Automatic Transmission problems of the 2003 Ford Windstar - part 1

On may 23rd 2022 I was driving on interstate 45 the speed limit through where I was driving was 75 all of a sudden with no warning no engine light on my transmission stopped working and I could not break I was able to safely get over thank goodness but there is a recall on my transmission which almost killed me that needs to be replaced.

2003 Ford Windstar. Consumer states problem with vehicle transmission the consumer stated water would get inside the transmission at times and the reverse gear is failing.

While driving on the highway in delaware with my family the van I suddenly loss acceleration. Thank god I was able to get over to the side of the road but this has to be a safety concern. Without notice lose acceleration and now no gears work. 2003 Ford Windstar. After searching on line there a lot of people who had the same thing happen to them. This van has been a major problem with the axle breaking while driving and that was recalled. How can this not be recalled as it almost the same result. Accident.

Van shuddered while accelerating, loud roar on driver side of van, problem persisted even after I took it into the shop, the shop claimed they were unable to find any codes for the problem. Drove all day June 15 with only above listed problems, got in the van the same night only to find the car would not move. No warnings, no check engine light, van was shifted into reverse with no movement, only rising rpms. I have checked numerous online forums only to discover hundreds of people having this same problem and Ford has not reimbursed anyone or done a recall, even though it is the same year model on almost every forum complaint. My van is now in the shop, there is no telling how much I am going to be charged to get my van back, I have 5 children and have to have my van. I cannot afford to go out and put a down payment on a new van of a different make. Can someone please correct this problem?.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph and passing another vehicle when the engine exhibited an abnormal increase in rpms and the vehicle would not shift into any gear. There was no prior warning of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to a local mechanic shop where he was awaiting diagnosis and possible repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was 97,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated while driving 65 mph the vehicle started slowing down and as the accelerator was depressed the speed continued to decrease. There were no warning lights illuminated and the contact was unable to increase speed when the accelerator pedal was engaged. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer stated they would not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 117,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph and attempting to change lanes. When the accelerator pedal was engaged there was no power response. Also, a rapid increase in the rpms occurred. The gear would not shift out of the park position. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The contact suspected that the failure was related to the transmission but the mechanic had not yet confirmed the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 05/04/11 updated 05/09/11.

The transmission in my 2003 Ford Windstar. I understand this is a very common issue and should be addressed in a recall.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated while driving 20 mph the transmission suddenly malfunctioned in the middle of the road. The contact then pushed the vehicle to the side of the road and had it towed. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the transmission and the manufacturer informed the contact there is no recall and the vehicle has to be towed at the contact expense to the dealer. The contact stated this is a known issue with the transmission for this year make and model. The contact stated manufacturer should issue a recall. The failure mileage was 85,000. Jo.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds to make a turn and after braking, the vehicle would not accelerate forward. No warning lights illuminated on the instrumental panel. The vehicle was unable to be driven so it was towed to a dealer. They informed the contact that the input shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

I was just driving down the road and my transmission on my 2003 Ford Windstar completely went out with no warning! no drive or reverse! thankfully I was on a back road and not the hwy. The transmission will have to be replaced but I dont have the money to do so right now. In the manner that the transmission goes out without any warning, this is a huge safety risk and could cause a wreck that results in death.

2003 Ford Windstar rear axle complaint and transmission. First of all, I was left stranded when the transmission went out on christmas eve. Merry christmas to me from Ford. Ford wants $3800 to replace it. The van is only worth that. Then I find out that Ford has had many complaints and failures with the transmission. Why do I have to pay for this. I take care of and maintain my vehicles and I get this handed to me. Then the dealer tells me that the axle needs to be replaced and it might be 6 weeks before the part even comes in. They will not buy the van back because it is a 2003. I think they should. They are the ones who sold me this vehicle and now I have to deal with it. Buy the time they pay for my rental and fix the axle, it would be cheaper to buy me out and save there customer alot of stress.

2003 Ford Windstar, less than 60000 miles, transmission just died, no warning no nothing. . . Unable to repair due to the cost of rebuilding, estimate is $2300 on a 4000 dollar van.

2003 Ford Windstar' transmission went out while driving on the highway without any warning. Car only has 56,000 miles on it.

The right front sub frame on my 2003 Windstar corroded causing the lower control arm to separate and wheel to pull out. Lost steering. Also axles shaft pulled from transmission and fluid ran out. Fortunately at slow speed so no accident, but what if I were on a freeway running fast?.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While driving 10 mph the contact noticed that the vehicle would no longer accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 130000.

2003 Windstar transmission lite dash "over drive is off". I checked the fuses no. 14 10 amp was blowed this also goes to the side electrochromatic mirrors that stopped working. Put new fuse in. I drive 14 miles at 45mph fuse blowes again. ,.

Sudden failure of transmission while driving at low speed, taking left turn up a small incline in the road. Car would not move with engine power either forward or reverse. Felt like it was in neutral in all shifter drive and reverse positions. Towed to repair shop, vehicle required complete rebuilt transmission costing over $3000.

I was driving my vehicle and came upon a red light. When it turned green I pressed on the gas and I heard it rev up but did not move. Was able to let it coast to the side. I called aaa and had it towed. The mechanic looked it over and said I would need new transmission. Before the incident, it never showed any signs of slippage. Still awaiting to come up with $1,300. 00 to have transmission rebuilt.

Sudden lose of transmission function, driving and suddenly there is no gears just neutral, no warning, 2003 Ford Windstar.

Without any prior problems or warnings my 2003 Ford Windstar with only 66,600. Miles the transmission just quit. I parked it christmas eve and it was fine three days later I went to leave and it won't go into gear. I have also had electrical problems with the back hatch sensor. It says door is ajar and either minutes later , hours , days while I'm driving it will start beeping , lock the doors and light goes off.

Od light flashing, abs light on, speedometer not working, odometer not working, air conditioner not working, smoke underhood, engine light on this all happened to my wife while on the interstate about 90 miles form home.

No problems with 2003 Ford Windstar transmission. Vehicle has approx 88,000 miles. Vehicle running at highway speed when transmission whined and quit. Left occupants stranded. Upon online search, hundreds of issues with the make and model having issues with the same part.

The Ford Windstar stop suddenly without warning. If you are in traffic, this could be fatal.

Transmission went out at 68,000 miles. Driving down highway at 70 mph, when engine revved and we lost all drive. No forward or reverse gears.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that when when the vehicle is cold and driving in reverse, the gear locks and the vehicle continues to move in reverse. The contact continuously placed the gear into drive in order for the vehicle to drive in reverse normally. The vehicle has been taken to a dealer four times, but they could not duplicate the failure. The speed was unknown. The current mileage was 85,873 and failure mileage was 85,273.

I and my wife were returning home from a long trip to settle my son at a rehabilitation center for kids with retardation when the transmission stopped working without any warning at all. It was raining and a tornado warning was issued for where we were. I had to coast to a stop on the side of the road without much available space to clear traffic. I then proceeded to walk to the nearest house which was about 1000 yrds away due to the fact this happened in a rural area and with considerable risk to myself approach a home of people who did not know me, during a period of darkness and rain, and ask for help getting a tow truck. Meanwhile my wife and brother were back at the van with 18 wheelers whirring by during a severe thunderstorm. The chance of a collision due to poor visibility was most definitely a possibility. When the tow truck arrived he had to hookup my van in pouring down rain and tow the van to a safe place until morning so I could then have it towed home. At this time I believe the transmission needs to be replaced but I cannot afford to have it done. Upon research on the internet I discovered that this is a common problem with the Ford winstar.

There is a check engine light on and the van runs rough and almost stops running. There is an error code p0171 and p0174. After taking it to the Ford dealership for the axel recall, it was noted that there is something wrong with the transmission, too. It seems like these are all defects that Ford is aware of, but does nothing to fix for the consumers of their cars.

While driving, the vehicle started to loose forward speed. Then transmission fluid began to pour out from the transaxle, apparently contacting the catalytic converter or engine manifold. The latest caused the vehicle to catch fire, resulting in total a loss and damage to third-party property. At the time of event the vehicle was only 4 years old. This is a serious defect.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stopped accelerating without warning. The contact pulled off the road and shut off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and placed into gear, but it would not move in drive or reverse. The vehicle was towed to a transmission shop and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer has not yet been notified. The VIN, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 99,824.

Driving southbound on i65 in lebabnon, in on way to work at about 65-70 mph. Suddenly the vans tarted to slow even though I was maintaiing pressure on gas pedal. Van continued to slow with tractor trailers racing up behind me, swerving sorund me and hrons blaring. I was bale to get off at the next exit an made it to the end of the ramp where the vheicle just stopped moving.

Abs light comes on intermittent. Being station in europe, it is very important to have my automobile 100% with the autobahns. My Windstar is a 2003 with only 60,000 miles. It has been doing this for the past two years. Also the transmission went completely out. While driving it lost all forward gears and reverse. I had to pay to have transmission rebuilt. This happen Feb 2009.

I started the van and left the driver's door open to run inside the house to get something. When I came back the van was rolling backward across the neighbor's yard. Because the door was open it was ripped backward as it left the garage and hit the side of the garage door. It had rolled off a retaining wall which pulled the front bumper off. It was still rolling across the neighbor's yard when we finally caught it. When I got in the van it was still in park. Thankfully no one was hurt.

We own a 2003 Windstar and the transmission and power steering is going out of it. To me they should last longer than 60,000 miles.

03 Windstar was parked on a slight incline with the engine running, a/c was on. My wife and I unloaded the children from both sides of the van (manual sliding doors) and I unloaded a stroller from the back of the van closing the tailgate. We placed items in our garage and I moved the kid’s toys out of the way so I could pull the van in the garage. My wife needed help taking items in the house and I followed the children into the house. We heard a loud crash. I opened up the door to our garage to find our Windstar had engaged and drove up the drive, through the garage and into a deep freezer and refrigerator, pushing them both through the back wall of our home. The back wall of our house was moved 8 inches off the foundation and the appliances were crushed. The bumper and hood of the van was damaged. The van was idle and still running as it pushed against the appliances. I opened the driver door, took the van out of park and backed it out into the driveway and turned off the van. We are thankful that there were no injuries or deaths. The van was taken to a Ford dealer immediately. The Ford dealer was concerned and had three tech’s look for issues. The tech rep’s could not find any issues with the van and stated that it would be impossible for the vehicle to move forward while in park. In a professional manor they advised me to always turn a vehicle off and remove the key as well as set the parking brake prior to exiting the vehicle. I have a hard time understanding how the van was able to accelerate while in park but was witness to the results. The mechanics stated that strange failures can occur in any machine and confirmed that the van was safe to drive.