Wiring Problems of Ford Windstar - part 2

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted white smoke and caught on fire. There were no injuries as a result of the fire however, the vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was inspected and the failure was located at the wiring harness and the abs pump module, which was leaking brake fluid. The failure caused the wiring harness to become burned. The failure and the current mileage was 86,037.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Windstar 🔎.

I have had several electrical failures with this vehicle include the wires corroding for the brake/abs lines, the ignition wires failing and the more minor codes produced for faulty sensors in the door ajar system. I am currently determining if it pays for me to replace the wiring, or junk the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Windstar 🔎.

While partially parked into the garage, after driving for one hour and sitting for half of an hour, smoke was observed from under van. Smoke stopped and noticed "abs" warning light on. Brakes worked, but cruise control did not. Dealer installed/ replaced: 1) brake kit/ brake pressure deactivation switch, 2) ecm control module, 3) valve asy. 4) two wiring harnesses (one was a used from a Ford escape, due to the availability and cost. ), 5) two fuses, 6) brake fluid and misc. Shop supplies. It was at the dealer for 11 days, cost for repairs was $1831. Drove it 5 miles and "check engine" light came on. The dealer stated this was not related to original problem. It was the dpfe sensor: $331 to repair. Normally the van is garaged, luckily something was in the way of fully pulling it into the garage and the fire went away quickly. Dealer stated it was a "catastrophic failure" and that the deactivation switch had nothing to due with the valve asy. Going bad/leaking causing a fire.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Windstar 🔎.

My 2001 Windstar has never been in any accident. Last summer while standing and running it all of a sudden had smoke rising on the exterior of the van on the driver side, most likely due to the low brake fluid sensor leaking at the bottom of the brake master cylinder. My cruise control became intermittent and my abs light came on after hitting a bump. A local shop stated that a wire was loose and it would cost a $1000 to find the problem. Today I learned that the switch is leaking and the connector to the wiring harness is burned and has been shorted by leaking brake fluid. Thankfully that I did shut down the car when the smoke appeared and I did not have a fire. I understand that the NHTSA is investigating Windstars that have had fires or problems like this.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Windstar 🔎.

Ford Windstar brake, abs brake, cruise control, and speedometer/odometer electrical problems * brake light (red) stays on * 15 amp fuse #10 blowing out * fire or smoke coming from under the van abs ecm area while off. * melted abs ecm wiring connector. * speedometer and odometer stop working. * cruise control will not activate or deactivates without warning. * abs brake light (yellow).

To do with on going investigation on NHTSA action number : pe08035 NHTSA Ford / Windstar 1995-2003 component : electrical system electrical system:wiring vehicle speed control I have replaced two of these speed control items on my master cylinder and now am having problems with the abs module, it is faulting out and was told it needs to be replaced. At nearly $1000 to replace has not happened yet. . .

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Windstar 🔎.

I have a 99 Ford Windstar with the VIN # included in the supposed recall, but when I wrote Ford they said that it was not in that list- it starts with 2. My van has begun to burn under the hood and smoke smelling like wiring on fire. A fire had not actually started. Do I have to wait until it does and someone does for them to admit that there is something wrong with my van? it is at the second service station because I do not trust my Ford dealership, with good reason. I have it in for the second week at a second service station with nothing to drive. How do I get this done expeditiously?.

My cruise control speed accelerated then went out not working at all, abs light goes off and on even after I had brake work done, odometer and speedometer stopped working on 1/16/08, brake fluid is leaking from the master cylinder, fuse 10 keeps blowing, this last time 1/18/08 smoke under the hook by master cylinder. Someone said it might catch fire.

My family and I were exiting the new york state thruway at exit 25a on wed 8/8 at approximately 8:30pm. Sparks were noticeable on the passenger side of our 2001 Ford Windstar. The sparks were coming from under the left side of the hood. As we went through the toll booth and onto the exit ramp to route 7, smoke began coming in the air vents. At that time I pulled to the shoulder of the ramp and looked in the rear of the car for a fire extinguisher. Unfortunately I did not have one in the car. I then went to assist my wife with getting our 5 year old son out of the back seat. At that time I noticed flames coming from under the hood on the left side. We exited the vehicle and another person assisted me with getting various belongings out. We then waited for help to arrive. The car was totally destroyed by the fire. The insurance company took care of what they considered the value (this value was lower than the nada value). I protested this but was told they could not consider nada due to its accessibility online. Their value resulted in my having to pay $1000 to fulfill my loan obligation and release the lien to the insurance company. I then contacted Ford and reported the incident to which their reply was the insurance company could pursue restitution but not myself. Why is it that I am the one that suffers this great loss? we have spent $2000 to satisfy this loan and put a down payment on a new car. This clearly is the responsibility of Ford. Cars do not just catch on fire for no reason. There are many recalls on Ford products. Lawyers have not responded to my messages regarding this matter because no one was injured. I am only seeking for Ford to take responsibility for this or the insurance company to pay the proper value of my vehicle.

While driving to work I noticed my odometer and speedometer quit working and then every light possible lit up, so when I got to work my husband told me to see if I could get it to grande truck center in san antonio. I left it and later received a call telling me the wiring harness had shorted out and I was very lucky that my van did not burn up. I was told maybe a varmint had chewed on the wires, but my van is always parked in the garage at night. . I decided to do some research after recalling an incident not far from our home that involved some type of Ford SUV that caught fire in the garage and burned the house down. All this was due to a faulty cruise control switch that cost about 21. 00. I found that millions of vehicles had been recalled by Ford because of this problem and the Windstar was on the list of having the same or similar switch, but was not recalled and still has not been recalled. I have put a request in with grande truck to be reimbursed, since it was a manufacturer error and nothing I did, but to date I have not heard from them. I emailed Ford to ask why my van was not recalled and received an answer that all recalls are handled by the NHTSA. Yes, I do have the original switch that was removed from the van (looks like part#f58a-9f924-aa 2063) it was kind of hard to read. The invoice states replace abs module & hydraulic unit, replace wire harness & cruise control switch, service bleed, bleed sys. $2654. 81. My husband was allowed to see the wiring harness that was almost burnt in half, but that was not kept. I thank god that there was no real tragedy that came out of this, but I also feel that Ford is responsible and should take action to reimburse me my money. I would like to know if you have received any other complaints on the Ford Windstar. When I contacted your office by phone I was told that there was a new recall as of 8-31-2007, that included the Windstar, but I did not see that information. Thank you for your time. Updated 12/12/07.

Intermittent abs & brake light have appeared a few months after we bought the van but far enough after our "used car warranty period". I just found out today 1/10/11 that it needs the electronic control unit replaced which effects the abs system. Estimated repair/replacement cost is about $850 due to the specific syncing to the vehicle that needs to take place before during and after as well as labor getting to it and installing it. . . This is not something that is wear and tear. I've only had my van for 3 years. Apparently the heat makes it expand and contract placing stress on the solder joints cracking the solder joints. We should reconsider the placement of this control module on the vehicle and/or the materials that encase it. Not sure if any connection to the wiring harness or not. I'm thoroughly frustrated. It's currently in for the rear axle inspection repair/replacement warranty only reason I found out.

- the contact called regarding the 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated when he started the vehicle the contact began to smell wires burning. The contact stated that he saw smoke coming out from under the driver's front seat and exited the vehicle. The engine was located under the driver's front seat. The failure mileage was 138,000. The fire went out by itself. The contact did not take the vehicle to dealer for repairs. The vehicle was drivable. There were no warning indicators. The failure and current mileages were 138000.

Our anti-lock brakes failed on our 2002 Ford Windstar. A defective switch had leaked brake fluid into an engine wiring harness causing the anti-lock brake system to fail. We were told by the Ford dealer that the repair would be about $1,500, we were no longer under warranty, and that the vehicle could catch on fire at any time. This included when the vehicle was not running and parked in the garage. The service writer also stated that he could not believe that Ford had not recalled the Windstar as the same failure of the anti-lock system on the pick-ups had been.

: the contact stated while driving 35mph on a street in rainy weather, the brake warning light illuminated. A bystander alerted the contact that the rear brake lights were inoperative. Upon initial inspection the contact determined the rear brake wiring harness was wet and corroded from rainwater and it needed to be replaced. The dealer and manufacturer were alerted.

: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in an idle position, smoke began coming out from under the hood. There were no warning signals prior to the incident. Upon inspection, the cruise control deactivation switch and the brake master cylinder were observed to be completely burnt. The service dealer was contacted, and determined that the fire began in the deactivation switch. The dealer refused to offer a new cruise control deactivation switch and wiring for the electrical system. The manufacturer alerted the contact that replacement parts that were available were defective.

On June 16, 2006, while vehicle was parked in a parking lot, someone informed us that my 2002 Ford Windstar was smoking from under the hood. An internal fire occurred, damaging the wiring harness and windshield wiper motor. Unaware to the cause of said fire the damaged parts were replaced. Then other problems started to arise, the vehicle cruise control stopped working, the abs/brake light remained on and the speedometer was not working properly (not accurately reading). The local Ford dealer was informed of the before-mentioned problems including the internal fire that had occurred , at the time of the initial brake pressure deactivation switch recall. The dealer stated that the brake pressure deactivation switch indeed was leaking and that they supposedly checked the abs control module. Still the abs/brake light remained on and the speedometer did not work properly. On 3/14/14 the Windstar was taken to a local gargage to diagnose the abs/brake issues again. It was determined that said unit needed to be replaced. The abs module was subsequently removed and examined the control module (3/21/2014). The abs module suffered an internal fire and the wiring harness connector was melted and damaged. Also found was evidence of significant burning around the pins at the connections. This evidence included the blackened fluid, severe discoloration, and lifted traces, all of which are clearly apparent in photos of the module interior. The local dealer refused to repair or replace the module under the recall claim, stating that it was not part of the recall, and that said recall was closed. Ford has been negligent in this matter and luckily the vehicle prio to today, has not become a runaway fire event and burned to the ground!! at this time the vehicle has not been repaired, and is sitting idle. I have kept the damaged control module for examination.

I smelled some type of plastic burning while waiting at a stop light. After turning into the store I discovered the smell stayed with my car. After parking, I noticed smoke pouring from under the hood. I lifted the hood and discovered a connector was overheating and melting. I pulled the connector with a wet paper towel and the smoke cleared. I later learned it was the speed control switch located on the bottom of the master cylinder shorted and caused an overheating problem causing the connector to start smoking and melting. A few days later I could smell the burning again and decided to cut the connector completely off to prevent any further shorting. A couple of days later I heard about a similar recall and decided to notify you as my model was not part of the original recall.

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Windstar 🔎.

We parked the car at ruby Tuesday parking lot and we went inside to eat and early dinner. Less than five minutes people started screaming to call 911. They said car on fire. When I looked out at the window, my 96 Ford winstar was on fire at the front part, engine area of the vehicle. Fire department and police had to put down the fire. Good news, nobody was hurt. Would you please look in to it? thanks sione.

Having electrical problems, started out of the blue. Driving the road, using cruise control, disengaged the cruise control, and few minutes later engine died. No problems until this incident. Have taken vehicle to the dealer and had the electrical system checked. Consumer doesn't believe that his vehicle was checked properly. Scared to drive vehicle, interior lights won't go off, and heard a crackling sound on the side of the van, on the fuel tank side. So the consumer disconnected the battery because of he was afraid it would catch on fire. Went today and reconnected the battery all the lights came on without the van being started.

Manifold gaskets failed, exhaust sensors failed, fuel injector wires rubbed together causing arc and fuel injector failure, spark plug replaced, spark plug wiring harness failed. Van has approx. 48,000 miles. Also having problems with electrical; power doors, power locks, front-driver power seat, back-up sensors all have failed at one point or another. Van has been serviced for all problems on at least four separate occasions over the period of ownership. We purchased new.

The warning sound that a door is ajar will continually go off even when all doors are securely shut. I have had this replaced twice at my own expense and it is doing it again. It will eventually reset itself after day or more. This has been a continual problem and I am just getting tired of it. It has happened after I have replaced the switches, and fuses. Ford motor company needs to take care of this obvious problem.

See all problems of the 1998 Ford Windstar 🔎.

See 10053790.

Consumer smelled a burning odor that got stronger as time progressed. A blackish color smoke came from the vents. Then, there were flames from the driver's seat, and vehicle caught on fire. The fire was caused by electrical system failure.

While driving, the vehicle lost power steering which made the vehicle difficult to control. The power steering pump was replaced, and also the wires were burnt. Ph.

The vehicle caught on fire, the investigator determined the fire started in the wiring harness in the rear passenger wheel well.

Abs light comes on intermittently and red brake light stays on constantly. While this is happening, the rear windshield wiper will not shut off, and the front windshield wipers do not work. The check engine soon light is constantly on. The turn signals are blinking rapidly or not working on some occasions. My warranty has expired as of last year. The transmission has already been rebuilt and we had problems with the door ajar warning lights not going off and the door lock motor had to be replaced because at first they were locking on their own repeatedly. I feel like these were all a result of wiring problems, but we had such a hard time getting all of the other things repaired that I'm not looking forward to going back to the dealer again, especially since the warranty has expired. This vehicle has been a lemon the whole time we have owned it.

Switch of rear defroster shorted out, causing dash panel to melt. Ts.

Consumer states the gas gauge was inoperative, the dealer had already replaced the fuel pump and determined that the problem was a pinched wire coming out from the top of the fuel tank, which shorted out the fuel sending unit.

Abs switch below master cylinder caught on fire leaking fluid on wires then blew fuse to speedometer and odometer and overdrive dealer says no recall had to buy fuse and take to garage to fix other problems caused fix wiring badly burnt.

This vehicle has had numerous braking problems/axles/sway bars/calipers/electrical problems.

The abs light has come on over 3 occasions. The first two times occurred within 2 years after the purchase of the van therefore the repair was under warranty. The most recent incident was 06/2000 due to a wire short and the repair costed $219. Also, we just noticed that a piece of bar was broken off near the front alignment. Took the van to the shop and found out the sway bar was broken off. The repair shop indicated that this part usually lasts the life of the van unless we hit something hard. This was not the case and the repair will cost $430.

Insured pulled off the road to stop at a stand and the vehicle caught on fire, fire was found to have resulted from faulty cooling fans/wires, claim 59-v539-348.

While driving engine check light came on. Took to dealer & had wiring repaired. The dashboard lights went out. Problem had reoccurred. Was electrical short in wires.

The vehicle parked for two days had a defective rear a/c wire which was too short, and caused an overload on that rear a/c wire, causing a fire without warning. Prior to this incident, engine light did come on, but light went off.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Windstar. The vehicle has been leaking brake fluid. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the leak was caused by failure in the electrical system and the vehicle speed control. After researching the issue, she discovered that there was an investigation currently taking place for the same failures (electrical system: wiring), (vehicle speed control: cruise control). She called the dealer and they stated that they could not repair the vehicle for free because it was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 103,000. Updated 12-15-08 updated 12/17/08.