1999 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE WILL NOT GO INTO GEAR. HAD VEHICLE TOWED. TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *MR

INTERIOR LIGHTS FLICKER FREQUENTLY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. LIGHT SWITCH MANIPULATED BUT DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT IT. RADIO VOLUME CHANGES. FAILURE OCCURRENCE SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY. LAST OCCURRENCE WAS YESTERDAY (9/26/02) WHERE THE LIGHTS FLICKERED THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. TS

HORN ASSEMBLY IS HARD TO LOCATE ON STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

RACK AND PINION WAS REPLACED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITHIN 50,000 MILES BY DEALER. HOWEVER, PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, BOTH REAR DOORS HAVE FAILED TO OPEN. ONE TIME ONE OF THE REAR DOORS SPONTANEOUSLY AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, AND HAD A CHILD IN THE BACK SEAT. PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN FIXED EACH TIME BY DEALER UNDER THE WARRANTY BUT PROBLEMS REAPPEAR EVERY TIME.*AK

WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED AT A LIGHT ENGINE REVS AND VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THE VALVE ON THE RACK AND PINION STEERING DRIED OUT AND NOW LEAKS. THE ENTIRE RACK AND PINION STEERING SYSTEM MUST BE REPLACED NOW AT A COST OF $600. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT IS THE 4TH WINDSTAR HE HAS SEEN WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY LOGGED IT IN BUT ARE DOING NOTHING FOR ME AT THIS TIME.*AK

THERE ARE SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH OUT NOW THREE YEAR OLD WINDSTAR THAT HAVE EITHER BEEN CORRECTED TEMPORARILY OR NOT CORRECTED AT ALL. THE MOST PERSISTENT ISSUES ARE WITH THE DRIVETRAIN IN PARTICULAR THE TRANSMISSION WHICH SHIFTS ERRATICALLY WHEN GOING AROUND CORNER OR CLIMBING HILLS AT LOW SPEAD. THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED AT 25K BUT THE TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO OPERATE POORLY. FORD HAS OFFERED NO SOLUTION OR WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THESE PROBLEMS. THE ENGINE PROBLEMS TO DATE REVOLVE AROUND THE INNABILITY TO USE REGULAR OR MID GRADE FUELS AS ADVERTISED ON THE VEHICLES STICKER, WE HAVE BEEN OFFERED A VALVE COVER REPLACEMENT FOR $500 BUT IN SPEAKING WITH OTHER WINDSTAR OWNERS THIS ONLY FIXES THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. ALSO IT SEEMS TO ME THIS IS A DEFECT THAT FORD SHOULD FIX NOT THE OWNER. THE OTHER PERSISTENT PROBLEM IS WITH THE DIREVER SIDE POWER DOOR, IN HOT TEMPERATURES THE DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE COMPLETELY AND POPS OPEN WHEN DRIVEING. THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND WHILE BETTER THAT IN WAS IT CONTINUES TO BE AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. WE ARE FRUSTRATED WITH THE PROBELMS THIS VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED INCLUDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE POWER STEERING SYSTEM, RACK, PUMP AND HOSES AND MORE FRUSTRATING IS FORDS UNWILLINGNESS TO STAND BEHIND THE VEHICLE AND ITS FAULT. OUR OVERWHELMING CONCERN IS THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE WILL BOTH FAIL BEFORE WE HAVE RECEIVED ANY USEFULL VALUE FOR OUR MONEY. FORD NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE PRODUCTS THEY DEVELOP, I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENFORCE SOME TYPE OF COVERAGE OR WARRANTEE PROTECTION FOR THE CONSUMER.*AK

I TOOK MY VAN TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THE REASON WHY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON BECAUSE A GASKET IS CLOGGED AND IT NEEDS TO BE UNCLOGGED. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME $625 BUT I COMPLAINED. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD NOT BE HAVE ANY KIND CAR PROBLEM BECAUSE I ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 8 MONTHS. I GAVE THEM A TRADE IN A 1995 BUICK SKYLARK WITH 80000 MILES THAT VEHICLE NEVER GAVE ME ANY TROUBLE AND I HAD THAT CAR FOR 18 MONTHS. I FEEL RIPPED OFF. I GAVE GOOD BROTHERS FORD $500 DOLLARS DOWN AND A GOOD TRADE IN VEHICLE THAT I DIDNT GET THE ESTIMATED BLUE BOOK COST AND A CHECK FOR $15,000 WHICH EVERY TOTALED $16966.NOW EIGHT MONTHS LATER I HAVE TO PUT MORE MONEY INTO THIS VEHICLE. I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH THIS SITUATION

FIRE UNDER HOOD: PREVIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: INTERIORS LIGHTS COMING ON AND STAYING ON, DEALERS UNABLE TO FIND PROBLEM OR DUPLICATE. RADIO TURNING ON AND CHANGING STATIONS, COMPONENTS ON ITS OWN. REPLACED ON 03/06/2000. SLIDING DOORS OPENING WHILE VEHICLE IS MOVING AND REFUSING TO CLOSE. DEALER UNABLE TO FIND CAUSE. COMPUTERIZES KEYS NOT WORKING IN IGNITION ON TWO OCCASIONS. SYSTEM BEING REPROGRAM BOTH TIMES. AM SIDE OF RADIO NOT WORKING AT NIGHT FIVE DAYS BEFORE FIRE. NOTED THAT WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF, AM WORKS, BUT WHEN TURNED BACK ON NOTHING BUT STATIC. 2) TRANSMISSION: SEVERAL OCCASSIONS IT WOULD HARDLY PULL UP A HILL, OTHERS THE CAR WOULD STAY AT ONE SPEED ALTHOUGH MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. EXTRA BRAKING WAS NEEDED TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN OR STOP. 3) COMPUTER MODULE REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL WORKED ERRACTIC THROUGH 08/16/2002. 4) SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER PERFORMED ERRACTIC UNTIL RELACED TO INCLUDE MILEAGE DOUBLING FOR ANY MILEAGE DRIVEN ON A GIVEN DAY. 5) SUSPENSION PROBLEMS: SPINDLE CONNECTING ROD REPLACED 03/07/2002, STRUTS AND BALL JOINTS REPLACED 05/29/2002, AND LOWER ARMS AND TIE ROD ENDS REPLACED 06/07/2002.*AK