Table 1 shows one common interior lighting related problems of the 1998 Ford Windstar.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Interior Lighting problems |
Interior light as well as beeping noise ringing nonstop while all doors are shut correctly. Dash light also stays on computer issue with system.
The door open/close indicator light remained on. Sometimes the light remained on for about an hour after the car was parked and turned off. This is an intermittent problem that has been occurring for about a year.
Continual problems with interior lights and locks because of the door ajar monitor. All doors are closed and door alarm monitor remains on which causes the interior lights to remain on at all times. Have to remove #29 fuse just to get interior and dome lights to shut off, even after ignition is off and key removed. Otherwise battery will die as lights do not go off as they are supposed to. Driving with dome light continuously on is a very big safety hazard, especially at night. However removing this fuse also results in loss of electric window function which should also be a safety hazard. This has been happening for at least four years. Everytime I take it to the dealer, it would stop for a short while and then subsequently act up again. I am the sole owner of this vehicle and purchased it new in 1998. I feel these parts should have been made correctly to begin with and/or should have been recalled to be repaired. I will never buy another Ford vehicle because of this safety hazard.
Have a 1998 Ford Windstar van and the problem is that my interior lights and sensor showing that your door is open does not turn off. Even all the door are closed. Sometimes the interior lights go off but the beeping noise does not stop.
Door ajar light stays on all the time. Chimes stay on when car is started until the speed reaches around 15 mph. But as soon as I slow down and stop, the chimes come on again.
Seat belt alarm,light, and courtesy light would remain on while driving. Dealer was not notified at this time.
Dome light will automatically stay on even after doors are closed. Contacted dealer.
Door ajar light on dash is on constantly when all doors are shut. Chime is also going off at all times. When chime is on it is not possible to lock doors. Vehicle at dealership at this time.
Ajar bell keeps ringing, dash light is on, and lights up. Door is not open, but bell continues to ring.
The interior courtesy lamps do not go out when doors are closed. Door ajar light comes on. Ford is well aware of this problem and its a safety issue as driver cannot see during night driving unless fuse is pulled. Interior lights cannot be shut off with the dimmer switch!!. . Dealers play dumb when you discuss this issue. Three neighbors have same problem. This is an accident waiting to happen!!!!!!!!.
Light that indicates door is open stays illuminated. Light gets so hot that it may cause a fire. The switches have been replaced. The Ford company is aware of the problem and doesn't want to fix unless consumer pays out of pocket. The sliding door was replaced.
Accelerator went down on its own while in reverse, no brakes to stop, resulting in a accident. Steering vibrates, recommend rotating the tires. Interior seats slightly twisted, door locks works sometime, interior lights work sometimes.
Without prior warning door warning light comes on panel, and light will stay on. Interior light will go off, but the sound of the chime will not stop. Dealerlership is aware of problem.
Interior dome light stays on until 15-20mph is reached. Dash light indicator says door is open. Isolated problem to sliding door on passenger side. Problem is intermittent. Take to Ford dealerships on 3 seperate ocassions and all 3 times the problem mysteriously went away. Also when this happens the rear wiper doesn't work all the time.
The passenger door contact was corroded causing the interior lights to come on and an alart on the dash that the door is "open". Reported to dealership but never repaired or replaced under waranty. This is a danger to the driver that the door is open and distracks the drivers attention to immediately turn around to visually check. This alert also causes the interior lights to automatically come on when this "open door" indication is given. This is also a distraction. Both the dealership and Ford were contacted but nothing was done. I will never buy a Ford product again.
Consumer is experiencing an electrical malfunction with the door ajar light.
I have basically had everything that could go wrong with this vehicle. . Go wrong. It has been in several times for the seal around drivers side door (air flows in). The door ajar indicator continually goes on and the dome light comes on(making it very unsafe to drive at night. Especially when trying to back up. The dome light then stays on causing battery to die. I have had problems with the traction control light to blink have had in shop they say they replaced a sensor. As soon as my warranty was up. It happened again(cost me over $400. 00) when either window is rolled down about 3 inches(as soona s it hits that point) a buzzing sound will occur. I had a huge gash on the interior of my right tire(no known cause) I believe the van was 3 months old at this time. . . . Had to purchase a new tire. I have had work done several times on the front passenger side. Including the bearings replaced. . . . A sensor ring that had broken in half, tie-rod. . . I am so disappointed in this vehicle, we bought this because it was convient to tote around 3 children but the fact that I am so afraid to drive it alot of times ins't very convenient at all. I am amazed that it has made it this far (90,000) the back hatch seems to have some electrial problems as whenever it is opened it woll set off the door ajar light and when closed it never goes off. . For some reason it has periods of time that it will stay on for weeks and then when that stops the window buzzing starts. I am not under warranty and am very tired of sinking money into a van that we apid well over 30,000 for. Why is something so expensive. . . . . . . . . . . Such a money pit????? I feel I get no response from the dealers. They seem to be able to word it in a different way when they fix something and you have to take it back in to be re-fixed. . Although it does the same thing??? I guess we will have to do more research on vehicle manufactors when buying our next family vehicle. I have never been so disappointed. Please send recall informat.
Door open indicator stays on, causes interior light to stay on. Every other 1998 Ford I know has same problem (7 vehicles). Nieghbor has had thier van (98) worked on 4 times in one year. Dealer not helpfull. Ford has blinders on, acts as if they know nothing about thos problem. All I wanted is Ford to say they knew it was a problem, and they were working on a solution. Fords integrity is in question with me.