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.
ABS and brake warning lights light up randomly and cruise control stops working. Main brakes still function. I see lots of similar complaints online. Had brakes repaired twice and the mechanic always mentions a loss of brake fluid. Even after that, the problem persists. I do not believe my VIN was ever part of the scds switch recall but I am suspicious this may be somehow related (?). if so, there could be risk of a fire and I do not feel safe. I'd like some answers before I spend any more money at local mechanic fixing this car. Calling Ford dealer tomorrow to see if there is anything they can do.
We bought our van in March 2012. By April 2012 we began noticing problems with shifting. It shifts hard. The windows stopped working in May 2012. The lights on the dash for the ABS and brakes are always on. The brakes are not very good and the pedal must be pushed hard to get the van to stop. Our biggest issue is with the transmission. The mechanic at aamco would not even change the fluid because if he changed the fluid then the transmission wouldn't be able to shift. I don't know the details but I do know that my van is not safe to drive.
I purchased my 2002 Ford Windstar as a new vehicle and I have been the only owner and driver. It has received regular professional servicing and repairs and overall, is in superior condition. Since 2007 it has only been used on the weekends and I use a smaller car for work. A few years ago, the ABS light started coming on unpredictably and intermittently in rainy weather and the brakes would lose power dramatically increasing braking distances. Because the problem with braking was sporadic at first, the mechanic thought it was merely an electrical problem causing the ABS light to come on. The Ford service department said there were no recalls for such a problem. I have had the brakes replaced, and although the pads and rotors are in good condition, the braking problem has worsened. The ABS light and intermittent brake failure is much more frequent. I have recently learned that other Windstar owners have experienced the same problem and that Ford recalled 1999-2003 Windstar for ABS because the ECU master relay has a bad soldier joint that fails causing the intermittent contacts. When I brought that information to my Ford service manager, I was told the recall did not include my particular VIN. I am not sure how Ford determines which vins get recalled -- but I am sure that my vehicle should have been included. It is unsafe because the brakes are unpredictable at this point. It is scary to think that Ford would allow this known and serious defect in it's vehicles to go unaddressed.
ABS light and brake light have been on for months off and on. Have a slight brake fluid leak. Was backing into my driveway and the O/D light came on and started flashing, the odometer went blank, speedometer stopped working and the A/C began blowing hot air. Checked fuse #10 and found it was blown. Replaced fuse #10. Odometer and speedometer work but other lights still on. Have an appointment to have the van looked at tomorrow.
Transmission light in dash has been on for years now. Local dealers tell me there is nothing wrong. They take my money and don't fix the problem. ABS light is on. Parts were bought and replaced by the dealer with in a year light back on. Cruise control cut out replaced twice. Dealer cant figure these problems out but if enough of your own research is done there are ways to figure out what is going on. Even if the dealer can't front frame mounts are rusting so bad you can pull it apart with your hands certified safe from dealer.
I have purchased a 2002 Windstar in April 2012, we noticed the ABS light and brake light would appear and we'd be low on brake fluid. We replaced the master brake cylinder but they said the sensor on bottom was unavailable to order, we called Ford and they told us the same thing. The sensor is full of brake fluid. We have to fill our brake fluid about once every 2 weeks in warm weather more often. When I took it into dealership for recall on axle I asked about this they said theres no recalls for it. I can not afford to purchase a new vehicle nor would I want to sell this vehicle to another person as it was sold to me without being told of problem. Is there going to be a recall on this?
ABS and brake lights on dash came on for first time while driving at 45 mph, not using brakes, they just came on. They have been going off and on intermittently since. Seems to happen more when the car is warm. Can turn the car on to warm up and the 2 lights will be off at start-up. After a few minutes, both ABS and brake lights come on even though car is just idling and no one in the car! sometimes can drive 60 - 70 miles before the lights come on, sometimes they are on at start-up.
Check ABS light comes on along with check traction control and the hand brake lamp is illuminated. A code check reveals the code as C1185 - ABS relay. It is happening with increased frequency now. This happens sporadically under a variety of driving conditions. To clear it I pull over, turn off the engine; wait a few moments and restart the vehicle.
While traveling at highway speeds, noted that the ABS and brake lights illuminated on the instrument cluster. Checked fluids and pads and they appeared fine. Since that time, the lights intermittently come on. Front brakes have been replaced as well. Have had 3 independent shops look at the problem and all say that the ABS module has failed. When the lights are illuminated, ABS does not function. Vehicle now has approximately 80,000 miles (04/22/2013).
I was taking the kids to the park today for a birthday party and I notice my ABS and my brake lights where on while driving. I pulled of to side of the road put the van in park and shut it off. I started the van an it was off this isn't the first time that this has happen. The first time that this has star was yesterday 4/20/2013 the van was in park and running for at least five minutes and they ( ABS and brake lights ) came on did the same thing shut the van off and restarted it and they where off the other time was later that night at a drive-thru van in gear foot on the brake pedal and the lights was on ( ABS and brake lights) don't know what is wrong but this need to get fix.
My ABS and brake warning lamp comes on periodically for no known reason. There was a recall on brake lamp switch a few years back and now this concern exists.
Brought in van for recalls 09S09, 10S13 and 11S16. This was for the subframe issues and speed control switch. Speed control switch was supposed to address leaking brake fluid. Brake fluid still leaking and now dealership is charging me for brake switch repair and bleeding of brakes. Also ABS light came on after service and now dealership says ABS sensor needs to be replaced. I believe these are all related to original recall but dealership says no.
After purchasing from a dealer in Oct of 2010 the ABS light, check traction control light, brake light and air bag light started coming on intermittently. Had the vehicle serviced in mi for the axle recall. Was without the vehicle and had loaner car for 2 months. After getting vehicle back the lights were on more consistently the dealership noted this but did not offer any reason found for this. By summer of 2011 these lights were staying on almost constantly and this continued for a year, after investigating this issue online and seeing that other owners have invested hundreds of dollars trying to get the lights to go off and stay off only to have them keep coming back on we have decided to file a complaint as this issue is not a simple fix and obviously is happening in hundreds of vehicles. Our problem has progressed to where the speedometer and odometer go wildly up and down while driving at highway speeds and we are never sure of our speed. The lights on the dash go out and the power to door locks, radio and A/C power is lost as well as the blinkers for lane changes. This vehicle is very unsafe but we need it as we have 5 children and can not afford to buy a new one. The power window on passenger side as well as the power sliding doors do not work. When this issue happens if their happened to be an electrical fire because of it, we would be unable to exit the vehicle because the doors are locked and the knobs on the interior of this model are flush into the door when the vehicle is locked and can not be manually pulled up. With children, this is a very serious safety concern. Please please investigate this issue with the Ford Windstar. I have also contacted for with my complaint and they only would say there are no recalls on this issue right now but to save my receipts should I try to get it fixed in case one is issued in the future.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while at a traffic stop, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The vehicle began to function normally several moments later. The contact also stated that the brake, ABS and over drive off warning lights illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was determined that the master cylinder failed and was leaking brake fluid onto the electrical components. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA