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.
My 2003 Ford Windstar was taken in for the rear axle recall and was repaired. The axle has cracked again we took it to the dealer who said that they contacted Ford about the problem and were told they would not repair or replace the axle the van only has 47000 miles on it we would like to have it repaired or replaced at Ford expense.
I have a 2003 Ford Windstar that has been owned by my family since it left the line. I was notified of a recall to the control arms in 2011 and took my vehicle to the dealer. In June 2012 I was driving home from work and had just turned on my street when I heard a loud bang and my car would barely more. When it happened I thought that my engine had hit the ground. I luckily was one house away from home( I had just gotten off the expressway traveling 70 miles an hour.) as I limped my way into the drive way I thought that maybe I had a flat the way that my car was driving. However when I got out of the car my entire drivers side of the car was less than an inch from the ground. After having it towed to a shop I was told that my strut (spring) had jumped off the mount. I was told there was nothing wrong with the strut (spring) but that it had jumped the mount. Needless to say when Ford was contacted I was told that they were not responsible. This is very wrong given there was extentsive damage done to the control arm and it pulled the tie-rod end out of the passenger side. There were no issues with the front end and I feel that the brackets that were installed due to the recall may have shifted the strut and caused the damage. But Ford would not have anything to do with the matter.
We drove to the store and realized that our rear tires were tilted. We were looking at it and a guy that worked at the garage next door climbed under and told us what it was. He said that the rear axle was broken, he also said that there had been a recall on the vehicle. I contacted our local Ford dealer and the person I spoke to told me that I was covered by the recall and that they would send out a tow truck and the would fix it. The tow truck came and a few hours later the Ford dealer called and said that I was not covered and the I would have to pay for the tow and I would have to tow it off of their lot. This happened after he already told me that I was covered. I eventually had to get a loan to pay for it and I couldn't even afford a new axle I had to get someone to weld it back together and now every couple of months it breaks again. I am now on my third fix. I was doing research on this on the internet and I found something that said that puerto rico was now covered in that recall. I was told that it was just cold weather states. I live in cleveland, Ohio. Just because my car was not made here doesn't mean that I shouldn't be covered. I have already had the control arm recall kit put on and now I found out that there was another recall on the electrical equipment all of my ABS lights and break lights are on. I really need this to be fixed please change the recalls to include other vehicles too.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while reversing at unknown speeds, he heard an abnormal noise. Upon inspection, it was found that the rear axle was fractured and the front sub frame was completely rusted. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign id numbers: 11V030000 (structure) and 12V195000 (suspension). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failures were confirmed. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear driver's side axle was cracked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not available.
- Barbourville, KY, USA
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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.
I was starting to get a clunking noise from the rear end of my 2003 Windstar minivan which continued to become worse. I took the van into a reputable shop to have it checked. I witnessed the inspection and it was difficult to figure out what was wrong but it was discovered that corrosion caused cracks in the axel and it needed to be replaced. There was a recall on the axel but when I contacted Ford (both a dealer a Ford recall information line) I was told my it was not valid for my. The recall was for issued for states that use salt and I when I bought the van I lived in Ohio but moved to miami Florida in miami 2007 ( now in central fl) no road salt but still a salt environment. There repair was $663 and I believe that this recall should extend to all vans that have this type of risk with a refund due from Ford.
Ford safety recall 11S16 was to reinforce or replace rear axle to ensure vehicle safety. Ford installed brackets that were either ineffective, improperly installed, or axle was already cracked when installed. When owner was informed of possible cracks in rear axle April 2013 Ford was immediately notified and Ford response is that there are no factory warranties or programs in effect to assist with this issue. This vehicle currently has 110200 miles on it. It has been driven 12,000 miles since the recall. At the time of the safety recall 11S16 repairs the owner had requested that Ford replace the axle instead of installing brackets, and was willing to contribute towards the additional repair costs. Ford refused to replace the axle, installing the brackets instead. Subsequently, Ford repairs were ineffective and resulted in cracks in the rear axle. As of this date, Ford has taken the position that the repairs to the vehicle are the responsibility of the owner. The owner disagrees and is requesting that Ford be required to live up to their agreement under the safety recall 11S16, to ensure that the rear axle of said vehicle meets or exceeds safety requirements.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that upon inspection, it was found that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V385000 (suspension). The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.
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.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the axle fractured while driving 50 mph. The vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V385000 (suspension). The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 139,000.
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.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that fifteen months after having the vehicle serviced under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V385000 (suspension), the axle fractured. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 160,328.
About March of 2012 my 2003 Ford wind star's lower control arm separated from the sub frame "engine cradle". I took my van to dealer. They did do a repair to sub frame, which I did not find satisfactory, Ford Corp. Had them cut off what was left of any damaged brackets and clamp steel brackets onto a sub frame that is already damaged due to heavy rust and corrosion. Now about one year later "March of 2013" the sway bar mount, which is part of the sub frame has rusted out. Making driving very unsafe and unstable. This problem should have been rectified when the recall was done in 2012. I took van back to the dealer. They sent pictures to Ford Corp. Ford did not approve any repairs to sub frame stating that it was not part of original recall. Now how is that possible if the sub frame and sway bar mount are all one component. It's all one welded piece of steel. There is no fix at this time but to replace the sub frame. Now if the sub frame is under recall and the sway bar mount is part of the sub frame, then I feel Ford should rectify the problem. I plan on keeping my Ford wind star for a while. I feel this is a serious safety issue and really needs to be dealt with. Ford should cover this component or they get away with an unsatisfactory fix and I still have to pay for a new sub frame, which was the whole issue to begin with.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle developed a crack. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician confirmed the failure and advised that the axle needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but refused to provide any assistance since the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 12V195000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being inspected, the technician noticed that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the rear axle had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 91,453.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle exhibited two large fractures. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number 12V195000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly) however, the VIN was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000.
First of all there is a short located by the steering wheel around the air bag. I thought it was the battery so I changed it and a couple of days later my van would not start. I took it to the Ford dealer and they couldn't find the problem, so I took it to an old man that just did electrical problems on automobiles. He said it was a bad wire in the steering column and he said to repair it would cost a lot of money, so he bypassed some wires and I have not had any problems since, but when you open the driver side door, the door chimes, like when you leave the keys in the ignition. He only charged me $75. Also I would be driving and the interior lights would turn on and off by themselves. This has been happening for a long time. Also the ABS warning lights have been on for a while and my mechanic said it is a bad ABS steering box. To replace it would cost around $1000. I have had also the head gasket replaced because the Ford dealer could not find what was wrong with it while it was still under warranty. It was idling very rough while stopped at a light, also when in parked. It cost me about $600 to replace it. I took it to pep boys and they found out what was wrong with it. I also had the fuel pump replaced, because it kept shutting off while at the grocery stores and had it towed by aaa 3 times in about a year. Bottom line, I will never buy another Ford vehicle while I am alive. They are good for the first couple of years, then they start failing. So sad, because I have been a Ford guy for over 35 years.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Oak Lawn, IL, USA