Ford Motor Company: Suspension › Rear › Axle › Non-powered Axle Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on May 3, 2012 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 9,192. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1997, THROUGH JULY 3, 2003, REGISTERED IN PUERTO RICO. DUE TO INCREASED STRESSES CAUSED BY HIGH CYCLES OF TORSIONAL LOADING, SPECIFIC TO THIS MARKET, THE REAR AXLE CAN CRACK.
The risk
A FRACTURED AXLE MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT BRACKET ON THE REAR AXLE OR REPLACE THE AXLES, AS NECESSARY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 1, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Ford Windstar | 1,510 | 9 | 27 | 33 |
| 2002 Ford Windstar | 1,353 | 9 | 48 | 45 |
| 2001 Ford Windstar | 1,686 | 16 | 62 | 66 |
| 2000 Ford Windstar | 1,675 | 16 | 55 | 62 |
| 1999 Ford Windstar | 1,522 | 13 | 61 | 50 |
| 1998 Ford Windstar | 1,433 | 14 | 65 | 54 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 12V195000.
Full record for the 2003 Ford Windstar → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →