This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Engine and transmission failures seem very high for 95 Windstar vans. Internet sites are filled with stories similar to mine. Both the transmission and engine failures are safety issues since they may occur at speed on busy streets or the interstate. I believe that the number of failures indicates some design flaw in these components.
Head gasket blew, cooling fluid (anti-freeze) leaked down into the oil galley and contaminated the engine oil and resulted in destroying the bearings (rod, main & camshaft), causing the engine to be rebuilt.
Since mileage did not fit within recall notice, no assistance given on engine failure, and no information about recall mentioned; ended up having engine remanufactured at local machine shop for less cost and with better warranty
There is not ample space to describe the problems we have had with this vehicle. This Windstar has been well cared for by us, with all the routine maintenance timely done. We have also taken our van to only Ford dealers for service. On all occasions befor major breakdowns or repair jobs, we have taken our car in for complaints of noises or performance problems that the service departments have been unable to locate. We believe that the head gasket problem did severe damage to our vehicle which resulted in the later problems, most significantly the timing chain cover and engine failure. We believe Ford was aware of this and did nothing to compensate us except for the refund for repairs on the head gasket. Ford had a recall on the head gasket about 6 months after we incurred the expense, and their check did not cover all our expenses related to this. At this point in time, we have so much additional money invested in repairs, we cannot afford to sell the car because we would not recover our costs. We hope that you can give us some assistance. We have just recently appealed to the for customer service division, but were turned down. Our local Ford dealer is also offering some help in pursuing this, but doesn't seem very enthusiastic about it. We are awaiting our second appeal.
Transmission: Sudden downshifting with dramatic loss of speed; followed by upshifting and speed surge. Engine: Complete engine failure after dealer head gasket replacement, resulting in sudden loss of speed and maneuverability. Similar experiences frequently reported in various public forums by many owners of the same engine and transmission models.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Santa Cruz, CA, USA