Ford Motor Company: Suspension › Rear › Axle › Non-powered Axle Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 29, 2015 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 283,413. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 1998-2003 Windstar vehicles manufactured September 2, 1997, to July 3, 2003. The affected vehicles were previously remedied to safeguard against the rear axle cracking from corrosion, however, the remedy brackets may have been misinstalled. The incorrect bracket installations may limit the effectiveness of the service repair for NHTSA recalls 10V-385, 12V-193, and 12V-195.
The risk
If the brackets were not installed properly, the rear axle may fracture, affecting the vehicle handling and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brackets to verify their proper installation. If a bracket is found to have been misinstalled, the rear axle will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The began on October 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S27.
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 15V608000.
Full record for the 2003 Ford Windstar → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →