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.
This is a second call for help Ford corporate will not email me back. Will not verify if PCM has been updated. The van only has under 59,000 miles on it. It should not break this bad this soon makes me tell anyone on social media and our local news media and clark howards team. I do not want to call Ford unless it is agreed the phone will be recorded for court purposes. I even asked is the would let me use the updater. I sure do not want don rich Ford in villa rica ever again. They stripped the screw. That set min clearance on throttle plate. No shifts funny and sputters and terrible noise in oil pan area. Rod S knocking. Internet has tons of complaints of pistons exiting engine oil pan.
My ABS light stays its been on for 6 months now, my cruise control wont work, and my speedometer goes crazy, no lights in my dash and got told there was a recall on several of these items and I want to know how to get past recalls on my van I've have seen all kinds of recalls and never sent nothing.
Brake pressure differential deactivation switch located under the master cylinder leaks, causing a short which activates the ABS light on the dash. This short creates a severe fire risk. This switch also interacts with and can cause problems with the cruise control, speedometer and odometer.
The contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar. The vehicle caught fire after being parked for an hour. There were no prior warnings or failures. The fire originated in the front end of the vehicle and was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle was towed. The cause of the failure was unknown. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.
- Kansas City , MO, USA
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Engine dies after either very short (1 second or less) or no misfire. Always on hot afternoon after long period highway driving, typically interstate with speed in the 70's. only once on a secondary road speeds of 45 - 50. All times in the rolling hills of Utah, Wyoming, and western North Dakota. All six incidents occurred during a cross country trip in July, 2005 with odometer readings in the 70,000's. typically, when it happens, the engine speed and throttle are continually adjusting to maintain speed across the hills. First indication often is simply the car slowing down rather that cruising along. All other electrical (air, radio, windows, etc) not affected. This is very dangerous. Other than sometimes a one second misfire, there is no warning. The car may be passing a truck, in a middle freeway lane, on on a road with no shoulder when it happens. Wherever and whenever it happens, the car simply coasts as the driver pulls off the road to extent possible. The engine will not restart for 15 minutes or so. Then it starts as if nothing ever happened, and car is good until the next incident. I made detailed notes of each incident, and can provide additional info on specifics of what was going on with car at the time. I took car to a Ford dealer. The dealer did diagnostics and could not identify problem. I have refrained from driving under similar highway conditions since then. The van was purchased new in Connecticut in Feb, 1997.
1996 Ford Windstar caught on fire underneath the hood.*** answer required*** the consumer noticed a faint smell then viewed smoke coming from under the hood on the driver's side of the vehicle. The consumer felt that maybe the problem was due to the speed control per research.
1996 Ford Windstar was parked when an explosion occurred. The consumer discovered the vehicle was on fire. The fire dept was called. The consumer felt the air bag may have exploded. The insurance investigator checked the vehicle to cover expenses. The vehicle was totaled. Consumer contacted Ford about this problem. Ford investigators picked up the vehicle. The consumer has not heard from the investigators.
The vehicle's door locks locked and unlocked on their own. There were problems with the front driver side wheel and the engine light and the ABS light was intermittent. The consumer experienced an accident which may be due to the brake lines. Refer to recall#02V101000. The sway bar rattled, the tie rods were replaced.
Complaint received via E-mail. My wife was driving to church when the electrical system caught on fire. My two kids were in the car. They were able to put out the fire, and had the car towed to an automotive center. The brake monitor system caught on fire.
Vehicle had constant engine problems along with other problems that surfaced and ended its life cycle. The consumer experienced coolant leaks, hard starting, electrical noises, radio noises, vibration upon acceleration along with thumping noises, erratic dash light illumination, intermittent door ajar light, bearing noise and the engine blew out prematurely. From a normal sitting position the consumer could not see that the check engine light was on. It wasn't until he dropped something on the floor and looked up that he saw the light on.
Since we drove this car off the lot, it has been plagued with electrical problems. As soon as our warranty ran out, the transmission failed at 44,400. Two adults and 4 children were on our way to a 4th of July celebration when the transmission stalled at an intersection. Lucky for us all traffic was stopped and no major accident occurred. We took it to our dealer and asked for assistance since there was a tsb out on the transmission in Ford Windstar's. we were denied assistance. Our problem was the aluminum piston that were reported in the tsb. In May 2001, the check engine light came on and we took it to a Ford dealer. They replaced the irmc value. Cost $1000. Recently, the check engine light came on again and smoke was coming out of the tail pipe. We took it to crossroads Ford, the dealer we bought the car from. They once again denied to help us with the cost. We towed the van to a quality Ford in durham, nc. They have contacted Ford to see if they will assist us with the cost. The estimated cost is $3500-$4000. ****dimsii IVOQ entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over artemis****761964
Interior light will not go off and door ajar chime rings non-stop. All doors are closed and secured. From searching the internet this seems to be a common problem with Ford Windstar's.
ABS and check engine light constant, replaced O2 sensor, replaced ABS brakes, transmission problems causing vehicle to jerk and not change gears when running or parked, coolant leaking and door sensors are bad. All document known issues on. www.carsurvey.org/modelyear_ford_windstar_1996.html - something needs to be done about this. This has gone on far to long and is putting peoples life at stake. I have children in my van and all of these are big issues that need to be address immediately.
When stopping at a light, engine sometimes will die. Vehicle would lunge forward after pulling off from a stop. Took vehicle to dealer, they replaced something, and two weeks later problem reoccurred. The engine stalls whenever more than one device is turned on at the same time. This problem makes it impossible to turn head lights and windshield wipers on together. The vehicle also shakes violently after being driven for few hours.
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- Temple, GA, USA