general problems of the 2000 Ford Windstar - part 1

A. B. S. Light on. Suspension broken in right front tire. Dashboard gauges not working properly.

The abs and traction system lights come on and stay on. If I turn the vehicle off and restart it sometimes the warning lights will go off but this is inconsistent at best. If I hit a bump the systems will go off. It does seem worse after the vehicle warms up. My biggest concern is failure of my braking system.

After a little research, I found that this is a very common problem with Windstars. There is a switch (called the brake pressure deactivation switch) hooked to the braking system that detects when the brake has been pushed and stops the cruise control accordingly. Well… this switch is known to develop leaks, which allows brake fluid to run down into the wiring and cause a short. This blows the fuse which controls the speedometer, a/c, odometer, etc.

Abs/trac control deactivation alarm/warning after short warmup. No apparent brake fluid master cyl switch leakage. Outside ambient temp upper 70's - mid-90's f.

Emergency brake does not release, numerous times, just had complete brakes installed, new.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the abs warning indicator illuminated and the rpm gauge displayed inaccurate readings. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic and the instrument cluster was replaced; however, the failure was not remedied. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was 150,000.

The abs and check engine lights went on (again, after I had numerous items repaired or replaced on this van). I went back to my mechanic who found that a part was needed, called the c1185 and is part of the abs module system. I then went to Ford dealership to see if this part could be replaced, and they told me that the manufacturer for this part had gone out of business and the part was no longer made! I have had these items repaired/replaced on this 2000 Windstar since I bought the vehicle in December 2013: 1) Ford dealership replaced ten-speed control deactivation switch per recall 2) my mechanic then repaired the electronic braking system, speedometer and odometer, which was tied in with the speed control deactivation switch (repairs were over $420) 3) my mechanic reinstalled improperly installed rear windshield wiper 4) my mechanic installed new battery.

While driving, the abs and traction control warning lights will sometimes illuminate at the same time with a warning chime. Until the vehice is stopped and turned off/on; these lights will remain lit and neither the abs or traction control will function.

Mechanic checked obd and found code c1185, abs relay power circuit. Shows recall however Ford states that there is no recall for this.

Abs and traction control lights illuminated while braking on snow and ice, abs stopped working and van skidded out of my control, pumped brakes until vehicle came to stop, luckily did not occur at next intersection,or would have slid into busy intersection !! brought to shop and they did some diagnostics and came up with van needing a new abs/traction control module. Very expensive repair. Upwards of $2000. 00, if both abs module and abs hydraulic control parts need to be replaced. Went online and have read many many complaints of this problem on this model of van. Ford knows and they wont issue or recall a major safety / brake recall. . . . . . This could cause someone severe injury or death !!! brakes are there to safely stop a vehicles motion !!!!! dealer says very common problem with these Windstars. If Ford could fess up and make part very affordable then I could fix van myself. Rear axles,subframes breaking have been addressed. I believe this is a very important issue that needs to be addressed. Thank you for looking into this problem. . Read more...

I had stopped at the stop sign. When it was clear for me to go, I accelerated and when I got to the next sto sign and slowed own, my car would not slow down. I pushed on the brakes, heard a loud vroom and the car kept going. It's happen 3 more times. One time, I was at a fast food resturant drive thru. I was slowing down as I got in line and when I put on the brakes, the car made a oloud vroom sound and keep going. I kept pushing on the brakes and it finally stopped. I cannot remember if I put the car in park or not but I think I did that time. I would have tapped the truck in front of me. I read online about a son whose mothers wind star had the same problem. It may need to be recalled.

Driving and light will come on and when you go to stop it will vibrate. And the brakes are new and that light will be off and then it will come back on and stop bad again.

Front of vehicle started grabbing. I checked the codes and found c1185. I have read that this is a common problem with the abs modules with the Windstars. I would like to file my complaint and have a recall for Ford to fix the problems with the abs.

Takata recall I smell gas oftenfrom inside the car, break light comes on often engine light wont go off I had a transmission put iny CA\-.

Going down the road traction control will go off and on . It will make the steering very hard. Then when you turn the engine off. It is very hard to start up . Some times you have to wait for about two or three hours then it will start right up. The electric system is very bad. Sometimes when the traction control starts to have a problem the van is very hard to even keep it in control I'm disabled and can't afford to get a better van. I've tried to take it back to Ford but they don't know what to do with it. All they tale me is to get anew one . But I can't. The power on the door locks are bad the locks will go locked and unlock as you drive it down the road. Been doing this for about. 3 years. Or more. Had it in to Ford many times.

So I fixed my defective instrument panel cluster and got a abs error code c1185 which is a bad abs relay. This relay is defective by being on the back side of a heat-sink plate that makes the board expand and contract allowing for some, if not all, of the solder joints break. As it stands now I have no idea if my van is safe to drive in its current state with the failure of that relay nor would I like to risk it. So my van sits drivable however, not used because of Ford's lackluster performance on recalls. I will not pay for their mistakes anymore!!! it"s criminal!!!!!.

Problems with abs and brake system with engine code b1185.

Tl- the contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. Also, the contact mentioned that the vehicle would continue to accelerate after engaging the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 200,000 and the current mileage was 200,140. Pmb.

Antilock brake system (abs) light on dashboard. Autozone free check reported code c1185 which according to other reports found on the internet relates to a bad solder joint on the abs computer board.

Intermittent non operating abs. Traced to abs ecm defective operation. Frozen stainless steel screws into aluminum mount prevented removal of abs ecm for planned rebuild. My understanding is that there is a design and build defect typical to this unit that causes this problem. Design defect -aluminum sheet heat sink which has a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than circuit board contributing to stress on improperly made solder joints on circuit board(build defect).

On 8/12/12 as I was driving to new york I notice that every time there is a weight transfer I heard a clunking sound on the right front, after returning to new jersey I took the vehicle to sears auto to have it check out and was told and shown the defect was with the frame work which a recall was done for in 2011. The repair that the did in 2011 to the frame was in my opinion a death trap and I would suggest that you send a inspector to inspect the repair that Ford said they did to these frame work, the strap that they put on the frame in my opinion is like putting a band aid on a third degree burn. I took the vehicle back to Ford dealer in hackensack NJ and they are giving me a hard time, my vehicle has been there from Friday and today is Saturday @ 1430 they still haven't look at it, maybe because of the color of my skin the really don't care, but I don't think safety should come down to the color of a person skin. Thanks for your help.

Braking distance suddenly increased. It is getting harder to stop the vehicle.

The antilock braking system is intermittent, and sometimes the light will come on for no particular reason. This sometimes happens while driving. It will do this on and off, after shutting the car down, and restarting it, or sometimes during driving.

Braking distance suddenly increased. All recalls have been performed. Abs still a problem.

My Windstar began to shimmy like a skittish horse. When I took it to my local service station, they said the anti-lock brakes were reading as if the wheels were going different speeds and trying to compensate. Eventually the shimmying sensation stopped and the anti-lock break light came on, and stayed on permanently. I am now afraid to drive my vehicle when it is raining or snowing. Ford has indicated to me that they consider this to be my problem, not theirs. How is this not a recall issue? this is a problem which can endanger life and safety of myself and others; and it is a problem with Ford's design. I don't even know how to fix this, let alone what it will cost.

Braking distance suddenly increased.

As I was driving down the highway, cruise control set to 60mph. My cruise shut off, my abs and traction control lights came on. If you shut the vehicle off and let it cool down, it will stay off for a while, but usually comes on within a few moments of beginning to drive. And the brakes will work, but I will not have abs or traction control at all.

Intermittant failure of abs system. Seems to be temperature related. I had codes read and was told a new abs ecm module would fix it.

Braking distance suddenly increased.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the abs lamp illuminated, the abs system turns off, and all of the gauges on the instrument panel were malfunctioning. The contact mentioned that the failure only occurred when the weather was hot. The dealer was contacted who stated that the abs module was mounted to an aluminum bracket which expands in the heat and caused the connection to become disconnected. As a result the engine control unit and hydraulic control unit needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 148,000.

Speed control suddenly stopped working. Braking distance suddenly increased.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact sated that the anti-lock brakes would constantly activate. In addition, when the engine was turned on the lights would illuminate. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 128,000.

Braking distance suddenly increased. Service brakes, hydraulic. Even after recall completed. Ford Windstar 2000.

Around the middle of August, 2009, my 2000 Ford Windstar began having its abs warning lamp illuminate on my instrument cluster. This would occur seemingly for no apparent reason, though on September 13, 2009, I noticed that after engaging the cruise control and thereafter depressing the brake pedal, the lamp appeared. The lamp would usually, but not always, cease illuminating after I had stopped and restarted the engine.

I have a 2000 Ford Windstar which had an electrical fire due to a faulty brake pressure deactivation switch. I turned the key on and a huge ball of white smoke came out all over the vehicle. Myself ,my wife and my children were in the car inhaling these toxic fumes. I hope inhaling these fumes don't cause any future health risks. Thank god my van did not explode and we were able to exit out safely. Ford should really take a look at this problem. I will never purchase another Ford vehicle.