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.
While driving on I94, without warning, powertrain completely failed in the middle of high speed traffic. Thankfully I had the ability to maneuver the vehicle safely to the side of the highway.
Slowed down to turn left onto side road, started up-hill went to shift and then there was nothing, coasted to side of road. No forward or reverse. Seemed as though I had put van into neutral. I was over 300 miles from home, just me and my 2 yr old. Towed back home to transmission garage, had to have rebuilt for approximately $2900. I have read many complaints, why is Ford not recalling"?" this van seems to be more trouble than it is worth. I also had the repair to the back axel done after I discovered that I had a complete crack thru it.
After having the 2011 rear axle and subframe recall done my transmission failed with no warning signs what's so ever.... shortly after spending two thousand on having the transmission rebuilt in August my brake light came on and my ABS starting kicking in when I apply my breaks and when my ABS light comes on my brakes are fine and my van doesn't come up on the ABS recall...... Ford needs to get their act together and fix these vans.
I own a 2003 Ford Windstar van, we use this vehicle everyday bringing kids to school and for wife to drive to work, we had taken the van to a wedding on the 20th of August about 20 miles away. My wife drove the vehicle like always. The next day she went to take the kids out for an ice cream and for whatever reason the transmission stop working, no reverse, forward completely not working. There was no signs of a problem, I have never had a miss shift or a slippage. I researched this on the web and it is not an uncommon problem. I have had the transmission replaced I hope there can be a resolve to this problem.
While driving on the highway on a trip from Chicago to North caroline, my car suddenly lost power. It was as if I just put it into neutral; I could hear the engine rev when I applied the gas but nothing else happened. Luckily, I was near an exit ramp and pulled to the side of the road without incident. I tried putting the car into another gear, but there was no change. We ended up getting the car towed to a garage, where they determined it was an issue with the transmission. Later, after pulling the transmission apart, they determined it was specifically the torque converter which had failed. My family and I (including 4 children and 4 dogs) had to stay in a hotel for 3 days until the car was repaired. During that time, I investigated this particular vehicle problem (via the internet) and found that it is common in Windstar and freestars. There is a recall in place for the freestar but not enough complaints have been filed for the Windstar yet. This needs to be rectified asap!!!! I was lucky that I was driving in conditions that allowed me to safely maneuver my car to the side of the road without causing or being involved in a accident. The safety of myself, my children and the other people on the road with me, a Windstar owner, should not be put at risk because of a known torque converter defect. The Windstar needs to be added to the Ford recall for torqued converters immediately.
- Lockport, IL, USA
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The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph when the power failed and he was unable to accelerate any further. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they advised that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the torque converter. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
On our way to pittsburgh Monday December 16, 2012 for a little outing with our 18 month old son for the day just to get away from allegany county and was traveling westbound on route 40 when all of a sudden my van is traveling in neutral and will not go in any gear. We drifted the vehicle to a side road and called upon my aunt that has aaa. Sure that was not the right thing to do but hey we just bought this vehicle used on 11-4-11 and just received our actual tags on 1-3-12. Were pretty low on extra cash right now to be forking out 250.00+ for a tow back to our home town. Considering gettin the van back on the roads gonna be half the price of what we paid for the heap to begin with. Absolutely loved the van when I first saw it at the used auto dealers. Clean inside and out and had low miles for the age of the vehicle. Dealer wasn't the best at taking care of the title and tag information as far as forwarding it to the mva so we could get our real tags and title to the vehicle. Had to call him a few days after christmas to get him on the ball and send the required info so we could get our tags since the temporary was about to expire. He acted quickly and had them for us at his shop on the 3rd of January. Now when I do a little research on 2003 Windstar from previous owners at least 80% of them write the same message as what im explaining. ( traveling along the highway all of a sudden without any type of warning boom no gears at all.) I really wish I would have done some more research before I purchased this van considering way over half of them are junk. Thanks for your time and hopefully action is taken upon these Ford vans and something is done. Thank you
Driving on a busy two lane road, just came around a sharp corner when the rpms shot up and van started to coast. Was not even able to get completely off the road. I was unable to move the van forward or backward after stopping. There was no warning this was going to happen and it was very scary being disabled along a busy road waiting for help to arrive. Cars approaching me from both directions had to alternate turns to get around my vehicle.
Recently issued recall of 2004 Ford co. Minivans for input shaft failure, all Ford Windstar including 2003 models have the same issue. Freestar van is nothing but a name change for the same poor unsafe vehicle. Along with the many safety issues, owners should be compensated for the repairs made on substandard vehicle. Including the frame issues, brakes issue, electrical and engine quality.
We were driving on a highway in South Carolina while on vacation and my van lost the driving power, the motor was running and the tachometer went higher as we tried to go, but were unable to move. We had to immediately glide off of the road and be towed to a local garage. The mechanic said that the main shaft and torque converter were defective and had to be replaced. At the cost of $1200 for repair, a rental car of $350 and a return flight to retrieve van after repairs, it was a very expensive torque converter and shaft.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated was attempting to accelerate from a traffic stop when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where the contact determined that the transmission failed. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The failure mileage was 96,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving 70 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a transmission auto center where it was inspected. The technician found that the transmission failed and would need repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar LX. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively. The vehicle was merged to the shoulder but it would not shift into any gear. The contact stated that the vehicle sat for three hours before it could be moved. A local mechanic was notified of the failure who advised that it was caused by the torque converter. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's residence and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who provided the contact with a list of dealers in which he could take the vehicle for repairs. They offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 153,000.
I have had no transmission issues with my 2003 Ford Windstar van. I drove home from work early this morning (3:30am.) I went to leave for an appointment at noon on the same day, and nothing. I started my van, attempted to put it in gear and nothing!! no warning, no nothing!! I have never towed with this vehicle (it doesn't even have a hitch, ) the total weight of people riding in it has been 350 pounds. There has been no stress on this engine as I don't live in mountainess areas. I am a single mom of 4 little kids, receiving no child support, working pt, just able to pay the bills, and Ford needs to fix this issue!! I have also had numerous other 'problems' but nothing so major the vehicle couldn't be driven (interior lights flashing, blender door actuator going out 3X in a year, rough ideal especially when cold, back door handles not working from inside, back doors so hard to open and close, I can hardly do it, back wiper worked one day then just stopped and hasn't worked since, one back window opens and closes only when it feels like it. I also just put $70 in gas in this vehicle! ugh!!
On Monday, November 7, 2011, my wife was heading to work. She stopped at a red light. When the traffic signal turned green, she hit the gas and the car would not move. The RPM's would go up and the engine would rev up as if it was in neutral. This was the case in all gears. This could have been potentially dangerous since traffic approaching the signal are driving at 50+ mph. Luckily, a few passers by helped my wife push the van into a local parking lot. We had it towed to a transmission shop and they are now rebuilding it for about $2,000. Due to the number of complaints about the transmissions on these vans, I believe this should be a recall issued by Ford. I believe there should be some reimbursement for these costs I am paying for repairs. There was no indication (I.e.: knocking sounds, slipping, etc.) prior to the transmission failure.
Drove the van to work without incident or any imminent warning of vehicle problems. As soon as I stopped and put the van in park, I heard a loud noise and different sound coming from the engine. When getting ready to leave work for home, I started the van and proceeded to place it in reverse and the van didn't wouldn't move regardless of the transmission selector position. There was a loud whine coming from the engine compartment.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing numerous failures with the ABS, brake light illumination, slow gear shifting and power windows and door lock failures. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000 and the current mileage was 104,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated the vehicle would not shift into drive or reverse. The contact was stopped at a light and when attempting to accelerate, the engine rpms increased excessively but the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact tried putting the vehicle in reverse but to no avail. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 82,000.
I was parked outside my home.I went out to my van to go pick up dinner and to my distress, the van wouldn't reverse or go forward. After some investigation from online source and auto mechanics, this is an ongoing problem with Ford's transmissions. No warning of a problem.in the past weeks, my interior lights would come on while im driving. This van is a hazard. You really need to investigate this please.
Transmission failure. Driving in reverse out of my driveway..no warning lights or noise...transmission stopped. Car will now not move. Cannot shift into drive or reverse...huge expense that we do not have the money for..very unhappy with this Ford mini-van.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Racine, WI, USA