Four problems related to battery dead have been reported for the 2002 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Ford Windstar based on all problems reported for the 2002 Windstar.
Abs and brake lights come on intermittently. I applied the brakes heavily and all 4 wheels locked up. The vehicle was uncontrollable while braking. The speedometer is erratic. The battery is dead sometimes after sitting overnight. The hazard lights come on by them selves. The door locks do not work properly. The tire indicator lights come on for no reason.
Neighbor came by early and told me the brake lights were on. I went out to inspect but didn't see them on. Got in the car an hour later and noticed smoke and horrible "electrical" smell. I checked the entire car, but found nothing, when I went to start it, the battery was dead. Had my friend give me a jump, hooked up cables and sat in the Windstar for a minute, I then heard crackling and immediately smelled smoke. Under closer examination I found it was the center, upper brake light assembly completely melted, bulbs were contorted. Had the assembly replaced with a Ford part from dealer, three days later it happened again, so I removed bulbs before it completely melted. The center "third" brake light does not shut off, even when car is off, 12, strong volts to bulb socket, on or off! left and right brake lights work fine. . . For now. I have no doubt my car would have completely been destroyed, had it not been for the battery going dead.
Brake lights come on when vehicle is off and they will stay on after you remove your foot from the pedal. We have had the brake pedal switch replaced 2 times already and it keeps happening. If the lights come on in the middle of the night (has happened several times), the van will not start in the morning. This remains an ongoing problem which the repair shop can not fix and recommended that we file this report. This has been going on for the last couple of years. The van sometimes smells hot inside if we catch it before the battery goes dead. I'm not sure what to put for the approximate incident date so I will put today's date since it did it again today.
My vehicle has had the brake light, the check engine light, the abs light on at all times and the over drive light is blinking and now the odometer is blank. We have taken the van into the Ford dealership and they have no idea what to do. The brakes squeal and the battery dies often.