One problem related to automatic transmission column shift has been reported for the 1996 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Vehicle stopped at light/sign & then ready to move forward, cannot engage vehicle into drive position. Its an intermittent problem. Dealer cannot find problem. Informed owner to wait until it's worse before the problem can be found & fixed. Dealer finally replaced transmission on 10/24/97. No other occurrences since latest repairs.