Problems with 2001 Ford Windstar SUSPENSION

I have a 2001 ford windstar and for the 3rd time the rear end tire support has broken in half driving down the road. my family and i feel lucky to be here to write this at this time and it is my 17 year old sons primary car to drive so i can have general insurance but not full coverage. i feel if he was driving when this happened he would have been in a terrible accident, god was watching out for us. it has cost me over a thousand dollars for each repair and at this time i am without the family vehicle and don't see that it would be a good idea to fix this again knowing that its going to break again. i cant afford a new vehicle and this car has been dependable other than this problem. the rear end is scarce at salvage yards, we haven't been able to locate one yet that tells me i'm not the only one having the problem. the van is made for seven and there are 5 in my family so overloading is not the problem, nor rust they are free from that and the last repair we replaced the shocks to reduce vibration problems if it existed. i fear soon i will read about a family tragedy because of this problem and i want it on record about this complaint. before making each repair we checked to see if there was a recall and to date there is none. i am in the service work business and i understand thing fail, brakes, water pumps, computers, engines but i should have never had to put a nickel into this problem. any help or guidance you can give me would be greatly appreciated. thank you for listening. *tr

My 2001 windstar van had a slight shimmy when i would hit a pothole, which lasted for a few days. thought i needed an alignment. then just driving normally last saturday, 2-6-10, at approximately 30 mph, it felt like the bottom dropped out and my van stopped. luckily i wasn't going 65 mph on the expressway. my husband got out and looked underneath the van and the rear axle had broken in two. we had to have a flatbed tow it to our house. then a dealership sent out someone to pick it up for repairs and he had to tie a 2x4 to the axle to drive it into the trailer. it is still at the dealership. *cn

Rear axle on 2001 ford windstar van broke while driving *cn

1) no warning signs 2) 2001 ford windstar se the rear axle snapped while driving down the road and we lost control of the vehicle. 3) the dealer informed me that there are no problems with this issue. my mechanic (not a dealer) told me this is a known problem. *tr

I own a 2001 ford windstar van. while coming home today from work we lost control and was fishtailing (i am so glad that this happened when no cars where coming the other way or 15 mins earlier when we were on the highway) when we were able to safely stop and get out to see what happened we noticed the rear passenger tire was back about 2 to 3 in, compared to the other tire. when my husband got down and looked underneath he found out the rear axle broke in 2. right now the van is sitting in my parents driveway as we are unable to pay to get it fixed. *tr

Rear axle broke on a 2001 ford windstar with 125,000 miles. seems to be a defect that show up at this mileage. 12-18 inches in from the left (driver's) side. could be a rear safety issue on 1000's of these vans. *tr

The rear axle on my 2001 ford windstar broke in half as i was backing up out of a parking spot. i had to have the rear axle replaced. u have heard from many people that this is a common problem with ford windstars. *tr

2001 my ford windstar limited rear axle (non-driving) broke in half and the rear wheels were rubbing the wheel well. luckily while the vehicle was not driving well, i did not get in an accident. however, 5 miles earlier i was on the highway at highway speeds. the vehicle had to be towed and the part was available at the closest ford dealership to my location??? this was a $975.00 repair at the firestone dealer in canton, mi. i have the paperwork if you need the documentation. *tr

2001 ford windstar, rear axle split in two. miles 118,000. *tr updated 11/16/10 *bf the consumer learned a recall had been issued for the exact problem he experienced. however, the consumer had already had the axle replaced at his expense. the consumer was then informed his vin was not included in the recall. the consumer also stated the axle that is now on his vehicle came from a another windstar that is being recalled. updated 11/23/10

I have a 2001 ford windstar. in december 2009 my rear axle snapped in half while driving at about 30 - 40 mph. no injuries occurred. repairs cost about $600 (in addition to a car rental cost of $250) as this occurred about 2 hours from my home. i called my ford dealer and they claimed to have no knowledge of similar problems with ford windstars, however, i read today that the nhtsa is investigating this very problem. at the time of the repair the garage doing the work indicated that "ford windstars are notorious for this problem" it was the second axle replacement he had done on a ford windstar in a week. please add my name/experience to the list of complaints related to this problem. if it is determined that a recall is in order i would appreciate the opportunity to recoup part/all of my expenses associated with this problem ($850). thank you very much and if you have any questions or need further information please feel free to contact me. *tr

2001 ford windstar- rear axle cracked in half by the driver's side tire. the abs light and brake lights kept coming on, we had brakes checked, then we heard noise like something rolling around in the back of the van. then we had the smell of rubber burning and my husband checked and notice the tires tilted in at the top . looking underneath he saw the axle cracked. in doing some research i notice many ford windstar owners with the same problem. i can't help but wonder if there has been accidents where this was the cause and it was written off as a result of the accident. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. when attempting to make a turn into her drive-way at 40 mph, smoke began emanating from the rear of the vehicle. upon further inspection she noticed that the axle had fractured, and that the tires were tilted. the dealer was notified, but no assistance was provided. no repairs have been made. the failure and current mileage was 103000.

Failure of bracket holding upper control arm to frame on 2001 ford windstar with 58,000 miles on the odometer. failure caused wheels to go their own way causing total lack of control of vehicle. *tr

On november 3rd, 2009, the rear axle failed in my 2001 ford windstar while i was on the highway. the car had begun performing erratically so i was not traveling at high speed, but even at low speed it was essentially uncontrollable when the failure happened. in the weeks leading up to the actual failure, i had experienced handling problems with the vehicle. after my mechanic replaced the front struts and rear shocks the car still didn't handle right. they thought this might be because the rear alignment was not a little out of spec - they were waiting for shims to come in to correct that when the axle failed. in addition to my unhappiness about the complaints - the vehicle kind of swerved when going around corners, especially highway on/off ramps - the only warning the car gave in the weeks up to the failure was seemingly-random indications from the tire-pressure warning light. in end end, the garage i took the car to ended up replacing the rear axle assembly and the two rear tires - when the axle failed the tires had rubbed against the tire wells. when searching online for other reports of this problem i came across several here, and posted my own. (my own description as well as four pictures of the failed part are on the site under november 3rd 2009: http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/windstar/2001/drivetrain/rear_axle_snapped_in_two.shtml. *tr

While driving on interstate the passenger side front lower control arm broke loose from the frame causing total loss of vehicle control. van has 60k miles and was well maintained

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. the contact stated that the vehicle would have to be held by the dealer for months for recall 10v385000 (suspension: rear: axle: non-powered axle assembly). the contact stated that the manufacturer provided a rental vehicle but it was not comparable to the vehicle being repaired. the contact believed that the repair was going to take too long. the failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

I was driving a 2001 ford windstar minivan with 154k miles on a rainy night at highway speed on a 3 lane interstate with 5 children aboard. i heard a loud noise from the vehicle and lost all control as the steering and braking wasn't working right. as i tried to get onto the shoulder, it kept swerving toward the left, back into the lanes. when it finally stopped moving, we were sticking out into traffic and i feared we would be hit. the tow truck driver showed me that the right tire wasn't even pointing straight ahead anymore and said that the axel probably broke. the mechanic told me that the frame cracked and in his opinion, he wouldn't recommend fixing the vehicle. the insurance company said the right front lower control arm mount rotted off which pulled out axel and broke tie rod end and so on, due to normal wear and tear. i received zero dollars for my auto claim and my family of seven had to use our 3 seater pickup truck as the family vehicle for months after the incident. i live in a snow belt state and i do not believe that normal wear and tear occurred in a mere 8 years. i have pictures of the vehicle after the incident as well. thank you for the opportunity to provide information for open investigation #pe10-026. my hope is that my story is useful enough to help prevent this same thing from happening to other 2001 ford windstar owners. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. the contact heard a loud noise outside of the vehicle while he was backing out of a parking space and shifting into the "reverse" position. the vehicle suddendly failed to operate in reverse. immediately, the gear shifter was placed into the "drive" position; followed by no power response. the driver turned the engine off and inspected the vehicle. the front passenger wheel was turned outwardly when the right shaft disengaged from the differential. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated that the failure was contributed to the engine cradle which exhibited severe rust and caused the lower control arm to break. the vehicle was repaired for malfunction. the contact had concern of the safety risk involved. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 71,000.

The mounting ears on the right front subframe (h-frame that all the suspension, steering , and drivetrain) that connects the lower control arm to the frame rotted off the frame allowing the passenger side tire assy. to swing out from under the vehicle causing a loss of control. fortunately it happened when turning left at a intersection and not on the freeway. the whole front h frame has to be replaced. the vehicle is an 01 ford windstar with approx. 61,000 miles, always taken good care of and garage kept. original owner never any accidents. *tr

I had been hearing a dull squeaky, clicking noise from the left rear of my van for approximately a month. i took my van to the mechanic on 8/31/09 and they told me i needed new tires, an alignment and some front end work. i told them again that the noise was coming from the back, so i wasn't sure why i needed front end work and not back. i paid $767.00. on 9/2/09 & 9/7/09, i took the van back because i was hearing the same noise. they test drove the car and didn't hear anything. they put the van on the lift, took the tires off and they couldn't find anything. the more i drove the van, the more i heard the noise. i noticed that the van would "fish tale" or shake more whenever i went over a bump. on 9/20/09 i took my van to a different mechanic to see if they could find anything wrong. i told them that it felt like i needed an alignment, although i had just had one on 8/31/09. the mechanic showed me that the top of the left rear tire was bent inward, causing the van to lean to one side. the mechanic put the van on the lift and showed me a crack so deep that if i had gone over one big pothole, my daughters and i could have been injured. i became infuriated at the place where i took my van initially, because i thought there was no way they could have missed that crack when they changed the tires. i took my van back to the initial mechanic. when they put the car on the lift, they said that they definitely would have noticed a crack that significant if it had been there before. i went on line and was amazed at the amount of cases i found that were very similar to mine. there is no way that all of these incidences are coincidences. the total amount to have it replaced was $836.00. i called the ford place and the person that i spoke with said that ford won't do a recall unless there are at least 2,000 complaints. i wonder how many have actually died in a 2001 ford windstar because the axle broke . unfortunately, they didn't live long enough to write a complaint. *tr

2001 ford windstar was making a bang in rear with right turn taking to the mechanics for yearly inspection and rear axle was cracked in half. this could have been real problem had it broke while being driven someone could have been seriously hurt or even killed. now waiting to get new part and how much it will cost to fix. *tr

Ford windstar 2001 rear axle broke on highway. van began to shake my wife pulled over and van had to be towed. *tr

I have just came home from vacation in az and my van the whole time on vacation was making this noise i didn't know what it was until we backed in our driveway and the driver side tire was cocked in at the top so my husband jacked the van up and the rear axle was snapped in half i have to say ford needs to pay for all the repairs!!!! i do have pic's of this i have to say that we have guardian angels watching over us to make it home this van was driven on vacation 5,200 miles thank god it didn't happen on the highway!!! my husband dose mechanics and he has seen this happen to other ford windstars and it breaks in the same spot on all of them ford needs to open there eyes and fix this problem before a family dies from ford windstar vans!!!!!!!!! *tr

My 2001 ford windstar's axle broke in half while doing 30 mph down a paved road. the vehicle has 131,000 miles and resides in chicago metro area so vehicle has been driven on paved roads with no utility purpose other than driving five kids around town. tow truck driver and 60 year old mechanic were astonished and mechanic stated axles are not suppose to break in half, ever !!!! *tr

2001 ford windstar vehicle seemed to have a suspension problem with a lot of bouncing. rear axle failure that needed replacement at 164000 miles. 7/13/09 $868.90 axle tube and hooks replaced. *tr

I was driving my family home from a summer fest, as i was going over a fairly smooth railroad crossing i felt the van start handling strange. i pulled over and found the right rear wheel out of align. i carefully drove it home and went underneath to check it. to my surprise i found the axle beam cracked 3/4 of the way thru. there is no reason a beam of this size should crack like this unless there was a material or design fault in the van. i am the first owner of this van and it was never overloaded. at this point i am not sure what i am going to do to repair/replace the axle. after reading the dozens of complaints from other windstar owners (at least 15 from just the 2001 model year) i see this problem is not unique. *tr

Failure/braking of the front coil springs. *tr

The rear axle on my 2001 ford windstar broke in two about 8-12 inches inboard of where the trailing arm is welded to the assembly. i had the left side welded earlier for the same failure before it was bad six months earlier and this time it totally failed on the right side in exactly the same location. my car is the third windstar axle failure i know about in my town. *tr

My wife lost control of vehicle, 2001 windstar, 71,000 miles, right front lower control rod broke loose from engine cradle and she lost control of steering. i had vehicle towed to ford dealership. subframe rusted out at right lower control rod mounting, vehicle is not driven in winter,do not understand how this could have rusted out and caused a possible catastrophic failure. subframe has been ordered, estimate for repairs from ford dealer is $2,000.00. i have not contacted ford motor company, it appears that they do not care about this failure judging from other customer complaints for the same failure. if this is caused by water dripping from the ac compressor or a defect in the subframe metal, ford should be assisting in these repairs. i have been a loyal ford customer for 30 years and can not believe they would not help with this type of safety issue. *tr

I was traveling down hwy 18 s/b near new brunswick, nj at approx. 45 mph when i heard and felt a loud "boom" from the rear of the vehicle. immediately after the noise i could hear a rubbing noise and see smoke (from the tire rubbing against the wheelwell). i pulled over to the shoulder, looked under the back of the van and could plainly see that the rear axle had snapped in half. i had the vehicle towed to my local mechanic who fixed the vehicle(replaced the rear axle). the tow truck operator advised me that he has towed 5-6 vans with the same problem and when the mechanic contacted the parts supply man, he was advised that the part was in stock because this is a common problem and the new part(axle) is manufactured to better specs so this does not happen again.(as opposed from getting a used axle from a junk yard). i have pictures if you need them. *tr

Before ford recalled for this problem, my rear axle broke in half at 65 mph on the highway resulting in loss of control and fumes filling the car from tires rubbing against wheel wells. in march of 2011 ford recalled and reinforced the subframe. inspection is now due on my vehicle and my mechanic will not pass it due to the installment of the recalled reinforcement. reportedly the installation was performed and attached to an equally as corroded part and failure is once again imminent. i returned the vehicle to the ford dealer that made the recall repair and was told that it is indeed safe. i am now stuck with a potential repair bill of $700.00 that will not fix the problem due to the model year parts having the same issues, or just driving the vehicle until failure occurs (again) and going back to ford with a lawsuit as i cannot in good conscience sell this vehicle to anyone else. *tr

I was driving down the interstate going 55 mph in a construction zone. i was in front of a semi truck. i had my 3 young kids in the van. the van started feeling funny and i was looking for a safe place to pull off, when the rear axle snapped in 2 pieces. this caused my van to start to spin. we were almost hit by the semi and then we almost went off the road where i am afraid we probably would have rolled over. we ended up facing the wrong way in the passing lane which thankfully had construction barrels up so it was closed otherwise we would have probably been hit head on. the tow truck driver, the semi truck driver, the police officer, my husband and my father all said that they had never seen this before and that rear axles just don't snap that way. we now have to replace basically everything in the rear of my van. as we were doing research to price the replacement parts we found that there were many stories just like ours and that it had been reported to ford to no avail. mechanics are saying that the problem seems to be near the wheel where water can get in but can't get out so they are rusting from the inside out and snapping. so even after i replace my axle i still can't feel safe b/c they have not fixed the design flaw and apparently don't intend to. we could have been killed if the road was any different that day. i would hate to see another family not have the fortunate circumstances that we did that day and someone lose their life! please please please don't let ford let it get to that point!!! please make them recall this part so there will be a safer axle for my van and all the other ford windstars, these vehicles are used by families for their small kids. thank you for your time and consideration of my letter. *tr

Rear axle split on a 2001 ford windstar lx. at that point, the right rear tire was resting against its wheelwell and the car could not be driven. i was only driving 20mph when this occurred, but it could have been very dangerous at highway speeds. *tr

While driving 2001 ford windstar on a 1-hour trip toward home, i noticed the back wheels fish tailing that occurred in every rough spot in the road. i immediately thought the tire was going flat and pulled over to check it. since the tires visually looked fine, i drove to the next exit to a gas station and checked the tire air pressure and found it was at proper levels. i was still unsure what could cause the "fish tailing" or "hydroplaning" feeling, yet i was able to make it the rest of the way home without a major accident; although my car kept "fishtailing".. the next morning, my husband took the windstar to a service mechanic to inspect the tires. what he found was a rear axle that was "rusted from the inside out" about 3/4 of the way. the mechanic's initial estimate is $1000 (for replacement of new axle and labor). we are relieved that the rear axle didn't break while we were driving as the car could have flipped and killed all of us. what could cause corrosion on the inside? the rear axle should be made to never corrode or break under normal road driving conditions. after researching on the internet, i have found other 8 year old, same make/model windstar owners reporting the same conditions. this is an unsafe part especially noting that people are keeping their cars longer due to economy. ford should own up to this part failure and recall and replace this part at no charge to the owners immediately! *tr

Rear axle broken in our 2001 ford windstar. the vehicle has never been in a crash, has approximately 92,000 miles, and in overall good condition. the vehicle has never been driven hard or on rough terrain. there is no apparent reason for this malfunction. after conducting searches on the internet, we discovered this is a common problem with these vehicles, although ford is denying it is a defect. *tr

I own a 2001 ford windstar in the space of less than three weeks, both of my front coil springs have broken and gone through the front tires. fortunately both times we were traveling at low speeds, but if this had occurred at 65 mph on the interstate, it would almost certainly have resulted in a serious accident. i check the internet for recalls on this , but didn't find any for this model year. *tr

I have a 2001 ford wind star sel that had a cracked rear axle today. i was pulling out of my church parking lot and heard a little strange noise from the back. as i was driving the car started swaying in the back and when i pulled over i noticed that the rear axle had a crack in the middle and the tires were angled in because of it. thank god my family was not with me when i pulled out of the parking as the additional weight might have aggravated the problem and there have been a accident. i was quoted anywhere from 700-1000 dollars for the repair which will be done this week. i do not understand why a rear axle would break since i have a family of 3 kids and they are small so weight is not a problem and i also had my shocks replaced 1 year ago. this puts serious doubt in ford craftsmanship and wont be buying another ford again. *tr

My 2001 ford windstar has broken through 2 rear axles! also the interior lights blink on and off as i am driving and sometimes come on and stay on and while turned off will sometimes drain the battery and the headlights and hazard lights will blink on and off and the horn will beep. also at times my power windows will not function. *tr

Ford windstar 2001 rear axle cracked and had to be replaced by ford dealership at our expense. the dealer is the person who noticed the problem upon doing routine work on our van. we went in to see and take pictures as we thought this should be a recall and were very thankful that it did not break while we were in the van with our children. they stated that they were seeing it more often and were checking cars as they worked on them. *tr

Tl*the contact owns 2001 ford windstar. the contact stated that the vehicle began to sway right to left when driving at 40 mph. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the rear axle was cracked and needed to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer who stated they were unaware of such a failure. the failure mileage was 123,822. updated 11/03/10 *bf the consumer stated the issue has been resolved. ford issued a recall. updated 11/04/10

I own a 2001 ford windstar and while driving the rear axle beam snapped in half this should not happen this is not a isolated event ford should be held accountable for this. *tr

While pulling out of my driveway, the rear axle on my ford windstar snapped in half. clean break with both rear tires holding up the rear of the car. *tr

Rear axle broke into two pieces about one-third of the way from the driver's side of the vehicle. rear tires are running on the inside edge with the top inside edge of the tire being torn up by the body of the car. *tr handling was difficult for about a week including driving on hard packed and slippery snow. very hard to keep car traveling straight. backing out of the driveway and applying the brakes there was a sharp crack sound. about 10 miles later the axle snapped, the tires interfered with the wheel wells and the car stopped. had we been traveling faster or in more congested conditions this could have been serious. *tr

Rear axle failure . axle rotted through and disabled vehicle. *tr

The lower control a-arm on the passenger side broke loose from the frame causing the van to dropto the ground. this luckly happened when i just pulled into a parking spot in front of a wendy's. *tr

Coil spring on passenger side strut broke, has driver's side break the year before, had to replace whole strut / spring assembly, could've caused accident if the pieces would have hit the tires instead of wrapping around rest of spring. *tr

Rear subframe axle assembly part #2f2z 4b435 aa broke in half causing loss of control of vehicle & loss of brakes. *tr

We had just left the expressway. we pulled into a parking lot and went to turn into a parking space and the shaft which was attached to the wheel connecting it from the frame to the wheel, broke at the point of the factory weld causing the wheels to do the "splits"and pulling out the driveshaft from the transmission. the dealer called the car "totalled" .this car is in great condition except for the metal socket holding the tie rod from the wheel to the frame allowing the drive shaft to be yanked out. this is a factory weld that broke and if it had broken while on the freeway, we could have been killed. ford motor refused to do anything to remedy the situation. *tr

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. *tr

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." *tr