In a setback for Ford Motor Co., a federal judge has ruled that the automaker’s August 2010 voluntary recall of its Windstar minivans to cure a defect in the rear axle does not moot the claims in a proposed class action products liability suit.

In his 26-page opinion in Martin v. Ford Motor Co. , U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky found that since Ford’s recall is limited to 22 states deemed to be in the "high corrosion area," it cannot moot the claims of a proposed national class.