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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Windstar | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Windstar | 1998 | 1,433 | 11 |
| Ford Windstar | 1999 | 1,522 | 11 |
| Ford Windstar | 2000 | 1,675 | 15 |
| Ford Windstar | 2001 | 1,686 | 15 |
| Ford Windstar | 2002 | 1,353 | 8 |
| Ford Windstar | 2003 | 1,510 | 8 |
Other suspension recalls in 2012
27 of the 583 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2012 concerned the suspension; FORD MOTOR COMPANY filed 963 campaigns in all.
| 12V600000 26 Dec 2012 | Prevost Cars, Inc. |
| 12V494000 10 Oct 2012 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| 12V462000 20 Sept 2012 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| 12V464000 19 Sept 2012 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 12V410000 21 Aug 2012 | Kaufman Trailers |
| 12V401000 10 Aug 2012 | DUCATI NORTH AMERICA |
| 12V390000 8 Aug 2012 | ALTEC INDUSTRIES INC. |
| 12V393000 3 Aug 2012 | JAYCO, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2012