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 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that all of the gauges on the instrument cluster malfunctioned. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 156,000 and the current mileage was 162,000.
I was driving home from whitefish Montana which is about 20 miles from my home when the van just stopped, it kept running but would not move so I shut the van off and it wouldn't start unless it was jumped, so we jumped it all the way home. We ended up replacing the battery and the alternator the van ran good for one day and than my O/D light started flashing and the van was running really rough and would not shift our of first causing me to only go 35 mph in a 70 mph, not fun at all. Got it home and looked up some information on line and they told me to check the #19 fuse in the fuse box under the hood and sure enough the fuse was blown so I drove it around the block and it blew again. So we put in a 20 amp fuse and I made it home but this morning I went out to go to work and it started and it drove but than just stopped there was nothing there, I turned the ignition off and tried to restart it and nothing, no noise no nothing so I had to push the van to my house, just imagine what could of happened if I would of been in heavy traffic and my van did this. I love Ford but this is ridiculous I can not afford to fix all these issues that continue to arise what next a fire under the hood. Please someone help me with this.
Bought the 2003 Windstar in 04/26/ 2004 it was a certified program car from a dealer and had mileage of 013335 we have had several problems with it. First the rear doors will close and then reopen the dealer replaced the sensors in the doors still have that problem, second the ball joints need replaced, third the passenger window would not roll up or down intermittently, fourth lift gate door ajar light keeps coming on you get out and shut it and it still is on next time you open and close maybe a day or two later it will go off, fifth the ABS and brake lights on dash come on and sixth the passenger door ajar light comes on and won't go off. The side doors and the window was noticed before the warranty went out so we bought the extended warranty.
Rear axle completely snapped in two. Also, the van has the ABS and brake lights are on took in for a code read and nothing. The electrical acts very strange music and lights fade in and out and the cruise control is very jerky.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that after having the vehicle serviced under NHTSA campaign I.D. number 12V195000 (suspension), the vehicle started to display electrical failures. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer or a mechanic for diagnostics. The contact called the manufacturer and the manufacturer recommended taking the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was 115,000.
There is something obviously wrong with our Ford Windstar's electrical system. Upon unlocking the car with the remote, only the rear hatch will unlock. All of the other doors try to unlock, but there is not enough power to push the lock all the way up. After replacing the battery, the problem still persisted. This is not only a very obnoxious problem because each of the doors must be unlocked by hand, but this could also be a sign of other problems with the electrical system. In an emergency with children in the car, I need to be able to unlock the doors as quickly as possible.
The ABS, traction control, and brake warning lights will come on all at the same time after driving for only a few minutes. Once these lights come on, the ABS and traction controls are completely inoperable, and in bad weather this could lead to a crash. The warning lights illuminate faster when it is warmer outside. I believe that at $2800 to repair, this is a serious problem and should most certainly be a recall, especially in a family vehicle where children could be in danger.
We have not been properly informed about all of the recalls or other issues with our vehicle. The vehicle does have a lot of problems from the electrical, structure, engine lights are always throwing codes needing a lot of sensor replacements at our cost, the rpms seem to run fast sitting at a light(we have to turn off the engine and then restart), and the engine seems to run hot, brakes, cruise control(cannot use), traction control(cannot use), interior light are always flickering, passenger windows(cannot use) and door locks(cannot use), both rear windows(cannot use), leaks from roof, rear door and sliding doors, the cruise control, brake and traction control lights stay on while driving(we were told by a dealership that we can still drive the vehicle, but we won't have anti-lock brakes.), the ac is always having trouble staying charged, the ac/heat control switches have malfunctioned(it has to be set away from the cold and the speed to 3/4 speed to work right), the battery keeps losing charge, the brake tail lights stay on draining the battery and had to get repaired by us because the dealership could not locate the problem, driver seat has malfunctioned(cannot use per dealership's request), cruise control and traction control does not work, suspension seems to have a lot of squeaks and popping sounds, alternator and starter had to be replaced several times, the coil packs need constant replacements, all spark plugs and wires had to be replaced before their time, cannot use the rear wiper because it goes down onto the paint and starts wiping the paint and not the rear window, constantly replacing exterior lights all around, the engine constantly cuts out, we told the dealership for several years that there was an antifreeze smell and they could not locate it until 5-28-13, replaced bad front and rear axles on 5/28/13 and many others. 12K-18K to repair everything.
For a few years, the ABS warning light has been intermittently coming on. It has mostly been during the warmer months of the year. Also, the brake warning light has been intermittently coming on. Sometimes the two lights come on together sometimes individually. Also, the low tire pressure warning has come on numerous times when there was no issue with tire pressure. Now I have a new issue- the speedometer is reading incorrectly. This is very unsafe because I am teaching my son how to drive and he is very nervous already, now he has no idea how fast he is going! this problem is also intermittent but happens 80 percent of the time the vehicle is driven. Mostly, it is indicating about half of the vehicles actual speed. I also got an airbag warning yesterday for the first time. I assume this issue will start to show up more often now. This vehicle is unsafe to drive with all of these erratic warnings and indications. Please help the nation out by mandating a recall of the Ford Windstar wheel speed sensors & vehicle speed sensors.
Battery was dead all of a sudden... jumped it and all the lights started flickering... dome light dash lights... windshield wipers came on and they were turned off... driving down the road everything shut down until the gas was pressed and then it all came back on... called several places and no one can tell me what is wrong.
The ABS and brake warning lights come on frequently at any time for no reason. My mechanic says there is no problem with the brakes; he thinks it is a defective brake module. This is a safety issue, since it cannot get a state inspection when these lights are on.
Bought used vehicle from dealer and noticed the ABS/brake light was constantly on. It was "fixed" before completing the purchase. Lasted for a few days before lights came back on and stayed on. Was told it not a big deal, so I didnt worry about it. Was not experiencing any other issues until 1.5 years later when I turned the defrost fan on and it stalled the motor as I was traveling. The next weekend my husband wanted to look at it and after the van idled for a few minutes, turned on the defrost and it did not stall, called it a fluke until we popped the hood and had smoke coming out!
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced, it was found that the rear axle was corroded and fractured. The contact also mentioned that the ABS and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a private mechanic who stated that the electronic control module had failed. The contact also stated that the interior lights erroneously illuminated intermittently while the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). The approximate failure and current mileage was 149,000.
Both the emergency brake light and anti-lock braking light on instrument panel were illuminated within 5 minutes of having started the car. After approximately 10 minutes, all electrical appliances failed, including directionals, brake lights, etc. The engine continued to run, however it struggled on uphill climbs.
After driving vehicle short time the warning light for ABS malfunction lights along w/ brake warning light. This happens intermittantly. Likely brake warning light problem is low fluid in mastercylinder yet fluid level in every case was ok. This problem is ongoing. Scan code was C1185.
I purchased a 2003 Ford Windstar used in October of 2012. It had 114,000 miles on it well from day one I have had a problem. The RPM, speed and gas on the dash go crazy. It says I am doing 20 mph when I know I am going faster than that. The RPM will go and up and down. I was driving to work and the brake light and trac off light came on. I tapped the break and it went away. 5 miles later I was making a right turn and the car just stopped moving. Could not go reverse or in drive. I had the car towed and was told it was the transmission yet I had no signs that it was the transmission. I was told the other issues were an electrical problem and would cost me any where from $700-1500.00 plus up to $2500 to fix the transmission. Started doing research and found that these are very common problems with the Windstar. Also I have problems with my lock on the driver side door. Sometimes it will not lock and other times will not open. You have to climb through the van to unlock it. They need to recall this especially the electrical problems...this is unsafe! I will never buy another Ford....
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Dixon, IL, USA