Problems with 2000 Ford Windstar STEERING

I watched last night as my wife and kids were coming home on the parkway, the rear axel snapped in. two and both tires just dangeling basically,we had a blow out also managed to get the2000 ford windstar lx off of the main road where i had to call several to companies and no one with a wrecker was able to help, so i called a toe company with a roll back, to get our van home then i found out abt the complaint hotline and the recalls after my wife and kids could have been killed, the vehicle was going straight,and the speedlimet wich was 45 mph, when the axel just snapped in two pieces, and out of control she managed to slow down, my kids are 1 and 2, we want reinbursement for the van and the tow bill as this is a manufacturer defect

Took my van to ford because a radiator hose came off, $350 for part of a hose clamp. while there had the 3rd rear axle safety recall inspection, i don't think they did it, told me my van was a 16 year old junker not worth fixing. replacement of non-structural steel rear axle was again offered for $300. i want the axle i paid for when i bought the van new, structural steel that meets safety and legal requirements, installed at no additional cost. how is it legal to allow these unsafe axles? your site info is incorrect on this, the "safety brackets" do not keep the defective axles from breaking, they are to keep the wheels, when the axle does crack, from cantering out and jamming in the wheel wells, causing absolute total loss of vehicle control. not acceptable. replace axle. a number of recalls listed here were not sent or performed. in addition, after the first axle recall 6-8 years ago, i tried to trade the ford credit purchased vehicle in on a new 40k ford suv, they offered me half of bluebook value, indicating ford's knowledge of the vehicles defects, and poor value. this recall, dealer told me my 16 year old van was junk and not worth fixing, charged $350 for part of a radiator hose clamp, got wrong part and stuck me with 4 extra days car rental at $250. after arguing with bredemann ford for 3 hours in 3 offices, they handed me a stack of invoices and pointed me to my van with the keys in and engine running. manager called the next day and accused me of theft, threatening police action. i paid him by phone an called my attorney. i will sue these creeps.

Takata recall - air bag light is on. problems with turning of steering wheel. could not perform complete turns. steering will stop halfway during turns. after review it appears that the airbag is coming through steering column. van currently not drivable.

My wife was driving her van when she heard a clunk. she was traveling at 25mph on a state road. upon inspection we found the front subframe broke where the front sway bar connects. research found a recall, but my vin was not part of it. ford corporate told me i was on my own to have it fixed. this is an outrage. they should be taking care of this problem. what do i do next?

Car swaying almost lost control took to belle tire found cracklin in axle.

Whining, grunting and shutter from under hood when turning left. within 4 days noise occurred when turning right also. by day 6 a leak occurred from the boot on left end of steering rack. *tr

My 2000 ford windstar was repaired last year on a recall for the possible rear axle failure. ford installed brackets on the rear axle as a remedy. on saturday 8-30-14, the rear axle failed. the axle is actually broken and the break can be seen inside of the bracket they installed. i called ford and they told me they don't warranty the recall remedy repair. what are my options to have this remedied in good faith? *tr

There in no accident yet but can happens at any time !!! extensive corosion on front subframe a specially on front control arm left and right side. vechicle when driving is imposed to vibration comming from from left side. any bump and hole create hammering noise from from suspension. after visual inspection noticed extensive corrosion to both front control arms. they can separate at any time. car was inspected on jan 04, 2014 and on jan 24 ,2011 and notice was given "recal completed" time of the reacll completed in 0.3 hours !!! there was no documents given to owner or any explanation what was wrong with the car. curently both front control arm are almost are 95% coroded so the note as "recall completed" was only a joke. how the control arm can be completly coroded in 2 years ?? there was another dealer service - recall visit on jul 11,2011 with the same issue and this time the "recall completed" take only 1.8 hr. no information was given what was done and what parts was repair.. i was visitet local dealership service in new bern and was given information that there is no recall on my vechicle even the nhtsa issue reall on the same problem on may 2012. ford do not like to admit that is a serious problem and need to be taken care. how many people need to be killed in the accident till ford will finally admit that is a serious problem and potential of the deadly accident that can happens at any time. i do not like to hear "im sorry" from any ford ceo when someone from my family will lost life if needed pictures of the coroded arms can be sent at any time. car was in use from 2000-2011 in michigan and now as we moved is used in north carolina. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact was driving 60 mph when the vehicle began to ride roughly. the contact lost control of the vehicle momentarily. the vehicle was taken to the contact's residence and inspected, where it was determined that the rear axle was fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the incident but informed the contact that the vehicle was not included nhtsa campaign number: 10v385000 (suspension). the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

As i was traveling down the highway my abs light came on and the front end is making a very loud popping noise on both sides. since the front end began popping the steering is unbelievably hard to control. *tr

When shifting the car into p, r, n, or d, it makes a loud thumping sound and makes the whole car jerk. when i turn the steering wheel you can hear a loud grinding, creaky cracking like noise coming from the front of the car. *tr

All of the dashboard needles began flipping back and forth sporadically. they would bottom out below the 0 mark for a while registering no speed or gas tank amount and then start jumping around again. when i attempted to park the vehicle, the speedometer needle was lying across the bottom and kept the car from being able to go into park. at this point, the car was unable to be turned off completely, unable to be re-started, unable to steer and i had to hold my foot on the break in order to keep it from rolling. we were eventually able to start and then drive the vehicle home once the needle jumped back up. once again in the driveway, it did the same thing and we had to drill a hole in the dash in order to manually move the needle out of the way so the van could be placed in park. we will be having it towed to a repair shop. *tr

I was driving and about the make a turn but the steering wheel would not turn. the steering wheel was very tight and felt like it was pulling in the opposite direction of where i wanted to turn. my son was in the passengers seat and together we were able to turn in order to pull the car over and call the mechanic. this is the second time that this has happened. *tr

11s16 example template, front lower control arm: see suspension and structure of vehicle. i do not see a recall that visibly includes california as a recall state. i have definitely experienced this or a similar issue. there appears to be a large scale recall and buyback program. my vehicle was positively identified for the cruise control/speed control recall and serviced at gosch ford in hemet, ca. i experienced more issues than only that, or even than that and the above. contact for more information. not limited to only this recall, vehicle experienced several issues, many of which were attended to with out of pocket funds, either to prevent, or due to, mechanical breakdown/failure. please also consider axle recall, and additional for this vehicle. i need an assessment done on my ford 2000 windstar lx so i may be compensated for the total costs and damages and have the vehicle replaced or completely repaired to a safe, drivable condition. (right front corner of vehicle collided with an object, part(s) failure apparent as what appears to be the front lower control arm is detached. 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. either condition could result in significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. front *tr

I bought the 2000 ford windstar on 09/12/2012. it had 125,000 miles. after i bought it i immediately took it to the mechanic shop to have them check it over. they found that the outer and inner tie rod ends needed to be replaced. also, the mechanics found that the transmission mounts needed to be replaced. also, the front struts and the rear shocks needed to be replaced. also, the front engine mount needed to be replaced. i had all that work completed for around $1,500. then a few months later, the vehicle broke down in my front yard. i turned the vehicle off and looked under the hood and the serpantine belt was snapped in half and the vehicle was smoking a little bit. a had the vehicle towed to the mechanics for $50. the mechanics diagnosed the powertrain. the mechanics found that the a/c compressor clutch needed to be replaced and it also had to have a evac and recharge the a/c system. this costed me $705.98. a few months later, which is now, on 12/21/2012, the vehicle is starting to make a loud clicking noise from the engine, or atleast i think it is the engine. while i was driving, the vehicle slowed down like there was a power surge or something, like it was going to brake down, so i immediately put the hazard lights on and drove 15-20 miles below the speed limit, all the way until i could make it safely back home. i don't know what is wrong with it this time. i have already invested almost $2,000 into this vehicle and i have only owned it for about 3 months! *tr

on 8/12/12 as i was driving to new york i notice that every time there is a weight transfer i heard a clunking sound on the right front, after returning to new jersey i took the vehicle to sears auto to have it check out and was told and shown the defect was with the frame work which a recall was done for in 2011. the repair that the did in 2011 to the frame was in my opinion a death trap and i would suggest that you send a inspector to inspect the repair that ford said they did to these frame work, the strap that they put on the frame in my opinion is like putting a band aid on a third degree burn. i took the vehicle back to ford dealer in hackensack nj and they are giving me a hard time, my vehicle has been there from friday and today is saturday @ 1430 they still haven't look at it, maybe because of the color of my skin the really don't care, but i don't think safety should come down to the color of a person skin. thanks for your help. *tr

Gauges go crazy and don't work half the time. abs light is always on. steering creeks. there is a recall for my make, model, and year but ford somehow says it is not part of the recall but may become a recall in the future. this is not acceptable. does someone have to die before they will listen and act? *tr

While having new tires installed, i was made aware that the sub frame was rusted and had holes in it. i had got a recall notice the day after ford put a new rear axle in the windstar. (did they not know about the new recall?) after having the sub frame kit parts installed, the passenger side sub frame was perforated, the noise from the right side under passenger feet started. i went back to dealer that did the repairs (bill brown in livonia, mi>) they said everything was tight and vehicle is safe to drive. the noise has got worse and louder. i called ford in dearborn and they said if bill brown says its safe then it is safe? i have to drive this car and the fact that is makes noise has me concerned. ran it by bill brown after 6 months and took the service guy for a ride and he said he should look at it. the car started to pull to left and i went to the tire shop. went by for a tire rotation and alignment, was informed the sub frame is cracked and only has 10 percent of metal left holding it together. going to dealer this week...................lets see if it is safe to drive still! *tr

The subframe on the passenger side where the bracket for the front stabilizer is attached rusted completely through, causing the stabilizer bar to break loose. *tt

My son was driving on the highway. while driving at 40 miles per hour the back axel fractured. this resulted in him crashing into the center cement devider as well as the from left control arm breaking as well. he had to go to the hospital and get checked out. it is a shame that i have to find out about this recall through my insurer.

Massively erratic behavior of the instrument cluster. all of the gauges; the speedometer and rpm gauges, heat and all just jump rapidly up and down. sometimes they give false indicators. the heat meter arm goes up when it is not hot. it's really scary. it's been going on for weeks. it doesn't happen often and i am not sure why it happens. this is a minivan i.e. a family car. i cannot wait to get rid of this car. i'll never buy a ford again. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that the power steering pump failed four times in one year. the contact's mechanic advised that the power steering pump was defective. the failure mileage was 150,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that he received notification of nhtsa campaign id numbers: 10v385000 (suspension: rear:axle: non-powered axle assembly), 00v351000 (electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash) and 01v261000 (visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs. the vehicle was left with the dealer for over a month and once the vehicle was released to the contact, the power steering would abnormally pull the vehicle to the right. in addition, the windshield washer would only spray to one side instead of both. the anti-lock brake warning light was also illuminating on a consistent basis. the dealer was contacted and they advised him to junk the vehicle. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

On 4 or 5 occasions over several days in early december, we lost control of the van's steering while making a turn. the van would just continue to careen in whatever direction it was heading. i scheduled service with my ford dealer, but when it was taken in, they said my rear axle was cracked and they couldn't test the steering until such time as the axle could be replaced. i noticed there was an investigation into front end problems on windstars as well, and thought i should report my problem. *tr

2000 ford windstar, the control arm front passenger side detached from the frame while my wife was driving to work on 11/19/10. luckily there were no other cars coming or she would have hit them head on. all vehicle controls were lost; no steering , no transmission drive train. the vehicle swerved out of control until luckily, the vehicle stopped partly on the side of the road. the vehicle had to be towed. i also noticed a hole in the rear axle which there is a recall for. the vehicle obviously cannot be driven and i am unsure if the transmission is damaged due to the drive axle being pulled out of it. *tr

We purchased our 2000 ford windstar van in late september, 2010. within the past month, beginning in mid november, we noticed a moaning and/or grinding sound when turning the steering wheel. i have read many similar complaints online and people mentioning that they lost control of their steering eventually and this worries me, as we just purchased this used windstar when our previous vehicle was totaled in a nearly fatal accident. i am concerned for my family's safety, which includes 2 young children. i hope ford takes notice of these many complaints and stop putting the lives of many in potential danger. i drive over a waterway bridge, each and every day and if this is a safety hazard, i would like to have it addressed. i would like my vehicle recalled for the sake of my family's safety. *tr

During the replacement of the power steering unit, tie rod ends, and rack assembly, the mechanic, [xxx], from stone's auto service, inc., located at 350 north main st.; miamisburg, ohio 45342. their telephone number is (937) 866-3674, noticed excessive rust deterioration of the front subframe of the vehicle. the mechanic stated, on the invoice statement, the front frame is unsafe. he recommended we not drive the vehicle because it is unsafe, due to the rusted front subframe. we were told the entire front subframe could fall off at anytime. the mechanic suggested we take the vehicle to the dealer where we purchased the vehicle, which is interstate ford, inc. the dealership is located at: 125 alexandersville road; miamisburg, ohio 45342. the phone number for the dealership is (937) 866-1737. we took the vehicle to interstate ford, inc., which their mechanic inspected the vehicle and advised us not to drive the vehicle, because the vehicle is unsafe. in fact, the owner of interstate ford, inc., chuck george said this vehicle is unsafe to drive. he advised us, ford has not had any 'recall' for rusting subframe in the front end of the windstar vehicle. although, mr. george did tell us that ford has issued a recall for ford windstar vehicles due to rusting subframe of the vehicle's back subframe. mr. george provided us a quote of $1,533.05, to repair the front subframe rusting matter. we have since had the repair completed and paid the bill of $1,533.05 to interstate ford, inc. we are identified as customer number 30231 at interstate ford, inc. connie a. lipscomb is the advisor, who worked directly on this issue. this was completed and paid on october 28, 2010. please be notified, i have 3 photos, taken by [xxx], at the ford dealership, of the rusted subframe. email me requesting the photos and advise me instructions to attach the photos and where to email them and to who's attention. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr

I was driving 55mph on dixie highway in groveland twp., mi. my mounting bracket that is a factory weld to the engine cradle broke away from the engine cradle and pulled my drive shaft out of the transmission. this is on a 2000 ford windstar. the weld broke due to corrosion from salt eating away the weld itself. my vehicle is undrivable, luckily no one was hurt. i had myself and my 3 children under the age of 7 in the vehicle at the time of the incident. ford motor company is telling me that there is not a recall on my vehicle and that they will not pay to tow it to the dealership or to fix it. i am appalled by this. this is clearly a design defect and not my responsibility to fix. the detroit free press had an article on this very problem on december 23, 2010. it stated there have already been over 300 claims of my nature. the article stated this organization was investigating this matter. i ask for any help you can give me in getting ford to fix my vehicle. *tr

The subframe, located at the front underside of the 2000 windstar, is supposed to help keep the engine and other integral parts of the windstar in place and stable. it has been compromised on this vehicle with 185,000 miles, and broke during a turn into a park after church on the aforementioned date (10-10-10). fortunately the results were not deadly but could have been if we were driving on the interstate which we frequently do. what happened was a detachment of the drive axle (half shaft) from the transmission, which occurred when the lower control arm mount separated and caused the wheel to pull free from the drive axle. furthermore there were no warnings prior to any of the aforementioned failures. the area of the subframe affected by this corrosion is located on the passenger side where it attaches to the lower control arm. this is the first time it has occurred. this vehicle was towed to tps transmission in toledo oh and is being repaired. the sub frame is being replaced and i will ask that the old part be returned. in the meantime what is going to be done with this obvious growing problem? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that the engine would not shut off after several attempts. in order to shut off the engine, the contact disconnected the distributor cable. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the failure may have been attributed to a defect within the steering column. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer would not offer any assistance. the current and failure mileages were 150,000.

Purchased a vehicle off of the white allen lot with additional coverage with wynn's plus extended warranty on may 31, 2009. in august 2009, the van is very loose and unsteady while driving. took to grismer on september 5, 2009 to find that the front tie rods needed to be replaced. still unsteady especially in the rear. on september 10, 2009 the rear axle beam broke in two! the warranty company will not cover, and i come to find out through researching that across the u.s. thousands of persons have had this axle break on them nearly missing death on highways and byways. ford is aware of the defective axle beam yet has made no attempt to my knowledge to recall. lives are hanging in the balance and it seems they are more concerned about losing money. i can understand the concern especially with the economy the way it is. however, the consumer should not have to pay with their lives and the lives of their children because ford decided that money was more important than human life. not to mention had they been more concerned about quality vs. quantity, perhaps this would not be a complaint that thousands of people have to make. the money spent repairing the defect that is not covered ($1,000) still doesn't give you peace of mind that you and your family are safe because they have made no effort to replace the part with one that is not defective. you just replace it with another defective part! when did human life become so insignificant that a car company who knows that there is a safety issue, can ignore it putting lives at risk and make money off of the rolling dead! if you are like me, you need to get to work, pick up, drop off kids, go out of town. as long as there is no recall effort for this part, americans take the risk of never coming home to their families or their families not making it home from a little league football games, soccer, ballet etc. it is tragic and someone needs to do something before lives are lost. no action has been take. *tr

The steering on the van starting feeling loose. we occasionally noticed a sound in rear right when pulling out of our driveway. took it to the shop to check tires and shocks. they found the rear axle had snapped and was broken 75% of the way through. they replaced the rear axle. *tr

Check engine light has been on for several thousand miles, from about 40,000 to current 130,000. the code that comes up can be 1 of about 10 things. nothing corrects this. i have the 3.8l engine and the "check engine" light has been on. had a mechanic pull the codes up and they are bank 1 running lean and bank 2 running lean (p0171) and (p0174). was told could be mass airflow sensor, o2 sensor (1 of 4), vacuum issues, head gasket or a few others. i have replaced the maf sensor and all 4 o2 sensors at about $200.00 a piece. still on. 2nd issue. noise from front end when turning. 3rd issue. currently sitting at ford dealer with fractured rear axle for last month. also abs light goes on and off all the time.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. he received a recall notice for the cruise control switch. he stated that the cruise control failed prior to receiving the recall notice and the vehicle caught fire. prior to the fire the dealer stated that they would need perform a diagnostic test. ford confirmed that the switch should be repaired without diagnostic testing. there have been no repairs. the failure is directly related to nhtsa campaign id number 09v399000, vehicle speed control. the failure and current mileage were unknown. updated 11/08/10 * bf according to the paperwork, the consumer was in an accident due to the power steering failing. the consumer also stated all of the components on the instrument panel failed. updated 11/10/10

My wife and i were driving on i-94 in jackson, mi, on our way from ann arbor, mi, to chicago, il on friday 9/19/08 at approximately 10:30 am. going 70 mph, in the right lane (of two), the vehicle suddenly began veering off the pavement onto the grassy shoulder. the steering wheel was completely inoperable. we sheared off a road sign, which in the process, penetrated our radiator, and with me depressing the brake fully, we finally came to a stop off the highway after approximately 75 yards. we later learned that the right control arm had snapped off of the frame, thereby rendering the van unsteerable. fortunately, we walked away from this frightening incident, but thoughts of what might have been remain with us. our insurance adjuster deemed the vehicle a total loss. i hope that you will investigate this situation, as i have discovered in a simple google search that we are not alone in having experienced the terror of a defective control arm on a 2000 ford windstar. *tr

Researching problems with my van i ran a search to see if there are any recalls or technical service bulletins for my current problem: a leaking rack and pinion. while searching i ran across a site (http://www.fordwindstarrecall.info/) regarding the brake pressure differential deactivation switch (2b264). i experienced the symptoms (without the fire) of the switch leaking and now have problems with the abs light staying on and the dealer i took the van to told me the abs module needs replacement. the electrical connector to the brake switch showed signs of heat like it shorted out. i asked the service rep at the time if there were any tsb's or recalls and i was told no. i replaced the switch and have had no other problems but i need to replace the abs module. the switch was weeping fluid but failed unexpectedly and the brake master cylinder was nearly pumped out of fluid. thinking about it had the master cylinder ran out of fluid and the abs module rendered inactive from the dripping brake fluid the consequences could have been fire. *tr

2000 ford windstar lx van with approx 97,000 miles. my wife was driving at a slow speed in a parking lot and all of a sudden there was a loud bang and she could not steer the vehicle. fortunately, she was able to stop the van. one wheel in the front was straight and the other front wheel was turned at a 45 degree angle. we had the car towed to the ford dealer. the problem was the sub frame rusted out, causing the transaxle to pull away from the transmission and dropping the engine. the repairs included replacing the sub frame assembly,transaxle, seals etc. the dealer told me that this was highly unusual for this to happen.... i contacted ford and they told me they would do nothing to cover any portion of the cost. i believe this is a safety related issue because if my wife was driving on the open road and this happened, she would not be able to steer the vehicle and the end result would be a collision. i have saved all the parts for future investigation. *tr

Whining noise from power steering. replaced pump on 5-18, still noisy. found out on 5-21-07 that rack and pinion was bad, allowing fluid to leak into bellows boots one of which burst, spraying fluid all over dealership. van could not be driven since boot will fill up with fluid again, spraying it on brake rotor. dealer wanted $900 to replace rack and pinion. checked on various websites. this seemed to be a common complaint with ford. *ak

Power steering grunt or banging sound, especially when making right turns. *jb

Van makes a grunting / crunching sound usually on right turns. *jb

We have a 2000 ford windstar sel limited. yesterday on 1/27/06 we were turning into a driveway when the tie rod broke. the tie rod gouged into the drive and then apparently forcefully flew up and bent the rack and pinion and link. it scared my family that was in the car at the time. the car became undriveable, and we had to have it towed to a repair shop. that was where we learned the extent of the damages. the cost of repairs at this time was estimated to be over $600. it did not seem that a tie rod should just break like this. we were fortunate that no one was injured, and that we were close to home when this happened. we will be without the vehicle for almost a week while it was being repaired. the police came to the scene as we ended up blocking traffic, but they did not make an official report. *ak

Issues with repeated replacement of tie rods ends. *jb

Within in matter of 2 months, both front tire inner tie rods broke. luckily for the safety of me and my children, i was not driving at a high speed (highway) which would have caused a tragic fatal accident. *nm

2000 ford windstar lx power steering failed and needed replacement at about 75,000. *tr

Per dealer repair: trace to lower vacuum leak, r&r lower intake gaskets, install undated parts cost of $600. this was on top of a $2000 transmission repair at same time, separate complaint, and also after two tie rods replaced. *la

When i put new tires on my 2000 ford windstar the front end started vibrating at 45 to 60 mph i have a 75000 mile warranty on the van and it had 67000 miles on it at this time. ford told me it was not covered by warranty,there was no part causing the vibration,but they have a tech service bulletin saying to replace just about all of the front end parts (none are defective) with an entire kit of parts! the kit is not covered under the warranty,even though ford has enough trouble with this situation to have a tsb and an entire kit if parts to fix it. *cb

Transmission failure. remanufactured transmission installed. as well as new tie rods.

Steering wheel there is a moaning noise. dealership cannot find cause of the noise ,and doesn't think it is a safety issue. but informed consumer that he should have it checked frequently. please provide more details.*ak

I was involved in a head-on accident on a freeway. the driver of the other vehicle had fallen asleep, and, therefore, had not slowed down her vehicle. the impact took the front driver's side wheel off my vehicle and we rolled part way over until the ditch stopped my vehicle. my vehicle was claimed a total loss. the airbags did not deploy. i have a photo of the vehicle after the accident and the vehicle is currently located in brandywine, md at the insurance auto auction waiting for a sale date. i contacted ford to see if they could assist in finding out why the airbags failed to deploy. they told me that i would have to pay to have the airbags checked at a ford dealer, that there was nothing they could do. this answer was not acceptable to me, since it would seem they should be concerned as to why the safety equipment failed. i am hoping nhtsa can assist me in finding out the reason for the failure. thank you.*ak

This vehicle is junk!!!!!!!! ford motor co. is of no help. no safety defec tlisted. *ak