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.
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 2015
64 of the 863 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2015 concerned the suspension; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 15V863000 22 Dec 2015 | Kaufman Trailers |
| 15V838000 14 Dec 2015 | Charmac Trailers Inc. |
| 15V784000 23 Nov 2015 | DS Corp DBA Crossroads RV |
| 15V753000 13 Nov 2015 | Trails West Manufacturing Of Idaho, Inc. |
| 15V727000 3 Nov 2015 | Newmar Corporation |
| 15V725000 3 Nov 2015 | Prevost Cars, Inc. |
| 15V654000 14 Oct 2015 | Newmar Corporation |
| 15V649000 13 Oct 2015 | Great Dane Trailers |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2015