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Ford Windstar Problems
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Comments
I had a 95 GL with the infamous aluminium transmission piston and at 135K it was still going strong. I had the transmission serviced at each 60k with a pressure fluid change and never had any trouble. It is interesting that the fluid change for the 99 is every 30K, not 60K. Ford also now uses the semi-synthetic fluid, not the old stuff and they do the low pressure fluid flush. It took 10 quarts. I have the 100K extended warranty with no deductible so I will not worry about it for a few more years. I find most people do not do the transmission service. It is like they do not see it as an issue if they are not having any trouble. It is the old out of sight and of mind. These have gotten so complex you have to keep them serviced.
Monty
Thanks.
What do you think? I took my '98 Windstar GL in today to an independent shop that specializes in transmissions to have the transmission fluid drained/replaced and a new filter put on. I chose to do this so the contents of the pan could be examined. I hope I did not make a mistake by completely flushing it out and then replacing it but was told the contents could not be examined this way. I am pleased to say that the fluid revealed no signs of any transmission problems. This is something I wanted to know so I could decide how much of a loss I was willing to take. The mechanic suggested LubeGard automatic transmission protectant be added. The reason the suggestion was made was because he felt the problem I described was a valve sticking and was the result of time for servicing. He felt that the regular servicing and additive would probably eliminate this problem. I'll post back if it doesn't.
The other scenario is that this has something to do with a valve sticking or pressure within the transmission (so I'm pretty much getting the same diagnosis) but these people (Ford included) did not feel like the regular servicing or additive would help. In other words, this problem will only begin to occur more frequently and continue to get worse resulting in the need to rebuild or replace the transmission. Yikes!
Thank goodness no "service engine soon" lights are coming on. Well, what do you think?
I called Ford customer service. They offered NO assistance. They just told me to keep my receipts and that if there was a recall later only then could I be reimbursed. Penguin and others, how did you get them to help? Was it a '98 model or later? I have no extended warranty. BTW, if they built quality products to start with there wouldn't even be a need for an extended warranty.
REGARDING THE STALLING PROBLEM
I've mentioned the stalling problem. Well usually it happens when I'm at a stop. The other day it occurred in the middle of the road after I pulled out. This was very dangerous! Again, Ford offered NO assistance even though there is a TSB out on this. This is the second time I've called them about this. In order for them MAYBE to replace the part at THEIR expense, I'd have to have at least a couple hundred dollars worth of diagnostic tests done. You would think the dealership I bought this from would be more accommodating. They aren't, and Ford customer service says they can't regulate what the independent Ford dealerships charge for that. If we are in a crash because of a defective part they refuse to replace when there is a well known problem with this, then I informed them that I plan on pursuing a remedy to the full extent the law allows. Thank goodness this van has good crash test ratings and I am trained in child passenger safety (CPS). However, I'd rather not be the crash test dummies to test out my CPS skills or the van's crash test ratings!
On a more positive note, this van is very child seat friendly. My '98 has the ALR belts which can be "locked" without the need for a separate metal locking clip. Also, it comes with three factory installed tether anchors. I had tether anchors installed on the rear bench as well so I can move the kids around as needed. It is very roomy and comfortable not to mention the dual A/C works great!
I understand that the more bells and whistles a vehicle has, the more repairs one will be out. Up until now I have just accepted the tie rod ends, tires (because of the way the front end is), and a fuel pump are just quirks of this vehicle in the two years we've had it between 34K and about 60K and that if not this it would be something similar in another vehicle. However, I am NOT willing to accept the full financial responsibility of a transmission going out at 60K. It's all we can do to just make the payment much less all of these repairs. Please, can anyone offer me reassurance about the regular servicing and additive solving my transmission problem and a suggestion for getting a remedy to my stalling problem BEFORE we are involved in a crash because of it.
I realize this was long. Thank you so much for your time and attention to this matter.
Funny though, the 99 service schedule says every 30K for the major service and ford now uses a semi-synthetic fluid.
I service mine under the heavy duty schedule and the 95 did really well and never let me down. I had the head gasket problem but other than a ground wire rusting at 100k it just ran and ran and ran. I hope my 99 does as well.
This is the code reading I am getting for the "check engine light" on my wife's 2000 Windstar LX w/3.8 V-6, 59k on the odometer. What the heck is this ?? it doesn't seem to effect the running but the light is annoying & I'm sure it has $$$ connected to the fix!
ICWA & 98Windtarg: This may be your first indication of the power steering pump going bad, which will contaminate the rest of the rack system, maybe not. We had to have ours changed completely @37k and the dealer said sorry it's "out of warranty", that was a $900 repair out of pocket expense. We had the same noise/feeling you describe occur early on while in warranty but dealer said "unable to duplicate customer complaint, found all normal" I reminded them of this but all they did was drop $200 off cost of repair.
We have 59k now & just purchased a extended warranty plan that covers everything till we dump this p.o.s. FORD !
Ray T.
Would appreciate if somebody can give me some instruction on how to get to the motor and relay. Thank you.
Thank you.
My question. Should I ask for a new battery or should this one be okay with a charge?
We're picking it up tomorrow (Saturday)
Peeter
Anyway, sometimes its tricky to turn off the dome lights (immediately). There are certain combinations of using the keyless remote, opening/closing the door, and the interior light switch. As long as the switched for the lights are not in the on position, they should turn off in a few seconds, maybe 30 at most.
Never had a problem closing the window in any circumstance (except when the battery died! lol).
Haven't had any problems with the transmission yet. The lights you mentioned have not warned me of problems yet either. But for all I know, my dash lights may be screwed and I will not ever know when there is a problem.
You have to take it as you see it. We made that mistake with my wifes Dodge. The head gasket went on it and instead of getting it fixed we bought her a Taurus Wagon. 2k vs 15k. Never again.
Our Greyhound group had its annual picnic a few weeks back and I noticed several Windstars in the lot. I found out who they belonged to and all three loved their vans. No trouble, nice ride, etc. On even had the power doors and had no trouble with them. Like everything else, it is the luck of the draw. So far my draw has been, all things considered, good. You have to use you own experience to draw conclusions from and with Ford mine has been good.
You pull you maint as you should and hope it does not break.
They tested the battery with their battery tester. It kept saying Load Noise or something. Someone else pushed a few buttons and then it said replace battery. I was almost certain it was the battery, due to its poor starting lately.
Anyway, I went ahead and had it replaced with the Walmart brand for $60. Same size, it fit perfectly, and more amps than original. I think 850 vs. 650.
After the change, it started like I never remember it starting before! Cranks in no time. The erratic dash lights have gone away (so far), and I can go back to my 2-second-before-I-start-so-I-can-see-the-oil-light.
Have had the van 3 years, and over 55k miles on my 2000 SE. Only bulbs I have replaced are 1 brake light, 1 center brake light, and driver foot light. No major problems, yet!
It does have one rather annoying noise that I haven't stuck my head in the figure out yet, but the brake pedal makes a squeaky noise. Anyone know what that is?
I have a 99 SE and so far all is well, only 33K. I had a 95 GL that was totaled at 135K and except for the head gasket the only problems were little things like needing to clean the contacts on the door to keep the lights and door chime from going crazy. I never had to replace a bulb or interior light. At 100k the battery ground wire broke and it would not start (lucky it was in the garage) but other than that it was dead on reliable. 55K with only those little problems is good, better than a lot of cars.
My front heater is not working properly, now that cooler weather has arrived! My rear heater warms up just fine. I think the problem is related to the air path for the heat. When I adjust the cool/heat selecter, I can hear a ticking type of noise in the dash. But now I only hear 1 tick instead of maybe 6 or so.
Any suggestions?
1: inflate to max or near max PSI.
2: rotate
3: Buy some Michlens next time.
Thanks for your help!!
So the answer your question, no, you do not have to disconnect the brake line. One thing to note, make sure you can get the metal clips that go on top and bottom of the pad when you get your new ones. When I took the old ones off (should be a total of 8, 2 for each pad), I was missing 5 of them. I think they help prevent the brakes from squealing too much.
Wow what a hassle after having a great experience with a 96 Villager with 96k until it got wacked by deer - no problems and they cancelled this vehicle?
I'm not sure if I accidentally deleted this, so, if I did, here it is again: My '96, with the 3.8, has had its check engine light diagnosed by AutoZone to be a fault in one of the banks of the catalytic converter, or something to that effect. I've been told an option is to replace the entire catalytic converter, but I'm not sure if that's my SOLE option. As doling out many, many Washingtons isn't on my "Things I wanna do to make me a happier man" list, is there a simpler way to remedy this problem? Thanks in advance. Luke:)
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/obd-faq.htm
http://www.epa.gov/OMS/consumer/warr95fs.txt
Good luck to you.
Now, I just got a 2003 Windstar LX as a company car last week (in addition to my '98, although I'll likely get rid of it soon). I've only driven it a couple hundred miles, but guess what: the tranny feels the same! It shudders at low speeds just like the '98, although it's a pretty smooth ride once you get going on the highway (although I agree the engine is noisy).
My question: Is the '03 tranny the same as the '98, and are others complaining as well?
At this time my van still has the problem and the warranty has run out. (58000 miles) I have all my paper work reporting the problem to the dealer in the past. Can anyone tell me exactly what I need to do or say to Ford to get this problem taken care of. Do I go through the dealer or to Ford Customer Care? Thanks for your help. MJ
Thanks