1999 FORD WINDSTAR — Complaint #862215
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY filed June 16, 2011
NHTSA complaint #862215 (ODI reference 10407170) concerns a 1999 FORD WINDSTAR and was filed on June 16, 2011. The owner reports the failure occurred on January 28, 2011. The vehicle had 241,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Minnesota 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 1999 FORD WINDSTAR shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER RECEIVING NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V385000 (SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY), THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED INSPECTION OF THE RECALL AND NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED DUE TO THE LACK OF RUST AND CORROSION. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE SHOCKS AND STEERING RACK. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE FRAME WAS SEVERELY RUSTED AND HE WAS UNABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO PERFORM ANY TYPE OF REPAIRS AS IT PERTAINED TO THE RECALL BECAUSE THE VEHICLE FAILED THE RECALL INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER FOR FOUR MONTHS BUT WAS NEVER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 241,000. UPDATED 07/28/11*LJ UPDATED 08/01/11
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 862215 |
| ODI Number | 10407170 |
| Date Filed | June 16, 2011 |
| Failure Date | January 28, 2011 |
| VIN | 2FTZA5449XB |
Similar SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY Complaints for 1999 FORD WINDSTAR
The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, he heard the rear driverâs side tire rubbing against the axle and then saw smoke coming from the tire. N
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A TIRE REPLACEMENT WHEN THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE REAR AXLE WAS FRACTURED IN TWO PLACE
1999 FORD WINDSTAR. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE REPAIRS AND DISCONTENT WITH DEALER *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE REAR AXLE BROKE WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING.
LETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN DENT ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT REGARDING AN ISSUE INVOLVING RECALLS ON HIS VEHICLES; PLEASE CONTACT HIM OR HIS ASSISTANT MELANIE WHITELEATER AT 610-861-9734, IF THERE ARE ANY QU
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN PULLING TO THE RIGHT ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT THEN RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF A MANUFACTURER
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.