My van has been driving rough for awhile now. when finally I was 20 miles from my home and it just died on the side of the road, took it into the shop but they could not for sure tell me if it was just battery or alternator or both, so being a single mom of four I replaced both. But hte first alternator I put in also stop working. and again nobody could tell me why, so i than purchased another alternator but now my vans o/d light is blinking and it wont shift out of first gear. I love fords but this van is going to be the death of me!

While driving my 2003 Ford Windstar, the check engine light would go on and the car would start running rough - like a putt putt car. Then the next day it would run okay. Then the check engine light would go on and the van would run very rough. The first time I took it to my local mechanic he changed the plugs and wires and it was okay for about a week and then it happened again - the check engine light would go on and the car would run rough. I took it back to my local mechanic and the shop replaced a coil and it ran fine for another week. After spending over $1000 dollars I brought it to a Ford dealer. They then replaced the main computer. The car has been running fine since (except now I had to have the van towed to a transmission shop - that's another complaint).