2001 Ford Windstar vehicle seemed to have a suspension problem with a lot of bouncing. Rear axle failure that needed replacement at 164000 miles. 7/13/09 $868.90 axle tube and hooks replaced.

- Stoneham, MA, USA

I own a 2001 Ford Windstar LX I was driving down the expressway at 55mph when the rear of the van start to sway and pull eratically I pulled off the side of the expressway and found that the rear axle on my van had cracked in half.

- Lynn, MA, USA

1. vibration in steering wheel. 2. rear axel broke in 2 places on the New Jersey turnpike. The car veered uncontrollably almost causing a serious accident. 3. the car was towed 90 miles to our local service station where axel was replaced with a used part.

- St Davids, PA, USA

Own a 2001 Ford Windstar minivan. On Tuesday, 8/24, I was driving from rhinebeck NY to yonkers, NY, mostly along the taconic parkway. This parkway has many potholes due to the grates sinking over the course of a year and it is very hard to avoid many of these grates because of their location along the right edge of the right lane. After driving along this route for a while (not sure how long) the van started to squeak on some turns and there was a smell of burning rubber that came and went. There were no problems managing the car or continuing to drive and there was no problem breaking. Because of the late hour (we arrived home at 9 pm) I opted to keep moving to get home and not stop along the road. The squeaking was mostly when I made right turns - I could not tell when/or why the smell would return. Upon returning home I pulled into the driveway and there was a sort of 'clunk' as I parked. Next morning I went out to see the van and noticed the rear wheels were no longer parallel. I have multiple sclerosis so I did not get down to look at anything and there was no immediate need for car so waited for my husband to come home. He looked at the rear undercarriage and told me the axle was cracked. He was able to get it to a nearby mechanic who was surprised I was able to get home with it and asked about what I 'hit'. I did not hit anything except potholes and was not driving above legal limit of 55 mph (too dark and area known to have deer crossing so would not risk going over limit). It is currently in for repair now. Also we have not had any accidents with this vehicle prior to this date and it has reasonably low mileage on it for its age.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

2001 Ford Windstar rear axle failure. While driving at city speeds a loud clunking was noticed in the rear. No loss of control occurred. The dealership confirmed a rear axle failure and recommends replacement. The vehicle is owned in a "salt-belt" state, has 91,000 miles and has been lightly driven and well-maintained.

- Whitewater, WI, USA

I went to run an errand & the van seemed to be handling strangely. It felt like the rear was jumping/shifting on "normal" pavement. I turned around (only.5 miles from home) & found the rear tires on my 2001 Windstar "caved inwards". I was able to safely make it the short distance back to my home & look underneath to see that the rear axle is split through (not completely, but badly). We have not yet had it towed to get an estimate for repair.

- Northfield, OH, USA

I was driving my 2001 Ford Windstar LX minivan at approximately 60 mph on interstate 270 in madison county, Illinois at approximately 7:30 pm on wed. 8/18/2010 when the vehicle's back end started to shake uncontrollably. Thinking it might be a blown tire, I immediately pulled over to see if I could find the problem. Seeing how all tires were fine, I continued. When reaching speed of 35 mph, the vehicle began to violently shake again. I was able to exit the interstate and continue on my journey at a rate of speed that did not exceed 25 mph. Was able to make it home (under 5 miles through minimal city traffic) as the vehicle did not shake due to slower speed. When I reached home, I checked underneath the vehicle and noticed a large crack in the rear axle near the center of the axle. When researching the internet on Windstar axles, I discovered that other Windstar owners have experienced the same problem due to the Windstar's axle design. Also while doing research, I have discovered that Ford is knowledgeable about the axle's defective design but has not evoked any action to correct the situation or has presented a recall. The 2001 Ford Windstar LX I own has 160,000 miles on it, but has not had any overwhelming mechanic failures on it except for air conditioning and minor electrical problems. The vehicle was recently taken to a local Ford service center in alton, il on sat. 7/24/2010 for recall work, and even though the vehicle went through an inspection at the time, nothing was brought up about the axle showing signs of deterioration. The vehicle will go to a local mechanic tomorrow for an estimate. Luckily, I will take it there myself because my life was at risk this evening due to the axle failure.

- Edwardsville, IL, USA

2001 Ford Windstar. Rear axle catastrophically failed while driving down a freeway. Metallic clicking occurred while the car was driven in reverse the day before the catastrophic failure.

- Akron, OH, USA

Rear axle broke completely in half causing the wheels to turn inward while approaching highway speeds. I was able to control the vehicle as it swayed form side to side and pull to the berm. I had the van towed home and haven't repaired it yet.

- Gahanna, OH, USA

While driving our 2001 Ford Windstar which has only 60,000 miles at about 20 mph, a loud snap sound occurred, followed by wobbling from the back of the car and burning rubber smell as the vehicle came to a scrapping stop. We got out to see that the rear axle bar had snapped in two about a foot or so from the drivers rear wheel. We called geico and filed a claim, they are going to repair it but we will still have to pay a $500 deductible. They said that if they are successful in going after Ford for this "defect", we would them be eligible for the $500 back. We see on the internet that there are two youtube.com videos about this same problem and these axles are snapped exactly where ours let go. We also see on the internet that the NHTSA has been investigating this problem since may of 2010. As of that date there were almost 300 occurrences of this failure in the northeast, I guess more and more of this occurrence will continue until Ford recalls this defective weld or inadequate thickness of the rear axel bar itself. We hope no-one has to loose their lives before Ford addresses this issue. We are so glad that we never made it to the entrance of the highway, because I cannot imagine what would have happened at highway speeds.

- White Plains, NY, USA

2001 Ford Windstar rear axle cracked in half - driving vehicle and heard a loud popping sound, (thought I broke a shock), back end of vehicle became unstable. Looked underneath and found rear axle broken in half about one and a half foot from drives rear tire. Have vehicle towed to garage to have fixed, they are aware of the problem since they said they have replaced several.

- Washington, PA, USA

2001 Ford Windstar rear axel cracked in half while driving down the street and hitting a pot hole. Loss control of car, not hitting anything or anyone; just swerved into other lane and unable to drive van. Tires damaged and left tire tilted inward. Possible damage to rear brakes.

- Canton, OH, USA

2001 Ford Windstar van, rear axle snapped in half while driving.

- North Huntingdon, PA, USA

Ford Windstar 2001 rear axle cracked and had to be replaced by Ford dealership at our expense. The dealer is the person who noticed the problem upon doing routine work on our van. We went in to see and take pictures as we thought this should be a recall and were very thankful that it did not break while we were in the van with our children. They stated that they were seeing it more often and were checking cars as they worked on them.

- Mahwah, NJ, USA

I read the article in the morning call in allentown, pa about the rear axles of the Ford Windstar and decided to go check our van. Low and behold, there is a crack about 18 inches in from the driver side and is about 3 inches vertically.

- Center Valley, PA, USA

I have a 2001 Ford Windstar minivan and in February 2010 I was driving my daughter and her friends home from dance when the rear axle beam cracked in half and I was fortunate enough to be able to get off the highway and pull into a parking lot before the back wheel fell off. This cost me $800 to fix using a used part.

- Allentown, PA, USA

The rear axel in my Ford Windstar ls van has broken apart in two pieces. The rear axel looks as though it is cut into two parts. I am very lucky that it happened in a place where I could pull over and assess the problem. I had recently taken a trip with my four children and if this had snapped during highway driving it could have flipped the van and hurt or killed us all not to mention any cars that could have been involved. The tires are leaning up against the wheel wells (turned out) and the axel is split. I hope that this is looked into further. II have had no accidents, or incident that would have caused this. I feel as though it may have started on the inside of the axel due to the clean break. I have not yet fixed the vehicle. This is a situation where it could have been a serious safety issue for my family's life. I am concerned about the quality Ford is providing its consumers, and the safety risk factor that is not considered. Ford axels are defective, and salt belt states deserve the same safety standards and quality as other states. I am blessed to live through this experience and frustrated at the quality Ford has provided. I am seriously considering not purchasing Ford products in the future.

- Richmond, IN, USA

1. driving to the supermarket with my family. 2. the rear axel broke in half, almost crashed. 3. having it towed and to be fixed.

- Whitinsville, MA, USA

1. 2001 Ford Windstar 158,000 miles has a broken real axel. The vehicle has only had normal use. No accidents. 2.the broken axel makes the vehicle undrivable. No injuries or accidents involved. 3. looking into repair but yet unsure of costs. Won't buy a used replacement due to the frequency of this problem.

- Norton, OH, USA

2001 Ford Windstar was bouncing over bumps and felt like shocks needed replacing. I did web search and also found complaints of rear axle failures. I replaced the shocks and decided to check the axle while I was under the car. Sure enough, just in from the right rear wheel, the rear portion of the rear axle has a 3-4 inch crack.

- Harrison, OH, USA