What The Ford Motor Company Originally Argued Was No Big Deal Has Turned Out To Be A Big Deal!
The Office of Defects Investigation opened an investigation exploring rear axle failure of Windstar minivans. Real world data on Ford vehicles that have been serviced for up to 12 years supports the conclusion that a fracture of the rear axle in the vehicle can be dangerous and can lead to death. On October 15th Sean Bowman, a 22-year-old coast guard veteran and father of two young daughters, died when the rear axle of his 2001 Windstar suddenly failed and his vehicle crashed into a building in Massachusetts. The passenger in the vehicle was also catastrophically injured and remains hospitalized.
Prior to this, Ford had received hundreds of complaints and the vehicle had been recalled. Unfortunately for Sean Bowman and his passenger, they received their recall notice three days after the deadly crash and six weeks after the recall campaign had been announced. During a field test simulating an axle failure at 35 mph, the Windstar lost one rear wheel entirely and experienced a severe two wheel tip-up. If the test van had not been equipped with outriggers, it would have sustained a rollover. Ford states “vehicle testing simulating a separation of the rear attachment of lower control arm from the right subframe has shown that with moderate brake application that the vehicle can be steered and safely stopped. Vehicle testing simulating fracture of front subframe in the area of the rear body has shown that the vehicle remains absolutely controllable." The investigation still remains open.
Bottom line, if you or a loved one is the owner of a Ford Winstar minivan, be careful and return it to the dealer for a careful inspection and analysis. There are approximately 612,000 affected Windstars and for customers owning Windstar models from 1998 through 2000, Ford is offering to repurchase the vehicle at Blue Book “excellent" value regardless of condition.
