My 1999 Windstar also has the rusted cradle problem but hasn't broken off "yet".
I contacted Ford and that was a huge waste of time.
Ford has ALWAYS been extremely uncooperative with safety issues going back as far as I can remember which included the exploding gas tanks on their Ford Pinto and overdrive cut-out switches catching vehicles on fire. I've owned 5 Fords and I'm NEVER buying a Ford again.
One suggestion that I do have that may shake their bushes, is to file a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). That's what I did and I included the web-site where to fill out the complaint form below. If there are enough formal complaints to NHTSA, which are forwarded to Ford, it may make them fix their design problem. Mileage and warranty shouldn't have anything to do with an obvious design problem that may cause someone to die. There are vehicles in the junk yard that are 30 years old with good frames.
Remember, "squeaky wheel gets the grease", so start squeaking !
Everyone should file a formal complaint here;
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq
Good luck !!!
