As snow blankets New Jersey and surrounding states yet again during this record-breaking winter, New Jersey residents and state officials once more find themselves dealing with snow removal, flight cancellations, slippery roads and sidewalks, and any of the many headaches that come with heavy snowfall. With a newly announced defective product recall, however, one additional consideration has now been added to the list for Ford Windstar owners.
Ford recently made the decision to issue a voluntary recall for approximately 425,000 Windstar minivans made between the years of 1999 and 2003 and sold or registered in New Jersey and 21 other cold-weather states, plus the District of Columbia. According to the recall, the salt used to melt icy roads can cause corrosion of the brackets and mounts which hold the vehicles’ subframe in place. The subframe holds the engine, transmission, and steering gear, as well as the front suspension, brakes and wheels in place. Therefore, it those brackets and mounts fail, it may result in a loss or diminishment of driver control and potential car accidents, injuries, and fatalities.
According to Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood, the company has received about 100 complaints about the subframe bracket and mount corrosion issue, making it a relatively small problem in the grand scheme of Ford vehicles. “These high-mileage older vehicles have provided dependable, safe service for tens of billions of miles,” he said.
This recall announcement comes on the heels of an August recall of approximately 600,000 Windstars sold between 1998 and 2003 due to an issue with rear axle corrosion. However, many vehicle owners claim that they were not sufficiently notified of that recall. This includes a 28-year-old man who was killed in a car accident resulting from a rear axle break, whose family says that they were not told of the recall until a week after the man’s death.
If you or a family member has been injured as a result of a Ford Windstar malfunction, please contact Breslin & Breslin for a free consultation.
Source: USA Today, “Ford Windstars recalled again for new salt damage issue”, Fred Meier, 26 January 2011
