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Ford Windstar Problems
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Comments
Ford had been losing business due to the lack of a driver's side sliding door. Although the addition would require a major structural redesign, they were able to compensate (so they hoped) by rushing the 98 model year into production, It had a wider driver's door, called the "King Door" The idea was that the wider door, coupled with a drivers seat that could slide forward, would enable you to use the door for access to the rear, similar to a 2 door sedan/coupe.
The 97's are supposed to have been the more reliable of the Windstars. By then, changes were made to the transmission to make it more reliable. The 3.0L engine didn't have the cylinder head gasket problems that the 3.8L engine had either. You can still look forward to electrical problems, not serious, but a royal pita.
I had a 96 Windstar that gave me very good service for about 100,000 miles. It was still going strong when I sold it.
If I remember correctly, the Consumer Reports Frequency of Repair records also showed that year to be more reliable than those preceding or following.
I will be taking it in to the dealer in the very short future. Unfortunately I don't have the extended warranty.
Also, my steering/suspension seems to squeak very loudly on left turns. Seems like around the transmission leak.
Finally, my windshield wiper fluid indicator goes on everytime I use the fluid. I overfilled it when I didn't realize it was still full! I can live with that though.
Is this sound consistent with this year and model or should I press the issue with the dealer. 6 months left on warranty.
And to think I bought this thing to safely carry my family around. I've had Honda cars all my life and never had problems. I gave Ford a chance with the minivan, thinking they've learned their lesson regarding quality and because Honda dealers got too arrogant for my taste when we were looking at the Oddysey. I will never give Ford another chance.
I have a three month old 2002 SEL Windstar. My Windstar is starting to have a problem with stalling. The problem occurs after I have driven the car for an hour or so, then turn it off for a short time, then when I re-start the engine, it often stalls. The only way to keep it from stalling is to increase RPM's to around 2K. This is an issue in that when I approach a stop light I have to place the car into neutral and give it some gas to keep it from stalling.
So far the vehicle has been at the dealer a total of five days and they cannot replicate the problem. They did give me a loaner, so they are trying to give me good service.
I sure would appreciate any advice!!! The can't duplicate problem answer is getting sour.
Thanks!
Vezini
THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN FIXED BY FORD BEFORE. THE CAR IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. I need help.
Please advise.
Thanks, me
I am using Ford Taurus for last 5 years and
was impressed and satisfied with it's performance and hence decided
to go in for Ford Windstar as we wanted a van because of our two kids. I got a new 2002 Windstar
just two weeks back for a very good price. The sales people were desperately trying to impress me
with the Dual Automatic Power Sliding Door feature with a built-in sensors for child safety.
I initially went to Frontier Ford at San Jose and had a look at the vehicle and while trying to test the above mentioned jazzy feature my hand got
stuck in the sliding door and was not at all able to
pull my hand out and luckily the sale's guy immediately deactivated by jumping into the van pressing a switch. I had to scream for help. My
right hand little finger was badly hurt and was bleeding. To my shock they did not even carry any
on-site First Aid kit. I immediately left that premises, saying that I will get back to them later. Couple of days later we went to Capitol Ford again at San Jose and got the new 2002 Windstar as we got a very good deal. Here I did not
have the courage again to test the feature,so I asked the sales guy to test it for me and it was ok at that time. So I thought, that one particular piece ( where i got hurt ) might be defective and hence got the vehicle. But today,
while loading my infant into the van, my wife accidently closed the side door where I was and it
hit my ribs very very hard and the door did not stop or move back ( as it is supposed to do because of safety and sensors ) and I had to struggle my way out. My ribs are still paining as
I write this post. I want to know whether anybody else has faced this problem and their experience with it. What recourse I can get and from where ?
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Steve, Host
Please help. thanks.
Larry N.
Can anyone point me to (or email me at bgmail@yahoo.com) a picture of a Windstar 1995 center console?
If I can find one in a junk yard, will it be difficult to install? How integral is it with the dash?
Are there any third party options I should consider instead of OEM?
Thanks!
"GRAY"Center Console for "95-99" WINDSTAR.
If that doesn't look right, try a search there in the closed auctions for other photos. I don't see any for sell there in the current auctions.
Steve, Host
I really like the look of my van. I have the sprucegreen or whatever it is called. The power from the engine is GREAT! Of course it is the strongest vehicle I've had the opportunity to drive.
My power driver seat has not had any problems, yet.
Might I had that you did yourself a good thing by buying that extended warranty. You don't want to hear about my bad news next...
Anyways, had it towed to my dealer. They estimate about $2300 for parts and labor and will be fixed by this Tuesday! I think that's rather fast, like they are so used to this repair. Oh yeah, I didn't get the extended warranty which probably would have cost me the same as this repair.
I'm also having my engine light that recently turned on checked out. As well as a squeaky noise from the steering/transmission.
Other problems I'm not fixing yet include my wiper fluid light turning on when the tank is not empty or low, my front heater selector doesn't seem to select heat, and my cruise control doesn't work!
Anyways, I'll fill in more details of my repair later.
THANKS.
Good Luck!
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
my 99 le has been running perfectly for the last 3.5 years..55k miles ...babied and well taken care of..imagine my surprise when the power steering pump starting grinding and finally gave out....then the engine light went on...the dealer said i needed a new power steering pump ($400) and a new EGR valve ($400) whatever that is...i asked the service guy if this is normal and what i could have done to prevent this...he indicated that service manual recommends changing the power steering fluid at 35k miles, and an induction service for the EGR at 20k miles....i told him i dont recall those items ever being in there, as i have followed it religiously...he insisted it was....SO I CHECKED...and it is not...and i checked the website and it isnt there either...so i confronted him and asked what was going on....he indicated the Ford has TWO SERVICE SCHEDULES....one for those who buy the warranty and one for everyone else....and that if i had BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY that this could have been prevented....I asked to speak to the Service Manager..and he confirmed this....so I then asked the manager if i could expect to replace the power steering pump and EGR every 55k miles...costing me $800...he said no...which i dont understand how he can say that....anyway i called customer service and they said i should submit my paperwork to see if Ford will cover it...since my point is....this is INSANE that this much work will be required for technically a new car...my relative (who used to work at Ford Cust Service) indicated that i would be lucky if Ford picked up half...but i am going to push for more...Ford is not doing that well...and i guarantee this will be the last Ford i own if i continue to have repairs...the 3k dollar savings off the Oddysee certainly doesnt seem like much any more...if this continues...i will have to cut my losses, dump it, cough up, and buy something more reliable, such as the Sienna or Oddysee...anyway here are my questions based on this experience:
1. Can this be True on the dual Warranty Schedules?
2. Why should I have to pre-pay repairs for a $25k vehicle...which is essentially what you are doing when you get the so called extended warranty...just so i can make sure the BRILLIANT ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS AT FORD didnt screw something up along the way? Apparently, according to many GM engineers this is normal, and that this is common among all makes except ..."they dont get the publicity"...yea right..
3. What would a warranty cost to get it on my vehicle?
4. Relative to what I am reading on other posts...how I can i be sure the trans is going?...(before i have to take it in for repairs)...i want to dump this car as soon as this arises..as i dont have $3-$5k to repair it...rather invest that money in a new vehicle)
Thanks for all your help...looking forward to the moderators opinions as well as others...
I've not heard of an "extended warranty service schedule" I don't think. There's often two factory service schedules - one for normal driving and one for severe driving.
And most dealers try to talk people into doing more maintenance than the minimum required by the factory schedule; some of the extra service may be a good idea -- other stuff is just a profit center for the service department.
You can also check The Edmunds Maintenance Guide for maintenance schedules - all I see off-hand is biannual inspections of the power steering fluid and nothing about the EGR valve (they do fail though and can cause pinging, etc.).
Before you go back to the dealer, you may want to get another opinion and quote from an independent mechanic. Good luck!
Steve, Host
As far as the transmission, are you asking about a problem you are having? The best thing you can do for late-model Ford transaxles is change the fluid and filter, according to manual specs, around every 30,000 miles.
I suppose that the light leak in transmission fluid just 2 months before could be related.