10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,637 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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1999 Ford Windstar Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #51

Feb 162018

Windstar

  • 167,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Subframe is completely rusted through and will not pass the safety. The vehicle was treated by the recall 11S16-S4.in 2012. I went for a voluntary safety check and the vehicle stayed at the service as very unsafe to drive.

- Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, NY, USA

problem #50

Dec 012017

Windstar

  • 183,000 miles
The transmission wont go into drive. When it does, it shifts very hard and at every stop sign it goes out of gear again.

- Caney, KS, USA

problem #49

Sep 152017

Windstar

  • miles
Takata recall: I drive a Ford winstar 1999. I am a foster parent therefore, I use my van to Transport my children to school, visitation with their parent, doctor visits, ect. I was taking my vehijcle. To get an oil change when my mechanic informed me that my sub-frame was in need of being changed. I took my car to republic frame and axle to mechanics that know their jobs well. After reading up on the sub-frame of my make, model and year on my computer, , I read how dangerous this sub-frame can be. Not to mention how expensive it is. My mechanic upon realizing that I needed a sub-frame was trying to see if he could get me a used one because he knows how expensive those parts are. He also knows that I travel in my van with my foster kids and that in itself makes the vehicle unsafe for both me and the children. My question is: Is there a recall ob the Ford Windstar SE 1999 vans" upon reading over the internet this is a very dangerous condition that is going on with these Ford. I wouild peersonally like to know if the Ford company evee got evough complaints to label this important evough to do a recall on this make, model, and year" if so can they please inform me so that I can bring my vehicle in to have it service too. Thank you

- Gary, IN, USA

problem #48

Mar 012017

Windstar

  • 102,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought a 99 winstarr a few months ago and just recently the instrument cluster started dancing, and there is no power T the radio or the cigarette lighter underneath it. I also sprung a trans leak and fixed it but the car sputters then shuts off and I have to restart

- Wahiawa, HI, USA

problem #47

Feb 252017

Windstar

  • 124,469 miles
As I was backing out of a parking spot at the gas station my rear axle broke into two

- Bellville, OH, USA

problem #46

Sep 022016

Windstar

  • 1 miles
Broken rear axle.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #45

Sep 202016

Windstar

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My Windstar 1999 has only 100,000 miles on it, less when I bought it, and at that time I was informed of the rear axel recall. I reviewed the data, concerning the safety recall which ends at the end of Oct 2016 and was concerned about the safety of passengers and others if an accident should happen within the next 5-10 yrs, (which how long I hope to have this). Being informed I had my closest Ford dealership replace the rear, and they billed my $300.......this is wrong, I should be reimbursed.

- Elliott, MD, USA

problem #44

Oct 272015

Windstar 6-cyl

  • miles
I called by chat at sheehy Ford in gaithersburg, md by October 2015 like that: From: "[xxx] to: ' "guest" [xxx] full headersprintable view chat transcript: [xxx] (10/27/15 06:35:43 am): How may I help you? guest (10/27/15 06:35:43 am): I received a notice of review of [xxx] [xxx] (10/27/15 06:36:04 am): I would be happy to assist you with that! who do I have the pleasure of chatting with today? guest (10/27/15 06:36:22 am): What I have to do? guest (10/27/15 06:36:48 am): My name is [xxx] [xxx] (10/27/15 06:37:02 am): It's great to have you with us, [xxx]! what is the year, make and model of your vehicle? guest (10/27/15 06:37:51 am): 1999 Ford Windstar [xxx] (10/27/15 06:38:51 am): I need to get with my service manager for you on that recall. What's the best email address, phone number and time of day to reach you with those details? guest (10/27/15 06:40:07 am): E-mail: [xxx] guest (10/27/15 06:40:43 am): Cell: [xxx] [xxx](10/27/15 06:41:42 am): Thank you. I will have a member of our service team reach out as soon as possible regarding more information on that recall. They will be happy to address any questions or concerns you may have. [xxx] (10/27/15 06:41:46 am): Is there anything else I can assist you with today? guest (10/27/15 06:42:17 am): Ok thanks guest (10/27/15 06:42:48 am): I'll stay waiting for your news [xxx] (10/27/15 06:42:53 am): You are welcome, and thank you for visiting www.sheehyfordgaithersburg.com. have a great day! but until now they never answer me back. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Montgomery Village, MD, USA

problem #43

Jun 222016

Windstar

  • 169,000 miles
I was driving to work with my wife and as we were coming over a small hump the back axel snapped. If I had not been decelerating coming down the hill then I would not have been able to control the car and bring it to a stop.

- Firestone, CO, USA

problem #42

Aug 222014

Windstar

  • 157,630 miles
Chronic vibration / shutter noticed during moderate braking. New rack & pinion installed in 2009; new brake rotors and pads installed in 2012, offering slight improvement. Wife heard "cracking noise, experienced difficulty making left turns & drove about 45 miles, parked at house, front subframe fracture / separation passenger side, resulting in steering rack tilt up approx. 3/4" on right side and extreme toe out on right front tire (approx 20 degrees vs. Left). Noticed while attempting to back up - undriveable condition. Collateral damage to steering shaft boot, rack & pinion seal (fatigue / leakage), and O2 sensor cable (severed). Discovered missing left rear subframe mounting bolt. Car manufactured in Canada. Noticeable exposure / drippage of ambient condensation on top of sub-frame, below refrigeration lines / freon dryer canister, during A/C operation (gulf coast high humidity / salt air exposure could be an influencing factor for corrosion). Reference previous NHTSA action #PE10-026 (7/20/10); Ford front subframe engineering analysis EA10-007 (salt belt states); recall 11S16. Fracture area occurred in curved portion of subframe bracket / steering rack mount (Ford part #3F2Z5C145ca - $2100 material + labor $715). Streak of rust is clearly evident along what appears to have been a vertical crack leading to the fracture / separation site beneath the steering rack boot. Photos and parts diagram available upon request. Ford customer service case # cas5113626 declined. Told to write letter. Seeking manufacturer buy-back relief.

- Victoria, TX, USA

problem #41

Jun 182014

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Van is jumping at stop light with brake on, started making a clunking sound around 55 (unknown) power windows stopped working on right side. Only 92000 miles on van everything going wrong at once. Van feels unsafe. Do not have enough money to replace. Is there any recalls for this stuff? knocking noise in rear.

- Colonial Heights, VA, USA

problem #40

Oct 182012

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 152,000 miles
I have had this van for a little bit more than a year now. After purchasing it I brought it to the closest dealership and had several recall issues attended to, supposedly at least. Since that time I have had many issues with the vehicle, ranging from electrical problems to neutral switches to tie rods and more. I was thinking of giving up and getting a new vehicle, I can not afford to keep up with repair costs. Then I brought it to another shop to get the check engine light taken care of recently, the mechanic informed me that many of these vans have been recalled, including those in Massachusetts, and not only that but the van's are notorious for the electrical and other issues I had told him of. After inspecting the van he said the dealership shouldn't have let me leave with the vehicle and advised me not to drive it either, he deemed it unsafe. I have used this vehicle to Transport my wife, our four kids, and many other family and friends and once hearing those words a literal chill ran down my spine at the thought of what could've happened. I have sent emails of my concerns to Ford themselves and was replied to in a couple of days, I have since responded three times and I am still awaiting a response from them now almost a month later. I have since left my van at my sister's as my house was much further away and I didn't want to risk it. The issues I have researched about this van include the mentioned electrical problems, as well steering problems, transmission problems, brake system problems and more. I feel the vehicle is unsafe and will not drive it any longer, also when noticing other vehicles of the same model I feel they should be notified of these issues immediately. Ford knows of these problems as cases ranging in to 5 million plus vehicles affected.

- Brockton, MA, USA

problem #39

Mar 262011

Windstar

  • 60,000 miles
I noticed when taking in my 1999 Ford Windstar SE for the subframe recall that almost all the other Windstar's had rusted out sliding doors on the drivers side. Is Ford doing anything about this problem?

- Western Springs, IL, USA

problem #38

Sep 012002

Windstar

  • 55,000 miles
Bought the van in Sept. 2002 with 55,000 miles, engine light came on within a week of having it. Took it back to car lot where we bought it, they took it to the Ford dealer, couldn't find anything except that it came up a lean code they told me I didn't know how to put gas cap on the right way. That is not the problem. Kept dealing with light on to this day. May 2003 had to have the transmission replaced, got it back starting having same problems, took it back they said they forgot to replace a wire, still having problems to this day with transmission in fact Oct. 2010 had to have it towed they said shavings found in motor will need transmission replaced again. Dome lights flash all the time. The gauges go haywire all the time, peg from one side to the other. Had that replaced and did it again. Took it in for recall Dec. 28,2010 cracked rear axle still at dealer. Now just heard that the recall for sub frame will get papers in Feb. Guess it will be there longer. Our dumb mistake we bought another Windstar in Sept. 2010 a 2003 all we could afford, that has problems with ABS light. Told over $800 to fix. We need two new cars, don't feel safe in either.

- Berwick, PA, USA

problem #37

Dec 292010

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 94,750 miles
I took the Windstar to have the two recalls repaired and when the basil Ford service department was done with that they informed me that my van was undriveable because the right front sub frame was cracked. They said it would cost $1600. To repair it. With all the rust on the doors and door sill I find it ridiculous to spend that amount when the rust would bring down the value of the van to almost nothing. This is the fifth Ford I have had and you would think I would have learned about the rust factor. Getting back to the sub frame I phoned the number listed on the Ford web page but after about five phone calls I decided to call the corporate office. I was directed to a voice mail...gave my information and was told we would hear from them in so many business days. It didn't happen. Then we received a form to fill out about how well we thought our phone inquiry went. We had a letter about the axel recall and this web site is listed so I thought it was time.

- North Tonawanda, NY, USA

problem #36

Jan 032011

Windstar

  • 116,800 miles
During last routine maintenance, I was advised that subframe rusting was getting close to level of making driving hazardous. Estimated cost of repair (part and labor) is $1700 - $1800.

- Hackettstown, NJ, USA

problem #35

Nov 182010

Windstar

  • 114,170 miles
Vehicle "subframe assembly" was found to be heavily corroded (rusted) and required to be replaced. This subassembly supports entire front of the vehicle, including the body, engine and transmission( trans axle ), front suspension, steering, brakes, and radiator.

- Stewartsville, NJ, USA

problem #34

Oct 202009

Windstar

  • 136,000 miles
Just bought a 1999 Windstar and ABS light goes on about 5 minutes after starting engine and does not go out -- is there a recall for this problem and is it dangerous -- the dealer says there is nothing wrong.

- Mineral, VA, USA

problem #33

Aug 102004

Windstar

  • 60,000 miles
Ford Windstar XL 1999- front end clunking noises serviced 3-4 times before it was fixed. Repeated repairs to various front end components replaced at my expense including power steering pump, rack & pinion, tie rods, U-joints costing $2000 or more. Continue to suffer from groaning, noisy, & stiff steering. Also ongoing engine pinging upon acceleration after numerous repairs. Random power sliding door function. Metallic rattling, jingling noises from under car both when idling & driving.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #32

Aug 152007

Windstar 6-cyl

  • 145,000 miles
For several months now my 1999 Ford Windstar has had intermittent problems with the ABS light (yellow) and trac off light (yellow) coming on while driving.

- Tuttle, OK, USA

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