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.
Regarding the 2009-2010 perform recall 09S09 of the speed control deactivation switch wire assembly replacement. It did not work - it never worked, nor did it solve the problem. Within 2 days of the installation the ABS light came on again. To this date brake fluid is still leaking into the component. It causes my brake lights to stay on upon stopping and turning the car off - which if goes unnoticed, it drains the battery. To this date the cruise control does not work. And it has also reduced my safe braking distance. I have very low miles on the van - less than 81,000 miles - so it is not cause by heavy usage. Ford has failed to fix the issue which is the leaking brake fluid onto this wiring assembly. There are many Ford Windstar still in use that are experiencing the same problem. Ford should fix this issue of the leaking brake fluid onto the assembly wire. Replacing this wire assembly harness did not and will not fix the brake fluid leakage issue.
The ABS indicator light keeps coming on and going off intermittently. Once on it usually stays on until I turn off the car. This started during the summer about a year and a half ago. My mechanic said that most likely the ECM needed to be replaced to the tune of a $700 replacement module from Ford plus labor! my Ford dealer told me that the 09S09 recall work was done some time ago, but this problem with the ABS light coming on continues. I am very concerned after reading up on recent information as it has been reported on multiple sites that leaking brake fluid reaching the ABS electronic control module has happened after the supposed recall repair was done in many instances, causing fires and or the loss of the ABS braking system working. I have also read many, many reports online about Ford Windstar owners having the exact same problem, without necessarily having a fire or brake failure...yet. If this electronic control module is so consistently faulty, should Ford not be required to replace it at no charge to their customers, especially if there is the possibility of it causing a failure of the ABS braking system?
Back in 2008 I was involved in a fender bender (about $6,000 in damages) when my ABS failed causing me to slide into another car. At first I thought it was minor issue, but have since been told it's a major issue with many owners. I've found that the recall (09S09) does not address all the underlying issues and the Ford dealer will not fix all of the issues. Additionally I was told by my local Ford dealer that there were no open items on my van for ABS. When I inquired what that meant, they said that there was nothing on recall for ABS on my vehicle. I had never had anything done to the ABS, so it was not because it was already fixed. A week ago, I was almost involved in an accident because of the failure of the ABS system; I was only going 40 mph. I constantly have my brakes checked because I have to press them hard to work. The rear brakes are almost new, and the front (pads and rotors) are new so the brakes should work better than they do. Since there are major reports of problems, this needs to be addressed by Ford.
Last week as I was driving around town and my instrument panel stopped working and the ABS lights would not turn off. The next morning I had to take my son to one of his activities and the instrument panel was still not working and I noticed I had to push the brake pedal all the way down to the floor. I went home and noticed that my car was leaking brake fluid. After much research I found my vehicle had a recall. (09S09) I took my car in this morning to have this recall fixed. This did not fix my instrument panel. After I got home I researched what the problem might be and have found numerous complaints about the same problem from brake fluid leaking on the some of the wires. I contacted Ford to see if this would be covered under the recall and they explained to me that the recall only covers that specific part. I am very upset because the recall will only cover the part and not the damage it has caused. I would like to file this complaint to make a record of this. I truly believe that Ford should fix the damage that this recalled part has done to my vehicle.
- Sandpoint, ID, USA
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For a year now we be noticing odometer failure, brake light and ABS light coming on. Recently we found out the brakes weren't working at all. Luckily no accidents. I inspected the brake fluid container which was empty. I refilled it and checked around to see for any leaks. I noticed it was leaking at the scds switch. I went online and found a website where they described this to be a common problem and that there was a recall for this. Lucky it hasn't caused any fire like it did by some other owners.
The contact owned a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle emitted a boom sound and caught on fire. As a result, the vehicle was destroyed. The fire marshall appeared on the scene and stated that the fire was caused by the alternator. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileages were 150.000. The VIN was unknown.
I own a 2000 Ford Windstar and the windshield wipers have quit working for the third time. This always seems to happen while I am driving in the rain, which is not safe at all, but yesterday it happened during a very heavy thunderstorm while I was driving down the interstate at 70 mph! it has always been wiper motor failure and the motor needs to be replaced. I have seen a recall in the past on the 2000 Ford Windstar for this same complaint. I contacted my local dealership and they stated that my Windstar was not included in this recall. As much of a hassle and an expense it is to have the wiper motor replaced, it's still not as much a hassle as it is dangerous to be driving a vehicle that not only do the wipers randomly quit working without any warning but the ABS and traction control will kick off all the time and Ford won't fix or do anything about the failures that so many other Windstar owners continue to have. How many recalls on safety issues do you have to have before the entire vehicle is recalled? the frame, the suspension, the wipers, the speed control system and the anti-lock brake system, all the things that a driver truly needs to safely Transport their family around have been recalled on the Windstar. This doesn't even touch the amount of money that has been spent on the lean system bank 1 & 2 error codes and the engine light still comes on for the same code. I'm sure this has a lot to do the terrible gas mileage that is not even close to what the original sticker quoted!. or the torque converter issues in the transmission that had to be completely rebuilt. A lot of the Windstar's issues started while it was still under warranty and just continued to get worse. If were up to me I would definitely call the vehicle a lemon. P.S. after talking to my neighbor, he also has replaced his Windstar's wiper motor three times. Seems to be happening to more vehicles than just mine.
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the speedometer, fuel and temperature gauges were providing inaccurate readings. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer was contacted in regards to the failure. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the instrument panel would need replacing but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 125,000 and the current mileage was 201,453.
I had received a recall notice for my Ford Windstar 09S09. I had taken my vehicle in to the dealership where they ascertained that the part was defective and had leaked. It was noted with Ford that my ABS light was always on, as was the check engine light and that my cruise control did not function any more. My speed indicator and odometer did not function properly either reading only half of the actual speed and mileage. These were all noted and the dealership replaced the defective part but stated that they would not repair the other problems that were caused by the leaked hydraulic fluid. I still have issues with everything stated because they did not do anything to fix these problems just changed the part. At this point I was told that it was too late to do anything because according to Ford the recall case was closed because the defective part was changed. As a consumer, I trusted my dealership to handle the recall in the correct manner instead of leaving all of the problems to continue without notifying me until it was too late, in Ford's words.
We have been experiencing various electrical problems with our Windstar and upon research through the internet found that others have had the same problems. The cruise control has stopped working for the last two years. The ABS and brake lights have periodically come on and then went off. The speedometer will be working fine and then drop to only 20 mph even though we are exceeding that speed. It will then jump back to the proper speed and this process will continue for a period of time.
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the ABS and brake lights on the battery died. While the contact tried to replace the battery, she noticed that the battery cables melted. The contact called the dealer who stated that the ABS light stayed on which caused the cable to melt. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
The ABS warning light on my 2000 Ford Windstar van has been coming on intermittently and staying on for some period of time (I.e., years). Reported this several times to the local Ford dealership and they acknowledge that the light is on, but can never figure out the appropriate diagnostics as to what is wrong with the sensors or the ABS system and they have been unwilling to replace anything. Even during the last recall (cruise control wiring harness issue) the mechanics at shults Ford of wexford, pa admitted that the light was on and wouldn't go off, and that they didn't know why, but they made no attempt to replace it. Lately, my light has been lit up more constantly and it seems to me that the braking distances are generally longer. I cannot ascertain if the ABS system is even engaging or not, but it seems that Ford is really not too interested in this problem. I recently applied the brakes during a light rain in which the road was slick from oil/grime because it had not rained in some time, and I heard no evidence of the normal sound of the ABS system. I wanted to submit this to NHTSA so that at least this will be documented in case I get into a serious crash as a result of a faulty ABS system or ABS sensors.
ABS and/or traction control sensors are on 24/7. dealer states I have to pay for diagnostic. This causes a problem when applying the brake in snow and rain. Brake system does not function properly. I have consequently lost control of the vehicle and have had to swerve to avoid accidents.
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact started the vehicle and went back into her house while the vehicle engine continued running. The contact stated that she heard a loud, revving noise and proceeded to turn the vehicle off. She then noticed smoke emitting from under the hood. The fire department was called and in a matter of seconds, the front end of the vehicle was destroyed from the flames. The entire vehicle was in flames and by the time the fire department arrived, the vehicle was destroyed. A fire report was available. The contact stated that there was slight damage to her residential garage and the vent and rubber seals were melted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 185,000.
I own a 2000 Ford Windstar and recently had recall work done for the faulty scds in which Ford fixed the problem by replacing the switch because it was leaking and then they used some sort of harness to enable the cruise control to work. However, the ABS light is still on and to my knowledge the ABS system is not working. Ford claims the two issues are not related. However, when I had diagnostic work done by my mechanic he pinpointed the ABS/ECM module was defective and not working. That in my opinion links the two issues because the cruise control is tied into that ABS module (which is right below the scds switch). Ford is not taking any responsibility for the ABS module at this point. In reading some other information online it seems that module expands when it gets warm and cause intermittent electrical connection in the unit because the fragile board is being stretched and malformed. The October 2009 recall (to fix the scds switch) will not fix this problem unless you had a fire at the ABS connector. Which too me is ridiculous because Ford knows there is a problem with the ABS module design and because that part costs $800 they are not considering it their issue. They are willing to allow vehicles like mine to travel around without the ABS functioning, which is no doubt a safety issue.
The ABS light on my 2000 Ford Windstar comes on intermittently but there's no code in the computer showing a problem this happens if you hit a bump or sometimes for no reason at all.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Atascadero, CA, USA