general problems of the 1999 Ford Windstar

Abs and traction control lights come on and will not clear with a scan tool. There are 11 codes showing, all to do with abs/traction control. Normal braking seems fine, not sure what will happen with a skid or loss of traction in ice or snow. I am told there is a recall on the brake system on this van. Do I need to be concerned about these warning lights?.

The abs is coming on as I come to a normal stop which causes the braking distance to suddenly increase just as you're about to stop. You have to take steps to avoid hitting the car in front of you due to the abs errantly engaging.

We were pulling into a parking lot and smoke came from under the hood. I immediately shut the vehicle off and raised the hood. I am familiar with automobiles and determined that it was not oil or coolant smoke but an electrical burn in the making. I rapidly disconnected the battery and called for a tow truck and had the vehicle towed home. At the house, I reconnected the battery and nothing happened,then drove it for about 5 miles and the smoke came back. I immediately took the vehicle back to the house ( was very close) and disconnected the battery again. The smoke is coming from the abs controller. I have done some online research and determined that there is a recall on this issue, so I called Ford. They told me that my VIN was not included. I then called the factory help line and advised them of the situation. They wanted me to take the vehicle to the dealer, pay the bill and submit it for consideration. I am not included to do so, as I am afraid that the vehicle will catch fire.

Skimmed to a stop,vehicles are dangerous,braked tied up and would not respond took it to have it checked out advised system was good,now I read you guys are having this problem and it happen to me,proving its a defect I want to be given credit for a new Ford windfree.

I start my 99 Ford Windstar with my wife inside the vehicle and my two daugthers and my son when I saw smoke comming true the hood then I open the hood and my surprise was the brake pressure differential deactivation switch on fire I was so scared then I just take my kids and wife out of the vehicle and comback to stop the fire thanks god I have fire extinguisher close but we have to stop this from happening to someone else.

After purchasing van, not even one month later all lights started to turn on engine, abs now n and its a rear light on guage panel also we are in the middle of trying to get decent price for the freeze plug withch also needs to be replaced because there is a leak of coolant from the bottom of van. Other wise its ok to drive. One I thing I didn't mention is the seat its struck it wont move back or forward with the electrical button.

Braking distance suddenly increased -dashboard abs display 'on'.

Intermittent problem: problems indicated by on board message center reads "check brake lamps", "check tail lamps" check head lamps" check rear turn lamps", "check front turn lamps", noticed that interior lights will not work, auto locks will not work, key remote will not lock or unlock vehicle or open doors. Get no codes from o b d ii. Scanner. Have replaced battery because it was 6 years old and wasn't putting out proper amps. Thought would solve problem. It didn't. Thought disconnecting battery for 30 min. Would reset computer. Seamed to work a couple of times, however, now believe it was just coincidence. Sometimes when I start the vehicle everything is fine, however while driving, the message reappears and none the above mentioned, no longer work again. This is a driving hazard.

1999 Ford Windstar abs malfunction - abs and check engine lights illuminated. After skidding and striking a pole while parking, I brought this to the dealer who inspected the vehicle and described to problem as an annoyance at worst and that the vehicle's brakes work fine, the vehicle is safe to drive, and recommended not spending $1000 to fix the problem. When pressed for details, the dealer said that the abs ecu ($1000 part) has failed but no big deal. Just the anti-lock portion of our braking wasn't working. I think this is a pretty big deal consider abs is required for vehicle safety and the vehicle may not pass licensing inspections.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving 35 mph when the rear axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the contact was advised of NHTSA campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly) and referred to the dealer. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where the rear axle was repaired under the recall. The contact stated that while leaving the dealer, the brakes locked abnormally and the vehicle was left with the dealer for further repairs. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and no longer wanted ownership of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 110,000.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the cruise control, speedometer, odometer, tacometer and the fuel gauge were inoperable. The contact also stated that the anti lock braking light was constantly illuminated. In addition, the contact had to replace the brake fluid numerous times. The vehicle was not taken to have the failures diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 40,000.

I was driving my van and I tried to stop and could not stop and hit the back of another car had feet all the way down on brake and van would not stop!! I was terrified and my 10 year old lil girl is traumatized!!!!.

Recall id# 09v399000 was completed few months ago, now abs on dash is on few minutes after the vehicle is put in motion. Dealer pinpointed trouble to abs control module. Overheating of the board could be the result of the leaking scds on the module connector. Dealer wants to charge me $ 1,000 to fix the problem.

Catastrophic failure of the brake abs unit leading to brake pedal going to the floor with total loss of brakes without any warning. Brakes were fine when van was started. At some point pressing on the pedal resulted in absolutely no braking effort being applied to stop the vehicle. When vehicle was stopped using emergency brakes and evasive maneuvering (thankfully without an accident) and shut off the abs pump continued to run until fuses for abs unit were pulled to cut off power. Vehicle had to be towed to repair facility. This is a severe safety issue that could lead to injury or death since there is no warning that anything is about to go wrong that causes driver to lose all brakes.

Irregular braking, experienced as an odd, slipping lurch at the completion of a stop occasioned investigation of a supposed braking problem by our mechanic. Previously noted was the misalignment of the steering wheel about a quarter turn from vertical during straight-ahead driving. After checking the brakes the mechanic was puzzled by a rubbing noise he had heard on his test drive. While repositioning the car to investigate, the engine cradle suddenly separated from the sub-frame and dropped to the ground, wrenching the steering wheel forward and disconnecting the steering mechanism from the wheels. Ancillary damage is as yet unassesed. The cause of separation was massive,evident corrosion where the engine cradle attaches to the sub-frame. This vehicle is located in a "salt-belt" state.

"braking distance suddenly increased.

Antilock braking system and traction control randomly disconnect resulting in loss of traction and unanticipated skidding.

The abs controller for this vehicle has stopped functioning. This is a known defect with this model. The causes are either poor soldering on or damage from fluids to the controller's board. Without abs, the vehicle is significantly less safe and I've experienced five incidents where I and my passengers narrowly escaped serious injury due to Ford's and the nhta's unwillingness to rectify this flaw.

Abs traction control lights are on and off intermittently.

Brake pressure deactivation switch leaking down wires causing fuses to blue along with other major problems.