The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 11V030000 (STRUCTURE) and 15V608000 (SUSPENSION). The contact stated that while approaching a traffic signal and driving slowly, the vehicle shook, and the engine shifted. The contact stated that the engine shifted to the right. In addition, the contact lost control of the steering wheel. The contact stated that the RPMs became elevated. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and turned off the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle, and upon inspection, became aware that the subframe had detached and was dragging. The contact believed that the motor mounts were fractured. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic, and the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle remained at the tow yard unrepaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.
2002 Ford Windstar body problems
101 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 114,356. 7 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 101
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 114,356
- crashes
- 7
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Frame and members30
- Body29
- Body: door16
- Frame and members: underbody shields9
- Body: door: hinge and attachments2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Windstar body problems in other years
Related recalls
Structure: frame and members: underbody shields
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 1999-2003 windstar vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, utah, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin. A separation of a front lower control arm rear attaching bracket may result in a lower control arm separation. A separation of both front subframe rear body mounts may result in separation of the steering intermediate shaft.
- Risk
- This could result in reduced steering control increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect both front lower control arm rear attaching brackets, and both body mount attachments at the rear of the front subframe, and make the necessary repairs free of charge. If repairs cannot be made to a vehicle, ford will offer to repurchase the vehicle. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before february 21, 2011. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 11V030000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Front Subframe Corrosion Failures
In a January 26, 2011 Defect Information Report, Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall to address corrosion related fractures in the front lower control arm rear attaching brackets and body mount attachments at the rear of the front subframe in approximately 425,288 model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 Ford Windstar vehicles manufactured from April 1998 to July 2003 and either sold or currently registered in the following high corrosion (Salt-Belt) states:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin (the federal safety agency Recall No. 11V‑030, Ford Recall No. 11S16).According to Ford, separation of a front lower control arm rear attaching bracket may result in a lower control arm separation and separations of both front subframe rear body mounts may result in separation of the steering intermediate shaft.Either condition could result in diminished vehicle directional control, increasing the risk of a crash.Dealers will inspect the lower control arm rear attachment flanges and the rear body mount sections of the subframe on the right (passenger) and left (driver) sides of the vehicle.Owners of vehicles that pass the inspection will be notified when to return for installation of reinforcement brackets to extend the durability of the front subframe assembly in affected areas in the presence of corrosion.Owners of vehicles that do not pass inspection, but can be repaired, will be offered transportation until parts become available.Repurchase offers will be extended to owners of vehicles that cannot be repaired with the reinforcement brackets.This investigation is closed.
EA10007
Front Subframe Corrosion Failures
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified 346 complaints to ODI and Ford alleging fracture, cracking and or excessive corrosion of the front subframes in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 Ford Windstar vehicles.Approximately 97 percent of these complaints (334) involve vehicles that have been operated in Salt Belt states, which make up approximately 60 percent of the subject vehicle sales in the United States.The front subframe, sometimes referred to as the engine cradle, is a structural component of the Windstar vehicles that carries the engine, transaxle, steering rack and certain front suspension components (e.g., lower control arm).For complaints with sufficient information to identify the location of the failure, most describe problems with the rear mounting bracket for the front passenger-side lower control arm with some related to the rear body mount attachment located in the same general area of the subframe (right-rear section near the front passenger wheel).The remainder of the reports allege fracture of the front subframe at other or, most often, unspecified locations.Almost all of the complaints that specified the side of the vehicle indicated that the problem occurred on the right/passenger side (106), with only a few indicating the left/driver side (2) or both sides (3) were affected.Ford and several complainants attributed the right-side failures to the routing of the air-conditioning lines above the front subframe on that side of the vehicle, further noting that condensation has been observed dripping onto the front subframe in the area of the affected components (the A/C drain tube is also located on the right side, near the front subframe).ODI has identified 93 complaints related to lower control arm attachments, including 80 that appear to involve complete separations.All but one of these involved vehicles from Salt Belt states.All three crash incidents appear to be related to lower control arm separations, including one road departure into a road-side sign resulting in a totalled vehicle and a lane departure into another vehicle.Almost half of the ODI complaints related to control arm separation occurred at speeds greater than 20 mph and about a quarter occurred at highway speeds.Three-quarters of these complaints allege experiencing difficulty controlling the vehicle and about 40 percent appear to have resulted in departures from the intended lane of travel.Testing by both Ford and the federal safety agency have demonstrated that lower control arm separation from the rear attachment bracket results in significant toe out of the affected wheel, which affects the driver's ability to control vehicle direction.According to Ford, moderate braking improved vehicle controllability by reducing the amount of toe out, possibly explaining incidents that did not allege a loss of control.ODI's analysis of complaints related to the rear body mount identified 41 complaints (ODI only).These complaints generally report experiencing progressively worsening noise concerns when turning, accelerating or braking.Although, some of the complaints that appeared to involve a complete separation of the body mount alleged difficulty steering, the effects on vehicle control from this failure mode do not appear to be as great as those resulting from control arm separation.However, ODI is seeking more information regarding two complaints which alleged that body mount failure resulted in disconnection of the steering wheel from the steering rack (one occurred during vehicle service).This investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA10-007) for subject vehicles sold or currently re
PE10026
Power sliding door opening
The subject vehicles are equipped with single or dual power sliding doors (psd).approximately 111,000 vehicles have dual power sliding doors.the psd is opened by any of 5 methods, the inside or outside manual door handle, the key fob, the overhead console switch and the b-pillar switch.the door may be opened only under these conditions: ignition key is in off/accessories/on/start position, gear selector in park, vehicle speed less than 6 MPH, and door unlocked.the psd latch is located at the rear of the door and has a secondary and primary latch position.full and proper closure engages both the secondary and primary latch.with the ignition in the on position, as the gear selector is moved out of park the door automatically locks and that action mechanically isolates the latch, secondary and primary, from all latch release connections.in addition to the reports alleging door opening while driving, ford has received approximately 5,700 reports that allege the door does not close properly or pops open with no mention of while driving.ford's investigation into these report included owner interviews, vehicle by-backs and testing of consumer vehicles.it found that allegations of door opening while driving were in fact reports of doors not being properly closed initially and subsequently opening to the secondary latch position as a result of vehicle vibrations or driving maneuvers.ford's testing of consumer vehicles did not result in any recurrence of psd opening while being driven.odi interviews with owners affirmed the allegations of psd opening while driving; however owners indicated the event is not a regular occurrence (I.e.,it occurred only once or has not occurred recently) and that the unintended psd opening may not be able to be duplicated.in contrast, the improper closing of the psd (latching on the secondary but not the primary latch) can be duplicated, and odi verified this during an inspection of a consumer vehicle.in this condition (secondary but no primary latch), when the vehicle's gear selector is moved out of park position, a warning chime sounds and warning message appears on the instrument panel.most reports and warranty claims were filed in the early service-life of the vehicle and peaked around the 18-month in-service time period.odi and mfr complaint trends are declining over the last 8 quarters.there is no alleged injury associated with occupant falling out while the vehicle is in motion.no failure mode causing full door opening while vehicle is in motion has been verified (reproduced by odi or by trained service technicians at dealerships) during this investigation.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
PE04022
What 2002 Ford Windstar owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Axle broke on rt side just underneath the bracket that ford installed for recall.i was only going 10mph when it happened no warning I was able to gain control and stop was towed into a shop not driveable if this seems to be a problem mine looked fine they must filled it up with expand foam I would think that would trap in more moisture but these are dangerous they should all be fixed or bought back from the customer
The van took off without my control and the brakes stopped working and the fuel system it caused me to have two accidents within a week of each other
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 10V385000 (Suspension) and 11V030000 (Structure) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the subframe was severely corroded. The failure mileage 59,839.
The driver and passenger side sliding doors tend to not open or close correctly sometimes you have to manually pull them open or they do not completely close and you have to bump the back end of it to close right
On saturday august 29, 2020 I was driving in my 2002 ford windstar down a road that was under construction. The speed limit of the road is 35 MPH and there is a current bump in the road at an asphalt elevation change. As soon as I went over the bump it was obvious that something was severely wrong with the vehicle. There was a loud "bang" and the vehicle began vibrating wildly and making severe noises. It was obvious that something significant had occurred in the rear of the vehicle. Fortunately I was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pull onto a side street shortly thereafter. I exited the vehicle and immediately noticed the rear driver-side wheel was angled into the body of the van. Upon further investigation, peering under the vehicle it was obvious that the actual cause was that the vehicle's rear axle had fractured nearly completely through (see pictures). In this condition both rear tires collapsed into the vehicle frame. Upon further investigation I discovered that there had already been recalls related to the rear axle on this vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local ford dealership for inspection. After the inspection, I was informed that the previous recall for the vehicle to install brackets on the axle had been performed in dec 2010 and that they had been installed correctly. Due to this, ford's position was that the recall was done according to specifications related to the recalls and refused to accept responsibility for this safety failure on their vehicle. I tried to contend that the intent of the recall was to prevent the axle from fracturing, which obviously their previous recall "fix" didn't appropriately accomplish. It was a frightening experience to have an axle fracture while driving my vehicle, and ford's previous recall "fix" failed to correct the problem making the vehicle a hazard to drive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. The contact stated that while stopped, the contact heard an unknown part detach from the vehicle. The contact stated that the steering wheel then became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic was contacted by phone and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 10v385000 (suspension) and 11v030000 structure). The vehicle was taken to metro ford chicago (6455 s. Western ave, chicago, il 60636, (773)776-7600, to have the recall repairs performed. The contact was informed that an unknown bushing needed to be replaced prior to the recall repair being performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. The contact noticed that there was water entering into the vehicle from the front windshield. In addition, the trim by the front windshield and front frame on the passenger side were rusting. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. The VIN was not provided.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. While driving 40 MPH, the rear of the vehicle began veering to the right and left. The contact temporarily lost control of the vehicle, but managed to pull over to the side of the road. The contact drove to an independent mechanic who quickly diagnosed that the rear axle was rusted and fractured in half. The contact took the vehicle to dorian ford (35900 gratiot ave, clinton twp, mi 48035, (586) 792-4100) in 2016 for an unknown recall repair regarding the brackets for the rear axle. The dealer confirmed that they inspected the vehicle and passed it on february 9, 2016. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer, but they were only concerned that the vehicle was no longer covered by a warranty and did not assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,643. *bf consumer stated dorian ford did a recall inspection on feb 9 2016 and certified that the vehicle was safe concerning the axel. The mileage at time of replacement is 113,643. 'parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. The contact stated that the subframe was rusted out. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Questions about the 2002 Ford Windstar body
Does the 2002 Ford Windstar have body problems?
Owners have filed 101 complaints about the body of the 2002 Ford Windstar, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Windstar body problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 114,356 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Ford Windstar body?
Yes, 1 recall: 11V030000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Windstar have the most body problems?
The Ford Windstar model years with the most body complaints are 2001 (293 complaints), 1999 (275 complaints) and 2000 (216 complaints).
Other 2002 Ford Windstar problems
Brakes 643Suspension 279Electrical 261Acceleration 147Transmission 97Driver assistance 41Engine 40Airbags 36Steering 35Lights 31Visibility 27Wheels 26Locks 17Fuel system 13Tires 13Seats 9Seat belts 6
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