One day I was driving around with my kids and I went over a bump and that's when it all went wrong. The minute I went over the bump, we heard a crack then a dragging noise. I parked to see what went wrong and then I saw my rear tires going toward the axle and then I saw my rear axle was cracked. I had to get a flat bed tow truck and tow it to the nearest garage. My sister had to pick us up and take us to our destination. This all happened on a cold windy Saturday. On a breezy Monday, I called the garage and I was told that the new rear axle would take a week to get a it and I was without a car for a week. I had to find ways to get to work and they were hard choices to make. Finally when the new axle came in, they repaired it and the total was $800. It was hard to come up with the money because I just got done paying off the front breaks. I think I should get reimbursed for some of the money I put out because you should've recalled the rear axles of the Windstar because of the article I got from the garage that fixed my car. [xxx] P.S. I would like satisfaction on the matter of the car. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Katonah, NY, USA

I was driving down a St. And the rear axle just broke in two on my 2000 Windstar van, my car has been garage kept, I found 18 more complaints with the same problem on Windstar.

- Red Lion, PA, USA

I had the left rear axle of a 2000 Ford Windstar crack clean through while on the hwy with people in my van. The video I have seen are the same crack as mine.

- Provincetown, MA, USA

Rolling back in the driveway in neutral ( as I always do ) when the rear axle snapped in my 2000 Ford Windstar sel. My vehicle was no longer operational and had it towed to a garage. A used replacement rear axle was purchased and installed.

- Windsor, 00, USA

I took my 2000 Ford Windstar to the repair shop to address a flat right rear passenger tire, only to discover that the rear axle had cracked about 12 inches from the driver side rear wheel. I inquired whether the vehicle was able to be driven and the mechanic said that it would not be safe driving this vehicle at any speed because if it snaps you could seriously lose to control of the vehicle. So I am writing this because I found the same issue in the same location from a number of individual owners. It does not appear anything has been done thus far, so I wanted to make sure I am yet another owner with same issue. It appears prudent that some notification been sent to owners of this vehicle to make sure they continually have the rear axle checked for cracks. This may help any potential for injuries in the future.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

2000 Windstar. Rear axle snapped. Very dangerous. I was just about to get on the highway. Went online and found that there have been over 55 complaints about this. I have children. Can't even imagine if we were all in it when it snapped. This is a serious problem and someone is going to be hurt if not die. Not to mention the cost. Ford should be issuing a recall immediately. What is it going to take.

- Scituate, MA, USA

2000 Windstar. Rear axle snapped. Very dangerous. I was just about to get on the highway. Went online and found that there have been over 55 complaints about this. I have children. Can't even imagine if we were all in it when it snapped. This is a serious problem and someone is going to be hurt if not die. Not to mention the cost. Ford should be issuing a recall immediately. What is it going to take?

- Scituate, MA, USA

The rear axle beam on my 2000 Ford Windstar van broke in half suddenly shortly after exiting the freeway. Just prior to exiting the freeway the van shuttered and vibrated bad enough to cause me to slow down to about 50 mph before exiting the freeway. Fortunately I was only traveling about 30 mph when the incident occurred. Although both rear wheels collapsed against the inside rear wheel wells and the vehicle swayed from side to side I was able to safely get it stopped with causing an accident. During the past couple of weeks the van had an on and off vibration and seemed to wander in its lane on occasion. I took it in for front end service work last week and had the inner tie rod ends replaced as well as some front end bushings. Although the steering was tightened up, the periodic vibration was still there. It took about 5 minutes on the internet to discover this is not an isolated incident. I found about 130 similar issues/complaints by googling "Ford Windstar axle problems." This is clearly a very serious safety issue. At this point I don't know if anyone has been killed or injured but I intend to find out. The problem appears to involve 2000 & 2001 Windstar with mileage ranging from 70K to 160K. Based on the inspection of my vehicle and review of other posted complaints it appears Ford uses a double walled U shaped steel beam to support and connect the rear wheels and springs. The axle beam is not totally enclosed around the spring mounts. Water enters the axle tube and has no where to drain. Over time the water promotes rusts and weakens the axle tube from the inside out until metal fatigue sets in and the axle eventually fails. I suspect this problem will bleed into the 2002/2003 models as they age and eventually rust out. This situation is a virtual time bomb for unsuspecting Ford Windstar van owners.

- Swartz Creek, MI, USA

A Ford Windstar made a loud banging sound at a parking I was at. When we tried to assist we found that the rear axle housing was broken in two pieces. Since it was the same vehicle we checked ours and it has a 2 and a half inch crack in the same exact spot on the housing. Checking the internet it has occurred on over 50 other vehicles of the same type. This is a dangerous condition!!! there is no weld point bend or otherwise to start a crack at that point. This is a case of severe metal fatigue. This break makes the rear wheels fold out with a loss of control. We are looking for another housing to replace it.

- Canton, MI, USA

2000 Ford Windstar LX - 122,000 miles - rear axle failure on March 30, 2010 the Windstar began fishtailing and swaying in the rear. It was also making a bang noise when turning right. Thought that the shocks were bad and was planning on replacing them. On Friday, April 2, 2010 we were loading the family and dog for a trip to the beach. Prior to pulling out of the driveway I noticed the left rear wheel tilted inwards at the top. At that point I removed the family from the vehicle and jacked up the rear of the van. Upon inspection I noticed the rear axle beam was cracked approximately 12-18 inches in from the left wheel. I went on line and immediately discovered another 50+ complaints of the same failure. I initially though it broke due to the excessive potholes in the region. However, I now feel that this may be a much bigger problem and a defect with this type of vehicle. The only way to repair this issue is to replace the entire rear axle beam. The part alone cost $500 or more.

- Morton, PA, USA

When going over a bump the rear end of the vehicle would sway after futher investagation the rear axle is split in 2 pieces 1 1/2 to 2 ft from the tire on the driver side

- Akron, OH, USA

We own a 2000 Ford Windstar van. We felt strong vibrations from the rear of the car. We brought the car to a mechanic who noticed the rear drivers side axle had broken in two. After researching in the internet we have noticed this same exact break is happening in the same year of other owners. Ford is not reconizing the defect.

- West Peoria, IL, USA

I own a 2000 Ford winstar, the rear axle beam twice now for cracking/splitting, both happend in the same spot, what are the chances of that? bad metal ! I replace it with a 96 rear axle which has supports and a support beam under the axle, wish when I changed it the first time I changed it with this year axle!! next I just noticed the other day that the sub-frame (engine cradle ) is rotted out on the passanger side! when going to the junk yards I have noticed his is a common problem, why wouldn't Ford do something about this? after all these are family vans that haul chrildren 99% of the time! these things could cause death very easy! if they fail on a hwy god help them !!!

- Fairless Hills, PA, USA

On this date, rear axel of my 2000 Ford Windstar broke and both rear wheels were bowed out and a large crack was discovered.

- Hollidaysburg, PA, USA

Snapped rear axle leading to loss of control. This axle had obviously been cracked for several years, based on corrosion in the crack. The loss of control was such that lives were in immediate danger.

- Warsaw, NY, USA

The rear axle on my 2000 Ford Windstar SE is broken almost all the way thru. The van has 105919 miles on it. This could have been a very serious problem had it broken at highway speed the break is approx. 2 feet from the left end of axle.

- Granger, IN, USA

2/9/10 wife contacted me about vehicle barely moving when pressing accelerator. I check when I returned home to find that the rear axle had broken. After some research, I found that this is much more common in northern states as opposed to southern states. I live in pa and SC. Dealers in SC had never heard of such a thing. Obviously an issue of inferior steel not truly designed to withstand corrosive or inclement environments. I found a good axle in great shape here in SC, and I repaired the vehicle myself. I am saving the old axle for photos and evidence.

- Columbia, SC, USA

I had just had our 2000 Ford Windstar serviced at our Ford dealer a few days before where they replaced worn sway bars and bushings. I was backing out of our driveway when I heard a snap and then could here something metal dragging on the ground. I pulled back into my driveway and looked under my car to find that the rear axle had broken in about the center of the axle. I had it towed into our Ford dealer to find out what happened they took a look at it and said it snapped and that there was no sign of wear before it broke. I asked if there was any previous knowledge of this happening or if Ford was aware of this issue and was told no.

- Pingree Grove, IL, USA

This is my second complaint to document the exact same incidents I've had with two different 2000 Ford Windstar. On the first, my rear axle broke in 2008 after I went over the 100,000 mile mark. I'm just thankful my mechanic caught it during routine maintenance and it didn't snap when I was driving. Ford said it was an anomaly or that I must've done it towing our camper and did nothing. My son wound up totaling the car later that year and with the insurance settlement I found the same year, make and model that I could afford. This new 2000 Windstar only had 50,000 miles on it. I've had it for 14 months and my mechanic just found the same defect. He kept an eye on this one because of what happened the last time, thank heaven. This car was used, but had a clear carfax and I've never had any accidents in either car (well, until my dopey son wrecked the first!)... axle housing corroded and worn in exactly the same spot, to the left of center. Again I called Ford Motor Company and they said the same thing as last time. There have been no recalls for this, I'm past warranty, they can't do anything, blah blah blah. I even stopped back in at the dealer, where I had gone after my first Windstar's axle snapped (I actually brought them the axle then to show them then) and pointed it out again, noting that this car had no trailer hitch, so their explanation for the last one was shot out of the water. As a matter of fact, my mechanic said he's had a couple in between my two, and the guy who delivered the part to have this second one fixed said this was the fourth he'd delivered this week. I even stopped at a gas station and was chatting with a friend about what happened when the attendant said the same thing happened to her neighbor's Windstar. I wonder how many people didn't bother to (or don't know how to) report it, like me on the first time, because Ford said it wasn't happening anywhere else or that it was their fault.

- Neptune City, NJ, USA

I've had the rear axle break on two separate 2000 Ford Windstar. Judging from the complaints I've seen here (similar reports posted by different people in suspension, rear suspension and rear suspension axle assembly component categories) I've got plenty of company... looks like the problem exists on 2001 Windstar as well, I didn't look any further, but seems to happen when they hit the 10 year or 100,000 mile mark. I'm filing two separate complaints for the two cars (first car, Ford guy insisted I did it!). this is the first. During routine maintenance my mechanic spotted the rear axle housing had corroded and split right in half to the left of its center. I called Ford main office, they said they had never heard of anything like this happening before and because I was beyond warranty, they could do nothing, yadda yadda yadda. I went to the service dept. At the dealer where I bought it brand new in 2000 and he said I must have done it because we towed a pop-up camper (about a half dozen times in the nearly 9 years I owned the car). We paid our private mechanic to fix the problem. He had never seen anything like it before, but since has seen others come in with the same problem in the same spot. I have photos of both of my cars showing how the same thing happened in the same spot. This first car had just under 110,000 miles on it.

- Neptune City, NJ, USA