NHTSA Expanding Ford Windstar Corrosion Investigation

The Ford Windstar is now affected by a new safety-related issue, with the U.S. authorities announcing that they are expanding their investigation of the minivan, adding a second component that seems to be failing from corrosion caused by road salt, as autonews writes.

The news comes after an investigation related to the same issue that affected the 1999-2003 model years Ford Windstar’s rear axle was debuted in May. The number of potentially affected vehicle could reach as much as 900,000 units.

The new investigation, which includes the same vehicles, is focused on front subframe corrosion on the right side of the vehicle. The road salt from the states that need to use this affects the front axle, leading to corrosion that can cause the component to break. The fracturing of the component leads to the loss of vehicle control (the driver can no longer use the steering of the car) and can cause an accident with severe consequences.

The problem is related to three accidents and has generated 87 complaints.

Ford is currently cooperating with the NHTSA for the investigation, with this being the first step in a more complex process that can lead to a recall for the aforementioned vehicles.

The U.S. authorities are currently running two investigations of the Windstar, one for each of the aforementioned issues.

The Ford Windstar was also affected by a mammoth Ford recall that was initiated last year. A total of 1.7 million units of the vehicle were included in a recall that affected 4.5 million Ford cars. The cause was a faulty electronic component that represented a potential fire hazard.