2001 FORD WINDSTAR User Comment / Complaint

On october 19, 2007 i backed out of my driveway, shifted into drive and began to go forward when i felt an alarming sensation in my car. i pulled over to the side of the road to inspect my tires. all looked fine so i returned to my car, shifted into drive again and began to go forward when i felt the rear of the car sway. i pulled over again and looked under the back of the car when i saw that my rear axel has snapped in two. on the day of the event my car had 65,700 miles on the odometer. i had my car towed to a local mechanic in wakefield, mass. both the tow truck driver and the mechanic seperately told me this was shocking and not something that should happen to a car. after analyzing my car the mechanic determined that the broken axel was a manufacturer defect. there is a clean break in the axel where the two broken parts fit together snug like a puzzle. there is no evidence of an accident or tampering to the axel. the mechanic showed me where there is a part of the axel where water can get in, but there is no way for the water to escape. as a result the axel rusted from the inside until it weakened and broke. my mechanic has photographed this part and is holding it at his garage for inspection. as an aside, i have also contacted the owner of stoneham ford, mark melkonian, to report the problem. he looked up my service account and verified i have "been faithful in the maintanence schedule." i, like my mechanic, believe this is a serious issue in which other consumers will soon, if not already, experience an axel break. had the axel given when i was on the highway with my children in the vehicle, the outcome might have been much more severe. i am afraid if this is not reviewed another family may have a critical outcome in the course of the axel giving way. could you please advise what i need to do to have someone look at this part of the car and how it simply cracked in two.