general problems of the 1996 Ford Windstar

Ford recall letter dated December 2011 recall number 09 s 09 speed control system modification. I recently took my Ford Windstar on janurary 3, 2013 for a recall. About a month later I drove over railroad tracks and now the vehicle is slow and won't pick up speed it makes a put put sound and has almost no power. I called the dealer to report the issue and they want $90. 00 just to look at it even though it was just in the shop for the recall. I called Ford customer complaint and all they say is they are not responsible for the Ford dealer actions or inactions. The letter from Ford was the main reason I took the van in because it says there is a fire hazard but now the van is a piece of junk. Ford refuses to recheck the vehicle and locate the real cause of the problem the vehicle is the only way for me to get around. Thanks Ford for your attention and lack of concern. Signed dissatified victim of a scam.

The 1996 Windstar had been parked in the garage (attached to the home) with the ignition off for several hours when fames were seen coming from the left rear quadrent of the engine compartment. It was obvious the fire could not be extinguished. The family left the home, which was soon completely destroyed.

Owner went to start vehicle, and it started smoking. Examination revealed scds (speed control deactivation switch) overheated and melted off, causing small fire in left rear of engine compartment.

The speed control pressure switch had caught fire due to being located below the master cylinder, needing to know how to get replaced.

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar. Approximately two weeks ago, the contact noticed smoke rising from under the hood of the vehicle while it was parked. He stated that the speed control switch and the wiring harness were melted from the inside. The switch was hanging from the master cylinder and fell towards the fuse box. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was purchased from a private party. The engine size, failure mileage, and a valid VIN were unknown. The current mileage was 200,000.

: the contact stated a puddle was observed under the vehicle. A week later, a small fire occurred under the hood which was extinguished by the contact. There was a NHTSA recall, # 06v286000, regarding the vehicle speed control. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.

: the contact stated while driving 15mph, there was a loud popping noise followed by a hissing sound. The vehicle was parked in the driveway for further inspection. The odor of smoke was present, the contact and passengers exited the vehicle immediately. Flames were visible from the front under hood area. The flames primarily surrounded the top of the transmission and master cylinder. The contact extinguished the flames with a fire extinguisher. No injuries were sustained, but the vehicle sustained moderate fire damage. The police were not alerted. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the fire originated from the master cylinder. The manufacturer was alerted. There was a NHTSA recall, # 05v38800, regarding the vehicle speed control. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.

While parked, a 1996 Ford Windstar caught fire due to a defective speed control disconnection switch.

1996 Ford Windstar caught on fire in the steering column. Whiled parked with the engine off, but radio running, consumer saw smoke coming under hood in front of steering wheel. Speed control detection switch was the cause of fire. There is recall but consumer's VIN is not included.

While driving over 55 mph and without warning speedometer malfunctioned. The numbers fluctuated up and down at high speeds. Once the vehicle got below 55 mph the system went back to normal. Dealer was unable to find the cause of the problem.

Speedometer needle bounces all over the speed dial. Problem came all of a sudden. Happens when you go over 30 mph or so. This has been listed many other nthsa hotline statements on same vehicle. Will anything be done by Ford??.

Whenever vehicle is driven over 40 mph speedometer jumps back and forth. When the speedometer jumps back and forth consumer does not know how fast he is driving.

Speedometer replacement. Mr the consumer believed that 545. 00 to replaced a speedometer was expensive since it was a common problem.

Speedometer is no longer showing the actual speed driven, needle jumps around, if driving 75mph it shows 120mph. This happens on a daily basis, there is also a ticking noise. Vehicle has not been examined by a dealer.

Speedometer bounces erratically, and does not register actual speed. Impossible to tell speed of the vehicle.

My vehicle went crazy. It lunged backwards and then rocketed forward straight right into the wall of a furniture store. It felt like it was going 500 mph. I had no control over the car. It went crazy. I am totally serious. It was the scaryist experience of my life! please help me report it to all who need to know.

The spedometer is swinging wildly when van reaches highway speeds. The spedometer records speeds of over 115 mph when the van is actually going 70 mph. The instrument panel buzzes constantly while this occurs. It happens every time we drive. I think this is a serious safety issue and should be corrected by the dealer free of charge. We were told by our mechanic that it would be at least $200 to fix this. We can't afford to pay for this ourselves so we are driving the van in this condition. Please advise us as to whatever rights we may have concerning this glaring defect.

I step on the gas pedal & the engine revves up but the van does not move forward, then after a minute or so delay something must engage and the van lunges forward with terrific speed which even causes the tires to squeal.

When transmission was in drive engine raced, and unexpectedly surged forward. Dealer has inspected vehicle, and was not able to duplicate the problem.

While driving vehicle accelerated without the gas being pushed,and also decelerated own its own. Dealer has been notified of this problem for the second time. Dealer could not replicate, and therefore could not repair.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Parking the vehicle and coming to stop, vehicle went into open throttle position, applied brakes, vehicle impact 12:00 position, low speed 5mph.

Throttle body broke causing failure.

The speedometer moved erratically and malfunctioned intermittently leaving consumer unsure of speed. Speedometer had to be replaced 2 times.

The speedometer was found to be faulty. Scc.