The national consumer class action attorneys at Golomb & Honik are currently investigating claims on behalf of those who bought or leased a 1998 to 2003 model year Ford Windstar in California.
These popular minivans have a rear-axle defect that can make the axles prone to fractures, which may in turn affect vehicle handling and increase the risk for collision and severe injuries. If you purchased or leased a 1998 to 2003 Ford Windstar in the state of California, please call our skilled lawyers at 855-889-5389 for your free case evaluation.
Ford Windstar Recall
Amid growing complaints from consumers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in early 2010 began investigating potential flaws in the rear axles of Ford Windstars manufactured between 1997 and 2003.
Evidence indicates that the rear axles on these minivans are susceptible to premature cracking and fracturing due to inherent metal fatigue that can occur in certain places on the axles under normal driving conditions. The axles on the affected Windstars are unsealed, hollow cylinders that can allow water and other corrosive agents to accumulate internally, rusting the axles from the inside out and making them vulnerable to failure during operation.
In August 2010, Ford issued a voluntary recall of hundreds of thousands of 1998 to 2003 Ford Windstars due to the rear axle defect. In the United States, Ford only extended the Windstar recall to 21 so-called “Salt Belt” states and the District of Columbia, areas in which the company said road-salt corrosion is more common.
Ford Windstar Class Action
Windstar owners in California and more than 20 other states were excluded from the recall fix, despite Ford’s acknowledgement that the rear axle failures were primarily the result of metal fatigue and merely accelerated by corrosion.
This metal fatigue defect is present on 1998 to 2003 Windstars in every state, not just the Salt Belt states in which Ford conducted its selective recall. The Salt Belt spans from the Northeast through the upper-Midwest and is generally considered to include Maine, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and Washington D.C.
In January 2014, a federal judge in California ruled that two plaintiffs could proceed against the Ford Motor Company with consumer fraud and warranty claims stemming from the Windstar rear axle defects. The accomplished consumer rights lawyers at Golomb & Honik litigated this case on behalf of the plaintiffs, who seek to represent a class of Windstar owners who leased or purchased a 1998 to 2003 model year Windstar in California.
Please contact Golomb & Honik for your free case assessment. Based in Philadelphia, our nationally recognized attorneys welcome clients from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and across the United States.
