Ford Expands Safety Recall of Windstar Minivan: Rear Axle Corrosion Could Cause Auto Accidents
Do you drive an older Ford Windstar minivan in Miami Dade County or elsewhere in South Florida? If so, you may be interested in this news item. Ford Motor Company has expanded its recall of the popular Windstar Minivan, due to the risk of axle corrosion and failure. A badly corroded axle could break, sending the vehicle out of control and causing serious or deadly traffic accidents.
Ford's initial recall of the once popular Windstar -- a favorite among soccer moms and other families toting children -- occurred in August, covering minivans sold in the 1998 to 2003 model years in 21 U.S. states and Canada. An additional 37,000 minivans were added to the expanded recall, as Ford reportedly searched its database to locate owners.
Though the risk of severe axle corrosion is, according to Ford, higher in cold-weather states using rock salt on winter roads -- Florida owners of Windstars should nonetheless contact a Ford dealer to inspect their vehicles (particularly used vehicles which may have been sold in and/or previously owned and operated at length in cold weather states).
As a Miami-Dade car accident injury lawyer knows, automotive safety recalls are issued by the manufacturer in tandem with the U.S. government to prevent serious automotive accidents and injury from happening.
Unfortunately, sometimes defective vehicle part or defectire tire issues aren't always apparent until after traffic accidents start happening and consumers start to complain, prompting investigation.
Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in August 2010 regarding the problem with the Windstar power train / axle assembly, stating at the time that more than 460,000 vehicles might be involved. (See letter from NHTSA to Ford acknowledging notice of the safety recall campaign -- PDF link below.)
A Massachusetts family blames Ford for a young husband and father's death this fall when his Windstar minivan careened out of control and struck a building. The Windstar's rear axle reportedly broke and the wheel fell off the vehicle. The family reportedly received the recall notice in the mail one week after the fatal car accident occurred.
APNewsBreak: Ford expands Windstar minivan recall
AP on Yahoo! News Dec. 15, 2010
Whitman family blames Ford Motor Co. for father’s death
AP in Patriot Ledger Dec. 15, 2010
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