TL- the contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar; while driving at 35 mph the tires started making an unusual noise and then he heard metal scraping on the pavement, he pulled over onto the side of the road and discovered that his rear suspension was broken; the vehicle had to be towed to his home; there was no diagnostic test done or repairs; the manufacturer was not contacted and he stated that the dealer was no longer in business so he could not contact him. The failure and current mileage were 195,000..

- Hi Nella, NJ, USA

The rear axle on our 2000 Ford Windstar snapped in two while under normal driving conditions. The axle was replaced for around $800 along with one of the shocks for another $85. One of the rear coil springs still needs to be replaced.

- Frankfort, IL, USA

Ford Windstar 2000 broken rear axle. 2 weeks prior had intermittent grinding noise which vehicle owners identified as a suspension problem. Sounds was most notable on uneven terrain, but not all the time. Upon further inspection, noted broken rear axle. No consequences, vehicle was taken off road before axle broke in half. Part will be replaced.

- Somers Point, NJ, USA

Without known cause, the rear axle of our 2000 Ford Windstar LX snapped in half while being driven. The only thing noticed, only moments prior to the break, was the back end swiveling just a bit. The rear axle was replaced, the old one discarded, and one of our brand new tires was also replaced due to the friction it sustained.

- Manahawkin, NJ, USA

My son and I were driving to bj's warehouse after buying mulch at lowe's. we just got off the highway and was about 1/4 mile from bj's when we heard a loud clunk. I thought the tire blew at first and continued into the closest parking lot. I looked under the car and found that my rear axle I-beam had snapped in two. Both the flatbed driver who towed it and my mechanic said they never saw such a thing happen before. A steel beam braking in two isn't supposed to happen. We were lucky we didn't have an accident. Ford will only have a recall after someone dies and a multi-million dollar lawsuit follows. That would bring the kind of publicity that Ford would have to react to. It seems that's the only time any of these carmakers back their vehicles is after a tragedy and a major investigation. Lives just aren't important to them. Just profits.

- North Haven, CT, USA

We have a 2000 Ford Windstar that we took to our mechanic for inspection. While being inspected, the mechanic noticed that the rear beam axle was rotted and cracked. This is the 2nd rear axle that rotted out on the van. 1st one was replaced in July 2008. Car is still at mechanics garage, awaiting instructions for repair. Ford has no recall on the axle.

- Ridley Park, PA, USA

We were backing slowly out of the driveway. The van sounded like something was caught underneath the vehicle and was dragging. We got out of the car to see what the problem was. We noticed the rear wheels were both tilted inward and the rear axle was dragging on the ground, damaging the driveway. The van had to be towed to an independent mechanic in which the rear axle was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000 miles.

- Ridley Park, PA, USA

Driving home from phila, pa the rear was fish tailing with every little bump. Being close to home I figured I could check it after arriving home. Rear axle broke off completely in half on my street. Both rear tires went inward and were against the wheel well. The car could not go forward or backward as the axle was on the ground. Snapped approx. 18 inches from the left side. Luckily we were not on a highway at the time. 4 passengers. Needed 3 tow trucks before one figured out how to tow is without anymore damage. Had a new axle put in for $1200. My wife is still afraid to drive it.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

I have a 2000 Ford Windstar van and the rear axle snapped in two. I think it happened when we pulled into our driveway. I have not fixed it yet because it is very expensive and have to save up the money.

- Cassville, WI, USA

I discovered a large crack in the rear axle beam of my 2000 Ford Windstar when doing routine brake work. The crack goes halfway through the axle beam so I decided to take the vehicle off the road until I contact Ford Motor Company. I will contact them a.S.a.P. to determine what action I should take at this point. In my opinion the vehicle is not currently safe to operate as the axle could completely fracture at any given time due to the severity of the crack. I have read that many other Windstar owners have experienced this problem, yet Ford has done nothing to notify owners about the possibility of axle failure. I have taken several photos of the axle for documentation before I have the it replaced.

- Medford, MA, USA

On wed May 12th I was backing out of my driveway to take one of my kids to a guitar lesson. My 2000 Ford Windstar, which had been working fine, suddenly made an odd noise and the tires were bent inward toward the car. I got out and discovered that the rear axle had broken! the car has not been in any accidents and there were no signs of this problem occurring. I had the car repaired and was told by the repair shop that they had seen a number of these incidents occurring. The car is okay now, but I had to pay over $900 to have the damage fixed and I am very concerned about other owners of this type of car.

- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

My 2000 Ford Windstar rear axle split in half during normal driving conditions (5/28/10). I am in the process of inquiring how much the repair will cost.

- Medford, MA, USA

Rear axle broke on 2000 Ford Windstar, while being moving down the street.

- Chicago, IL, USA

I was driving down the road at 35 mph when the car started shaking violently... drove about 1 mile to find a safe place to pull over... by this time the car was barely moving. I pulled into a turn lane and heard a loud crash at the back of the car. I stopped and got out to look to find that my rear axle had snapped in two. It was completely broken into two pieces to the left of center on the driver's side. Thank god I was not on the highway when this happened. The Ford dealer acted totally shocked that this could happen and told me to call my insurance company... that surely I must have hit something in order for such damage to occur. The insurance company found no damage... and so we paid out of pocket for the repair... which also included work on "rear suspension" and shock absorbers... damaged as a result of the axle breaking. We replaced with a used axle. Total paid $1076.45.

- Chespeake, VA, USA

1. I was checking underneath my car because it sounded like there was something the matter with the rear passenger side brakes. 2. I found something more alarming. About 1/3 of the way across the axle from the driver side rear wheel was a big crack in the axle. 3.I haven't done anything yet but left the car in my driveway as several people advised me that the car was too dangerous to drive. I was thinking of calling a body shop to have the crack welded back together. But then I read about hundreds of people making complaints about rear axles in Ford Windstar and decided to file a complaint with the NHTSA.

- Audubon, NJ, USA

I was reversing out of the store parking lot and my rear axle cracked. Cracked right in half. My 9 year old son was with me. 2 minutes before that I was on a major highway. I was lucky! someone is going to injured or will die. There are lots of these complaints and something needs to be done.

- Lowell, MA, USA

While driving my son to school traveling approx. 40 mph the rear axle completely broke in half causing me to loose control. Luckily there was no traffic at the time of the incident and it was aimed in a direction allowing it to pulled off the road. Vehicle has since been towed home and we are investigating next steps.

- Grafton, OH, USA

My wife has been complaining that she was hearing loud noises coming from the rear of her 2000 Ford Windstar. I checked the shocks and springs and everything was okay. Today she was backing out of the driveway on her way to work when I noticed that the left rear tire was badly tilted inward. I stopped her and looked under the van and noticed that the rear axle had split in two. There is no significant signs of rust or corrosion, just a huge fracture of the entire axle.

- Upper Arlington, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. While driving 35-40 mph, the rear axle broke in half; the contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop where the entire rear axle was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 73,100. The current mileage was 73,409.

- Levittown, PA, USA

The rear axle on my 2000 Ford Windstar snapped off.

- Pawtucket, RI, USA