is going somewhere. I went to the dealer to see what they knew about this and they said they knew nothing. I asked who the manufacturer of the wheels is and they were not able to give me that information. I am under the impression that this is the only wheel for that car. I am concerned for the safety of other families who might be traveling in a van that they feel is safe when the dealer can't even find the problem and sends them off to their destination with a false idea of safety. I shudder to think what would happen to a family traveling at 75 MPH down a mountain pass in nevada and a wheel breaks. Have you had other reports of this nature?
1998 Ford Windstar wheels complaints
Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 83 of 83, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2 of 4 wheels on our windstar developed wheel leaks on the weld line joining the tire bead flange to the center hub section of the wheel (original suspicion was tire or valve stem leak, but soaping rim shows air bubbling through weld). First failed wheel replaced by dealer. Second wheel replaced by local garage (dealer wanted $50 deductable) and is available for examination. I've never heard of such a defect, but ford dealer mechanic volunteered that they've "seen windstar wheels leak". Garage replacing second wheel made similar comment. A friend with 1996 windstar had two wheels fail with same problem. Dealer rejected claim of accelerated tire wear caused by first failure ($80 replacement cost). Second tire has wear on outer edges and will need premature replacement ($80!). As a safety-related defect (loss of tire pressure due to wheel leakage could lead to tire failure and potential loss of vehicle control) ford logically should be responsible for all costs related to correcting this defect. Based on the limited sample I've seen (4 of 8 wheels on two vans failed; factory and independent mechanics specifically aware of problem with windstar wheels), logically qualifies it as an epidemic failure (albeit with a low sampling certainty, pending expansion of the sample base). It's likely that ford motor co. Has service records to confirm these observations.
Metal part of wheels - all four- cracked. Two were in bad shape. Forunatly no accidents. Heard cracking sound first then inspected an noticed cracks
Passenger's side front tire bolts sheared off and wheel rolled down the highway. Car rested on front disc brake. Then it came to a stop. Mechanic said the bolts broke off, and nuts were still on them.
My wife was turing left at a red light and was waiting for pedistrians to cross the street. As she turned the corner the right front tire snapped off of the hub and almost hit a lawyer! All five of the studs broke off, the metal indicated they were fresh breaks. There was not any indication of the nuts being lose, the nuts were still screwed on the studs. The wheel and nuts did not look scared as if they had been lose. Pior to the wheel coming off there had been no shimmy or vibration at all. I had driven the vehicle the previous night and had not felt anything out of the ordinary. She had only accelerated from the left turn position about 15ft and could not have been going faster than 5 MPH. The vehicle had not been serviced after we purchased it. Thank god she was not on the interstate in 5'oclock traffic!
The left wheel lugs: nuts broke off or sheared off which may cause the wheel to fall off. Occurred twice. Please provide further information.
1)all 5 lugs: nuts sheared off from the right front passenger hub, causing the wheel to leave the vehicle. The body of the vehicle traveled approximately 200 feet until it stopped. 2)the rear brakes had to be replaced with new pads and rotors. Dealer couldn't explain why this was a problem. 3) the next day the right passenger mirror electical system no longer worked. 4)the parking brake consistently does not disengage after use. We no longer use it, possibly creating a safety hazard. 5) the vehicle intermittently stalls out at low speeds or upon stopping. Additionally the initial gears shift hard and loud. 6) the rear seat will not move on the track.
Front drifts to the right at slower speeds and to the left at high speeds.
Repeated incidents of unusual tire wear; this vehicle now has 21,900 miles on it and it is on literally its third set of tires. The tires keep cupping and causing the van to become misaligned; caribou ford has had this vehicle in its shop in excess of 10 times for this and other related problems. The shift cable then broke (thankfully) when I was stopped in a parking lot, and the vehicle was in park. I don't know what I would have done if I'd been on the highway or elsewhere, moving. Please let me know if you have had any similar complaint concerning the tire wear/misalignment problem. The vehicle vibrates significantly at highway speeds and lower as a result of this problem, which I do consider a safety problem. You can literally see the steering wheel shake. I appreciate your investigating this problem. Thank you for your time.( dot number: tire size: p215/7 )
Lug nuts broke off of right front tire and hub of wheel/brake drum, resulting in tire falling off of vehicle and causing damage to vehicle. (ohio traffic crash report). Mjs
While driving at 70 MPH 2 lugs: nuts came off, and the consumer had to pull over to the side of the road. Consumer took off the hub cap and noticed that two of the lugs: nuts came off, and the other three were coming off. The studs sheared off inside the lug nuts.
Vibration from rear drivers side wheel due to 4 lug nuts falling off wheel, wheel was being secured by 1 loose lug nut.
Missing or improperly adjusted lug nuts are a factory problem on 1998 units manufactured in canada.
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