Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. While driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle emitted a loud noise. The contact discovered that the rear axle fractured due to corrosion. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact also stated that the repair for the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v195000 (suspension) was performed; however, the repair did not correct the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 212,000. Updated 7/1/15
1999 Ford Windstar suspension complaints
Page 3 of 8: complaints 41 to 70 of 208, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The rear axle on my windstar van broke in half. The recall was already done prior to me purchasing it so I can't say when. Ford is not going to do anything to help. My wife and kids were in the van when this happened and she almost lost control when the tire exploded after the axle snapped. The break is located on the drivers side under the reinforcement bracket. From what I have seen online this is very common to break even after the recall is done. Obviously the repair(if you can call it that) is merely a bandaid to get the federal safety agency off there back and not to make the vehicles safe. You need to hold ford accountable for the vans safety, or lack of. There are many of these "time bombs" still on the road. Something needs to be done! Hopefully you respond quickly, the van is at the dealer now. I will be welding the axle saturday to get it home to replace the axle myself. I will be taking a lot of pictures before I do.
The sub frame is being replaced by car doctor jr because it was rotted thru 2 years ago the ford dealership told me their was no issue with the subframe. And their was no recall
I have a 1999 ford windstar mini van . My instrument cluster goes crazy all gauges just go up and down uncontrollably. I never know how much gas I have or how fast I am going and my ABS brake lite stays on always. And my front lower control arm is bending.
Driving down the road at 40 MPH it felt like a tire blew on the rear. When I pulled over ad got out to check it the tires were fine but the rear wheels were at a bad angle. Upon further inspection the rear axle beam has split rendering the vehicle undriveable. I have found that ford has recalled this part on may windstar minivans under 10s13. But not this one. I find this odd.
Ford dealer inspected vehicle due to recall for subframe/axle rust issue. Dealer claimed frame okay. While driving the lower control arm came detached from the frame causing crash due to rusting of mounts.
Was driving around 40 MPH, realized the van had a weird odd steering problem swerving to left and then to the right. I made it home then looked towards the back rear axle I seen a real large crack in the rear axle. The van back side was sitting really low like the axle was about to completely crack. Im not risking driving being a safety hazard. I seen there was a recall for it but ford says its not valid. I found many other people having the same issue similar to mine. Would like this issue resolved, I shouldn't have to repair a issue that is fords problem with salt on roads during the winter corrodes the metal of the rear axle for it to crack was the recall I found.
We took a trip to chattanooga for the weekend. While there we were going to do some shopping and we turned a corner and the wheel flew off. My husband paid for the tow and our insurance reimbursed him, and my husband paid for the repairs. We had no idea that this vehicle has recalls. Very scary!!
Driving along when right front started to veer right and wobble. These models are not safe. Ford is aware of this yet, will not honor a recall which affects these models. Although there is a corrosion sub frame break on 1999 ford windstar's and that is exactly what happened( mechanic will testify) to mine, they keep making excuses and will not honor the expenses for their faulty design. My vehicle is a 99 ford windstar in very good shape, new tires battery,etc. It is now sitting in my driveway because of a frame broken thru by corrosion. The front right almost put me into the ditch on the way home. This is a design flaw which was is or should be covered by recall. Ford previously recalled the same models 99-2003 for this exact problem. I have contacted my ford dealer (rapids ford, wis rapids), they said the recall no longer applies. How can this be? This is a very unsafe situation.
Ford recalled and replaced the rear axle in 2011 I believe. They did a repair on the front axle on a separate recall in 2011 as well. Now the front axle is rusting; same issue that was happening to the rear axle and what was somewhat repaired on the front passenger side. If the rear axle was recalled for abnormal rusting; it would appear the same material was used on the front axle. Ford bought out most windstar owners so there are probably not as much documentation of the front axle issue as there were with the rear.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the rear end axle became fractured. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer fir repairs or diagnosis. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the rear frame and driver's side suspension was severely corroded. The contact attempted to replace the rear tire when the jack penetrated the frame. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 10v385000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 146,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a tire replacement when the contact was advised that the rear axle was fractured in two places. The contact spoke with the manufacturer and was advised that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id numbers: 10v385000, 12v193000 or12v195000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 178,000.
The engine carriage is rusted out, and the rear axle is cracked due to rust. The main arm of the ball joint is completely pulled away from the frame because of the rust. I contacted baab ford in reed city michigan, because I was told by the mechanic I took it to originally that this was a recalled product. Baab ford told me yes it is a recall issue, but no they wont fix my vehicle because the VIN doesn't come up as one of the vehicles effected by the recall. I contacted ford motor company as they had advised me, ford motor company told me, my vehicle isn't on the recall list, regardless of the fact that it has both of the problems that 1998 - 2003 ford windstar was recalled for. The vehicle speeds up whenever it hits a bump and also pulls towards the center line especially on slippery roads or where loss of traction occurs. It also wears out tires every 2 weeks.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v195000 (suspension) and after the remedy repair was performed, the vehicle would abnormally drift out of the initial lane while the contact was driving at various speeds. The vehicle had not been repaired. There was no failure prior to the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 132,811.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v195000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). The contact had not experienced a failure or a defect prior to the recall repair. The contact noticed that one year after the repair was performed, the rear driver's side axle exhibited several cracks. The contact welded the defective axle himself. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. While parked, the contact noticed that the front driver's side of the sub frame was cracked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician advised that the engine cradle would have to be replaced. The vehicle was included and previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v194000 (suspension:front:control arm). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that any additional repairs would not be covered under the recall. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. While driving approximately 20 MPH the contact heard a rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stopped the vehicle on the shoulder of the road. After inspecting the vehicle the contact noticed the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic. The technician stated the rear axle would have to be replaced. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v195000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly) that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The vehicle was included and repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v195000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). After the repair, the contact was driving approximately 25 MPH when the vehicle began to shake vigorously. The dealer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive and they needed to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly) and was towed to the an authorized dealer. The dealer advised that the sub frame was corroded. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 196,098. And the current mileage was 198,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH the vehicle started jerking and swerving abnormally, casuing the rear driver side wheel to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and discoverd that the bolts were rusted and corroded and had caused the axle to fracture. The mechanic did not repair the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer because the axle was previously installed under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension: rear: axle: non-powered axle assembly). The dealer advised the contact that they would not repair the broken axle because it was repaired previously under the recall and had exceeded the 12,000 mile guarantee on the component. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who stated that they would be in contact at a later date. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Lived in the salt belt state of pa. Frame rusted out and I lost steering control and almost had an accident.this is a known issue via the federal safety agency action number: pe10026 and I would like ford to recall and fix this at thier cost.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact noticed corrosion on both the driver and passenger sides of the rear axle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The manufacturer confirmed that the contact's VIN did not qualify for repairs under the federal safety agency campaign id number:10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 224,000
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that after receiving notification of the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v385000(suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly), the vehicle was taken to the dealer. After inspection of the vehicle, the dealer advised her that the rear brackets were fractured and that they would have to replace the entire subframe. The brackets were replaced but not the entire frame. After repairs, the contact noticed a loud noise from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they advised her that the sway bar was rusted and needed to be welded back to the vehicle. The vehicle has not further repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised her that they would not touch the vehicle due to how the dealer repaired the vehicle under the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
The van has had both the front subframe and rear axel recall repairs completed. On picking up the van, it still had a hard pull to the right after paying for an alignment. The dealer attributed it to the tires. On putting the van in for pa inspection, it did not pass due to "subframe rotted at rear transmission mount". The ford dealer that performed the recall work subsequently looked at it, agreed the frame was rotted but that no recalls covered it. The repair cost is in excess of the vehicle value. I suspect the alignment could be related as well.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the front passenger side coil spring was fractured. The contact called the manufacturer regarding a recall for the failure for the 1998 ford windstar but was advised that the 1999 model was not included (the federal safety agency campaign id number: 01i007000 -suspension; front; coil springs). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 100,000.
I was pulling away after getting gas in my windstar and heard a loud banging noise, similar to when the transmission went out. I immediately experienced loss of control in steering, with the steering wheel turned to one side. I was fortunate that I was driving only 5 miles per hour. The van was examined by an independent mechanic (not ford affiliated) and I was told the subframe has completely rusted through. The subframe snapped on the passenger side and is ready to snap on the driver's side. I was told that all it would take is for me to hit a pothole and the subframe would snap on the driver's side and the engine and transmission would fall out. The mechanic told me he has never seen a 12 year old vehicle with a subframe in that condition. He took pictures of the subframe and emailed them to several mechanic friends. I have since learned, by doing research on the internet, that ford recalled the windstars due to a subframe issue, but I was not included in that recall because ford does not deem virginia a state where they use salt on the roads in the wintertime. I live 10-15 miles from both maryland and dc, and they are both included in the recall. I live in northern virginia and we receive heavy snowfall during the winter. Because I live close to the beltway, the dot and local public works departments heavily salt the roads even before snow starts to fall. We have a permanent white coating on the roads from the salt during the wintertime. It is ridiculous that ford did not recall the windstar's in all states because they know there is a problem with the subframes on the windstars. They don't take into account people who may travel from state to state, or people who border a state where they have recalled the subframes, and frequently drive in those states.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that after receiving notification of the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly), the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. The dealer advised that the vehicle failed inspection of the recall and no repairs were performed due to the lack of rust and corrosion. The contact then took the vehicle to a local mechanic for replacement of the shocks and steering rack. The mechanic advised that the frame was severely rusted and he was unable to perform the repairs. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they advised the contact that they were unable to perform any type of repairs as it pertained to the recall because the vehicle failed the recall inspection. The vehicle was left with the dealer for four months but was never repaired. The failure mileage was 241,000. Updated 07/28/11*lj updated 08/01/11
3 transmissions...multiple repairs all of which ford is aware and caused by faulty design. Recalled for axle and frame rotting. Ford used epoxy and a brace to "repair". Unsafe repair! Warranty offered is only 12 months, so ford also agrees it wont last. Frame and axle should last the life of vehicle. This is a dangerous vehicle and ford isnt willing to take any resposibility. They have kown about these problems for years, and are now saying they arent responsible.
We own a ford windstar that was sold and purchased in mass. And recently became aware of a safety recall for axle failure. Went to dealer and ford website and was told recall did not include my vehicle because I now reside in florida . I feel my car should be included in recall because it was driven in mass for a number of years in the snow and ice treated with road salt. Any help or some one to contact would be appreciated. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
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