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.
1999 Ford Windstar transmission went up. Consumer states that the control arm fell off in March. Consumer again stated the transmission needs to be replaced again.
First: While traveling 70 mph on an interstate in nc our van died. After safely pulling over, crossing 3 lanes of traffic, we had the van towed home to va and the mechanic said he changes 7-8 transmissions a week in Ford Windstar vans. We had fallen victim to this. We still have problems with the O/D light coming on and having to add transmission fluid frequently. Second: Our van interior and exterior lights dim and blink at random. The alert will also come on saying one of the doors is ajar leaving the interior lights on and doors unlocked. It will randomly change doors while driving. Now the rear turning lights do not flash, the locks do not work, the interior and back exterior lights do not go out even with the key off and out. There will be random beeping and buzzing noises. The rear heat/air turns off and on at random even with the controls in the off position. There is a clicking under the dash when the rear heat or air is running. On inspection the mechanic found the alarm wires under the dash bare, unhooked, and exposed. He taped these hoping it would solve the problem. It has not. The local Ford dealer is not reputable. It is a well known fact in the community that they break something else while fixing another to ensure a return visit. We have to travel 45-60 minutes to another dealer and they are so busy because they have to provide service for a large rural area. Ford has never acknowledged phone calls or letters sent to them. We feel stuck with a lemon!
I was at a stop light at a major intersection and when the light turned green I heard a loud sound. I tried to accelerate but my car would not move forward. The engine just revved. I thought I ran something over due to the sound so inspected got out to inspect the car. I found nothing. I got back into the car and turned car off and turned back. The car would not drive. I put the car in reverse and managed to get off the road. I had the car towed to the dealership. I was told by the dealer sutton Ford in matteson il. That the transmission just broke and would cost me $3000. I have had this car less then 2 years. I had an extended warranty that just expired a few months ago. My obd light was on but was told by the dealer it was a sensor. They could turn it off but it wasn't anything major. After reading all the complaints I'm sure it is major. Since purchasing this car, I have had to replace tires at least every six months, major engine repair, alternator repair, as well as spring replacement. Overall, I've put more then $3000 in repair not including the repair of the transmission I now need. I loved my Windstar but I am now discovering that it puts my life endanger to drive it. My two kids were in the car when this happened and I feared someone would hit my car. The worst part about all this is I am unable to get rid of this car as I still am buying this car. I am unable to refinance the difference. I was told to just scarp the car by the dealer and just get another car as I am even more in debt trying to repair the car. I don't want to ruin my credit so there has to be another solution. I have no inkling how I'm going to manage to get $3000 for a new car and pay my bills and find an alternative method. I really would appreciate it if Ford would just do the right thing fix my transmission. Split the cost. I did damage my car in the mist of all this and just want to be able to drive to work until the car is paid off.
My transmission on a 1999 Ford Windstar is leaking from the bell housing on the transmission, as well as slipping through the gears, this is the second time it has happened within 50,000 miles. I have also noticed that from where it is leaking from the transmission, my catalytic converters affected by the fluid that is on it as well, consistently burning off as it gets hotter.
For the second time in 2 years I am replacing the transmission on the 1999 Windstar. Both times it just stopped working, , but was able to get car to safety. Now on second transmission overhaul at a cost of $1700 for he first time, and 1$400 the second. The mechanic said there was no reason for the failure.
- Tonawanda, NY, USA
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Only 28,000 miles on car driven by elderly father a few miles every day for past 7 years. No indication of problem with transmission before this incident. Pulled from stop onto state road at point where a blind curve/no site distance for oncoming traffic-speed limit 45 mph. Car jerked forward and transmission failed, no forward gears, leaving car sideways across 2 lanes of oncoming traffic. Got car to go in reverse to get off road which created an even more dangerous situation for me and all oncoming traffic. Told will cost $2,500 for re-built transmission. Ford sent standard reply to my complaint suggesting go to dealership and have checked out. Amazing that no recall has been issued or anything been done after seeing this and numerous websites with same complaints. So many of us lucky. How many deaths does it take before action will be taken? have been a Ford owner for years and will never, ever buy Ford again.
1999 Windstar,98K, complete transmission failure. Went into reverse, but not into any forward gear. I've meticulously maintained this vehicle, never towed. Have owned cars for 30 yrs, never had a vehicle this bad. Will never buy Ford again.
1999 Ford Windstar sustained major transmission failure without any prior symptoms. Vehicle was parked in driveway and shifted into drive, a loud noise was heard followed by severe grinding. Transmission was found to be filled with metal and required overhaul. Vehicle had just over 75000 miles and has never been used for towing. Repair costs were over 2000 dollars.
Complained to Ford about transmission while vehicle was under warranty. I was told there wasn't anything wrong with transmission. On Sunday 06/11/06, while exiting parkway the transmission went on the vehicle. The vehicle was purchased with only 17,000 miles on it in 7/01, vehicle now has 65,000 miles. Warranty expired last March, Ford refuses to help with the cost of repair for transmission.
1999 Windstar, . paint peeling on front hood, replaced the following: Transmission (4 times), inner and outer tie rods (2 times) power steering system, intake manifold gaskets and system(twice), interior lights that flicker intermittently and stay on for periods of time for no reason.
Ford Windstar 1999- transmission, rack and pinion and manifold Ford would not help so I took them to small claims court in Ontario and won full cost to all three matters.
I was sitting at a traffic light and went to pull away when the light turned green. There was very loud noise, like an explosion, and the van lurched forward. At first I thought another driver hit us and I was bracing for the impact. Fortunately, we had not been hit, but the van would not move more than a few feet at that point. I managed to pull as far over as I could in the traffic lane, although I could not reach the shoulder, and turned on my hazards. There had been no warning at all that anything was wrong with the van at that point. No warning lights, no leaking fluid, and it was still running-it just wouldn't move forward or reverse. I had been driving it all day, and I am the primary driver. The transmission seemed to be working just fine up until that point. I had not noticed any slipping or any other problems. Once it was towed to the dealer, we found out that the transmission had totally failed and we are now paying $2600 for a remanufactured transmission. The van has 89,000 miles on it currently, and we did have an extended warranty than ran out at 75,000 miles. We have had the power steering unit replaced already, in addition to Ford sending mechanics out from Michigan twice to repair our automatic sliding doors, which had been malfunctioning since we bought the van.
Contact stated after driving for about an hour the od light illuminated. The vehicle was smoking from underneath. The contact was able to pull the vehicle off to the side of the road. The fire department came and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a dealership to be inspected. The dealership stated there was no damage to the vehicle as a result of the fire. Also, they stated the fire could have been caused by transmission fluid leaking on the catalytic converter. While driving at a later time the dashboard light illuminated again. The vehicle was then taken to a local mechanic, who determined that the automatic transmission was causing it to smoke. Updated 12/7/2005.
While driving on the hwy (60 mph), the od light started flashing and message board showed check message. I pushed info button, and txt. Message disappeared. I pulled over to first lane and observed a lot of smoke in the rear mirror. I stopped the car and observed fire underneath the car. Fire continued for app. 4 mins. And extinguished slowly. Car was towed to dealer, which has stated that transmission has been overheated and has to be replaced. I have checked some other customer complaints and it looks like Ford has a common problem with Windstar. Luckily me and my two children came through this incident unscathed but it can be a very serious situation. Have been told that I will have to pay for a new transmission. No help from dealer and according to other customer complaints it seem like Ford also is very reluctant to look into such problems.
The contact states that 1999 Ford Windstar LX had a transmission failure. The van was at a red light and when the owner pushed the accelerator to go, there was no power. The owner had to push the van to the side of the road. The van has not been taken in for repairs. There are no available openings in dealerships. The owner has not contacted Ford.
Car went "clunk" then wouldn't engage transmission while I was in the middle of heavy traffic. Had van towed to dealer; transmission replaced -- had to extract a broken bolt from the exhaust manifold.
My transmission failed in my 99 Ford Windstar with onlly 55, ooo. I stoped at a stop sign, when I hit the gas I heard a thud and the van would not go forward. I only had reverse. I hear this is a common failure of Windstar vans
I drove my 1999 Ford Windstar LX with my mother and my family (my 2 children, my nephew and my daughter's friend) to erie, pa to visit my sister's family for 2 days, then to splash lagoon for 2 days. This was a 230 mile trip, each way, from my home is elmira, NY. We arrived there without incident. All fluids were checked before we left and were in prime condition. The following day, we got in our vehicles to go see the 15 miles of beaches along lake erie. About a mile down their road, we went to cross a 4-lane high-way, when my vehicle stopped dead in the middle, almost killing all of us because traffic was coming from both directions. My vehicle woudn't move forward no matter what. The transmission failed, abruptly, without any advance notice, whatsoever! after much online research, I soon realized my unfortunate situation isn't unique to Ford Windstar owners! this "sudden transmission failure" is very common. We could have all been killed. My brother-in-law had to drive my vehicle back to his house in reverse, as that was the only gear that worked. After the failure, the fluids were checked again, and all was still full and in good condition (we saved these), however, he thought that maybe the filter might need to be changed, so he did so, replacing the used transmission fluid with brand new. Knowing we should not have work done to the vehicle for risk of voiding the $1,948 extended service warranty I purchased from the dealership at the time I bought the vehicle (less than 3 years ago), we decided to have the vehicle towed home.
Stopped the vehicle to make a left turn, when I pressed the accelerator the vehicle did not move then jumped into gear violently. I managed to get teh vehicle into a parking lot where a loud grinding noise could be heard with the engine running and gearshift in park. I moved the gear selector into different gears and car would not move. The car had a history of noise when shifting from park into any gear, especially when parked on a incline. The transmission also downshifted harshly when decelerating to coast through a turn. Both issues were reported to the dan wachtel Ford in athens, al that services the vehicle. The transmission was flushed and had the filter changed twice, the secon only 8000 miles before this incident. Dealer reports that the car needs a new transmission with only 58,000 miles on the car. I purchased an 5 year/70,000 extended warranty when we bought the car, but of course the warranty has expired and I am looking at a $2800 repair bill. I looked at the Ford service bulletins and other complaints through this site and there seems to be a history of the same type of occurrences with the Windstar and the transmission. Seeking assistance from dealer and Ford since vehicle has been maintained, has low mileage considering it is 6 years old and has a history of such events.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Joliet, IL, USA