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.
I have a 1998 Ford Windstar. It first started with my cruise control switch catching on fire and causing wires under my hood to burn... now for the last year I have been having problems with my passenger sliding door..the sensor on the dash would show that the door was ajar(not closed) I could take the battery cable off for a while and the door light would go off. Now I have had to remove all the bulbs in the lights inside the van to keep my battery from running down this morning I get up and my battery is dead and acid from the battery is all over the post and cable wires. I talk to my mechanic he says this is due to some problem in the electrical system he said he has had to work on several Windstar for the same problemsome kind of sensor fault defect.
My 98 Ford Windstar was involved in an accident where a Chevy Tahoe ran a red light and T-boned the right rear passenger side of my van. Upon impact the side door of my van flew off and ended up 15 feet from the vehicle. All occupants were wearing seat belts (my wife and our 5 children) so no one was ejected from the vehicle. Our son who was sitting in the back seat on the passengers side was hospitalized with multiple life threatening injuries. The failure was not corrected as the vehicle was totaled.
Light that indicates door is open stays illuminated. Light gets so hot that it may cause a fire. The switches have been replaced. The Ford company is aware of the problem and doesn't want to fix unless consumer pays out of pocket. The sliding door was replaced.
Without prior warning door warning light comes on panel, and light will stay on. Interior light will go off, but the sound of the chime will not stop. Dealerlership is aware of problem.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
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Door ajar light on dash is on constantly when all doors are shut. Chime is also going off at all times. When chime is on it is not possible to lock doors. Vehicle at dealership at this time.
Courtesy lights will intermittenly work. They will come on when driving at night, or sometimes they will not come on at all. Experiencing other electrical problems with the reverse lights, interior lights, automatic door locks, door check light, and signal lights operating intermittently, consumer states that the engine is noisy and the engine check light is always on, the seat belt is loose, passenger side arm rest is loose, and the back window wiper is inoperative.
Door locks are not working properly. They will lock at times, and not lock at other times. Also, instrument panel will illuminate showing that door is not closed when it is.
I have basically had everything that could go wrong with this vehicle.. go wrong. It has been in several times for the seal around drivers side door (air flows in). The door ajar indicator continually goes on and the dome light comes on(making it very unsafe to drive at night. Especially when trying to back up. The dome light then stays on causing battery to die. I have had problems with the traction control light to blink have had in shop they say they replaced a sensor. As soon as my warranty was up. It happened again(cost me over $400) when either window is rolled down about 3 inches(as soona S it hits that point) a buzzing sound will occur. I had a huge gash on the interior of my right tire(no known cause) I believe the van was 3 months old at this time.... had to purchase a new tire. I have had work done several times on the front passenger side. Including the bearings replaced.... a sensor ring that had broken in half, tie-rod... I am so disappointed in this vehicle, we bought this because it was convient to tote around 3 children but the fact that I am so afraid to drive it alot of times ins't very convenient at all. I am amazed that it has made it this far (90,000) the back hatch seems to have some electrial problems as whenever it is opened it woll set off the door ajar light and when closed it never goes off.. for some reason it has periods of time that it will stay on for weeks and then when that stops the window buzzing starts. I am not under warranty and am very tired of sinking money into a van that we apid well over 30,000 for. Why is something so expensive........... such a money pit"???? I feel I get no response from the dealers. They seem to be able to word it in a different way when they fix something and you have to take it back in to be re-fixed.. although it does the same thing??" I guess we will have to do more research on vehicle manufactors when buying our next family vehicle. I have never been so disappointed. Please send recall informat
Door open indicator stays on, causes interior light to stay on. Every other 1998 Ford I know has same problem (7 vehicles). Nieghbor has had thier van (98) worked on 4 times in one year. Dealer not helpfull. Ford has blinders on, acts as if they know nothing about thos problem. All I wanted is Ford to say they knew it was a problem, and they were working on a solution. Fords integrity is in question with me.
Ongoing problem with door ajar light staying on while all doors are properly closed. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was out of its warranty, and nothing would be done.
Door sensor replaced in 1999 "just goes bad" rick hunt Ford in warrenton va. Says.went bad again. Interior lights stay on up to twenty mph. Sometimes the chimes are on the same way, sometimes the chimes and all interior lights come on at traffic lights and cut off again AT20 mph, but dip down TO15 mph and they all start on again. Sometimes the door locks pop to unlock position also.do I have the only vehical like this?
The door locks on this vehicle are operated by swtiches on the front doors and at the rear storage area. These switches will no longer activate the locks on the two front doors. The dealership checked the problem and advised that the doors need new "actuators" at a cost of $70 per device, plus close to $200 to install them. I am concerned that these locks should fail at this point in the life of the car. I have had similar locks on several cars and never had them fail, much less at such an early date. Please note that I have owned the car less than the 36 months normally covered by warranty, though the 36,000 mile threshold has long since passed. I argued with the dealership, however, that the door locks are not elements of the car so affected by mileage, but more likely by usage over time. They wouldn't budge on fixing them. I am concerned about this from a safety standpoint because the front locks cannot be manually unlocked from the interior. In an accident, this could prove fatal.
Various problem with power lock locking by itself/windshield wipers working intermittently/dome light not operating, and door ajar light staying on. Vehicle been in / out of dealer shop on several occasions, and problems still reoccurring. Possible electrical problem with failure of power locks, windshield wipers, dome light, door ajar light, door ajar switch, lift gate door ajar switch, battery saver relay inoperable, and washer light illuminating. Brakes noisy at times, dealer stated this was due to brake dust. Power steering is noisy when turning back and forth, dealer replaced tie rod end. Sliding door rattles while driving over bumps, dealer added foam tape to back side of panel, driver door rattles, sliding door hard to open at times, dealer lubed sliding hinges and latch. Dealer replaced shocks due to rattling noise when riding over bumps. Drivebelt replaced. Maf sensor replaced due to hesitation. Window guide did not fit tight.
1. transmission will shift erratically, and a loud noise will occur and motor will shake. Ford engineering was sent out and determined transmission needed work, but no dealer will honor warranty. 2. brakes will fail in the winter and in slippery roads, causing pedal to go to floor and vehicle will not stop. 3. all doors lock by themselves/ lights flash on and off, and heater and defroster motor will come on even without the key in the igntion. Vehicle will even start up by itself.
The passenger door contact was corroded causing the interior lights to come on and an alart on the dash that the door is "open". reported to dealership but never repaired or replaced under waranty. This is a danger to the driver that the door is open and distracks the drivers attention to immediately turn around to visually check. This alert also causes the interior lights to automatically come on when this "open door" indication is given. This is also a distraction. Both the dealership and Ford were contacted but nothing was done. I will never buy a Ford product again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Quitman, MS, USA