The rear axle on my 2000 Ford Windstar just split while driving it! there is no rust or wear and tear. I have all my maintenance receipts and my mechanic says this should have never happened. My children and I could've been killed if we were driving on a highway instead of a local road.

- Brielle, NJ, USA

2000 Ford Windstar rear axle snapped in half just to the left of center.

- Londonderry, NH, USA

2000 Windstar 86,000K miles.... driving down the road and the van started to drift violently left and right. Pulled over and noticed the rear axle had snapped in two. Rear axle still has not been repaired

- Troy, MI, USA

The rear axle beam of my 2000 Ford Windstar split in 2 while I was making a right hand turn causing the rear wheels to flare out. The service station said they have made repairs to other Windstar with the same problem. Lucky for me I was not going fast and there were no injuries. I learned later that the beam rusted out from the inside as water had infiltrated the beam.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

On or about December 1st,2009 my 2000 Ford Windstar started making loud squeaking noises from the rear of my van when I would make turns and also started swaying from side to side whenever I would go over bumps.almost felt like my rear wheels were going to fall off from very loose lugnuts, but they were tight. As the next few weeks went by the problems became worse. Today(1/2/2010)I decided to look underneath the rear of my van. I was in disbelief to see my rear axle cracked almost all the way through about 2 feet in from the drivers side. I couldn't believe it. I have 4 small children and we just went on a trip on the highway 2 days prior to me checking the problem. I have seen this is a common problem with the Windstar. I have done some research on this problem and found this to be a widespread problem with all different years of the Windstar. Something has to be done before someone is seriously injured from this problem. This axle should not crack or break under normal wear of the vehicle. This is a major component of the van and causes serious safety issues. Right now the van is sitting in my driveway. I am trying to find a used axle from somewhere so I could get it back on the road. Ford should really do something about this issue. Thanks you...

- Olyphant, PA, USA

The steering on the van starting feeling loose. We occasionally noticed a sound in rear right when pulling out of our driveway. Took it to the shop to check tires and shocks. They found the rear axle had snapped and was broken 75% of the way through. They replaced the rear axle.

- York, PA, USA

The 2000 Ford Windstar had been having some handling issues such that if there was water or sand on the road we would fishtail and feel like driving on black ice. I was always able to recover control of the vehicle without incident. It got to a point the vehicle couldn't be driven safely in wet or snowy conditions. The vehicle was pretty much driven in small town conditions. The problem was identified when the rear passenger wheel top was angled into the vehicle (I.e. camber off by 2-3 inches). Mechanic inspected the suspension and found a cracked rear axle with no signs of rust or damage nearby. The axle will have to be replaced.

- Machias, ME, USA

I have a 2000 Ford Windstar LX sport 3.8L V6. It has 112,000 miles on it. I took it to our local mechanic to have the rear brakes replaced. He notified me that the rear axle was cracked. He said there was none in the junkyards but that he could repair and reinforce the axle. It is a good thing our mechanic found the cracked axle. No telling how or under what conditions the axle could have snapped and someone or a family member gets killed or seriously injured due to the failure of a major component. Please investigate this report as it is a safety issue for this vehicle that Ford needs to address.

- Dayton, OH, USA

200 Ford Windstar with very dangerous handling. Took it to mechanic and was informed that rear axle was severely cracked and both rear tires were worn down to the wires.

- De Soto, MO, USA

Driving down the road and I hear a sudden thump then a dragging sound, I pulled over and found that the back axle had broken in half.

- Aurora, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. While driving 55 mph, she struck a small bump on a bridge. As she attempted to shift to the left, she felt the left side of the vehicle drop. Upon further inspection she noticed that the left rear tire was flat. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility, and the mechanic stated that the axle had fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was in process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 150,000. The VIN was not available.

- St Niles, MI, USA

Was driving my 1 mile to work and suddenly the rear end started shimmying all over. Pulled over, saw my rear wheels were bowed, checked the rear axle, which was cracked through minus the bottom. Drove to the shop and they say they will have to replace the rear axle. They all expressed how shocked they were that an axle would snap when there was no rust at or near the area where is snapped.

- Prairie Du Sac, WI, USA

Driving approx. 60 mph on freeway. Wobbling situation with body of auto (thinking flat tire) then rear of van drops. Loud scraping sound. Able to pull off road. Looked under rear of van and noticed broken(completely) axle.

- Lincoln Park, MI, USA

Rear axle broke in 2 pcs.

- Bronx, NY, USA

2000 Ford Windstar, driving at 20 mph rear axle snapped in half while my 3 children were in the car!

- Manchester, NH, USA

We own a 2000 Ford Windstar and when it began clunking on my wife and 4 children I got under it to check the tires and discovered my axel was snapped in half for no reason at all this vehicle has done nothing but ride family around when I typed it in I found many other complaints about this issue on their Windstar as well Ford should have a recall on this issue.

- Jewett City, CT, USA

Ford Windstar rear axle cracked through 9/10ths of the axle. Issues with drivable but did not realize cause. Pulled into parking lot due to loud noise in rear wheel well. Both tires were pitched inward due to the axle having moved out of position due to the crack. Only about 1 inch of metal remained intact on the axle. Auto was towed to the dealer who advised replacement is necessary at an approximate cost of $1100. Having just driven for 4 hours on the highway through a downpore, I am certainly glad the breakage did not fully materialize until I was running at a slower speed. If the failure occurred at highway speeds my family and I may not be here today. At a minimum, a bulletin should be issued to all consumers to check for potential cracks and failures of the rear axle as a preventative measure. There was no prior indication and I had the vehicle into a shop 1 day before the occurrence for replacing a rear tire. The repair shop did not advise of any potential issues.

- Westlake, OH, USA

Two days prior to rear axle snapping in two noise when turning right. Upon inspection stress crack was unobservable. While in reverse rear axle snapped in two. Can't find towing company that will tow van in such an unsafe state since rear spring could fly out and kill someone.

- Bethel Park, PA, USA

Mileage 65,000 my wife and 3 toddlers drove to a tire store Monday morning (March 5, 2009) to purchased two new tires for the back. The mechanics drove the car onto the hydraulic jacks and as soon as the car was being lifted up, they noticed right away that the rear axle of the car was splitting in half... so they tell my wife what happened and she calls me up. Well I'm roughly 30 miles away, so I had to take some time off and drove my little car to the place and couldn't believe it. The rear axle was broken with inch remaining on the top portion before it completely broke in half. Unbelievable! the break was about 2 feet from the driver's side rear tire. Had no choice but to get it fixed since it was already broken and up in the air. The next day I called Ford Motor Company up and will do nothing about it. The mechanic even told me and my wife that he went through 4 rear axles roughly the same as my van! after hearing others with the same problems, Ford Motor Company should tell the public and have there vans checked before someone or family gets killed or seriously injured!! the lord was with us on that day. What can be done about this?

- Canton, OH, USA

Rear axle on 2000 Ford Windstar van cracked on drivers side of van. I am not sure when the crack started, but it was found during an inspection of the van. A quick internet search shows that this problem ha caused safety issues on other vans. I will need to find a way to repair the axle, it appears the replacement parts may be an issue as well.

- Neenah, WI, USA