NHTSA Complaint #10735792 — 2002 FORD WINDSTAR

REAR AXEL CRACKED AFTER PERIOD OF TIME RESULTING IN BLOW OUT TIRE IN A PARKING LOT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND FORD RECALLED THIS SAME VAN FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM BUT DID NOT IN OUR STATE ALTHOUGH THE RECALL WAS DUE TO STATES WITH WEATHER LIKE SNOW, ICE, SALT, ETC WHICH CAUSED SAID ISSUE. WHY WOULDNT NEBRASKA BE INCLUDED IN THIS SINCE ITS NEBRASKA AND ITS SNOWY ALOT? LUCKILY WE WERE IN A PARKING LOT, WE WERE NOT DRIVING AT HIGH RATE OF SPEED DOWN HIGHWAY LIKE I SAW WHILE RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE WHICH A MAN WAS KILLED WHO HAD THIS HAPPEN. I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY DANGEROUS AND TRAGIC MISTAKE MADE BY FORD AND NOW MY VAN SITS IN A PARKING LOT WITH NO WAY FOR ME TO GET IT TO A SHOP TO GET A REPAIR MADE EVEN IF I DID HAVE THE FUNDS TO DO THIS. AT LEAST I WOULD WANT MY VAN IN MY DRIVEWAY, NOT IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT WITH NO MEANS OF GETTING IT HOME, BESIDES THE FACT THAT BEING A WOMAN, I WOULD HAVE KEPT DRIVING IT NOT KNOWING AND COULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT SUCH AS ONES I HAVE SEEN SINCE LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE. I HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS OF CRACKED AXEL IN REAR AND ALSO FRONT DUE TO WEATHER AND CLIMATE AND FOUND THE COURT PAPERS SAYING WHICH STATES WERE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL, YET NEBRASKA NOT ONE OF THEM? MAKES NO SENSE. SO DO I GO AND DRIVE IT HOME ANYWAYS AND JUST HOPE WE DONT DIE IN THE PROCESS..OR DO I LET IT SIT IN A SHADY PART OF TOWN PARKING LOT FOREVER? BEING A SINGLE MOTHER OF 3, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT FORD MIGHT SEE THE ALL THE NEWS ABOUT THIS AND HAVE DONE MORE TO PREVENT SO MANY INCIDENTS, ONE OF WHICH SOMEONE DIED. THE COURT PAPERS INDICATED THAT THEY KNEW ABOUT IT 10 YEARS BEFORE RECALL. I NOTICED THE VAN DROVE ROUGH OVER BUMPS RECENTLY, BUT THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS SHOCKS, UNTIL I FOUND MY TIRE NOT JUST FLAT, BUT LOOKING AS IF IT WAS SLASHED IN THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT LITERALLY BLEW UP.