Ford Motor Co is recalling about 575,000 Windstar vans in 21 cold-weather US states and Canada from model years 1998 to 2003 because of the possibility that the rear axle may fracture due to corrosion, federal regulators reported on Friday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation of the problem on May 13 after receiving 234 reports of rear axle fractures and two minor crashes. The number of complaints has risen to 950. NHTSA said the design of the axle appears to allow it to collect road salt slush, leading to rust. NHTSA said the axle's design, which forms an inverted “U”, may cause an excess of salty road slurry to collect on the axle. The safety regulator reported that 96 percent of all complaints were from the “Salt Belt” states where salt is used heavily to prevent freezing roadways during winter months. Windstar owners will be asked to bring their vans into Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealerships for inspection of the axle. If the axle shows a crack, owners will be offered a repair or alternative transportation until parts are available, Ford told NHTSA. If there is no cracking, owners will be informed when to return to have reinforcing brackets placed on the axle, Ford told NHTSA. It said repairs will be made at no cost to owners. The recall affects vans in Canada and Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Ford said Thursday it would storm Indian market with eight new models and turn the nation into an export hub for its popular locally made Figo hatchback. Ford seeks to overtake rivals in penetrating the Indian market where car sales have been hitting record highs as the economy recovers.
