Ford Recalls 575,000 Vans

VOA News
August 27, 2010 at 2:45 pm

The Ford Motor Company is recalling 575,000 minivans for a defect that can break the rear axle.

The problem affects 1998 through 2003 “Windstar” models. A design flaw means that the salt used to clear roads by melting snow can accumulate in the axle, seriously corroding and weakening it.

The company says it will fix the affected vehicles for free.

Ford has received 950 complaints about cracking axles, including at least two that resulted in crashes and some minor injuries.

Ford’s action follows Toyota’s latest recall earlier this week. Toyota said more than 1 million of its popular Corolla and Matrix cars may have stalling problems.

Some information in this story was provided by AP, Bloomberg and Reuters.