Ford Motor Co. has issued a corrosion-related safety recall for more than 400,000 Windstar minivans in cold-weather states, while federal regulators have begun an investigation of alleged defects in some 2010 Ford Fusion sedans.
The Windstar recall is intended to fix brackets and mounts that could separate from the vehicle’s subframe — the structure carrying the engine, transaxle, steering rack and front suspension — and cause a driver to lose steering control.
The recall covers 425,288 minivans from the 1999-2003 model years sold or registered in 22 states, all of which use road salt in the winter, and the District of Columbia. Another 100,000 are being recalled in Canada.
A Ford spokesman said the company had received fewer than 100 complaints about corrosion of the subframe. “These high-mileage, older vehicles have provided dependable, safe service for tens of billions of miles,” the spokesman told the Associated Press.
Since August, Ford also has recalled more than 600,000 Windstars in the U.S. and Canada to address rear axles that can corrode and break.
Adding to Ford’s headaches, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating four complaints of broken wheel studs on 2010 Ford Fusions. The investigation could include as many as 281,250 of the hot-selling vehicles, The Wall Street Journal reports, and is the type of inquiry that sometimes leads to a safety recall.
Wheels on Ford Fusions are attached to the vehicles with five lug nuts that thread onto the wheel studs. If studs break, the wheel can loosen, resulting in a loss of control.
Still wondering Ford sells itself to Mazda. The Asians will do a much better job. We are good in making movies and airplanes…let’s just do that.
My Van is in for almost 2 months already they said they are still waiting for parts its so complicated ………..we don’t know for how long we r gonna wait and they tell us they can give us the van but we have to sign a paper so i think they can wash their hands if something happend.if they knew had been issues with it why they didn’t make more parts available is totally ridicuolus so whoever is gonna buy a ford think it twice before do it………..
Brought Windstar in for recall, the car was grounded and dealership will not provide a rental. Terrible way to do business!