My 2001 ford windstar had a squeaking noise in rear of vehicle .noticed over bumps or just rocking front to back. Researched on internet and came across the same complaint about rear axle cracking and braking. Inspected and found the axle cracked on the rear and half way around. Had not cracked all 360 deg or else more damage and possibly injury could have happened.
2001 Ford Windstar suspension complaints
Page 14 of 15: complaints 371 to 400 of 416, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2001 ford windstar has a crack in the rear axle. I've read on the internet about several instances of this happening and the axle cracks in two pieces causing at least that the vehicle is not drivable. If this would happen even at moderate highway speeds there could be devastating consequences. So far I don;t see a recall for this defect from ford. The mileage of my ford windstar is 71,000 miles. It seems that the axle is rusted from the inside but my vehicle has been garage kept since it was first purchased. I believe this incident should be recalled for safeties sake. I think all windstars with this axle design should be recalled and have the axle replaced.
Rear subframe axle assembly part #2f2z 4b435 aa broke in half causing loss of control of vehicle & loss of brakes.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. Whenever driving over a bump at various speeds, the contact noticed that the rear of the vehicle would sway from left to right. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the rear axle cracked in half. Prior to the failure, the contact heard a creaking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 59,138. Updated 11-19-08 *bf updated 11/20/08.
Had just gotten onto highway going about 45 MPH ,changed lanes to accelerate and felt like a tire blew out ,heard something dragging, luckily exited off quickly pulled over to find that rear axel had broke and both tires were on their way to caving in. No accident or injury-thank god. Called ford dealership and was told no recalls on axles and this was a "common occurrence."
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While driving 40 MPH, the contact drove over a bump in the road and suddenly the rear end of the vehicle fell to the ground. He did not notice any differences beforehand. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the rear axle needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 148,000. Phone update on 10/28/08: ms. Corby drove over a dip on the road and immediately heard a loud crack. The vehicle swerved and smoke came out from the driver side rear wheel area. She said that there was brake fluid on the ground and that the rear axle had severed. The left rear tire slanted a lot and the right rear tire slanted less. No prior warning. She had four children in the van at that time. She drove over that road thousands of times and never had a problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While driving 10 MPH and proceeding to a stop sign, the contact experienced a loss of steering control and the front wheels locked. The vehicle was inoperable and there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. Roadside assistance was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The technician stated that the failure was related to the lower control arm brackets at the subframe. The vehicle is currently being repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure and current mileages were 64,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle would make cracking noises while attempting to make a left or right turn. While undergoing a scheduled oil change, an independent mechanic found a huge crack in the rear axle. The manufacturer was called and instructed him to bring the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
Failure of the right lower control arm mounts at the subframe occurred with no warning or prior symptoms. My vehicle is a 2001 ford windstar with approximately 71k miles. My children and I were on a highway on-ramp approaching highway speed when the failure occurred, causing the wheel to swing out from the vehicle and the axle shaft to pull out of the transaxle. The van swayed and bucked with the rear end bouncing up and down off the ground nearly flipping the vehicle. I can't imagine what could have happened four or five seconds later at highway speed. The van was towed to a local service station where it remains about 100 miles from my home. My local dealer was contacted but the service writer said I would need to contact the ford customer relations center who in turn informed me that it was not within ford motor company's guidelines to offer any assistance. Linda, the department supervisor, said that there is nothing she can do, unless the federal safety agency issues a recall, because the van is out of warranty and out of the 5 year range they use for making "good relations allowances". I know there has been at least 12 or 13 similar complaints on the federal safety agency web sight and others on blogs (ie allworldauto.com ) so I agree with one of your complainants that "this is a severe failure that is premature, not easily detectable, potentially fatal, and will likely occur more frequently as these vehicles age". I too, strongly urge the federal safety agency to conduct an engineering investigation regarding this failure.
Several weeks prior to september 13, 2008, we began hearing an intermittent creaking noise at the rear of the vehicle as our 2001 ford windstar would go over bumps at a slow speed (best example is driving over the curb leading up our driveway). On friday september 12th, while heading on a 45 minute trip to our weekend home with my wife and 2 young sons, I commented to my wife that I was planning on taking the vehicle in the following monday for an inspection. On saturday the 13th, while enroute to a restaurant, we heard a "whistling noise." we got out and discovered both rear wheels were leaning in at the top. We hobbled the car back and upon inspection the following day discovered that the rear axle was nearly severed in two. It appeared that it had rusted out from the inside. Keep in mind that the vehicle is only a 2001 and is nearly rust free everywhere else save for a few telltale signs os beginning rust in the usually spots (wheel wells). Given that the outside of the axle is rust free, I'm not sure how I would have detected it (or even expected it to happen in 7-year old vehicle) except for the creaking noise. I'm thankful that the axle did not fail while on the highway or while my wife was using the vehicle (she uses it daily to go to work and transport our kids to school). I did note that there were 6 other identical complaints on "carcomplaints.com." I do not have the car in the shop yet - arranging for repairs is today's' task. Given the comments I've seen online in the aforementioned complaints it does not appear that 1.) ford has anything to say about the incidents and 2.) mechanics can't believe that a non-serviceable part like this would fail on a 2001 vehicle.
Without any warning the rear axel on my 2001 ford windstar minivan snapped completely in two. We had just gotten off a busy highway and luckily were going very slowly on a side street. We all would surely have been killed if this had happened 5 minutes earlier.
I was pulling my van into a parking spot at my doctor's office. All of a sudden, there was a loud "boom" sound. The van felt like it dropped down closer to the cement. I noticed the brake fault light on the dash came on. I immediately put the car into park and turned the ignition off. I got out of van and both of the rear wheels were pointed in at the top of the tire. The rear axle had broke completely in two right in the middle. Thank god my twelve year old wasn't with me and we weren't going 55 MPH down the road. I've looked this up on-line and it seems to be a problem with ford windstar's. I question why there hasn't been any publications on this problem. This will cause a serious or catastrophic injury.
2001 ford windstar 70,000 miles, had a minor fender bender took to the dealer for repair, once I received the van back an hour after the check engine light came on, called dealer they stated that they needed to reset the codes bring it back when I could. The very next day and every day after that until the final day I called stating the steering wheel seemed odd and I had to slightly turn it to the left to go straight. I again was told that they just needed to realign the steering wheel but not to worry. On the fifth day I called and said I wasn't sure the vehicle was safe to drive because the wheel now had to be turned half way to the left to go straight. Again I was told not to worry just bring it in the next day. 3 minutes later the vehicle stopped and wouldn't move. A tow truck was called and it turns out the control arm that was just replaced fell off!! The dealer informed me it was not their fault due to the fact that the frame was rotted out, something they claim to have never seen. Needless to say after hours on the phone with ford and the dealer so far I have gotten no where. So I decided to do some research online and found this site which informed me that there are almost 15 cases of the same thing reported! Why does ford think this is not their problem and are they waiting for a fatal accident to do something about this?
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact heard a loud banging sound along with a burning smell. The steering became very difficult to maneuver, but she was able to safely pull off the road. The contact noticed that the rear axle had completely failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they verified that the axle failed. The vehicle has not been repaired because the contact is waiting on a response from the manufacturer. She has pictures of the failed component. The failure and current mileages were 70,000. Updated 6/16/08 *cn updated
Broken rear axle beam.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While accelerating from a stop, the contact felt as if the vehicle had a flat tire. When he pulled the vehicle over, the front end dropped and he heard the fan striking the metal. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the front passenger side control arm mount rusted from the subframe and the engine cradle. The dealer replaced the engine cradle. The vehicle is still under repair. The current and failure mileages were 44,139. Updated 04/21/08
Broken axel beam.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While driving between 5-10 MPH, the vehicle dropped and came to a stop. The contact noticed that both rear wheels were folded inward. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic and they stated that the rear axle snapped due to a defective part. The part was not rusted. The mechanic replaced the rear axle. The current and failure mileages were 68,200. Updated 07/15/08 *bf updated 07/15/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While driving 30 MPH, the driver side front tire blew out. The vehicle was pulled over, but the tire was unable to be changed due to broken parts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the coil spring failed and caused the tire to blow out. The current and failure mileages were 136,000.
On or about december 15, 2007 my husband noticed when he hit a bump in the road the rear end of our 2001 ford windstar lx felt loose. We thought the shocks were starting to ware. On december 20, 2007 my husband started on his way home from work around 3:30 pm he headed south on i55 out of chicago and reached our driveway in the southwest suburbs approximately 5:00 pm. At 5:30 p. Our family with two children got into the van to go christmas shopping. As we were pulling out of the driveway the van jerked and screeched. We thought we hit someone that had parked behind us. We jumped out to see what happened and noticed our rear tires looked funny and the back end was really low. When we looked under it we saw that the axle was broken in two. It had just snapped. If this had happened a half hour earlier this would have happened on the expressway in rush hour traffic and I hate to think what would have happened, or 15 minutes later when we were on i355 going christmas shopping with our children. We were more than happy to have this happen in our driveway but this is our only vehicle and we don't have the 1000.00 it will cost to replace the part. The van is no longer under warranty, it has 72,915 miles on it. How inconvenient!
The rear axle on my 2001 ford winstar cracked and broke. This is a safety issue and engineering defect and should be corrected by ford and the dealer.
On october 19, 2007 I backed out of my driveway, shifted into drive and began to go forward when I felt an alarming sensation in my car. I pulled over to the side of the road to inspect my tires. All looked fine so I returned to my car, shifted into drive again and began to go forward when I felt the rear of the car sway. I pulled over again and looked under the back of the car when I saw that my rear axel has snapped in two. On the day of the event my car had 65,700 miles on the odometer. I had my car towed to a local mechanic in wakefield, mass. Both the tow truck driver and the mechanic seperately told me this was shocking and not something that should happen to a car. After analyzing my car the mechanic determined that the broken axel was a manufacturer defect. There is a clean break in the axel where the two broken parts fit together snug like a puzzle. There is no evidence of an accident or tampering to the axel. The mechanic showed me where there is a part of the axel where water can get in, but there is no way for the water to escape. As a result the axel rusted from the inside until it weakened and broke. My mechanic has photographed this part and is holding it at his garage for inspection. As an aside, I have also contacted the owner of stoneham ford, mark melkonian, to report the problem. He looked up my service account and verified I have "been faithful in the maintanence schedule." I, like my mechanic, believe this is a serious issue in which other consumers will soon, if not already, experience an axel break. Had the axel given when I was on the highway with my children in the vehicle, the outcome might have been much more severe. I am afraid if this is not reviewed another family may have a critical outcome in the course of the axel giving way. Could you please advise what I need to do to have someone look at this part of the car and how it simply cracked in two.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While making a left turn at 10 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop and it was discovered that the lower control arm bracket failed and the sub-frame was rusted. The repair would cost $1,000. The vehicle is no longer under warranty. The current and failure mileages were 130,000.
I was driving downtown to pick up pizza for my family, as I braked for a stop sign and came to a stop I heard a loud noise and experienced a very hard shaking from the front of the van as if I had been hit by something. After investigating and finding no visible damage o vehicle I drove home slowly. After traveling approximately a mile or so I began to smell something hot. As I began to pull over to the edge of the road I saw smoke, and then I experienced a blowout of the left front tire and the left front side of the vehicle dropped towards the ground. Prior to this event I had no problem with the vehicle and heard no noises related to this. I am now having the vehicle transported to the local ford garage ,where they are going to replace the front springs, and assess for any other damage caused by this incident.
Tl*- the contact stated that the 2001 ford windstar frame was cracked. On 02/23/07 the vehicle was raised to see if the cause of a loud noise which came from the rear passenger tire could be found. She stated that the tire leaned inward. It was observed that the frame had a crack about 3 inches from the brake drum. The contact had not called anyone to find out what should be done. A new framed was installed on the vehicle. She stated that she still has the tire that came from the vehicle. The contact will submit pictures of the tire and of the cracked frame from the vehicle. The current mileage was 90000.*ak the axle was replaced. Updated 04/05/07.
Tl* - the contact has a 2001 ford windstar. While the vehicle was parked heard a loud bang.he looked at the front suspension and noticed that the driver's side coil spring failed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, where the van was being fixed. The contact called the manufacture r, and they told him that it was out of warranty, and they could not help him. The contact said that he had pictures, and will have the part to send.
When driving and turning in cold weather the front end makes a very loud noise. The struts where replaced under the 36.000 mile warranty but started making this loud noise again last fall of 2005. I can't believe they keep putting on bad struts there must be some kind of defect.
I was traveling at 25-30 MPH heard a heavy clunking noise, felt the steering wheel lose control of the wheels and pulled over almost immediately and called a tow truck. We replaced the coil springs on both front wheels.
2001 ford windstar coil spring broke while backing slowly out of driveway. We heard a loud "snap" from the front right tire. Upon inspection, we saw the coil spring had cracked in two pieces. Ford windstars had a recall for 1997 and 1998 for this very problem. I believe this should be investigated. May be a recall needed here.
Dt*: the contact stated while pulling out at 7mph a snapping noise was heard from under the vehicle near the passenger side tire. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. Upon inspection the dealer determined the front coil spring needed to be replaced due to road salt corrosion. The front coil spring is currently being replaced at the dealership. 08/02/06 updated.
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