Engine Problems of Ford Windstar - part 1

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. The contact stated while driving 10 mph and attempting a right turn, the steering wheel would not turn because the cradle that held the motor was severely rusted and causing the motor to fall to the ground. The contact towed the vehicle to his residence where it was inspected by an independent mechanic. The mechanic concluded that the rusted cradle was causing the failure and would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer was contacted to report the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Windstar 🔎.

Engine light comes on every few weeks after being reset. Codes are for lean bank 1, 2. Vehicle was diagnosed with an intake leak. Mechanics have said that this is a long standing issue with the 3. 8l engine in the Windstar. Cost of repair is $600+. Vehicle will not pass emissions without being repaired.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Windstar 🔎.

My 2003 Ford Windstar cuts off going down the road , 30mph to what ever you are running don;t care. You have to stop and coast off the road best you can put it in park start it up again and then go on, may do it again or again in a day or so this needs to be placed on a recall, everyone I talk to 6 out of 10 people with these vans have the same thing and no one knows what to do about it, please help before some one gets hurt or killed for this crazy mess!!!! thank you.

Check engine stays on after tuneup . . . Does not lose speed . . . Runs rough after accelerating and doesnt not overheat . . . . What is the problem.

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Windstar 🔎.

Sometime between 10:30pm of 28 June and 5am 29 June, my 2001 Ford Windstar spontaneously combusted while parked in the garage of the rectory here at holy assumption church in marblehead, ohio. The van is a total loss as the entire engine compartment and most of the dashboard (on the passenger side) are burnt out or melted. This happened after I twice took my Windstar to an authorized Ford dealership in response to a recall to have a part replaced connected with the cruise control that has been reported as overheating and causing such a fire. There is damage to the interior of the garage (the local fire department does not know why the fire stopped before burning down the garage - since there is concrete evidence of the intense heat of the fire.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Windstar 🔎.

Acts like dying but surges forward with brake on.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Windstar 🔎.

The contact owns a 1998 Ford Windstar. While parking he smelled a burning odor, and then saw flames inside of the engine compartment. He was able to extinguish the fire himself. The manufacturer was notified, and he was advised to call NHTSA because they would not provide assistance. No repairs were made. The failure and current mileages were under 184,347.

See all problems of the 1998 Ford Windstar 🔎.

My 1999 Ford Windstar experienced a significant engine shift while driving. The garage indicated that my passenger side engine cradle had rusted through causing the engine to shift.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began pulling to the right. The contact heard a noise and the steering wheel was not centered. There were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was related to the main engine cradle assembly. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 125,000 and current mileage was 129,000. Updated 11/17/08 updated 11/21/08.

I own a 2001 Ford Windstar van. It is used by my wife. Last weekend, she came home from a local shopping trip and told me the a/c was not blowing cold anymore and the abs and brake light was illuminated. Also the odometer and speedometer were not working. Also the o/d light was blinking on and off. Later in the evening I went and checked my fuses on the van and found the #10 fuse (15amp was burnt). I replaced the fuse with a new one and started the van. The a/c was now blowing very cold and the abs and brake light now was off. After leaving the van running for about 2 minutes, I noticed heavy smoke coming from the engine. I immediately turned off the engine and got a flashlight to see what was burning. I noticed near the master cylinder, a group of wires that had burned near the deactivation switch. I then came inside and searched the internet for this issue and came across a few blogs that stated the same problem. I then brought my vehicle in the next day to an authorized Ford dealership that confirmed the problem as a faulty deactivation switch. I am very lucky that my van did not catch on fire while my wife has been using the van to bring my children to many different places. This is totally an unsafe matter and Ford should be looking into a recall. What more can I do to make this happen??.

Brake malfunction, display of "service engine soon".

The contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar. While stopped at a traffic light, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood. The contact turned off the vehicle and the smoke ceased; however, the hood caught fire when the vehicle was started again. The contact extinguished the fire and there were no injuries. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 135,000.

We were involved in an accident yesterday due to our 1999 Ford Windstar not operating properly. We had 7 people in our van including small children. Luckily, none of us were injured, but the potential for injury was definitely there. As we were approaching a stop light at about 35 mph the abs brake light and battery light came on and we lost all power. We had no brakes or power steering. It was evident we were not going to be able to stop so my husband opted for the ditch. Steering was very difficult and we hit a stop light on the right hand side of the road with the left front end of the van and eventually came to a stop about 4 ft. From a utility pole. The van was driving fine with no indication of malfunction prior to losing all power suddenly. We have in the past experienced the battery light or the abs brake light coming on when it was raining or after driving through standing water but have not experienced losing all power until yesterday. We have also had problems with the engine cutting out after driving on the highway for awhile and then driving on city streets at lower speeds. It seems that when your driving on just city streets at lower speeds we don't experience this problem, and also not typically while we are on the highway driving at higher speeds (although we have had it cut out a couple times on the highway). It seems to usually occur after we have been on the highway driving at higher speeds for awhile and then exit on to lower speed roads. The engine just suddenly dies. We can typically start it right back up again, but it will continue to die and start back up several times.

The intake went at 58,000 miles brought to Ford dealer and it was covered under warranty . 1 year later had same problem and van was out of warranty and Ford refused to cover had to pay $1,800 dollars. Then last year the transmission went van had 78,000 miles. Ford will not fix they would not repo it. They are now trying to sue me for a defective vehicle.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Windstar 🔎.

Ford Windstar 1996. I have seen that many of these models and previous years as well have had severe head gasket problems. Head gasket regularly fails at around 80,000 miles. Nasa says a head gasket should last at least 120,000. Ford does not care. Ford does not stand behind their product. I am basically screwed because now I don't have a car. I still owe on it but it doesn't run. $2,000+ to fix it and it will probably fail again. The head gasket going out caused the upper 02 sensor to go bad. It also sprayed the number 2 cylinder causing it to fail thus alerting me to a problem, which may have resulted in a blown engine. At no time while I have owned this vehicle has it ever overheated even slightly. Heat was not the cause, it was faulty from the beginning. Car auto safety has reported 429 complaints about the Windstar!.

Engine seized at 78,568 miles; all preventive maintenance up to date; inspection of engine resulted in 3 fractured pistons, scored cylinder walls, bent rods and large chunks of metal debris secondary to the engine seizure.

While idling at a stop light with brakes activated, engine suddenly accelerated, starting car moving forward. Releasing the over drive option on the gear shift stopped the uncontrolled engine revving. This was the third occurrence of this problem. I have a visit to the dealership scheduled to investigate.

The contact states has been having several problems with vehicle since 2002. On April 28, 2004 the speedometer was not providing an accurate speed reading. On December 9, 2004 the sliding door would not unlock or slide properly. The dealer replaced the door lock actuator and determined that the slide wheels were dry. The dealership replaced the door latch, and now it needed replacement again. On February 5, 2005 the engine was replaced at 75, 172 miles, and on November 21, 2005 the power steering failed and was replaced. All repairs have been done at contact's expense.

See all problems of the 1997 Ford Windstar 🔎.

Consumer request for recall on Ford Windstar 2000, sounds like valves rattling.

I have a '1996 Ford Windstar. It was taken into the shop for an oil change and they discovered water in the oil. I know that Ford knows this is a problem. There has been no damage to the motor but the head does need to be fixed. The repairs have not been done yet because they are costly. I feel Ford should at the least help cover some of the cost.

1999 Ford Windstar suddenly spurts antifreeze from intake valve gasket. Ford dealer notified and I was told that they knew it was a problem with the 3. 8l v6 and they would not fix the problem because they could not guarantee the work since it was a design problem. Also, told that "extended warranty" for the problem was expired.

Problems encountered by consumer on 1996 Ford Windstar. (nar).

Ford winstar head gasket premature failure.

Purchased a 1998 Windstar on 11/20/01. We had to replace the transmission only four months later, at only 44,000 miles. This van currently has a busted head gasket and is inoperable at only $64,000. 00 miles. These issues with this make and model are quite common and wide-spread. For motor company is quite aware. Both problems could have caused serious accidents and property damages. They are excessive and extraordinary.

Our 1998 fird Windstar engine siezed.

2000 Windstar with design flaw with the front valve cover causes costly repairs.

Blown head gasket on 1998 Ford Windstar. Head gasket is not a service item and should last for the life of the vehicle. There are many reports of similar problems with the Ford 3. 8l engine.

Engine service light came on, indicating a failure in the engine not running smoothly. Dealer changed oxygen sensor and other parts; but problem still occurred.

Consumer stated that head gasket is cracked. Dealer and manufacturer has been notified.

Blown head gasket on 1998 Ford Windstar at 85,000 miles.

1996 Ford Windstar 3. 8 liter engine with 83,000 miles on it blew head gasket in December 2002. Paid over $1200 for repairs. Sent a complaint to Ford motor company requesting assistance. Response was that the 1996 model is not covered under recall. June 19, 2003 after paying repairs mentioned above, the engine blew. The vehicle is completely disabled and will cost over $3500 to repair.

96 Windstar 3. 8l engine . Blown head gasket . 90,000 miles on vehicle. Dealer quote $1500. -$1800. To repair head gasket. Service manager suggested replace engine $4000. Service manager admitted there is a definite problem with this engine Ford knows of the problem . The service manager gave me the telephone # for Ford customer complaints and wished me good luck. Three independent mechanics told me there is definitely a problem with the 3. 8l engine and Windstars. One of the mechanics " 9 out of 10 Windstars blow head gaskets". His suggestion of vehicles to avoid when shopping for a vehicle -------------Ford Windstar-------- Ford dealer offered to take my Windstar in trade and they would re-wholesale the vehicle not repair it. No thanks Ford will be last on my list of vehicle's to own. " made in America and proud of it" ??? how about it Ford?.

The consumer noticed the engine raced when a stop was made. Consumer had to place the engine in neutral in order to stop the vehicle. The motor raced three to four rpm's when the consumer tried to stop. The computer didn't show a sign of failure.

The vehicle caught on fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. . . .

1996 3. 8 Ford Windstar has a blown head gasket which ruined my engine. Ford refused to do anything to help with this problem even though it is a well know problem.