1) no warning signs 2) 2001 Ford Windstar SE the rear axle snapped while driving down the road and we lost control of the vehicle. 3) the dealer informed me that there are no problems with this issue. My mechanic (not a dealer) told me this is a known problem.

- Newington, CT, USA

Rear axle broke on a 2001 Ford Windstar with 125,000 miles. Seems to be a defect that show up at this mileage. 12-18 inches in from the left (driver's) side. Could be a rear safety issue on 1000's of these vans.

- Columbus, OH, USA

2001 Ford Windstar- rear axle cracked in half by the driver's side tire. The ABS light and brake lights kept coming on, we had brakes checked, then we heard noise like something rolling around in the back of the van. Then we had the smell of rubber burning and my husband checked and notice the tires tilted in at the top. Looking underneath he saw the axle cracked. In doing some research I notice many Ford Windstar owners with the same problem. I can't help but wonder if there has been accidents where this was the cause and it was written off as a result of the accident.

- Havre De Grace, MD, USA

The rear axle on my 2001 Ford Windstar broke in two about 8-12 inches inboard of where the trailing arm is welded to the assembly. I had the left side welded earlier for the same failure before it was bad six months earlier and this time it totally failed on the right side in exactly the same location. My car is the third Windstar axle failure I know about in my town.

- Stoneham, MA, USA

I have just came home from vacation in AZ and my van the whole time on vacation was making this noise I didn't know what it was until we backed in our driveway and the driver side tire was cocked in at the top so my husband jacked the van up and the rear axle was snapped in half I have to say Ford needs to pay for all the repairs!!!! I do have pic's of this I have to say that we have guardian angels watching over us to make it home this van was driven on vacation 5,200 miles thank god it didn't happen on the highway!!! my husband dose mechanics and he has seen this happen to other Ford Windstar and it breaks in the same spot on all of them Ford needs to open there eyes and fix this problem before a family dies from Ford Windstar vans!!!!!!!!!

- Terryville, CT, USA

Ford Windstar 2001 rear axle broke on highway. Van began to shake my wife pulled over and van had to be towed.

- Madison, WI, USA

I had been hearing a dull squeaky, clicking noise from the left rear of my van for approximately a month. I took my van to the mechanic on 8/31/09 and they told me I needed new tires, an alignment and some front end work. I told them again that the noise was coming from the back, so I wasn't sure why I needed front end work and not back. I paid $767. On 9/2/09 & 9/7/09, I took the van back because I was hearing the same noise. They test drove the car and didn't hear anything. They put the van on the lift, took the tires off and they couldn't find anything. The more I drove the van, the more I heard the noise. I noticed that the van would "fish tale" or shake more whenever I went over a bump. On 9/20/09 I took my van to a different mechanic to see if they could find anything wrong. I told them that it felt like I needed an alignment, although I had just had one on 8/31/09. The mechanic showed me that the top of the left rear tire was bent inward, causing the van to lean to one side. The mechanic put the van on the lift and showed me a crack so deep that if I had gone over one big pothole, my daughters and I could have been injured. I became infuriated at the place where I took my van initially, because I thought there was no way they could have missed that crack when they changed the tires. I took my van back to the initial mechanic. When they put the car on the lift, they said that they definitely would have noticed a crack that significant if it had been there before. I went on line and was amazed at the amount of cases I found that were very similar to mine. There is no way that all of these incidences are coincidences. The total amount to have it replaced was $836. I called the Ford place and the person that I spoke with said that Ford won't do a recall unless there are at least 2,000 complaints. I wonder how many have actually died in a 2001 Ford Windstar because the axle broke. Unfortunately, they didn't live long enough to write a complaint.

- Springfield, MA, USA

2001 Ford Windstar was making a bang in rear with right turn taking to the mechanics for yearly inspection and rear axle was cracked in half. This could have been real problem had it broke while being driven someone could have been seriously hurt or even killed. Now waiting to get new part and how much it will cost to fix.

- Swoyersville, PA, USA

My 2001 Ford Windstar's axle broke in half while doing 30 mph down a paved road. The vehicle has 131,000 miles and resides in Chicago metro area so vehicle has been driven on paved roads with no utility purpose other than driving five kids around town. Tow truck driver and 60 year old mechanic were astonished and mechanic stated axles are not suppose to break in half, ever !!!!

- Evergreenpark, IL, USA

I was driving my family home from a summer fest, as I was going over a fairly smooth railroad crossing I felt the van start handling strange. I pulled over and found the right rear wheel out of align. I carefully drove it home and went underneath to check it. To my surprise I found the axle beam cracked 3/4 of the way thru. There is no reason a beam of this size should crack like this unless there was a material or design fault in the van. I am the first owner of this van and it was never overloaded. At this point I am not sure what I am going to do to repair/replace the axle. After reading the dozens of complaints from other Windstar owners (at least 15 from just the 2001 model year) I see this problem is not unique.

- Des Plaines, IL, USA

Rear axle broken in our 2001 Ford Windstar. The vehicle has never been in a crash, has approximately 92,000 miles, and in overall good condition. The vehicle has never been driven hard or on rough terrain. There is no apparent reason for this malfunction. After conducting searches on the internet, we discovered this is a common problem with these vehicles, although Ford is denying it is a defect.

- Lancaster, OH, USA

I was traveling down hwy 18 S/B near new brunswick, NJ at approx. 45 mph when I heard and felt a loud "boom" from the rear of the vehicle. Immediately after the noise I could hear a rubbing noise and see smoke (from the tire rubbing against the wheelwell). I pulled over to the shoulder, looked under the back of the van and could plainly see that the rear axle had snapped in half. I had the vehicle towed to my local mechanic who fixed the vehicle(replaced the rear axle). The tow truck operator advised me that he has towed 5-6 vans with the same problem and when the mechanic contacted the parts supply man, he was advised that the part was in stock because this is a common problem and the new part(axle) is manufactured to better specs so this does not happen again.(as opposed from getting a used axle from a junk yard). I have pictures if you need them.

- Parlin, NJ, USA

I was driving down the interstate going 55 mph in a construction zone. I was in front of a semi truck. I had my 3 young kids in the van. The van started feeling funny and I was looking for a safe place to pull off, when the rear axle snapped in 2 pieces. This caused my van to start to spin. We were almost hit by the semi and then we almost went off the road where I am afraid we probably would have rolled over. We ended up facing the wrong way in the passing lane which thankfully had construction barrels up so it was closed otherwise we would have probably been hit head on. The tow truck driver, the semi truck driver, the police officer, my husband and my father all said that they had never seen this before and that rear axles just don't snap that way. We now have to replace basically everything in the rear of my van. As we were doing research to price the replacement parts we found that there were many stories just like ours and that it had been reported to Ford to no avail. Mechanics are saying that the problem seems to be near the wheel where water can get in but can't get out so they are rusting from the inside out and snapping. So even after I replace my axle I still can't feel safe B/C they have not fixed the design flaw and apparently don't intend to. We could have been killed if the road was any different that day. I would hate to see another family not have the fortunate circumstances that we did that day and someone lose their life! please please please don't let Ford let it get to that point!!! please make them recall this part so there will be a safer axle for my van and all the other Ford Windstar, these vehicles are used by families for their small kids. Thank you for your time and consideration of my letter.

- Hammond, IN, USA

Rear axle split on a 2001 Ford Windstar LX. At that point, the right rear tire was resting against its wheelwell and the car could not be driven. I was only driving 20mph when this occurred, but it could have been very dangerous at highway speeds.

- Olmsted Falls, OH, USA

I have a 2001 Ford wind star sel that had a cracked rear axle today. I was pulling out of my church parking lot and heard a little strange noise from the back. As I was driving the car started swaying in the back and when I pulled over I noticed that the rear axle had a crack in the middle and the tires were angled in because of it. Thank god my family was not with me when I pulled out of the parking as the additional weight might have aggravated the problem and there have been a accident. I was quoted anywhere from 700-1000 dollars for the repair which will be done this week. I do not understand why a rear axle would break since I have a family of 3 kids and they are small so weight is not a problem and I also had my shocks replaced 1 year ago. This puts serious doubt in Ford craftsmanship and wont be buying another Ford again.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

I own a 2001 Ford Windstar and while driving the rear axle beam snapped in half this should not happen this is not a isolated event Ford should be held accountable for this.

- Norwood, PA, USA

Rear axle broke into two pieces about one-third of the way from the driver's side of the vehicle. Rear tires are running on the inside edge with the top inside edge of the tire being torn up by the body of the car. Handling was difficult for about a week including driving on hard packed and slippery snow. Very hard to keep car traveling straight. Backing out of the driveway and applying the brakes there was a sharp crack sound. About 10 miles later the axle snapped, the tires interfered with the wheel wells and the car stopped. Had we been traveling faster or in more congested conditions this could have been serious.

- Rockaway, NJ, USA

Rear axle failure. Axle rotted through and disabled vehicle.

- Swansea, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. When the contact first purchased the vehicle, it shut off. The rings in the engine had to be replaced. She also heard a rumbling sound when the brake pedal was depressed. An auto repair shop stated that the brakes were operating normally; however, after much complaining, the contact had the front brakes replaced. The windshield wipers stopped working after a new windshield was installed. The vehicle was diagnosed and the motor was found to be the cause of the failure. The motor was replaced. A couple of months later, the vehicle began leaking antifreeze and was towed to a repair shop. The contact was informed that the fuel injection hoses were leaking. The leak was repaired. Three weeks later, the vehicle would buck and shut off. She was informed that the catalytic converter was completely destroyed. Lastly, the contact noticed an issue with the rear of the vehicle. It would fishtail or wobble while driving various speeds. The dealer stated that the vehicle was no longer included in the factory warranty. The manufacturer has not been notified. The current mileage was 74,056 and failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

- Manchester, NH, USA

My 2001 Ford Windstar had a squeaking noise in rear of vehicle.noticed over bumps or just rocking front to back. Researched on internet and came across the same complaint about rear axle cracking and braking. Inspected and found the axle cracked on the rear and half way around. Had not cracked all 360 deg or else more damage and possibly injury could have happened.

- Elkins Park, PA, USA