A ford windstar made a loud banging sound at a parking I was at. When we tried to assist we found that the rear axle housing was broken in two pieces. Since it was the same vehicle we checked ours and it has a 2 and a half inch crack in the same exact spot on the housing. Checking the internet it has occurred on over 50 other vehicles of the same type. This is a dangerous condition!!! There is no weld point bend or otherwise to start a crack at that point. This is a case of severe metal fatigue. This break makes the rear wheels fold out with a loss of control. We are looking for another housing to replace it.
2000 Ford Windstar suspension complaints
Page 10 of 13: complaints 251 to 280 of 356, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving our 2000 ford windstar lx the rear axle cracked in half. If it would of been minutes later the van would have been back on the highway and we could of possibly got killed. There are a lot of other ford owners who have had the same problem since 1998 with the windstar's. There should be a recall on the rear axle before someone gets killed. This is a very dangerous problem that ford needs to address.
2000 ford windstar lx - 122,000 miles - rear axle failure on march 30, 2010 the windstar began fishtailing and swaying in the rear. It was also making a bang noise when turning right. Thought that the shocks were bad and was planning on replacing them. On friday, april 2, 2010 we were loading the family and dog for a trip to the beach. Prior to pulling out of the driveway I noticed the left rear wheel tilted inwards at the top. At that point I removed the family from the vehicle and jacked up the rear of the van. Upon inspection I noticed the rear axle beam was cracked approximately 12-18 inches in from the left wheel. I went on line and immediately discovered another 50+ complaints of the same failure. I initially though it broke due to the excessive potholes in the region. However, I now feel that this may be a much bigger problem and a defect with this type of vehicle. The only way to repair this issue is to replace the entire rear axle beam. The part alone cost $500 or more.
When going over a bump the rear end of the vehicle would sway after futher investagation the rear axle is split in 2 pieces 1 1/2 to 2 ft from the tire on the driver side
We own a 2000 ford windstar van. We felt strong vibrations from the rear of the car. We brought the car to a mechanic who noticed the rear drivers side axle had broken in two. After researching in the internet we have noticed this same exact break is happening in the same year of other owners. Ford is not reconizing the defect.
I own a 2000 ford winstar, the rear axle beam twice now for cracking/splitting ,both happend in the same spot,what are the chances of that? Bad metal ! I replace it with a 96 rear axle which has supports and a support beam under the axle, wish when I changed it the first time I changed it with this year axle!! Next I just noticed the other day that the sub-frame (engine cradle ) is rotted out on the passanger side! When going to the junk yards I have noticed his is a common problem, why wouldn't ford do something about this? After all these are family vans that haul chrildren 99% of the time! These things could cause death very easy! If they fail on a hwy god help them !!!
2000 ford windstar rear axel failure.
On this date, rear axel of my 2000 ford windstar broke and both rear wheels were bowed out and a large crack was discovered.
Snapped rear axle leading to loss of control. This axle had obviously been cracked for several years, based on corrosion in the crack. The loss of control was such that lives were in immediate danger.
The rear axle on my 2000 ford windstar se is broken almost all the way thru. The van has 105919 miles on it. This could have been a very serious problem had it broken at highway speed the break is approx. 2 feet from the left end of axle.
I own a 2000 ford windstar that has been having issues with swaying and control. Thinking it was just bad shocks I've replaced those and anything else I thought that might be causing the problem, to no avail. Recently while driving home on a state highway I took a corner and the vehicle felt like it was sliding on ice. I thought it was road conditions so I slowed down and we made it safely home. The next day my brother in law was following my wife and he said the back axle looked to be bent. Not believing this could happen I looked under the vehicle and about a foot and a 1/2 from the drivers side rear wheel I found a tear that was a 1/4 inch wide that extended from the beginning of the axle to up and over it. I realize that due to the age and mileage of the vehicle, over 100k I believe, that this is not under warranty. I wouldn't expect it to be but this puts the vehicle at risk for catastrophic failure that can be potentially fatal to others. At present im looking to find a new axle for our vehicle and, surprise, not having much luck. I wonder why?
2/9/10 wife contacted me about vehicle barely moving when pressing accelerator. I check when I returned home to find that the rear axle had broken. After some research, I found that this is much more common in northern states as opposed to southern states. I live in pa and sc. Dealers in sc had never heard of such a thing. Obviously an issue of inferior steel not truly designed to withstand corrosive or inclement environments. I found a good axle in great shape here in sc, and I repaired the vehicle myself. I am saving the old axle for photos and evidence.
I had just had our 2000 ford windstar serviced at our ford dealer a few days before where they replaced worn sway bars and bushings. I was backing out of our driveway when I heard a snap and then could here something metal dragging on the ground. I pulled back into my driveway and looked under my car to find that the rear axle had broken in about the center of the axle. I had it towed into our ford dealer to find out what happened they took a look at it and said it snapped and that there was no sign of wear before it broke. I asked if there was any previous knowledge of this happening or if ford was aware of this issue and was told no.
This is my second complaint to document the exact same incidents I've had with two different 2000 ford windstars. On the first, my rear axle broke in 2008 after I went over the 100,000 mile mark. I'm just thankful my mechanic caught it during routine maintenance and it didn't snap when I was driving. Ford said it was an anomaly or that I must've done it towing our camper and did nothing. My son wound up totaling the car later that year and with the insurance settlement I found the same year, make and model that I could afford. This new 2000 windstar only had 50,000 miles on it. I've had it for 14 months and my mechanic just found the same defect. He kept an eye on this one because of what happened the last time, thank heaven. This car was used, but had a clear carfax and I've never had any accidents in either car (well, until my dopey son wrecked the first!) ... Axle housing corroded and worn in exactly the same spot, to the left of center. Again I called ford motor company and they said the same thing as last time. There have been no recalls for this, I'm past warranty, they can't do anything, blah blah blah. I even stopped back in at the dealer, where I had gone after my first windstar's axle snapped (I actually brought them the axle then to show them then) and pointed it out again, noting that this car had no trailer hitch, so their explanation for the last one was shot out of the water. As a matter of fact, my mechanic said he's had a couple in between my two, and the guy who delivered the part to have this second one fixed said this was the fourth he'd delivered this week. I even stopped at a gas station and was chatting with a friend about what happened when the attendant said the same thing happened to her neighbor's windstar. I wonder how many people didn't bother to (or don't know how to) report it, like me on the first time, because ford said it wasn't happening anywhere else or that it was their fault.
I've had the rear axle break on two separate 2000 ford windstars. Judging from the complaints I've seen here (similar reports posted by different people in suspension, rear suspension and rear suspension axle assembly component categories) I've got plenty of company ... Looks like the problem exists on 2001 windstars as well , I didn't look any further, but seems to happen when they hit the 10 year or 100,000 mile mark. I'm filing two separate complaints for the two cars (first car, ford guy insisted I did it!). This is the first. During routine maintenance my mechanic spotted the rear axle housing had corroded and split right in half to the left of its center. I called ford main office, they said they had never heard of anything like this happening before and because I was beyond warranty, they could do nothing, yadda yadda yadda. I went to the service dept. At the dealer where I bought it brand new in 2000 and he said I must have done it because we towed a pop-up camper (about a half dozen times in the nearly 9 years I owned the car). We paid our private mechanic to fix the problem. He had never seen anything like it before, but since has seen others come in with the same problem in the same spot. I have photos of both of my cars showing how the same thing happened in the same spot. This first car had just under 110,000 miles on it.
The rear axle on my 2000 ford windstar just split while driving it! There is no rust or wear and tear. I have all my maintenance receipts and my mechanic says this should have never happened. My children and I could've been killed if we were driving on a highway instead of a local road.
2000 ford windstar rear axle snapped in half just to the left of center.
2000 windstar 86,000k miles.... Driving down the road and the van started to drift violently left and right. Pulled over and noticed the rear axle had snapped in two. Rear axle still has not been repaired
We experienced fish tailing in the rear of our 2000 ford windstar while traveling in heavy holiday traffic during a torrential rain storm on nj garden state parkway - we thought it was the rain on a very cold day. Ten miles after 400 miles of parkway travel over the holidays with my entire family in the van, the rear axle broke in half, off center to left. My investigation shows me that this has happened to many other windstar owners around the 100,000 mile mark. We, like many others who posted it here and other complaint sites, thank god that it did not happen while going 65 MPH in heavy traffic. There have been many near accidents sited and ford claims they know nothing about this issue. As many more windstar approach this milestone - word needs to get about to have them and their mechanics watch for this. I was without transportation for a week and it cost us $1,000 to replace it and our mechanic could not find anywhere where it is advised to check this out on routine maintenance ? He was horrified. In the broken rear axle category for 2000 windstar's reported on this site, there are only six less number of complaints (57 vs. 51) as there is the speed control issue that ford just sent out a recall for and in 2001 there were eight more complaints ? 45 broken axles vs. 38 speed control! Ford customer service was less than concerned when I called to report it. This is a fatality looking to happen - if it hasn't already! *tr updated 10/22/10 *bf the consumer stated she is being reimbursed, since ford recalled her vehicle. Updated ivoq 10/26/10
The rear axle beam of my 2000 ford windstar split in 2 while I was making a right hand turn causing the rear wheels to flare out. The service station said they have made repairs to other windstars with the same problem. Lucky for me I was not going fast and there were no injuries. I learned later that the beam rusted out from the inside as water had infiltrated the beam.
On or about december 1st,2009 my 2000 ford windstar started making loud squeaking noises from the rear of my van when I would make turns and also started swaying from side to side whenever I would go over bumps .almost felt like my rear wheels were going to fall off from very loose lugnuts, but they were tight. As the next few weeks went by the problems became worse. Today(1/2/2010)I decided to look underneath the rear of my van. I was in disbelief to see my rear axle cracked almost all the way through about 2 feet in from the drivers side. I couldn't believe it. I have 4 small children and we just went on a trip on the highway 2 days prior to me checking the problem. I have seen this is a common problem with the windstar . I have done some research on this problem and found this to be a widespread problem with all different years of the windstar. Something has to be done before someone is seriously injured from this problem. This axle should not crack or break under normal wear of the vehicle. This is a major component of the van and causes serious safety issues. Right now the van is sitting in my driveway. I am trying to find a used axle from somewhere so I could get it back on the road. Ford should really do something about this issue. Thanks you...
The steering on the van starting feeling loose. We occasionally noticed a sound in rear right when pulling out of our driveway. Took it to the shop to check tires and shocks. They found the rear axle had snapped and was broken 75% of the way through. They replaced the rear axle.
The 2000 ford windstar had been having some handling issues such that if there was water or sand on the road we would fishtail and feel like driving on black ice. I was always able to recover control of the vehicle without incident. It got to a point the vehicle couldn't be driven safely in wet or snowy conditions. The vehicle was pretty much driven in small town conditions. The problem was identified when the rear passenger wheel top was angled into the vehicle (I.e. Camber off by 2-3 inches). Mechanic inspected the suspension and found a cracked rear axle with no signs of rust or damage nearby. The axle will have to be replaced.
I have a 2000 ford windstar lx sport 3.8l v6. It has 112,000 miles on it. I took it to our local mechanic to have the rear brakes replaced. He notified me that the rear axle was cracked. He said there was none in the junkyards but that he could repair and reinforce the axle. It is a good thing our mechanic found the cracked axle. No telling how or under what conditions the axle could have snapped and someone or a family member gets killed or seriously injured due to the failure of a major component. Please investigate this report as it is a safety issue for this vehicle that ford needs to address.
200 ford windstar with very dangerous handling. Took it to mechanic and was informed that rear axle was severely cracked and both rear tires were worn down to the wires.
Driving down the road and I hear a sudden thump then a dragging sound, I pulled over and found that the back axle had broken in half.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving 55 MPH, she struck a small bump on a bridge. As she attempted to shift to the left,she felt the left side of the vehicle drop. Upon further inspection she noticed that the left rear tire was flat. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility, and the mechanic stated that the axle had fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was in process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 150,000. The VIN was not available.
My 2000 ford windstar with approx 140000 miles had its rear axle snap in two. As I review other complaints this does not seem to be an isolated case.
Was driving my 1 mile to work and suddenly the rear end started shimmying all over. Pulled over, saw my rear wheels were bowed, checked the rear axle, which was cracked through minus the bottom. Drove to the shop and they say they will have to replace the rear axle. They all expressed how shocked they were that an axle would snap when there was no rust at or near the area where is snapped.
Driving approx. 60 MPH on freeway. Wobbling situation with body of auto (thinking flat tire) then rear of van drops. Loud scraping sound. Able to pull off road. Looked under rear of van and noticed broken(completely) axle.
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