wow cant believe no one has posted this...since there was an accident involved, i hope it makes it to the public. but saw on the news that Ford is recalling Windstar vans from 1998-2003 for possibility of a broken rear axle. now i should be posting this as a rebuttal to the Toyota inaction on their recalls so a bit of history. **the rear axle can break causing a severe accident (tests show that rollovers pretty much guaranteed) **Ford claimed for YEARS that this was not an issue ** the NTSB (or whatever they are called...having early morning something or another going right now) only decided this spring to investigate based on an expose by the NY Times and renewed public demand despite years of reports and over 800 accidents or incidents ** after only a few months NTSB agree that a critical recall is necessary due to fact that testing showed "high likelihood of major injuries should the axle break at speeds as low as 35 mph". videos of tests shown on NBC Nightly News on Tues showed the van would have rolled (they were using stabilizer outrigger things) despite having a professional driver prepared for the accident at the wheel. now all this would be good, but one week AFTER a young father was killed in October, a family received the recall notice to have their van fixed AND because the van is so old, it will take Ford MOST Of 2011 to get the parts to repair the vans that are currently on the road today. so we have thousands of potential deathtraps running around. i think we can say that Toyota is not the worst or even above average in their dragging their feet on recall issues.
Oh no, a fatal accident thread! When I heard about this earlier I did some quick research. The rear axle is being recalled because road salts can accumulate & cause corrosion to the point of failure. I believe it was datelined in August. Owners are now trying to get the transmission recalled as an aluminum pin fails causing the torque converter to shatter. There's a reason it is known as "Fix Or Repair Daily" or "Found On Road Dead".
his widow was on tv the other day talking about what Christmas is like for the kids now. i think she is from around here, she just wants these companies to be more proactive on safety recalls. one week earlier might have saved his life.
From Ford Windstar recall list - National automotive news | Examiner.com dated 8/27/10: "Ford has issued a recall for the Windstar minivan that affects a total of 575,000 vehicles. If you own a Ford Windstar van from 1998 to 2003, you are affected by this recall and should visit your nearest Ford dealer. The recall is issued due to corrosion on the rear axle. NHTSA says that road salt is the cause for deterioration." IMO this isn't news & appears to be grandstanding by the family/TV station.
i guess its a matter of perception. i personally view an incident that involves the death of a parent of young children something other than "grandstanding"
Here's the link to the 10/15 news footage: Whitman, Mass. police investigate deadly car crash into building With this blood in the water where are the media sharks? If reporting were "fair & balanced" we should be seeing segments every day on every channel about how unsafe Ford vehicles in general & vans in particular are. Where's Obama's press conference urging Ford owners to park their vehicles?
