general problems of the 2001 Ford Windstar - part 2

Braking distance suddenly increase.

The abs and hand brake kept coming on intermittently. The braking distance has increased. And now the lights are on almost permanently. Based on reports, am afraid if this is going to result in a fire eventually.

2001 Ford Windstar- abs /traction control lights on in dash. Lights have been on and off for the past 2 years, we took the van in for the recall about a month ago and yesterday the abs/traction control lights are on and stay on now so thy are disabled.

My wife's 2001 Ford Windstar brake, abs and trac off (traction control) lights would come on a few minutes after she would drive the car. This was more prevalent during warmer weather than in the late fall or winter. Basically something was malfunctioning which caused the abs braking and traction control system from working. I had recently brought her Windstar to rye Ford for a brake switch recall (probably related to this) and had this problem looked at. Let me say that I purchased this vehicle for her and my family for the safety features that were now failing. The diagnosis was a bad abs module and a hydraulic valve. The cost for the parts from Ford were $700 for the CA control, $1,000 for the valve asy modulator and $385 for the 166cmf (not sure what that is). Labor came to $385 for a total of $2,110. 00 dollars! in doing research I found this problem to be pretty common for the Windstar. It has been documented by other Ford Windstar owners one of which has researched and figured out the cause of this malfunction. . Read more...

Intermittent illumination of abs warning lamp and red brake system warning lamp during driving - no underlying brake system malfunction; also, abs and brake system warning lamps occasionally remain on after start-up warning system check cycle .

Regarding defect information report, Ford recall 09s09, 49 cfr part 573, October 9, 2009, from the auto safety office, Ford motor company, to the associate administrator for safety assurance NHTSA. "service procedure" states "on Windstars with a leaking switch the repair will also involve inspection and repair,if necessary, of the abs module connector. Repairs will be completed at no charge to owners. " my 2001 Windstar was diagnosed with a faulty abs module connector on 11/09 and needs to be replaced. The service manager at my local Ford dealer refuses to investigate this problem and states he has no knowledge of this potential complication as a result of the leaking switch. Abs module connector has not been replaced.

Drove to virginia- 3 hrs into trip went to rest area and brakes gave out totally- ran into the back of another Mini van, no injuries. The brakes came back, later brake fluid was 100% empty, filled it back up, and just last weekend driving back from annapolis- 90 degrees -and came off 100 onto rt 1 and no brakes whatsoever!!! then almost crashed =made very sharp left turn and swerved around other vehicles-scariest moment in my lift, then brakes came back again!! did research and see there is an issue and Ford is ready to do a recall---I'm so upset and haven't driven the van since-.

Brake fluid consistently leaking. Brake pressure differential deactivation switch leaking onto abs brake module. Have cleaned and dried thoroughly twice only to have contamination reoccur.

I had a total loss of brake function on my 2001 Ford Windstar se for 5 seconds.

Red brake indicator and yellow abs indicator come on randomly. They come on at any speed and usually reset after turn off and turn on. They may come back on immediately or next day. Seems to be false indication. No indication of brake or abs problems.

The abs and brake indicator lights randomly come on, stay on for different lengths of time, then shut off again for a while. There is no telling what causes this to happen. This issue was present when the vehicle was purchased. The previous owners had it checked out numerous times, could never find the cause. I have had them checked, same results.

Mid 2008 our family minivan abs (anti-lock brake system) light started coming on which meant this feature was disabled. The owners manual states this not to be a problem unless the brake! light also comes on and stays on. For a number of years now the brake! light has come on and it is usually just that we'd hit a bump and the e-brake handle had moved slightly and would go off when handle was reset. Recently after driving 25 miles to work with no problem the rear brake seemed to freeze when it was time to go home. The minivan had to be towed to our dealer. We were told there were a number of failures when the car was hooked up to the computer but that the only noticeable problem was there was a cracked half-shaft and tone ring broke which could have caused false computer readings. These two items were fixed and we were sent on our way knowing that if the lights were to come back on there was a possibility the abs module might have to be replaced - with nothing being said of any possible problems with this system, or any explanation of why our rear tire brakes froze. After some internet investigating is appears this problem is more frequent than stated and can result in a fire which is why this agency is being reported to. Aside from the very expensive auto bills which we have already and will have to pay to get these problems fixed we don't want our family to burn up as we're driving down the road. Thank you for your time and we hope this input and others input will help resolve this problem.

The brakes on my 2001 Ford Windstar Mini-van failed on a highway. I was in the right hand lane and was able to exit the highway into a weigh station (that was fortunately on an incline) and by using the emergency brake and placing the car in neutral I came to a stop at which point I was able to turn the engine off and exit the vehicle with my 9 year old son. If any of the cars in front off me had slowed and/or tried to exit at the same time as me, I would have had to drive off the road or I would have been in an accident.

My 2001 Ford winstar speedometer, odometer,a/c, o/d light flashing, cruise control does not work all at once. I was told it is a defictive brake switch.

Abs and brake dash warning lights are lit indicating failure of the ecm that controls the anti-lock braking system. Multiple requests for Ford to investigate and repair resulted in no assignable causes. Additionally, cruise control and overdrive functions have also now quit.

I have a brake problem with the van. I did a search on the internet to see if anyone could help only to find the exact problem. Lucky for my family I found the sight. It concerns the Ford Windstar 1999-2003 brake and abs problems. I am afraid to haul my family around in this van until it is fixed. . Read more...

The vehicle is a 2001 Ford Windstar sel. While driving on wet / slippery roads, the stopping distance is increased due to a failure of the abs system. The failure of the abs system is indicated by illumination of the abs and brake dashboard lights. The frequency of occurrence is any time the vehicle is running during warm / summer weather and less frequently, but still almost daily, during cool / winter weather. The brakes have been fully inspected and worn or suspect parts replaced. At the last service visit (to a different mechanic than previous visits) the mechanic stated that the computer code indicated that the abs control module needed to be replaced. He also stated that this is a common problem with Ford Windstar vehicles. The failure has not been fixed due to the expense.

Intermittent failure of abs module assy. Ford code 1185. Occurs randomly. Have not taken any action yet. High expense items.

Loss of abs & traction control.

2001 Ford Windstar abs and cruise control will both stop working at the same time.

We purchased a 2001 Windstar. After owning the pre-owned minivan for a few short months we started noticing that the abs, brake, and trac control lights would come one after we started driving. Additionally when the lights are on we do not have abs braking or traction control available. I believe the abs braking system does not work as designed. It seems to happen less frequently during the winter about 60% of the time driving the vehicle. During the other 8 or 9 months the lights are on about 99% of the time. . Read more...

2001 Ford Windstar abs module.

I bought a 2001 Ford Windstar in April 2005. By August, the abs brake came on. I promptly took it to al packer Ford and they charged me $545. 00 to replace the ba control plus labor. Within two years (in August) the light came on again. I researched and found that many families are having a problem. It goes on and off frequently, and I am very concerned about a fire. I can not afford to pay for this piece every two years, especially when it is a defective part. Thank you.

Anti-lock brake (abs) warning light comes on during warm summer months and abs system is disabled. Light goes off starting in the fall and stays mainly off until late spring.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, the emissions, abs and rear brakes warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The warning indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The failure would recur whenever the engine was in operation. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was previously notified of the defect. The failure mileage was unknown.