Engine problems of the 1996 Ford Windstar - part 2

Blown head gasket.

The timing gasket cover cracked.

Engine check light came on, took to repair shop they confirmed blown headgasket, I understand this year and model of van and the engine are defective, how do I get Ford to pay for repairs?.

Head gasket is on verge of blowing. Antifreeze has to be added weekly to keep cooled off. Dealer isn't doing anything unless consumer covers cost.

Problem 1- engine blew a head gasket as backing out of our driveway, we have only 72000 miles on it and were told that there is a recall on the 1995 Ford engine for the same problem. This repair is going to cost $1,000. 00. Ford has given us no options. 2nd-problem- on the same vehicle a month before, again as I was backing out of my drive the front spring broke, punctured my tire and collapsed the shocks, that cost $600. 00. Again, when we called Ford we were told that there had been a recall on the taurus for the same problem but it wasn't for the Windstar. Now ii have a problem believing that thay can recall one product without covering the other when the same exact problem occured with my vehicle. Please advise what further action I can take. Thanks.

This van has been an albatross! I had to take it in 3 or 4 times and get nasty before the dealership would admit that there was a transmission problem- and then agree to fix it. I know they were waiting for my bumper to bumper warranty to expire. The head gasket/engine problem absolutely fries me. No vehicle with 62,000 miles on it should require a new engine and head gaskets. That repair cost me $5000. 00 and no one will help me. We all know about the 94 and 95 recalls. What about the 96's??? the problem has not been fixed. I have called Ford customer service several times, and have tried the dealer for help. No one will help me. The concensus is this: Ford motor company does not care enough about the products they produce (or the customers who purchase them) to make an intolerable situation right. I have heard of so many cases like mine- Ford has definately lost a customer. If they won't stand behind their produsts, I certainly won't buy another one!.

Blown head gaskets.

I have a 1996 Ford Windstar with one of those 3. 8l engines. My problems began with an antifreeze leak resulting from head gasket problems. I have just had the engine replaced in my van and the cost was $5000. I contacted the Ford motor company consumer number at the suggestion of a friend who said that there had been a recall on her Windstar. I was told by the Ford rep. That my Windstar had the wrong VIN number to be recalled. I'm having a hard time understanding why some bad 3. 8l engines are recalled and replaced if necessary and others are not. Can you help? also, the needle on my speedometer fluctuates wildly at speeds over 30. I know that this, too, is a common problem with Windstars.

At around 62,000 miles our vehicle's "check engine " light came on. We brought it in to a local Ford dealership where they performed diagnostic tests. Basically they told us it was a blown head gasket, among other misc. Problems. We were not satisfied with their customer service methods and brought the van to another Ford dealership. The mechanic at this place not only agreed with previous diagnosis but also felt the whole engine system was contaminated and recommended a total engine replacement at a cost of 3,800 dollars. We have meticulously maintained this vehicle and have had it serviced regularly. (we have th documents to prove this. ).

Engine light went on for a couple days, brought vehicle to dealer. They stated that antifreeze leaking into head gasket & that it's possible that I may need a new engiene. I did not leave vehicle at dealer at that time because I stated that I wanted to speak to my mechanic because it would be cheaper to have him do work on vehicle. I contacted my mechanic who told me that the 3. 8 litre engiene is known for this problem with head gasket. On 3/19/ 01 dealer contacted me wanting to know if I would be getting head gasket fixed. I stated that after further research I was able to determine that certain 1995 3. 8 litre engienes were recalled and that a class action suit was brought against Ford motor company on 12/9/99 because of faulty head gaskets. I contacted Ford motor company & logged complaint, but they stated that their were no recalls on 1996 Ford Windstars so they could not do anything. Once I complained to dealer that their was a problem with this engiene they offered me a 6 year warranty from original date of purchase or 100,000 miles which ever came firston transmission & engiene up to $2,000. 00 with $500. 00 deductible. I took this offer with dealer because we only have 1 vehicle. Although I am grateful for this offer, the only reason the dealer offered me this deal was because I informed them that this particular engiene has a faulty head gasket. Dealer originally quoted that work on head gasket would cost approximately $1,500 for head gasket repairs or approximately $3,000. 00 for new engiene. Even though I will have pay $500. 00 out of pocket, I believe that the dealer or Ford should reimburse me for the head gasket repairs because this has been a problem with this engiene since 1988. . Read more...

Head gaskets found to be leaking during service for rough idling. Wait for remanufactured engine greater than 4 weeks and no guarantee from Ford as to when the car will be repaired.

Same identified problem as 1994-95 head gasket defects that Ford has admitted problem and placed a limited 100,000 mile warranty, but for only 94-95 3. 8 l engines.

Head gasket had to be replaced.

We have been told that the front gasket cover is damaged and needs to be r eplaced. We have also been told that there is a recall for this same thing on 1995 models. We have an estimate to repair at $2,000. This car has been properly maintained and we should not have this kind of problem with the engine. We feel that Ford should pay for the cost of repairing the engine.

Engine needs to be replaced after timing cover leak.

My 1996 Ford Windstar blew a head gasket with only 76125 miles. Cost for repair will be 1333. 25 . And from what I have read on the internet ,my Windstar is not the only one with the blown headgasket problem.

Consumer had seen water leaking from engine. Had taken vehicle before to dealer to be repaired, and dealer told consumer that problem was caused by head gasket wich had to be replaced.

3. 8l v-6 blown head gasket 1996 Ford Windstar known problem.

Engine check light kept coming on. Vehicle taken to the dealer, and informed consumer that engine needs replacement due to a blown head gasket. Please feel free to provide further details.

Speedometer fluctuated all over dial when car went over 30 mph; transmission just failed while car was being operated, it failed to shift and did not move while in traffic; brakes fade when coming to a stop all the time (I have requested repairs repeatedly, told no problem detected); car continues to roll 6-8 inches when parked on an incline; rear suspension creaks when getting in and out of car; several leaks in engine had to be repaired (gasket??).

Engine checks light kept coming on. Vehicle taken to dealer on three occasions, and informed consumer of a possible blown head gasket. However, vehicle was not covered under manufacturer's recall due to VIN.

We noticed a leak of some sort of fluid and brought the Windstar to our dealer. What we didn't expect was that the timing cover gasket was broken and needed to be replaced at 52000 miles. This costed us $904 and I am not sure if it's related to prior '95 gasket problems.

Ford has agreed to pay part of the repair cost for the head gasket. They have recalled this same engine in the 1995 Windstar's but have not extended it to the 1996's despite many occurances. I feel they should cover the entire repair as well as our rental car expenses.

Repeated expensive repairs to turn off " engine" check light only temporairly successful. Loss of coolant for unknown reason. Engine now noticably "smoking".

Engine check light came on and we immediately took the vehicle for service. Found out it was head gasket problem. Contacted Ford after a week of not being able to get the needed parts for repair and was told my vehicle was not on recall list. Also found out that they are unwilling to help since vehicle not under warranty. Took 2 weeks in shop to get fixed and replacement parts were ordered outside of Ford dealership because they couldn't get the right part. It ended up costing $300 additional to original estimate.

94-95 Ford Windstar engines are having head gasket problems. When I contacted them they said it was vans mfg. From Dec 93 to Aug 95 and that my 96 was not involved. Just because the sticker says my van was mfg. In 96 does not mean that the engine could not have been mfg at the same time as a the engine for 94 or 95 van. They are offering money for trade-in or engine replacement. It seems very coincidental that they just announced this problem on 94-95 vans and my 96 has this problem.

Vehicle was taken in for regular service. Consumer asked mechanic why car was starting so roughly, and mechanic said it needed a head gasket. Consumer was having the same problem as mentioned in recall on head gaskets on the Ford Windstar 1994/ 1995.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

A major recall has occurred with Ford covering the repair costs or issuing $4000 certificates toward the purchase of a new vehicle for 1995 and earlier models. It is obvious that the head gaskets on all Ford 3. 8-liter engines are defective and the new engine design did not help or eliminate the problem they have with the earlier version. I feel Ford should include the 1996 Windstar in the recall. 8ak.

Ford refuses to listen to our request for compensation, simply because we did not receive service at a Ford garage. We did not know or expect the head gasket to have blown. We were stranded on a Sunday morning in ontario, some 650 miles from home. We were towed to the only service facitlity open on a Sunday (canadian tire) who could potentially get us back on our way. We never expected a major engine problem to occur at 57,709 miles. We feel Ford should compensate us for the replacement of the head gasket, as it is a known problem and was recalled on the 1995 winstars. Apparently the 1996 Windstars have the same head gasket problem as the 1995s, but have not yet been recalled. Just because we were not at a Ford dealer or garage should not let Ford off the hook for our expense incurred on a defective part.

Engine missed/surged for several months beginning 4th quarter 1999. Several attempts made by two Ford dealers to determine problem. Langdale Ford finally diagnosed as blown head gasket, number 2 cylinder. Said chronic problem exists with this engine and there have been recalls,but not for our specific year yet. Ford refuses to recognize problem or cover part (or all)of cost in spite of the fact that they are currently (2/28/2000) recalling the 1995 version of our engine.

Rods in the engine broke for no apparent reason. Ford said that it was not their problem.

Ford has been giving me the run around about repairing my Windstar. They claim that it is not covered under their silent extended warantee because it was built in the wrong place. They contend that vans built where mine was were fine as far as the head gasket is concerned. Also, the wayside Ford dealership in marlboro MA lied to me and told me that the coverage was for 50,000 and not 60,000 miles, so I didnt qualify.

Consumer feels manufacturer should extend recall regarding defective head gaskets for 1996 models.

I took the automobile in for oil change and asked mechanic to look at heater because it didn't seem to be heating properly. That's where the nightmare began. The mechanic called and said there was water in #4 cylinder which I have learned is a problem with 3. 8l engines which Ford was aware of for some time. The car was towed to Ford where the intake gasket and the 18 sensors were replaced. Inspite of the noted sludge, they failed to drop the oil pan and sent me on my way into the dark with a car which had not been test driven. The car broke down in less than 5 miles. Now I'm being told I need a new engine. Shouldn't the engine last longer than 125,000 miles? why did I have to have it tuned up at 100,000 if the engine is only suppose to last another 25,000 miles? Ford has proven negligent in dealing with the problems with the 3. 8l engine. Had my car not broken down that night, the next morning I would have set out at 5:15am on I-20 and i285 in atlanta. It was by the grace of god that this car broke down so quickly when they failed to repair it properly.