After approximately 950 complaints, Ford has announced that it will recall 462,750 (according to NHTSA's announcement) 1998-2003 Windstar minivans for those faulty axles we told you about back in May (read more here).
The Blue Oval will target vehicles that were sold or are registered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The culprit, as is common in regions with salted roads in winter, is corrosion. It might get to the point where the corroded rear axle could break due to torsional stress, which in turn could potentially cause an accident. Ford is sending out announcements now, meaning if you think you've got an affected vehicle, go get it checked out. Reinforcement brackets will be installed at Ford's expense.
By Phil Alex
