Eight problems related to automatic transmission control module have been reported for the 1996 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
This is a second call for help Ford corporate will not email me back. Will not verify if pcm has been updated. The van only has under 59,000 miles on it . It should not break this bad this soon makes me tell anyone on social media and our local news media and clark howards team. I do not want to call Ford unless it is agreed the phone will be recorded for court purposes. I even asked is the would let me use the updater. I sure do not want don rich Ford in villa rica ever again. They stripped the screw. That set min clearance on throttle plate. No shifts funny and sputters and terrible noise in oil pan area. Rod s knocking. Internet has tons of complaints of pistons exiting engine oil pan.
1996 Ford Windstar auto transmission failure. Intermittently will lock in 1st or 2nd gear shifting up. Also transmission, intermittently will down shift into 2nd gear while crusing at 60-70 mph. This sometimes lasts hours and then for no apparent reason desides to shift absolutly fine. I have changed the fluid, filter and gasket. Internally looks very clean minuscule amounts of filings and no apparent contamination. I would like to know what computer modules and or sensers are involved. I have heard of the,transmission control module (tcm) and the-----(pcm)?. . . What are this ? what is their purpose? are there others?where are they located?what do they cost? I cannot beleive the transmissions needs a $2000 rebuild when it performs perfectly most of the time. Logic convinces me it may very well be as simple as plug and play. Yet no transmission shops want to hear of it, they want to rebuild. My complaint is not with the equiptment but with the experts , especially the dealers taking advantage of customers. Case in point, the head gasket blew out on the Windstar dealer priced the repair no less than $1450. 00 and not to be surprised at final cost upwards of $2200. 00. I had it towed 70 miles to my local mechinic and the costs including the tow job was $237. 00. I wish he was a transmission mech. But he is not. You have my e-mail address I assume you wanted that to help me. Answer my questions about the computer module etc. . And please do not give my address to any other sites for that matter to anyone at all. Do this, you will earn my trust, I will be greatful, you just need to ask.
At original new car deliver and recurring at approx. 800 mile increments, the traction control system (an component of the 4 wheel disk abs option) disables itself and ceases to function. The car has been returned to the dealer and numerous complaints to Ford have also been issues. I loss the value of traction control which is one of the reasons I purchsed this vehicle and paid a substantial upgrade fee for this option. Despite many attemtps to resolve the problem still continues. Traction control remains disabled until the car can be shut down and restarted. This is dangerous to do on a highway and means I go without traction control for long periods. This problem was also the source of a nys lemon law action. More than 4 Ford dealerships have been asked to correct this problem without success.
Since date of original delivery this car has intermittently deactivated the traction control component fo the 4 wheel disk brake option. This enhanced safety feature was purchased as I beleived it made the vehicle somewhat safer in avoiding problems in poor traction situations. However about once every 700 miles, including day of deliverry with only 25 miles on the clock the trac off light starts to flash indicating that I no longer have the safety advantage of traction control. I either pull off road and turn car off/on which resets the traction control or continue to drive without the benefit of this while also suffering the disruption of seeing a flashing alarm. Neither of these are safe situations. A nys lemon law suite was initiated about this situation 2 years ago. The dealer has tried to correct over a dozen times without success. Often they claim they need to get the error code & an not remedy without it. While we have had numerous failures the dealer has had only 2 attempts with the light on. They blew one and in 8/31 they did succeed to get a code but have yet to correct. Are there other reports of this safety feature erroneously disarming itself?.
Traction control sensors failed causing wheels to lock up on slippery surfaces. (qcaw).
Traction control system failed.
Tracking control system light/ abs brake light illuminate, indicating malfunction within the systems. Please give any further details.
The tracking control light and abs brake light illuminate, indicating a problem within the system. Please give any further details.