Problems with 2002 Ford Windstar SUSPENSION

I have a ford 2002 windstar. while i was driving on the parkway going 45 to 55 miles per hour , i heard a clicking sound. shortly after i got off the parkway, i drove about a half mile down the street. i smelled a burning smell, so i pulled the van over to investigate the problem. i noticed that my rear back tire was bowed inward. the tire had rubbed against the inside panel causing the tire to smoke and melt. it got really hot to the point i couldn't drive it. my rear axle is broken. i did some research on the internet and i was surprised to see the high number of people reporting the same problem that i am having about 1999-2003 ford windstars. i know the lord was with me and my family because this could have resulted in a very bad accident. something needs to be done about these vans asap before someone is seriously hurt or killed. thank you kindly! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The rear axle on our 2002 ford windstar limited broke when backing out of a drive way leaving the vehicle inoperable. *tr

Heard about axles cracking on ford windstars. took my 2002 windstar to my mechanic and sure enough it is cracked. he advised me not to drive it. i need vehicle to get to work and do not have $900.00 plus to fix it. *tr

2002 ford windstar makes popping noise when turning right up a driveway. repair shop found a crack in the rear axle. *tr

While driving our 2002 ford windstar at approximately 40 mph on route 22 in union, nj, the rear axle broke in two. the vehicle started exhibiting some control problems with the rear end swaying prior to a loud bang followed by the vehicle dragging to a stop. the rear tires rubbed against the inside wheel wells producing odor and smoke at the vehicle came to a stop. *tr

While driving on a road with our three young children in the car, the car jerked, started making loud noises, and smoking. there was a significant amount of smoke pouring from the left (driver) side. we pulled to the side and saw that the driver's side rear tire was at an odd angle as was the passenger side rear wheel. when the tow-truck arrived and lifted it up, it was very clear that the axle had snapped for no reason. we were lucky that there were no injuries or a major accident, nor did the car catch fire but it smells of burned rubber. *tr

2002 ford windstar; the rear axle broke in two while driving at 40 mph. both tires tilted out, axle cracked a little to the left of center while looking at it from the rear of the vehicle. fortunately my wife was able to control the van. i understand this has happened in hundreds of windstars, and something needs to be done before people die, if they have not already. *tr

Ford windstar 2002 rear axle cracked. we were driving and noticed the van was fishtailing and there when we would go around a curve we noticed a noise coming from the back of the van. my husband got out and checked tires thought they may have been low. we have new tires on vehicle. we were driving the van the next day and it was fishtailing and the noise in the back of the van was getting worse. my husband put vehicle up on ramp and noticed that the rear axle is cracked. it is only holding by a thread. *tr

Driving home from doctors office. i was traveling 45 m.p.h. , it was raining. i was going around a curve when my vehicle, 2002 ford windstar started to fishtail. i stopped the car and went around checking to see if i might have a low tire. tires seemed fine. i noticed a bumping noise when i would go around a curve. i got home and pulled the van up on ramps and looked underneath. i told my wife we aren't going anywhere because the axle is cracked and holding by a thread. i took the axle off and upon inspecting it closer the otherside is cracking. this vehicle only has 86,597 miles on it. i have owned toyota's and a suzuki, which i put 250,000 miles, on these vehicles and never had to replace an axle. *tr

2002 ford windstar. picked my daughter up at college to come home for the summer. college 4 hours from home. missed a turn to get on highway. turned around in a gas station and thought i had a flat tire as the steering felt funny. stopped, got out to look, here the rear axle had broken about 12 inches in from the wheel on the drivers side. called aaa, got towed, tow driver tells me he has picked up at least 6 windstars in last year with same problem and all in the exact place where it has broke. i just thank god i wasn't back on i 80 going 65 when it happened. someone is going to get killed by this. i was lucky. plus had to miss work, buy a used axle, stay in a hotel, etc..... ford should stand behind their product and reimburse these expenses. *tr

2002 ford windstar. while driving on thruway 390 in corning new york. i noticed a shank in back end of van and smelled rubber burning. while trying to exit off the thruway the tires completely blew out and locked up. at 65 m.p.h. pulled off to side of thruway and rear back axle was snapped in half. had vehicle towed home and ordered new parts. i have all the old parts call ford they never head of this happening. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while driving at speeds of 60 mph, she heard an unusual thump. immediately, the steering wheel became hard and difficult to control. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where she was advised the rear axle had broken. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 90,000.

The rear wheels on my 2002 ford windstar began to bow outward and the car was now noticeably shaking at speeds greater than 25 mph. we thought it might be a bad alignment. we took it to ntb and fortunately, they told us not to drive it any more. the rear axle had cracked and was in need of replacement.. after the replacement, i contacted ford's regional office. i was told by the ford regional office to refer my concern to my dealer here in columbus, but, i had already done so. further communications with them lead to the service managers denial of any compensation for the ford part malfunction. rear axles on 2002 windstars or any windstar with those taurus chasises, should not crack and separate causing a danger to my family. the manager told me to hold on to my receipts for a month or so before responding again to ford's office. he assured me that a recall was possible. meanwhile, i am out the $1700.00 it took to repair a definite flaw in the engineering. *tr

Drove car and parked along street. when i returned around 4 hours later i opened car door and sat down in driver seat. a loud bag was heard and i thought someone threw something or shot my van. got out and could not find anything. when i drove away my left front tire exploded. the next morning i found the coil spring had broken and cut the tire when i tried to drive away. had i been driving down the road this would have caused me to lose control of the van. after researching the internet this seems to be an ongoing issue with ford coil springs and i believe there was a recall for model years 1999-2001. *tr

Drove car and parked along street. when i returned around 4 hours later i opened car door and sat down in driver seat. a loud bag was heard and i thought someone threw something or shot my van. got out and could not find anything. when i started to drive away my left front tire exploded. the next morning i found the coil spring had broken and cut the tire when i tried to drive away. had i been driving down the road this would have caused me to lose control of the van. after researching the internet this seems to be an ongoing issue with ford coil springs and i believe there was a recall for model years 1999-2001. *tr

Coming home from church one sunday, we had to brake hard & suddenly to avoid a car that was on my side of the road. the van's rear wheel left the pavement and jerked to the side. the van handled wrong after that, and we took it to ford to have it looked at. they replaced front drive shafts and said that the rear wheels were rubbing the wheel well, and i needed to have my shocks replaced. the van still made the same noises and had bad handling after this work was done, so took it back & had them look again for problem. they still didn't see any problem. my wife drove this van over 125 miles one day to take her sister for a medical procedure. she was nervous about the bad handling & swaying rear end, so drove slowly and stayed to the right on the freeway. she drove all the way to southern charlotte, nc on hwy. 85 from davidson county, nc. huge amounts of traffic. when she got home she parked the van, & next day i came home from work and saw the tires were tilted in the rear. went up & looked under the van, and the axle is broken in 2 places. my wife, her mother, and her sister were all in the van driving on the highway with a broken axle, because ford told us that our van was all right. called ford and was told "what do you want me to do about it? you're driving an 8 year old vehicle! buy something else!" and also, "there is no implied warranty. your van is out of warranty, but we'll be glad to do the work for you if you bring it in to our service department". or "ford makes good quality vehicles. would you like to hear about the new car buying incentives we have in place now?" get real. i will never buy another ford in my life. wife called ford and spoke with them, and the age of the van was mentioned. she stated that i drive a 1986 toyota truck, and the axle is not broken on it yet. she said henry ford did not have this in mind when he started making the model t. shoddy work and inferior materials. *tr

Recent noise on my 2002 ford windstar. rear axel snapped this morning while my wife was leaving home. i read the exact same incidents on line with the ford windstar. crack aprox 12-18 inches in from the rear left side. extensive damage and i will keep photos and damaged part. *tr

For about three to four years now, we have been having what we thought was a problem with the front end of our 2002 ford windstar. we had numerous front end alignments done. we had the caster/camber work done twice at a very high cost. (this requires taking the front cowling apart in order to put in new font end parts) and still the vehicle would pull in either direction at any given time. it would at times wonder back and forth on the road. about a week ago my wife said she herd strange noises. (clunks, squeaks etc.) then today she was driving the van with my kids to church. luckily it was local. she said she herd a bang and the van started to squeak and wonder all over the road uncontrollably. she started to smell something burning. she said the steering wheel had to be turned in an abnormal position in order to keep the van going straight down the road. when she got home i looked at the van sitting in the driveway and the rear wheels were tilted in at the top. i crawled under and found that the rear axle beam had cracked almost all the way through. the crack was about 18 inches in form the drivers side. the passenger side looked as though it would eventually crack also. when i looked closer at the crack, you could see shining metal at the top part of the crack, indicating it was a new crack. there was surface rust on the lower part of the crack indicating that the crack had been there for some time and had just gotten bigger. this explains the wondering problem we have been having. being that this is a 2002 it is out of warranty but this is definitely a safety problem and should be addressed as a recall by ford. i am scared thinking what could have happened if my wife and kids were driving on an interstate at 65 mph. i am also scared thinking that my 16 year old daughter who just started driving on her permit was driving this vehicle in this condition. thank god they were driving local at the time that the crack worsened to a point that it is now undrivable. *tr

My wife told me she heard a rubbing sound in the rear of her 2002 ford windstar. i quickly noticed the left rear wheel was tilted in from the top. figuring it was a worn wheel bearing or broken control arm, i jacked it up, pulled the wheel and noticed the axle was almost completely broken about 8 inches left of center. *tr

Driving home from a family outing on 03/06/2010, we heard a loud sound/clunk coming from the rear of our 2002 ford windstar. luckily, we were only doing 30 mph on our street right almost to our driveway, instead of being on the expressway doing 60 mph as we were only minutes before . the van's rear end swerved as i applied the brakes. i managed to pull into our driveway and calm the wife and kids down (who were hysterical). i have to admit that i was scared also. when i managed to park the van, i noticed that the rear tires were slanted into the van, rubbing the wheel wells at the top. i then looked under the rear of the van and seen that the rear axle beam was broke, about 18" from the driver side rear tire. i implore everone that this has happened to to call the ford customer care number (1-800-241-3673) and report it. this is the only way that ford will acknowledge this problem as a potential manufacturer defect. our 2002 windstar has only 78,338 miles on it. our local dealer, where we bought it from, said they have never heard of this happening. i find it very hard to believe since i can bring up about 100 different complaints about this very sam thing for the model years 2000-2002.

The rear axle on my 2002 ford windstar broke with no warning. the car has never been crashed and is maintained very well with no visible rust. this causes loss of control but i was able to get the car stopped without incident. in an internet search i see that this is not an uncommon failure and wonder why this is not being investigated. it very dangerous. *tr

I was driving my 2002 for windstar and the roads were snowy and slippery. while driving the van seemed to slide and sway in the back. i assumed it was from the snowy roads and took the van home. 2 days later when the roads were pretty well cleared i took the van out again. while driving on clear pavement the van seemed to sway and slide like i was on ice in the rear-end. as i headed home it got worse and was shaking and swaying. i slowed down to about 20 miles per hour and got the van home. i had it looked at and was told that the axle is 1 to 2 inch from a complete break. if it would have broke while i was driving it would have caused me to wreck. i have researched this and have found many complaints about this happening to 02 windstars. i cant afford to fix something this expensive. something needs to be done before someone gets hurt. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while driving approximately 1 mph the contact stopped the vehicle because he thought he had a flat tire. when he got out of the vehicle to inspect it he noticed that both rear tires were rubbing the end of the fender and that the axle was broken. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in september 2010 and was still in the dealers possession when the complaint was filed since the parts were not available. the contact recently received a recall notice for the failure, recall 10v385000, suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly. the failure and current mileages were 125,000.

Ford windstar rear axle cracked. *tr

I heard a rattle which sounded like a loose tailpipe. i brought it to my mechanic to have it looked at. the problem was that the rear axle beam had snapped. he said that it was not damaged and it looked like it was just a bad piece of steel. he had never seen this problem before. the parts did not have to be ordered because the parts were readily available and in stock at his parts dealer. after looking on the internet i found that there are several complaints about this problem. i was lucky that the axle beam did not break while i was traveling on the highway because the handling of the vehicle was severely compromised. the rear axle beam was replaced at a cost of one thousand dollars. i did not keep the old axle beam. *tr

2002 ford windstar rear axle beam broke in half while making a left hand turn. the van started swaying in the rear earlier in the day and we thought it was because of ice and snow on the roads that day. on good pavement we did not experience any issues. we stopped and looked at the tires and they all looked fine , and found no evidence to suggest anything else was wrong with van. no other warning before failure. when this happened both rear wheels towed inward causing van to slide out of control for short distance, and causing damage to the vehicle. had we been traveling on the highway at speeds of 65 miles an hour i would not like to think what would of happened.we had to have the vehicle towed to a ford dealer for repairs. the cost of these repairs was $1782.33 not including the towing bill.the tow truck driver said he has never seen a rear axle beam break before. this could of been a major accident, causing bodily harm or death. i had the dealer save the parts for me and i also took pictures of the failed part after it was removed. the dealer would not cover any cost of the repairs. *tr

Our 2002 ford windstar se on chrstmas night on our way home from in-laws the rear axle snapped in half, after searching online i found that this happened to 2 other people and feel this is a life threatening problem and ford should make a recall on issue. being this happened on a holiday we have to wait till monday morning when our mechanic opens shop to find out what we are going to do. also our insurance company was notified and is sending someone on tuesday to appraise the damage. here is the link to those people this happened to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sunu9d7ejmu this one even made the news. thank you for taking your time to review this issue. *tr

While driving on the highway rear axle beam broke on ford windstar. no warning or car problem before incident. rear axle replaced ,old part available. no one hit us, we did not hit anyone, road was smooth. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while driving approximately 60 mph the vehicle began drifting from left to right. he was able to safely turn off the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a local repair facility. the mechanic stated that the rear axle needed to be replaced at an expense of $1,200.00. the current and failure mileages were 140,000. the vin was not available.

2002 ford windstar with "clunking" noise in the rear suspension. took to repair shop and found that the rear axel was cracked nearly 1/2 way through. mechanic said that he has never seen this type of failure before. this was in october of 2009 (i have repair bill with exact date and mileage if needed). the axel was replaced with a used axel at that time. june, 2010 again have noise in the rear suspension and take the vehicle to our mechanic. again, the rear axel is cracked. again, our mechanic has located a used axel which we are currently in process of having installed. thankfully, we found the part failure before serious accident or injury happened but to have the same part fail when our mechanic had never seen that type of failure before seems to indicate a problem beyond normal wear. *tr

Our 2002 ford windstar with approx. 107,000 miles had the rear axle beam break in half. the week before the break we noticed that the car felt like it needed an alignment at highway speeds. luckily the part broke pulling out of the driveway at slow speed. the vehicle was not drivable after the break and needed to be towed. i fear that if the break happened at highway speeds we would have lost complete control of the vehicle. we have never taken this vehicle off road, used it to tow anything or been in an accident where damage would have been done to the axle beam. *tr

Rear axle beam on my 2002 ford windstar fractured. noticed vehicle handling was poor, rear end of vehicle swaying while driving straight, tires squealing around turns. mechanic found axle beam had fractured. costly repair, could have been more serious if a loss of control had occurred. fortunate to have occurred at low speed. *tr

2002 ford windstar had a sudden, catastrophic rear axle failure-a near complete crack through the axle causing the driver's rear tire to collapse inward, while driving at 40 mph on a straight road. the rear axle and the rear tire had to be replaced, the axle was 530.00, and the tire 100.00. this was with the work done by my husband. the car is in otherwise good running condition, has always been serviced by professionals. the mileage was 98,000 miles and the vehicle has always been lightly used, no heavy loads, no towing, just basically football practice with the kids. *tr

I got a letter recently about a recall on my 2002 ford windstar. the recall was for the cruise control/brake light issue. as i was looking online for the name of the recall, i realized that there have been many complaints about the windstar's axel problems. in september 2009 my windstar started feeling like the back end was fishtailing but there was no ice.it sounded weird to. my husband followed me to the local sears auto store about 4 miles away. when we arrived he said that the tires looked like they were at a 45degree angle facing outward. when the mechanic looked at it, he said that we were luck to be alive and that the axle was holding by a one inch piece of metal. they said they were lucky they used the car life instead of the cross life or it would have broken the axle. not one of the mechanics at that sears have ever seen a broken axle before and told me it was probably not fixable. they said they couldn't legally let us drive it because it was a safety issue. we had to have it towed to our mechanic. he did fix it but it cost over $1,000. i'm glad my family is safe and we weren't driving on the highway. with all the complaints and safety issues, why has there not been a recall on this ford part. *tr

2002 ford windstar would wander while driving,found rear axle cracked in center. *tr

I have a 2002 ford windstar with 67712 miles. the car started making metallic creaking noises from the rear end whenever i made sharp right hand turns. inspection showed that the rear axle beam had a 2 inch crack in it. i had to have my mechanic replace the rear axle. my searches on the web revealed that this is a very common defect with the windstars. *tr

Rear axle broke, which could have caused a serious accident if i were on the highway. i was driving down the road, everytime i turned to the right i would hear a squeaking noise. i did not think much of it until i started to smell something when i looked in the rear view mirror i noticed smoke coming from the rear driver's side wheel. i pulled over and called aaa. thank god, when the van was looked at we found that the rear axle was broken and the wheel was rubbing against the inside of the wheel well. when stopped the tires on the back of the van looked as though the tires were bent in as a direct result of the broken axle. i am so happy my children were not in the van because this could have resulted in a very bad accident. ford needs to step up and fix this problem, i have seen quite a few complaints regarding this issue. *tr

2002 ford windstar se rear axel severed....based upon my research many others have experienced the same issue between 2000 and 2003. i also contacted several ford dealer who have informed me that they have sold an extraordinary amount of these rear axles. please make ford issue a safety recall on these axles. they will not take voluntary responsibility for this obvious defective part. someone is going to get killed if this defective part fails at 65 miles per hour. you will also be responsible if you do nothing about this! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while traveling at speeds of 25 mph over a pot hole, the contact noticed that the rear end of the vehicle was extremely low to the ground. the rear axle was replaced by a local independent mechanic. the failure mileage was at 120,000 and the current mileage was 134,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. the contact stated that the brake light, traction light and abs lights would illuminate intermittently. the failure progressed and most recently, the lights were illuminated daily. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the handling control unit would need to be replaced. the dealer was unable to confirm if that was the exact cause of failure. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly) but was told by the dealer that his vin was not included in the campaign. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000 and the current mileage was approximately 92,480.

My 2002 ford windstar started riding really rough. the tires were checked and seemed to be fine. the back end of the van seemed to be riding very rough and my mechanic though it might be a strut issue. as it turns out, the rear axle broke completely in half while my father in law drove my two young children on the highway. what a scary experience. i've checked on the internet for similar experiences. others have had this happen to them as well. this issue needs to be addressed by ford and should be a recall issued. *tr

There are three failures on my car that have happened within the last three months. the 2002 ford windstar only has 57,000 miles. 1. intake manifold gaskets leaking: gaskets are sucking air in and not sealing properly 2. broken strut, this is the second time this has been replaced. the first time was within 10,000 miles. 3. abs control module: the control module has been diagnosed and faulty by the dealership. about a $1,200 to replace. all these things should not be happening to a car that is maintained well, garage kept, and only has 57k miles on it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. the contact stated that the suspension was rusted and corroded. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the repairs were unknown; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 134,654.

2002 ford windstar. customer states that the vehicle collapsed in the front end. she states her old windstar did the same thing when it had a recall. this vehicle has no recall. **nar**kb the consumer stated the front end of the vehicle just dropped down to it's tires on one side . the dealer informed the consumer that the front coil spring had broken and they also found an exploded strut bearing. the strut mounts, bearings, coil spring and stabilizer bar were all replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while examining the vehicle, the contact noticed rust along the filler pipe on the driver side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but the contact was not informed what was causing the failure and the vehicle was not serviced. in addition, while traveling 30 mph, the contact noticed that the front end of the vehicle would begin to sway left to right. moments later, the rear of the vehicle had also begun to sway from left to right. the contact examined the vehicle and discovered that the front torsion bars were hanging off of the vehicle and the rear axle was partially separate. the vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer nor repaired. the current mileage was 100,000 and the failure mileage was 65,000.

1. driving in good conditions, on highway 25 going north, 2 miles north of highway 5. saturday the march 31, 2007 at 2:00 pm. 2. suspension spring failure, front driver's side with busted tire. 3. parts replaced and repairs made at my cost.*ak

Dt*: the contact stated while braking from 10 mph under normal conditions, the vehicle surged forward, almost going over a curb. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was also notified. there was a squeaking noise when the sliding door was closed. the consumer complained of the transmission slipping, the dealer reprogrammed the pcm and re-filled the transmission fluid. the shifter was re-adjusted. the vehicle pulled to the right occasionally, the speedometer was inaccurate. the headlights would go dim at times. updated 01/09/07.*jb

Front left leaf spring broke and dislodged from base thereby piercing front tire causing a blowout while vehicle was moving. fortunately,we were not traveling at a high rate of speed when blowout occurred. *jb

Dt: the contact stated on 7- 14-05 and heard a crash underneath the car, and then heard a thump. . pulled over, the tire was ripped open. the coil spring on the right hand passenger's side broke in half and caused the tire to blow.out. she had to get a new coil spring and bought a new tire. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while the contact was driving approximately 15 mph, the transmission failed without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission was replaced under the service warranty. the transmission failure reoccurred six months later and was replaced with a new transmission. the transmission and radiator were replaced on two different occasions. the contact paid the cost for the repair expense for the one radiator replacements. in addition, the vehicle experienced a failure with the front brakes and front rotors, which had required annual replacement . also, while driving the rear axle fractured. the failure mileage was unknown.