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.
While driving if transmission reaches a certain temperature it drops out of 3rd gear down into 2nd. Engine rpms increase and vehicle vibrates and shakes.
Vehicle surged forward while driving. Consumer has checked to see if the cruise control was engaged. Malfunction caused vehicle to speed up and miss judge turning which interfered with driving ability. Dealer was contacted.
Accelerator went down on its own while in reverse, no brakes to stop, resulting in a accident. Steering vibrates, recommend rotating the tires. Interior seats slightly twisted, door locks works sometime, interior lights work sometimes.
We were stopped at an intersection. When the light turned green, the transmission locked up, and the engine revved as if it was in neutral. I took two men to push it to the side of the road on a downward slope. The dealership claimed to know of no problem with 1998 Windstar transmissions. We know of 3 other owners of these vehicles who have had the same problem.
Vehicle would slip in and out of gear while at a light or stop sign (while in drive gear). Required high rpms to engage causing the vehicle to lurch forward. Transmission replaced at owner's cost.
Although there have never been any accidents or injuries, we fear there is a good possibility for a rear-end collision. Intermittently, the vehicle does not react when depressing on the accelerator, the engine does not race. Then, the vehicle lurches forward, almost as if the clutch was released quickly. After each occurrence, we have taken the vehicle to a repair shop. To date, they have not been able to detect the problem.
When driving on the highway at 60 mph the Windstar speedometer dropped to zero, the engine revved and the car lost forward drive for a few seconds. This occurs intermittenly. Crossroads Lincoln-Mercury rebuilt the transmission about 3 weeks ago and charged $2400. Last Wednesday while driving on the highway at 60 it again lost power and seemed to be out of gear again, for a few seconds. It again would not move forward. This occurred twice more in the next few minutes. We pulled to the side of the highway and were able to get it to drive again. We returned it to crossroads Lincoln Mercury last Thursday. They still have it and say it doesn't do it when they drive it. They have not opened up the transmission to look at it again. The electrical problem is that sometimes the interior lights don't shut off. The door ajar light on the dashboard stays on. The chimes stay on under 15 mph. The locks can't be locked. When the locks are locked with the door lock buttons, they automatically unlock.
Vehicle intermittently stalls when deceleration and also at acceleration. Occurs most often when turning. Left my family of five along with 2 of their friends stalled in incoming traffic. Other stalling events also required other drivers to take action to avoid hitting front or rear of vehicle. Dealer performed PCM reprogramming in accordance with tsb 98-25-6 and corrected stalling problem. While wife reported stalling infrequently when under warranty, the stalling frequency increased to 1-2 times a day after transmission service by dealer at approx 47,000 miles. I am happy that the car is now fixed but Ford has not offered to pay for reprogramming which is a known problem with the Windstar. This should be a safety recall item. Three other problems which have occured with this car is Goodyear invicta tire separation (tires replaced prior to failure); power steering pump fluid contamination; and noisy tie end rods. Tire replacement prorated. Power steering fluid flushed at my expense. Tie end rods replaced under bumper-to-bumper warranty. Please investigate stalling problem as a safety recall. I am still trying thru Ford customer service to get reimbursed for correcting the stalling associated with tsb 98-25-6. (tiresize: 21570R15)( dot number: Tire size: 21570R15 )
While driving at any speed and when attempting to stop vehicle by applying force to brake pedal, brakes did not repsond vehicle suddenly accelerated without prior warning causing unwanted acceleration, consumer contacted dealer and problem has been corrected, cruise control ceased operation but has now been repaired, consumer was advised by technician the vehicle was sold with wrong part.
Stopped at traffic light, upon acceleration transmission would not engage. Engine revved as if in neutral. Also occurred as accelerating from a stop to make a turn. Presented a very dangerous situation of being put into the path of on coming traffic. Turning engine off and then back on would allow transmission to engage. Dealer determined that the transmission had failed at 43,621 miles and had to be replaced. After four days in service and a complete new transmission, within 12 hours new transmission developed at least two serious leaks of transmission fluid. Dealer says this is not uncommon. The unit is sealed and can not be serviced by them. I am waiting to hear if I need another complete new transmission.
Vehicle is slipping out of gear while driving from 3rd to 2nd gear, causing vehicle to almost stop, RPM's will rev high. Manufacturer has issued a tsb.
While driving at any speed and when attempting to stop vehicle by applying force to brake pedal, brakes did not respond. Vehicle suddenly accelerated without prior warning, causing unwanted and unexpected acceleration. Consumer has contacted dealer, dealer corrected problem. Consumer currently noticed that curise control was inoperable.
The vehicle suddenly and without warning lurches forward when the vehicle is at a stop, the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on two occasions but the problem has not been successfully repaired (attorney for client). Nlm
Sudden acceleration while backing out of a parking space. Dealer notified, and unable to locate cause. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
The vehicle suddenly and without warning lurches forward when the vehicle is at a stop, the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on two occasions but the problem has not been successfully repaired (attorney for client). Nlm
The vehicle suddenly and without warning lurches forward when the vehicle is at a stop, the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on two occasions but the problem has not been successfully repaired (attorney for client). Nlm
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chesterland, OH, USA