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.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford wind star. He stated the brake pressure switch is leaking brake fluid and this causes his cruise control not to work. While he was driving the vehicle using his cruise control it slowed down and he could not put the cruise control back on. He took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told the brake fluid is leaking and not going into the brake pressure switch which operates the cruise control. He contacted the manufacture and was told his vehicle is not under warranty or recall. The failure mileage is 115,500.
Cruise control stopped working, and noticed intermittent ABS/brake light. After researching, found that the brake pressure switch was leaking brake fluid through the connector. Fluid had wicked into the cruise control module as well. Even though this switch is the subject of failures and recalls on numerous models, the dealer refused to replace or apply the company designed fix to the vehicle. I am concerned that this issue has led to numerous vehicle fires, and that the company is not responding to this issue by replacing the switch, but only installing a fuse. Repair charges were $210.
Car produced a stong sulfer smell and immediately the ABS light and brake light illuminated, the "O/D off" light began flashing, the speedometer died and the odometer cleared.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The air conditioner, cruise control, and radio failed. The contact inspected the switch on the master cylinder and noticed that the switch for the cruise control was covered with fluid. The cruise control switch was replaced; however, the new switch also failed. He cut the wires to the switch in order to operate the vehicle. He then heard a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The lifters were replaced, but the knocking sound continued. The upper intake was replaced as well. The purchase date was unknown. The failure mileage was 98,000 and current mileage was 119,000.
Off switch on cruise control on my 2001 Ford Windstar does not work. It stopped working in 2004. I can disengage the cruise control by hitting the brake but it is still active and if I touch the 'resume' button by mistake, suddenly I am back at cruising speed. This has happened twice and both times I narrowly avoided an accident. I spoke to an official in the Ford safety dept. And he said it was not a safety issue since the control could be disengaged. I believe he was wrong and see the potential for an accident here. Additionally there is no indicator light on the dash panel to say whether the cruise control is on or not. This adds to the risk.
- Martinez, GA, USA
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On my 2001 Ford Windstar minivan, at about 62,500 miles on the odometer, the amber ABS light and red brake light illuminated. Was told by the dealer that it was a faulty hydraulic control unit that was leaking brake fluid on the ABS module (estimated repair cost was about $1,100. I had previously researched this problem online, and have found entire forums of Windstar owners dedicated to this problem. Users had cited a fire hazard that is created by the leaking brake fluid on the ABS electronic control unit (one owners van had caught fire due to this on a long trip). I asked about this at the dealership, and they confirmed that this could indeed be a fire hazard. I have pulled the fuses to de-energize the ABS ECU, but because of that, am currently operating with no ABS braking capability. The leaking fluid had also damaged the cruise control cutoff switch, so I had it repaired at the dealership.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the cruise control feature stopped working. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic and brake fluid was found in the cruise control cylinder. The mechanic replaced the cylinder and the failure was corrected. The current and failure mileages were 70,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact heard a popping sound and noticed smoke coming from her vehicle. The vehicle caught fire. The cruise control switch shorted out and caused brake fluid to leak into the wiring harness. The leak then flowed into the ABS module and created the fire. The contact filed a claim with her insurance company and they found that the vehicle had a defective part from the dealer. The claim was closed. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer. When the contact stated that she notified her insurance company, both the dealer and the manufacturer decided not to pay for the damage. The vehicle sustained $2,197.50 worth of damage. The current and failure mileages were 123,000.
2 years ago my cruise control went out on my 2001 Ford Windstar and shortly after that I noticed brake fluid leaking. One morning my wife started the van and smoke poured out from under the hood and we took it to a shop in alvin Texas. They replaced a fried speed control switch. When I contacted Ford they said it was not under recall and would not reimburse my losses. At the repair shop they stated it is the same switch that is under recall in the other Ford products. I still have the switch and have no idea what to do next. Any suggestions from the NHTSA would be greatly helpful.
: the contact stated while turning the ignition off the cruise control caught on fire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they determined that the vehicle was not included in the recall #01V207000 due to the VIN however the cruise control onnector was faulty. The dealer disconnected the part in order to keep the vehicle from further incidents of fire. The dealer recommended the contact call NHTSA to file a complaint.
: the contact stated the vehicle's cruise control activation sensor caught on fire and melted the control module switch and the component caught on fire. The fire was contained in that area and extinguished before it could spread. The manufacturer has this problem on three different models and for the same component whether the vehicle was on or off. This vehicle was off the day the fire incident. Updated 10/25/2006 -
At about 8:30 at night, I was at home alone and heard strange thumping and hissing noises outside my living room window. I went outside to investigate and discovered flames billowing from under the hood of my 2001 Ford Windstar van, which was parked in the driveway approximately four feet from our wood frame house. It had not been driven since 4:00 pm. I immediately called 911, and neighbors helped contain the fire with a garden hose while we waited for emergency personnel to arrive. It took firemen a good 20-30 minutes to fully extinguish the flames, which disintegrated the engine, windshield and dashboard area. Thankfully the fire did not spread to our house. One of the neighbors who helped that night is a Ford service technician. He said that in his opinion the fire was undoubtedly caused by a short in the speed control system. Since our vehicle was not one of those recalled for that problem, we had not received any type of warning that our car might spontaneously burst into flames while sitting in the driveway on a cool January night. Now that's it's too late, and after doing some internet research, I recognize some symptoms that line up with speed control system failure: 1) a few weeks ago my brake light came on. We added brake fluid and the light went off. 2) four days before the fire, I tried to use my cruise control in a 30 mph zone and it wouldn't work. That speed may have been too slow to engage the cruise control, but it had worked before. 3) two days before the fire, the engine was running very rough. At first I was concerned, but it cleared up as soon as I was able to get out of stop-and-go traffic and onto the highway. After that it ran as usual. I'm grateful that no one was injured by this massive system failure.
The contact stated while driving vehicle it caught on fire. The contact pulled over, turned off the ignition, and the fire went out. He then drove vehicle to a local mechanic. The mechanic determined the fire started as a result of the cruise control deactivation switch. The wires under the hood were burned. The cruise control on the vehicle stopped working approximately one month ago. No repairs were done to the vehicle. Updated 11/29/2005 -
Caller was concerned about cruise control burning up. He might have had it fixed, but he didn't know for sure. Caller said cruise control would not work, and then the horn would not work. Dealer replaced the steering column. That is all the caller thinks the dealer did. Consumer feels vehicle had a defective cruise control and should be included in recall.
While the consumer was trying to stop the engine revved from 1000 to 5000 RPM. The dealer replaced the idle control as a possible cause of the problem. The consumer was concerned about the danger if the problem reoccurs.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chardon, OH, USA