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Ford Windstar Problems
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Comments
http://www.blueovalnews.com/fordtrans.htm
Chuck Catanese also has a good website about 95 Windstars:
http://home.att.net/~ccatanese/ford
We are in Canada. Do you know of any class action here? How do you get Fords attention? If you know of anything in Canada I would appreciate a reply.
Looking deeper into the engine bay I can see the the front cylinder bank's exhaust manifold but still no indication of the displacement.
All I know about this vehicle is that it's a '98 LX "NorthWoods" edition... Is there a specific position in the VIN that will tell me?
Jon
PS - Anyone know the deal on the "Northwoods" moniker? I can't really find anything about it here or on other car sites.
Cheers,
TB
As for the Northwoods thing, I checked again. According the Edmund's '98 listing it's just a paint and alloy wheel package - Spruce green and some sort of beige. I could care less but my wife really likes the color(s).
Thanks again everyone. From this I've learned that I need to be overly vigilant with regular maintenance - especially the transmission.
Jon
I called the service department of the local Ford dealer and they said that there is nothing that they can do unless the 'service engine' light goes on.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
The fuel has to be going somewhere. Is there a place nearby that you can go have the emissions checked? I would think that if the combustion process is too fuel rich, products of the incomplete combustion would show up in the emissions.
You say mostly "city". What kind of city driving is that? Stop and go continuously? Are you carrying heavy loads? Are you a heavy footed driver? Its accelerating that gulps alot of fuel, and accelerating uphill gulps the most. Do you live in a really hilly terrain?
Another dealer in the area said that I could bring it in and ne can run diagnostics checks on it. I don't know if that includes an emissions check or not. He didn't answer when I asked him that.
I think, for the price of a tank of gas, I'd plan an interstate road trip. If you don't get above 20mpg, something is definitely up.
Also, and I hate asking this, but are you confident you are calculating mpg correctly? Don't laugh; in another forum someone thought you divided the total price paid by ... something (I forget). When the price of gas was cheap, he didn't understand why his mpg was so poor. :-)
The Windstar is a heavy vehicle. It may be that stop and go traffic results in such dismal performance. It depends on how much time is spent "stopped" (at which point you're getting 0 mpg).
ps.
How "stop and go" would you compare Staten Island to Brooklyn? I live in the rural south, so driving 10 miles between towns at 45 or 55 mph sans traffic light is common; we never get below 20mpg. More like 25 when we take a long interstate trip. I would think 15 sounds about right for you city folk. 9 sounds like there's a problem.
I would consider Staten Island on a lower level of city driving than brooklyn. Here I take the expressway to get to most places, but then do some stop and go lights traffic after I get off.
In Brooklyn it is all city driving for me.
I have a dealer scheduled to look at the car next week. If they aren't helpful, I may try the Staten Island dealer you mentioned.
Did anyone buy an extended warranty for their van? What can I expect to pay for one. It is a 99 with 10,200 miles on it.
Thanks.
http://www.detnews.com/autosweekly/0007/12/tomray/tomray.htm
Good Luck!
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
Which Ford dealer did you leave it at? There are some terrible Ford dealers in B'ham. If you have any choice the only one to deal with is Long-Lewis Ford. Avoid Jim Skinner and Adamson at all costs. Later, Wes.
I went to the other dealer this morning. When I called, they told me to bring the car and they would run some tests. This morning they gave me a hard time when I got there - saying that 9.5 MPG was normal where I live and they wouldn't find anything wrong.
I told them that I spoke with a technician when I called and was told to bring the car in. After some arguing, he said he would check the car.
When he put the info into the computer, I noticed that he wrote something about an $82 charge. He didn't say anything about it to me. When I asked him about it, he said that if they couldn't find anything wrong, I would have to pay the hourly labor charge.
I argued with him for a few more minutes and took my van with me and left.
Is your car under warrantee?
If so, I have never heard of bringing your car in for something under warrantee, and if they cant find anything wrong, they will charge you. That is outragous!
98 Windstar LX with 12,000 miles on the odometer.
Each time I accelerate (such as merging onto a
highway or climbing a hill) I can feel a distinct
vibration coming up through the gas pedal as the
transmission works through the gears. Once the
van is up to speed, the vibration goes away.
Has anyone experienced this problem. I would
appreciate any advice. Also, the van has a tendency to pull to the right (tire pressure is OK). Otherwise, I'm very happy with my Windstar
(so far). Thanks for your help.
Some observations.
Check engine dashboard warning light came on at about 3K miles. No noticeable difference in performance. Took it in and told it was probably a "gasket problem." Heart sank as I recalled all the problems with engine head gaskets noted on these boards and elsewhere. What service rep was talking about was gasket on fuel cap. Check engine light can indicate improper venting of fuel vapor. Replaced fuel cap. About 50 miles after service, check engine light comes on, again with no noticeable decline in performance. Drove until 6K and took it in for oil change and service. Apparently some solenoid was defective and was replaced. Yesterday (about 50 miles after service) check engine light comes on again, with no noticeable decline in performance.
At about 3K the seatbelt warning chime stopped working (some might consider this a blessing). This was serviced at the same time as the 1st check engine light. Apparently a small switch in the seatbelt latch was defective. It took FIVE DAYS for a part to get shipped (yo Ford, ever hear of FedEx?) during which time the car was in the shop. Now the service rep offered to give me the car back and said he would call me when the part came in, and we have an extra car so it was not a horrible situation. But I figured it was less of a hassle to just let the dealership keep the car and make one less trip over there.
The factory installed entertainment system is cheaply made. One of the headphone jacks had the plastic trim around it break off. The jack is still usable but requires some fiddling to get stereo sound. When my son tried to adjust the headphones, the earpiece snapped off. Headphones are made by Koss but have "Visteon" (FoMoCo parts subsidiary spinoff) stamped on 'em.
None of the above problems are major and the dealership has been very friendly about fixing the problems (though I'd trade all the kindness in the world if they could find out what's making the [expletive deleted] check engine light come on.). Still, I've had the van a little over six months and it's been in the service department over a week. If this is what the initial quality is like, I'm not too hopeful about down the road and wonder what other problems may be lurking.
I've owned cars by GM ('84 Chevy Cavalier, H2O pump failed at about 75K), Chrysler ("93 Dodge Caravan, fuel pump went out at 45K), and Mazda ('90 626, no major service problems) and have never had the initial quality problems that I'm having with the Windstar. Based on the above, my next car will probably be German or Japanese. It's sad--I really WANT to buy domestic but who needs the hassle when there are better cars out there? I'm 37 and (God willing) have more than a few car purchases left in my lifetime but will probably steer clear of the Ford/Mercury/Lincoln lines in the future.
Anybody from Ford read this board?
If helping customers is in Ford's official business objectives, then I am the Queen of England.
Ford will only "help" if the class action lawsuit lawyers are able to sink their teeth into its hide a little more. Every single customer ought to be reimbursed every single dime he/she spent on the Windstar for engine and transmission repairs, rental cars, motel bills, towing, etc. etc. no questions asked. But I won't hold my breath, because I would turn blue.
And yes, I think Ford reads these posts, but chooses to do nothing about them, other than figure out a deal that in the end benefits them financially (i.e. 4K certificates and "buybacks").
'nuff said.
Friday, while traveling to PA with my two young children and senior citizen mother, I broke down with my 95 Windstar. A month and a half ago, the head gasket was fixed by the dealer where I bought the used car 3/31/00. Now, the car towed to the nearest dealer, at least 20 miles in the Poconos, we find out it needs a new engine. And it will only take 8-12 weeks! My husband came up 3 days later to rescue us. Ford says it will repair it under my warranty, with a loaner car for only 5 days! Now that I read everybody else's problems, my sounds the same. I need to find out an address and phone number besides the old customer service (twerps) number. That only gets me dial-an-idiot, a new one everyday! One service rep mentioned a buyback and said Ford will call us. My hometown dealer (more twerps) says about the car in PA - good luck! Nobody wants to hear me. The best part is, before I bought the car, the salesman took it to my mechanic, who said the car had two leaks - antifreeze and transmission. Dealer said they would fix them, we bought the car. Two weeks later, our mechanic said they were not fixed. Back to Ford - alas, head gasket! It's good to know some others are listening to me who will at least sympathize. Whoever said Ford reads these, I sure hope so. Please help if you can!
When we bought it, we got the "CD prep" radio/tape player. Can anyone recommend where we can find the CD changer to work with the factory equipment? I don't want to get an FM controlled CD changer, and have not been able to find the CD player at Cruthfield, or at the dealer (they wanted to send me to "their" installer).
Beyond the lack of a CD changer, the vehicle works well.
Thanks
========================
DEARBORN, Mich., March 7 (Reuters) - Ford Motor
Co. , as part of a plan to fix potential head
gasket problems on some cars and minivans, will buy the vehicle back in certain cases if a new engine cannot be found in a timely fashion, a spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.
Ford, the world's No. 2 automaker, announced last
month that it extended the warranty on head gaskets in certain 3.8 liter V-6 engines to seven years or 100,000 miles. The head gasket is a central seal in the engine that can cause engine failure if it leaks.
There are about 700,000 vehicles affected. They
are: 1994-95 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable sedans;
1994 Continental large sedans; and 1995 Windstar
minivans.
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If a failed head gasket causes engine damage,
Ford will replace the engine. But if Ford cannot
locate a re-manufactured engine within five days,
the automaker will offer to buy back the vehicle
for fair market value as well as issue a $3,000
certificate toward the purchase of a new Ford, said spokesman Mike Vaughn.
Vaughn declined to say how much Ford would pay for
the damaged vehicles. Based on a guide from the
National Association of Automobile Dealers, the
fair market repurchase offer ranges from $3,175 for a 1994 Taurus GL to $8,375 for a 1995 Windstar LX.
If a head gasket fails during the extended
warranty time period, owners will be eligible for
repair refunds. Or they can choose to take a $4,000 certificate to be used for the purchase of a new Ford, Mercury or Lincoln vehicle.
Vaughn declined to say how much the program will
cost Ford. A story in this week's Automotive News,
an industry trade publication, said Ford could
spend at least $200 million, making it one of the
five largest warranty campaigns in the industry.
========================
Don't let the dealer play games with you...
Tell them that you want to talk to the Ford Customer Service Representative for BOTH your servicing dealer and the dealer in PA (these are the Ford employees responsible for customer relations.
Educate yourself...
Read the posts both in here and at cartrackers.com to get more information about how people have been treated during their "ordeal". The follwing postings outlines a buyback scenario from Kent25:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=Vans&f=0&t=815&q=474-517
Pay special attention to #493 for a link for the Ford CSRs to use to get more information about the process. Further, see link #515 for the economical advantage. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to work through the issues.
Work your best deal...
Here is the latest that I have heard. You should be offered about $6650 for the van. In addition, there is the $3000 "Certificate" (for not having to pay for the repair). Plus any current rebates (I think there is currently a $1000 or $1500 rebate). Unfortunately, you have to buy another Ford, however, play your cards right and you'll be getting $10000+ off your negotiated price and you get a new warranted vehicle. If you keep it for two years (still under warranty, mind you) you should easily be able to get rid of it and get out of the Ford world.
Don't let your emotions get the best of you...
Especially when working with the Ford CSRs. I know you had a lousy experience breaking down away from home (mine was with three kids 50 miles from home with a van full of camping equipment). That cannot be changed. You will always come out better being sweet like honey rather than bitter like vinegar.
Be patient!
This issue will not be resolved overnight.
Best of luck and PLEASE keep us posted as to how you are dealt with and how the dealerships and Ford CSRs react.
GOOD LUCK!
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-Pe6lR0mLasM/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=600&I=569CDC6F&o=M&a=0
a 97 Windstar with many problems on it. Around April 2000, my Spare Tire carrier release broken and I had replaced it with $148 US dollars. The
reason was release button rusted in side the van. I live in Chicago but I never had any such problem in my spare tire for my previous 5 cars.
In June, my ABS was broken and my dealer told me that there were 24 signals were wrong out of total 39 signals. The manager ordered replacements for me. The first 2 were all broken and can't match. Manager told me that they call Ford Technician Hotline and the technician support from Ford told them that it would be simple to plug in and that is all. Somehow they all failed. I had been very worried about that since my Windstar only 45K miles and just out of waranty. Finally the 3rd one matched and 24 days passed. The manager told me that he gave me 10% discount and it totally came to $1492.44. The part was $1000.65 and the labor was $474.00.
It had been a nightmare for me. I was told by many
friends don't replace ABS since it only had a BRAKE light on. I really regretted it.
My friend asked me to check this web site and see if similar problems but I only saw 95/96 Windstar ABS problems. I would post this to let everyone know before they consider buying a Windstar.
They contacted the dealer and spoke with the Assistant Service Manager ....
"He expressed surprise at what you had written to us. He asks that you make an appointment with the dealership and speak with him personally when you bring the vehicle in."
I called and spoke with him - he was the guy that gave me the hard time.
At the end, he agreed to waive the $82 fee in this instance.
I highly doubt that they will put much effort into finding the problem - but I'll probably bring the car in during the next few days.
Any suggestions?? (Ford just happens to have low sales in the region right now and have great finance rates on the 2000's)