2003 FORD WINDSTAR — Complaint #1758700
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY filed July 21, 2021
NHTSA complaint #1758700 (ODI reference 11425784) concerns a 2003 FORD WINDSTAR and was filed on July 21, 2021. The owner reports the failure occurred on July 16, 2021. The vehicle had 158,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Missouri based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD WINDSTAR cohort independently describe similar suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2003 FORD WINDSTAR shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, there was a loud noise heard then the vehicle collapsed. The contact steered the steering wheel to move the vehicle off the road and heard metal screeching coming from the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed that the rear axle had fractured into two parts. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The failure mileage was 158,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1758700 |
| ODI Number | 11425784 |
| Date Filed | July 21, 2021 |
| Failure Date | July 16, 2021 |
| VIN | 2FMDA58453B |
Similar SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY Complaints for 2003 FORD WINDSTAR
2003 FORD WINDSTAR. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND TWO SAFETY RECALLS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE INSPECTIONS AND REPAIRS WERE NOT CONDUCTED IN A TIMELY,
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WAS COVERED WITH RUST AND SHAKING VIOLENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE BRAKE PEDAL ALSO EXTENDED TO THE FLOORBOAR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER RECEIVING A RECALL NOTICE IN REGARDS TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 11V030000(STRUCTURE: FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS) AND
2003 FORD WINDSTAR. CONSUMER STATES DISCONTENT WITH THE WAY RECALL FOR THE CRACKED REAR AXLE WAS HANDLED. *KB THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE REAR AX
2003 FORD WINDSTAR. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING RECALL NOTICE *TGW THE REAR AXLE FAILED, PRIOR TO THE RECALL NOTIFICATION. *JB
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.