Ford Adds Virginia to Windstar Minivan Recall

Ford is adding 27,000 Windstar minivans from Virginia to a larger recall because the rear axles can crack and fail.

In August of 2010 the company announced it was recalling more than 600,000 Windstars in the U.S. and Canada. The recall covered vans from the 1998 to 2003 model years that were sold in states where salt is used to clear the roads of snow and ice. Over time the axles can rust, crack and break, causing a driver to lose control.

Virginia wasn’t in the original recall. But Ford says a recent analysis shows that vans there can have similar problems. There were 11 reports of axle cracks from Virginia between October 2011 and March of 2012.

Ford will either replace the axles or install brackets to reinforce them.