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Ford Windstar Problems
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Comments
1. Fix the ABS that has gone out.
2. Fix the transmission that is going out
3. Fix the ignition switch that is going out for the second time.
This is on top of the head gasket problem (covered under extended warrentee) and the timing cover gasket ($600) problems that left me without a vehicle for two weeks last year.
Do yourself a favor and buy something else.
Plus, I also own a Honda Accord with 40k miles. New brakes and tires, new catalytic converter.
I really, truly, have to wonder, due to the fact that I also know of lots of other WS owners who've never had problems -- is there something funny perhaps going on with these boards? As in -- if I worked for Honda, or Toyota, why *not* send some low level marketing guys to trash Fords on Edmunds? Oh, of course not. That's too far fetched. ;>)
The 3.0L V6 in your Windstar is not nearly as unreliable as the 3.8L in other Windstars. The only real sore spot with your van will be the transmission. Unfortunately, it is almost as bad as the transmission on the 3.8L. It may last longer, because the 3.0 does not blow head gaskets and overheat the transmission in the process like the 3.8. Other than that, only the usual Ford problems apply. Hope this helps, Wes.
1. Wiring Harness/speed sensor (1500.00)
2. Reverse drum had a hairline crack (1700.00)
(on-ford mechanic says that was a manufacture defect, ford didn't do squat about it.)
3. Power locks, windows are kapoot.
4. Head gasket fixed (recall)
5. Speed sensor again.
6. Wiring harness trouble. No protection of wires from heat and ruined part.
7. cassette player/lighter went out
8. coolant leak (current problem)
9. cranking noise from steering rack.
This is not to mention hotel costs from being stranded, towing costs, being without a vehicle while being fixed. And, would I be one rich woman if I got a penny for every tear I shed from the stress and trouble my family and I have been through. Please, again, any info on this class action? Forget the buy back, I can't afford brand new, and don't want another Ford anyway. Please e-mail me at morse71@home.com
95 WS had engine warranty extended to 100K miles. If you had a head gasket replaced at your expense after the usual 36K warranty, Ford will either pay you back for that cost, or they will give you 4K towards another Ford product. They will also buy your car in certain circumstances, but I can't remember the details on that.
Never heard of them doing anything about the transmission problem. I had to have a rebuilt one put in at 50K too, cost 1250 in MN.
BUYBACK Info...
Please see the prior post:
/direct/view/.ee93e1c/355
In a nutshell, every Ford dealership is assigned a Regional Representative. This person works for the Ford Motor Company. This person is only available through the Service Manager at each dealership (the 1-800-392-FORD folks may not even acknowledge that this person exists). If you feel you are not getting anywhere with your dealer, I suggest you ask for the Ford Regional Representative. Ask them to discuss your options under programs M009 and/or M010. The bottom line - THIS REPRESENTATIVE is the person that has the decision making power as to whether or not FMC will be involved in the repair of any Ford vehicle (the 3.8L engine is a MAJOR sore spot for these representatives - even they are not overjoyed with how their company has handled the situation). According to what the rep told me, the buyback is not really a program as it is another "option" under the M009 program. This does not obligate FORD to do ANYTHING with your vehicle. This "option" was implemented when demand for rebuilt engines far outstripped supply. It was not cost effective to put people in rentals and then repairing the vehicle in question. Again, keep in mind that this is just another OPTION - They are not obligated to invoke this option. One last note; I have yet to read about anyone SUCCESSFULLY getting the buyback in 2001. It appears that enough engines are back in the supply chain to continue the engine replacement process (over the buyback anyway). If anyone has, I would like to hear about it (more importantly, I would REALLY like to talk with the FORD rep that authorized the buy back...)
My story - I just went in for my second motor in as many years (between Jan 99 and Oct 99 I got three transmissions). I fought tooth and nail to get them to buy the damn thing back - even offered to buy another FORD (why I would even consider such an option is completely another story - worse yet, the explanation is no longer in the Edmunds archive!)
I am STILL waiting to get the van back...
HTH!
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
"Can't wait till you have to post here for what the purpose of the topic is - "FORD WINDSTAR PROBLEMS"."
Thank you for the well wishes.
"That must be one expensive marketing plan for Honda/Toyota/et al... "
No, to have low level people, or even high level people, spend a minute or two trashing the competition in a nationally read forum would be an *incredibily inexpensive* marketing plan.
By Dramamama:
"These cars are not just unreliable, they are unsafe!! And no, I don't work for Toyota or Honda - but I bet the person who posted that note questioning our motives works for Ford!"
Judging by the histrionics, you have chosen your moniker wisely. And no, I don't work for Ford. Nor do I think that all, or even most, of the people here, nor you, work for the competition. Some people use the site for its obvious intended purpose -- share stories to look for trends and/or answers to dilemnas. Some, on the other hand, have stories that frankly seem somewhat suspect by their hyperbolic nature.
Personally, I liked my company car, a Taurus, so much (for the money, of course), that I bought a Windstar. Liked that so much that I bought an F-150 SuperCrew. Never have had two cars of the same make at the same time before. Cars I've owned? 1968 Camaro. 1967 VW Bug. 1977 Honda Civic. 1985 Z-28. 1986 T-Bird. 1988 Nissan Pathfinder. 1994 Toyota Corolla. 1996 Isuzu Trooper. 1997 Taurus Wagon. 1998 Honda Accord. 1998 Windstar. 2001 SuperCrew.
Which ones were the closest to "perfect"?
The early generation Honda. The Pathfinder. The T-Bird. (Can't say about the Windstar yet -- only have 40k miles on it -- but perfect so far).
Which were problematic? The '68 Camaro (though it sure had a high "fun factor"). And the '98 Accord. (Nothing major, but I expect not to have to replace brakes, tires and struts, have upholstery start falling out, and rubber seals unmounting at less than 20k miles). That's it. The rest were all wonderful cars--including the Windstar.
In sum, I think it's fair, since this site has strayed from people looking for answers to lots of over-the-top bashing, to have posted the fact that my Windstar has been excellent. And to question whether all the negative posts have been genuine (some seem awfully far fetched). But, as to those of you who have legitimately had problems, and I assume this to be the majority -- nothing but the best.
"I think it's fair...to have posted the fact that my Windstar has been excellent". You are correct. I'm glad your WS has been good for you. I just wonder what your motive was since you are posting that message in the FORD WINDSTAR PROBLEMS discussion and not the FORD WINDSTAR discussion where most other folks have put them...
"since this site has strayed from people looking for answers to lots of over-the-top bashing"
Strayed??? Have you read any of these posts?!?! We are helping one another on how to deal with service managers and Ford CSRs which, lucky for you, you have not had the pleasure of. Rest assured that if you have an issue with you $30000 vehicle just after the standard warranty expires, you will feel our pain.
OK Fullsize, I won't direct any more comments to you. Its not worth the time anyway...
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
a- 00B51 Transmission rear lube tube
(changed trans oil &
cleaneded filter)
b- 00T07 PCM re-program...Allows windows
to be opened 10 minutes after key is
removed.
The pulsating noise was a defective hub...They replaced the hub and bearing assembly. They also torqued the frame bolts on the front suspension, and that cleared the metalic noise. I put a few hundred miles on it last weekend, and the vehicle is quiet, like new! I was very happy with this North Jersey Dealer and intent to use them for my routine service. This is my second Windstar. My first was a 95 LX with digital dash...boy do I miss this dash! I drove the Windstar 96,700 miles without incident...it never failed me. Last week I mention to my wife that this was the most dependable vehicle I ever owned. When oil changes were performed, I always requested that the dealer do any recalls at the same time. I changed my oil every 3,000 miles and used Castrol GTX 5-30, with a quart of Rislome as an additive. This additive is used by a local Taxi Firm, who gets 300,000 miles out of a 3.8...He claims, it keeps the engine clean inside. I also had the transmission oil and filter cleaned every 25,000 miles. The 3.8 is a large block for 5 quarts of oil. The most reliable American engine, the Northstar has a 7.5 quart oil sump. Changing the oil every 3,000 miles helps to overcome the shortcomings of a small sump. I kept service records on my 95 van and the brake rotor recall was done at 20,000 miles...head gasket recall at 60,000 miles... and hood beef-up at 87,00 miles. New brake pads were installed at 50,000 and 87,000 miles...and a new set of Michclin tires installed at 87,000 miles. A new battery was installed upon donating the van to a local minister in town. The van is still like new, however, after reading the posts on the 95's, I hope I did the right thing, donating the van to a Minister. His son loved the stock JBL sound system (an LX extra).
I will keep you posted on my new SEL. I bought it because of the 5 star safety rating. Not many Vans have this feature!
"Fullsize, why do you feel the need to be a "button pusher"?"
I don't. I think my second post speaks for itself. Questioning things that don't quite seem right is hardly the equivalent of pushing people's buttons needlessly.
"Have you read any of these posts?!?!"
Every one of them. That's what prompted my post.
"OK Fullsize, I won't direct any more comments to you. Its not worth the time anyway... "
Excellent. Save your time (and all those exclamation points) for more important purposes.
I was fortunate to have a taxi driver take me to the airport awhile back, and because of a heavy workload, sent the cab companys Service Manager to serve as a driver. I had a field day asking questions. They have about 50 Windstars, mostly 99's. He stated that he gets 300,000 miles out of the 3.8 engine and 150,000 miles out of the transmission. He felt the 3000 mile oil change and 25,000 mile transmission oil and filter cleaning was necessary. He also stated that a Rislome or Marvel Mystery oil additive was most important to keep the engine clean. The cab company uses Rislome. I have been following this pattern with success on my last three vehicles. It's a cheap insurance policy, together with the 75,000 mile extended warranty! Good luck with your 2001 Windstar...
I'm not particularly comfortable going that long though...
bblaha- how many miles on your van? Also, do you follow the maintenance schedule?
dambach- those taxi stories are some of the most encouraging news regarding our 3.8's.
Clifford W. Horwitz or Richard Daughtery at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates at http://www.mylawyers.com or by calling (312) 372-8822.
They were working with ConsumerAffairs. Also, http://www.primecutsofbluegrass.com/windstar3.htm used to have a list of VIN's of 95 windstars that had the head gaskets replaced. It is gone now, maybe someone here will know where it is.
Also, have you tried Chuck Catanese's web site: http://home.att.net/~ccatanese/ford/indexx.htm
A little dated now, but very good resource. Try Joseph D. Ament 200 N. LaSalle St. - 2100, Chicago, Ill. 60601 or fax to me at 312-621-1750 (jament@muchlaw.com). He was working a transmission lawsuit.
just to update- we are having tie rods be the explanation of our squeaky sound, I know a lot of you have posted same complaints. We are getting work done for the heater core, fixing the tie rods, and having them fix our power lock that went out on us. Ament is taking info. still, so please, please, please, e-mail him (look at msg 378 for address)
Thanks,
SEL3
Thanks, Dwarren3
It sounds like you are going through the same sequence of trouble-shooting. I first had two new Michelin Symetry tires installed on the front and balanced critically. This was done at a Michelin Tire Dealer. I was told by the tire dealer that the Michelins were quiet in general. However, when reading one of the roadtests, it was mentioned that the Symetry tires give off some road noise, especially on cement road surfaces. This was not my problem...I could live with a slight tire road noise. My noise was pulsating on and off, from 45 to 68 mph. It also came from from the passengers side and was much louder than the normal tire noise. When I took it to the Ford dealer, I had difficulty proving to the technician who was test driving the vehicle, that it was not tire noise. His final words was that he would try another van, same year and compare the sounds. That didn't go over to well with me! Thank God that the Service Manager and Dealership owner had some faith in my description of the problem. They replaced the hub and bearing assembly. Now the bothersome pulsating noise is gone...critically listening however, I can hear slight tire noise as it runs up to 70 mph, as you do in all vehicles. Have your dealer send out a tech with you, to verify your problem. I think after reading all of these Windstar complaints, we are becoming extremely critical...I know I am! If the sound is pulsating, it's definitely the bearing. Today,I road with a buddy in a Lexus 400...the tire noise was tremendous, but continuous. When I questioned him, he said they were low profile tires and this was normal noise. Those tires would be off in a moment with me! Good luck with your noise problem... I know how you feel... Ken
SEL3
Hope this doesnt get pulled.
Since I was last at the dealer I asked them to give me the part number and diagnostic report that I paid for and NO RESPONSE. I am going to be going to the DEALER and asking of the MANAGER on this one and let everyone know what happens.
They must have greatly increased the oil pan size and sump. My 97 only has a 4.5 quart oil fill with changing the filter. I assumed that this was due to the 3.8 being built in Canada, so the pan held an imperial gallon.
Only major complaint I have is that the brakes wear out entirely too quickly. We have replaced fronts three times and rear twice in 86,000 miles. Fronts are probably due again. I had to replace the speedometer head at Christmas. Around $500. I have never liked the way the thing shifts but am always told that it is normal. So far, knock on wood, no problems with the headgasket. I must have gotten lucky.
Ford called and said to save my receipts in case they have a recall on springs. NTSB has one open and one closed case file on spring breakage recalls. No action yet.
Http://hometown.aol.com/lisam1120/myhomepage/news.html
Thanks
SEL3
Http://hometown.aol.com/lisam1120/myhomepage/news.html
and lo and behold, I got a call from the General Manager at Ted Britt Ford (Virginia) while I was on my way to work. It wasnt what I thought it would be though..... He stated that since I have decided to take legal action, he wants his loaner back immediately!!!!! he said he is not going to pay $30 a day to keep me in a car, when I made this choice. What about my $8800.00 and three car payments when I have only had the car one month since Dec. ?????? He claims that if I want to sue anyone, it should be the manufacturer because this is there problem. Yes, it is the manufacturer's problem, however they did not sell me the car. so end of conversation was that I was to bring the loaner back tomorrow, which now leaves me without any transportation with 4 children. He wouldnt tell me when the third engine would be put in, but since it was at the shop they would still fix it. (reminder.. they have had it since Feb. 21st). Also while at work tonight radio station 97.1 wash fm, advertised that Ted Britt Ford sells nearly 300 used cars a month, and when you buy a used car, they will allow you to have a loaner for life. This was not active when I bought in Dec. Does anyone know if what I am doing is worth all this???? If you need more information as to what has happend to me ith this van then go to the site above, and it goes into great detail. I just want to know if i'm wasting my time. I just need some really good cheering up right now. Thanks.
Don't get me wrong when I say this... You are partly to blame as well - the engine/transmission reliability of the 95 Wind star has been WELL published on the WEB since 1998. This is the research that you need to do BEFORE you make a purchase.
Having said that, and being the not so proud owner of a 95 AS with 3 tranny replacements and just returned (3/7) from the second engine replacement, "I feel your pain". The frustration in dealing with Ford is just amazing. They know they have a problem with this car (the 95 WS and most other Ford 3.8L V6 engines). I personally think they are "biding their time"; come 2002, the seven year window closes releasing FORD of liability for the car.
BTW - I think you should pursue the legal action. Especially the salesman and sales manager - they are WELL aware of the issues with the 95WS and should have disclosed that to you. Further, I think this works by state, I thought you had 72 hours to rescind any car purchase? I find it awfully ironic that they had they vehicle during that window - forcing you to make a decision. I think you do have a case; and I would not pursue it as a small court claim.
I really do wish you the best. Let us know how things go. GOOD LUCK!
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
Lisa
I'm assuming some type of body flex or the paint is the culprit. If it helps to isolate contributing factors I had an olive green 98 GL, no sliding door on the driver side and no roof rack.
M009 - the original notification sent out in 1998 that covered up to 75,000(?) miles.
M010 - the update that provided coverage for 7 years or 100,000 miles.
This is from Reuter on March 7, 2000. This was the press release:
==========
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.
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.
REUTERS
==========
One additional note: According to the Regional Ford Representative that I was working with, the buy-back was NOT part of the program. It was an OPTION under the program that could only be invoked by the regional rep.
I did chat with a few folk who opted for the buy-back. In general, it was a good deal for them: they got out of an unreliable vehicle, they had a vehicle that was warranted for 3/36,000, and pledged to get rid of the "F" work before that warranty expired. Of course, their situation was a little different than yours - most were original owners that had nearly paid the vehicle off. Basically, they would buy a $25000 vehicle with $11100 down ($6600-buyback + $3000-certificate + $1500-rebate at the time). Even if they kept it for one year, they could get out of it for a profit.
If you are not already aware, there are a couple of class actions outstanding against Ford:
I am not certain, however, this MIGHT be for transmissions ONLY:
Joseph D. Ament
200 N. LaSalle St. - 2100
Chicago, Ill. 60601
312-346-3100
312-621-1750 (fax)
This one is for head gaskets...
Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates
Clifford W. Horwitz
Richard Daughtery
http://www.mylawyers.com
312-372-8822
Again, I wish you the BEST of luck and PLEASE keep us posted...
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
Lisa
I have a 97 WS that also has a vibration around 45 - 50. I only reach that speed for a few minutes when I take the van to work. I happen to be one of the lucky ones that only have a five mile commute. I have noticed the problem at other times and it only seems to happen on concrete roads, not blacktop. I never took it to the dealer, I already knew what they would say.
New tires did not change it. I am just hoping that the other problems mentioned in these posts don't happen before I can afford another new car. I had to replace my 90 Aerostar last year, 120,000 miles, no ac, front end going out, holes in the side from too long in the rust belt.........
A couple of points to other threads............
Paint cracking
Ford will probably do nothing about it. The warranty on the paint job is for rust through. If you get enough complaints together, Ford "might" go after the OEM paint manufacturer. Similar to what GM did with the failing clear coats a couple of years back. My guess is that Ford will respond with the same gusto that has been noticed with other problems. If only I could figure out how to make an ostrich out of keyboard characters...........
ABS light
If mine stays on, I know that I need to add brake fluid. Can't figure out where it is going, but if it is a leak, it's such a small one that it is not leaving anything on the floor and I know the garage will never find it. I had a similar problem with the Aerostar. Ford replaced the fluid reservoir twice, the wiring once, the master cylinder once, all within the 12 month warranty. The light still came on. I just kept an eye on the fluid level and ingorned the light.
Good Luck
I hope this info will be of some help to other Windstar owners:
My vehicle has a 3.8 engine with 72,000 miles.
--Problem of rear head rests jammed in upward position, dangerously, blocking the driver's rear view vision.
I removed the c-clip at the very top of the seat where the chrome rod of the headrests enter the top of the seat (use needle nose pliers}. I pushed the headrests down to their lowest position & reinserted the clips. O.K.
--Problem of engine light flickering/staying on.
Had an independent mechanic check the vehicle with a computer/scope.
Remedy was to change sparkplugs & sparkplug wires & gas line filter. I was shown that the wires were arcing & this would send a signal to the computer of a misfire causing the check engine light to come on.-----Parts & Labour $ 250.00
Of interest platinum spark plugs only are recommended for proper engine performance also you can check the wires for arcing, best time at night & spray a mist of water on the wires with motor running. If you wires are defective,you will easily see arcing from the wires to the motor or to other wires.
Result: engine light stayed off for 2 days then came on again.
I took the vehicle to a Ford Dealer in my area & the van was checked with a computer/scope.
Remedy was to change faulty EGR SENSOR ASSEMBLY {F4ZZ*9J460*B) & 2 EGR VAC HOSES.
-Parts & Labour $ 240.00
Result: engine light now off for
3 weeks, seems O.K.
--Problem of ABS & BRAKE Lights flickering on & off at stop light & then staying on. (the brake cylinder is known to have a sloppy float causing the light to come on when you come to a stop, fill the cylinder to the top & the light goes out.}
I had my brake wheel cylinders & brake system checked twice by my local garage & the brake system checked by my Ford Dealer & they could not find any leaks. My master cylinder would lose brake fluid slowly, about 1 inch over 30 days.
I did see about 1 tablespoon of fluid overnight appear on my driveway. I laid a large piece of cardboard under the engine overnight & was able to catch this fluid stain on the cardboard. I then took the cardboard into the dealer marking where the front tire was on the cardboard. The dealer was then able to pin point the area of the leak under my van.
The following part was leaking and replaced. {Proportionating valve}. There are 2 of these valves joining the brake lines located under the vehicle, just behind the driver's seat area. The brakes had to be bled.
FORD#BRAKE VALVE (F8Z*2B091*BA}
-Parts & Labour $185.00
--Problem of Very Strong, Burning, Chemical Smell Coming From Heater.
This solution was found by accident by my Ford Dealer while the vehicle had been in for repair. This was my 3RD repair visit to the Dealer & I had complained about this horrible smell each visit but it would not appear at that time. I had my van in to check for the brake fluid leak and asked the mechanic to check for leaks around the back of the engine in case brake fluid or oil was leaking on the exhaust.----The mechanic discovered 6 large pine cones jammed up against the engine & they were partially burned.--- A squirrel or chipmunk had started to make a nest next to my nice, warm engine & the pine cones slowly burning were causing this terrible chemical smell to be picked up by the heater intake. -Parts & Labour $00.00