One problem related to brake fluid has been reported for the 1997 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Noticed that I was leaking some brake fluid for the last couple of months on my 1997 Ford Windstar but very little at that. About the same time the cruise control quit working. One day while driving I noticed a lot of smoke coming from under the hood. Raised the hood but the smoke had quit. Got back home and noticed this again when I was stopped in the driveway. Checked under the hood again and found that the cruise control deactivation switch was smoking and very hot. Went to the Ford dealer to check if there was a recall on this and there was not . Installed the replacement part with plug adaptor and this fixed the problem with smoking and the cruise started working again. Noticed on the net this same part that is in my Windstar is also in other vehicles that has been recalled. Why is this? this could have easily caught fire and been a total loss to the van and if it had been parked in the garage the house also.