general problems of the 2003 Ford Windstar

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, white smoke started to emerge fronm the engine compartment. The contact exited the vehicle and then it engolfed in flames. The police was present and a report was issued. The fire department extinguished the fire. No injuries reported. . The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehichcle was not repaired. The fire department labeled the vehicle destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 182,000. Bp.

I was backing down the driveway when my Ford Windstar 2003 engine started revving and I had to put both feet on the breaks to stop the car from running out of control. After I put both feet on the brakes to release the engine from revving did it stop. It happened again on the same day and it took all my strength to stop the Ford Windstar 2003 model. It could have done a lot of damage either to another car or a person. It is very dangerous and this problem has to be corrected or put on a recall basis before other people who might have the problem, can either get it fixed or taken off the road.

Went to pull out of parking space. None of the gears worked. Ended up having vehicle towed. Thankful my husband wasn't on the way to work going 60-65 mph. Contacted Ford and was told too bad since it wasn't diagnosed by one of their dealers shops but by a mechanic we've been using for years. I'm wondering why the freestar was recalled for this issue and not the Windstar. This should not be happening at 63k miles.

This vehicle was mine and given to my daughter in law for their family. She put it into reverse to leave her driveway and there was no response. Neither the drive or reverse was working. . . Nothing worked. It was towed to a local garage to determine what the problem was and the report was. . . Transmission!! it was double checked by a Ford dealer and the outcome indicated that it was the transmission torque converter specifically. Doing a bit of research, it was discovered that this is not uncommon for this vehicle. . . Why???? it seems to me that for a family vehicle by a domestic name brand such as Ford, that the family should be able to get more than 96000 miles out of their vehicle!! the cost factor for repairs is in the $1500 to $2000 range and the laughable part is that there is no recall!!!!! hello, what kind of product noted for a particular problem is not recalled to fix the issue for hard working families who trust Ford to make a good product? Ford. . . You need a recall here!!! or some kind of reduced or prorated way to fix this for way less money than the above stated. I'd like a response to this complaint please with your excuses lined up neatly for me to follow. I feel horrible having given her the car and this happens. She and our son are hard pressed to pay for this kind of repair. How can Ford stand by and allow this kind of thing to happen?.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. While approaching a stop, the driver depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the driver had to engage the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle. The brakes, abs, engine, and door ajar warning lights previously illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the abs electrical module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,190.

I purchased this vehicle this morning, 4/29/15. I took it for a test drive last night, no problems. This morning when I left the house to get the title transferred and vehicle registered, the brake light came on. When I got to my destination and turned it off, then turned it back on, the light remained on, and the abs light came one. Neither will go off. I had a 1998 Windstar that I sold due to age but loved. I am not happy to have this issue the first day I own its replacement.

The break and abs light came on the day after I bought the 2003 Windstar. I had to do some research to figure out that it needed a little bit of work because the previous owner lied about why they wanted to sell the van. They said nothing was wrong with it and it ran great. Well now there are some major issues with the Windstar. Shortly after the break and abs light came on the engine light came on. Now I am trying to come up with the money to fix this problem.

Purchased a 2003 Ford Windstar on 10/14/13,drove vehicle to south carolina from new jersey on 10/15/13,about halfway there noticed a loud clunking while braking, or turning vehicle left or right. Had vehicle looked at by mechanic on 10/24/13. It was diagnosed as having a completely rotted subframe and motor mounts. I looked into recalls on the vehicle and found one for the subframe ,number 11s16. I called Ford motor corporation on oct30,and 31st about the recall. I was told it was repaired back in apr18,2011. Repairs done were an inspection of subframe,and all looked well. Subframe was never replaced ,now 2 years later,Ford has wiped it's hands clean of the recall saying it was satisfied on apr18,2011,by a mechanic claiming the subframe looked ok at the time. How does a faulty part that could cause a major accident,become ok because it looked good at the time of inspection?I am appalled and dishearten that a major corporation such as Ford would take the easy way out and say it's not responsible for a part that they recalled initially,and now say that because it was inspected,it now is fine. I thought a recall was in place for public safety,and if so,how does it expire?.

I was driving home from whitefish montana which is about 20 miles from my home when the van just stopped, it kept running but would not move so I shut the van off and it wouldn't start unless it was jumped, so we jumped it all the way home. We ended up replacing the battery and the alternator the van ran good for one day and than my o/d light started flashing and the van was running really rough and would not shift our of firtst causing me to only go 35 mph in a 70 mph, not fun at all. Got it home and looked up some information on line and they told me to check the #19 fuse in the fus box under the hood and sure enough the fuse was blown so I drove it around the block and it blew again. So we put in a 20 amp fuse and I made it home but this morning I went out to go to work and it started and it drove but than jsut stopped there was nothing there, I turned the ignition off and tried to restart it and nothing, no noise no nothing so I had to push the van to my house, just imagine what could of happened if I would of been in heavy traffic and my van did this. I love Fords but this is rediculous I can not afford to fix all these issues that continue to arise what next a fire under the hood. Please someone help me with this.

Both the emergency brake light and anti-lock braking light on instrument panel were illuminated within 5 minutes of having started the car. After approximately 10 minutes, all electrical appliances failed, including directionals, brake lights, etc. The engine continued to run, however it struggled on uphill climbs.

As the drivers of Ford Windstars we all got treated unfair Ford wont even help its current Ford Windstar drivers I've met alot Windstar owners and they are agitated,, first off only had this since last year and after the last 6 months of this it has been a terrible van to drive, first changing the alternator 3 x's and the battery 4's really would get a person violent, whatever happened to customer service beyond the mile of service as Ford always talks, don't get me wrong the van can go miles til empty, also, the back windows the driver side doesn't open, it gets hot back there, OH wait the ac don't work in the rear either, don't go to far on a hot ride 4 hours away, you'll be sweating within the 10 miles you'll be drenched, when you open a car or van , big rig,limo, bus, the lights come on , not this mean pup, if you drop money, better wait til morning you'll be searching all nite, it doesn't matter who the current driver the vehicle is you should proceed to bring them in for adjustments, there cost, OH wait you just put $500 in it, here we go again, another $200, by the time it hits 6 months you just spent money you needed for groceries, OH wait $5. 00 is all you got, now you gotta beg for food, and don't have no money to do squat, Ford I hope this reaches you, so you see I cant tolerate a non honest company, I should have bought that Honda or that Acura, pure smooth running cars right there, quality built is there name and I stand behind them, Ford you get 1 star, Honda 10 stars. . . A driver of the unwinning 2003 Ford Windstar se, Ford you got that buyback program still, she really needs a new home, a home worth big bucks to dump into her, anyone reading this out here, if you here of any help for this sick 2003 Ford Windstar se, Ford is it about time you , demote and let a new car maker come to town.

While driving on the highway on a trip from chicago to north caroline, my car suddenly lost power. It was as if I just put it into neutral; I could hear the engine rev when I applied the gas but nothing else happened. Luckily, I was near an exit ramp and pulled to the side of the road without incident. I tried putting the car into another gear, but there was no change. We ended up getting the car towed to a garage, where they determined it was an issue with the transmission. Later, after pulling the transmission apart, they determined it was specifically the torque converter which had failed. My family and I (including 4 children and 4 dogs) had to stay in a hotel for 3 days until the car was repaired. During that time, I investigated this particular vehicle problem (via the internet) and found that it is common in Windstars and freestars. There is a recall in place for the freestar but not enough complaints have been filed for the Windstar yet. This needs to be rectified ASAP!!!! I was lucky that I was driving in conditions that allowed me to safely maneuver my car to the side of the road without causing or being involved in a accident. The safety of myself, my children and the other people on the road with me, a Windstar owner, should not be put at risk because of a known torque converter defect. The Windstar needs to be added to the Ford recall for torqued converters immediately.

0i was parked outside my home. I went out to my van to go pick up dinner and to my distress, the van wouldn't reverse or go forward. After some investigation from online source and auto mechanics, this is an ongoing problem with Ford's transmissions. No warning of a problem. In the past weeks,my interior lights would come on while im driving. This van is a hazzard. You really need to investigate this please.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that after receiving notification of a manufacturer's recall for the motor brackets, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs. Months after the recall repairs while the contact was driving approximately 5 mph, the engine began shifting abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised the contact that two motor mounts were fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The mechanic advised the contact that the failure may have been caused by the previous recall repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000. The VIN was unavailable. Kmj.

I was driving down the road and all of a sudden I had to acceleration or reverse or anything. It was like I was out of gear. I drifted over to the side of the road and called a tow. I needed a new transmission. That was Feb. 2011 I just had the same incident happen again to me Dec. 2012- transmission needs rebuilt again! mileage is 82000 are you kidding! 2 transmissions in less than 2 years! the torque converter both times!.

I brought my car to the Ford dealer for routine oil and filter maintenance and while on the lift it was brought to my attention that the rear axle is cracked and barely intact. This car was not safe to drive. I had it replaced and $1,300 dollars later. The representative states that my car is about the 4th in their dealership within the month with rear axle cracked.

I purchased a 2003 Ford Windstar se on February 2, 2010 and it was on fire in my driveway February 6,2010 4am. I had not driven it over 6hrs before. I think all these vehicles should be off the road. The car by the way was a total loss not to mention a great inconvenience.

Vehicle caught fire while driving down the freeway. Completely burned and burned nearby field containing magnesium.

We owned a 2003 Ford Windstar, which we had not had any incidents prior besides interior lights flickering. We were driving on the interstate at approximately 65mph when I suddenly saw a very dense light gray smoke in the driver's side mirror. We pulled over immediately. I told everyone to exit the vehicle upon seeing flames under the vehicle in front of the drivers front tire, under the engine. We never lost power while driving and the engine showed no signs of failure. Everyone exited the vehicle without injury but unfortunately the fire was rampant and consumed the vehicle prior to emergency officials arriving. There were multiple explosions from the vehicle during the fire. Please look into this, as I now know from looking into it further that there seems to be a trend of engine compartment fires in this model. We also were not informed of the recall for the cruise control/brake wiring issue. The insurance company considered it a total loss so nothing could be done due to the issue.

On November 10, 2008, my wife was heading home from work at midnight when the 2003 Ford Windstar she used lost all gears without notice. She left work and made several stops at lights and never noticed a problem until she was at a stop sign. When she went to execute the turn, the gears were gone. I had to push the vehicle to an empty lot for a tow in the morning. The vehicle was towed to the regular service garage I use. The problem ended up being a failed spline that stripped out at 52,008 miles. There was never any warning to indicate a problem for to take proactive and safe measures. The garage stated no preventable maintenance I would have done would have prevented this failure. The result was $1658 repair to replace the failed spline. I'm glad my wife was not on the highway with my children when this could have failed, the results could have been fatal.

I have had multiple problems with my 2003 Windstar sel to include complete failure of the vacuum system where brakes, power steering didn't work had to have towed. The dealership could not fix and did not have a recall. Hoses in this system kept coming off. Interior lights kept flashing on without any being turned on. Also the "passenger door is open" light stays on. Along with abs/brake light stays on. I have taken my van in to have brakes checked. There was no problem with brakes. I have maintenance done on regular basis. Problems started with 50,000 miles. I am a single woman and need reliable transportation which this van is not. When is Ford going to recall for electrical problems? dealership is of no help, only want to charge for something they can't fix. I took to dealership when front passenger window didn't open. Dealership stated that it needed a new motor. I knew better as this had happen before. Took home and after a little bump in the road window started working again. Part of the crappy workmanship Ford used to put together. Also dealership stated there was no recall for the problem with vacuum system which I was told was a design problem. Ford needs to address all the problems associated with this model. I wonder how many others have this same problem?.

Was on the street driving, lights started flashing on dashboard van shut off in the middle of the street battery, alternator, blew out, was driving again van was ilde up really bad and while my feet was on the brakes it started moving on its own and ran into someone else vehicle, and also van was on the road started running bad broke down on a busy street once I was pushed to a safe location all my fluids were on the ground and the van was smoking really bad and lights on dashboard were flashing.

Pot hole was hit and consequently, the engine had to be replaced. Damaged the engine.

We own a 2003 Ford Windstar van. Ever since we have had the van after running at cruising speed the engine will not idle down. We have taken it to the dealer several times but they could not fix it. Being a former Ford tech. I tried to fix it my self and replaced the tps sensor with no luck. No matter where you set the idle speed the problem will come back. We have been dealing with problem for three years now and are growing very tired. Not only is this dangerous it is wearing out brakes faster. It seems to be an electronic problem where the computer will not lower the idle. I have checked the throttle cable and throttle valve and nothing is binding. I can't blame the mechanic at the dealership, I blame Ford. I hope this can be corrected before someone gets hurt. I bought this van so I would not have to worry about my wife and kids.

While driving flames began to shoot from underneath the vehicle.