NHTSA Complaint #10537356 — 2002 FORD WINDSTAR

WE WERE SLOWING TO PULL UP TO OUR HOME. WE WERE DRIVING ABOUT 10 MPH. ABOUT 70 FEET FROM OUR HOME. IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE WAS A FLAT TIRE WITH RUBBING AND BUMPING NOISES. WE PARKED ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF OUR HOME. UPON INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE TIRES WERE INTACT. THE TIRES ARE BOWING IN. WE LOOKED UNDER THE REAR OF THE CAR. WE SAW A LARGE CRACK OF THE REAR AXLE CLOSER TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CAR. FORD RECALLED THE REAR AXLE FOR THIS VERY REASON 3 YEARS AGO DUE TO CORROSION CAUSED BY YEARS OF EXPOSURE TO SALTED ROADS. FORD PERFORMED THE RECALL WORK BY PLACING A BRACKET ON THE AXLE. THE BRAKE ON OUR AXLE OCCURRED UNDER THE BRACKET. FORD IS NOT ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY EVEN THOUGH THE SUPPORTS THEY PLACED ON THE AXLE FAILED TO DO THEIR JOB. THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS THIS YEAR FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALL THE BROKEN AXLES THIS YEAR WERE THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLES AND TYPE ROADS THEY WERE TRAVELING ON. I BELIEVE THAT THERE MORE OUT THERE THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM THAT HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED TO THIS WEBSITE YET. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT MORE AXLES THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THE RECALL FIX ARE GOING TO FIND THEIR AXLES BREAKING IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS WELL. AS FOR NOW THE RECALL OF THESE AXLES, FORD HAS CLOSED THE CASE UNTIL FORCED TO REOPEN THE RECALL. FORD SHOULD REPLACE THE ENTIRE AXLE ON ALL THE WINDSTARS THAT WERE UNDER THE ORIGINAL RECALL. *TR