A Massachusetts man, Sean Bowman, was killed when the rear axle of his Ford Windstar cracked in half causing the minivan to crash into a building. A week after the accident, the Bowman family received a recall notice saying that his 2001 Windstar’s axle should be inspected for corrosion that could lead to the axle breaking.
The original recall was announced last August and only after the story of Sean Bowman’s death broke, Ford announced that it would be expanding the recall to add another 37,000 vehicles. The initial recall was for vans in certain colder states where corrosion was a factor, but the expanded recall now covers a larger number of states.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 70 percent of recalled vehicles are repaired within the first 18 months. Recalls issued for older vehicles tend to be much lower and remain on the roads without being fixed, which could lead to Ford facing increased legal action over the issue. Ford continues to experience problems with the recall because of a shortage of parts. Some Windstar owners have complained that their minivans have been sitting at dealerships waiting for repairs for up to four months.