1996 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

MY 1996 FORD WINDSTAR VAN'S ENGINE ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED DUE TO PERSISTENT INTERNAL COOLANT LOSS INTO THE ENGINE, DESPITE REPEATED TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH COMPLAINTS OF CLASSIC HEAD-GASKET SYMPTOMS. FORD DISPLAYED BLATANT NEGLEGENCE AND DISHONESTY IN ITS DEALINGS WITH ME. I TOOK MY VAN TO DEALERSHIP TWICE FOR HEAD-GASKET-LIKE SYMPTOMS: EXCESSIVE LOSS OF COOLANT WITH NO EXTERNAL LEAKAGE, GRAY SMOKE OUT OF EXHAUST, AND ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALERSHIP SAID NO PROBLEMS COULD BE FOUND. TWO WEEKS LATER I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS, ONLY THIS TIME MORE OBVIOUS, AND THE CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED MY ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED AND THAT COOLANT WAS LOST VIA THE TIMING COVER GASKET, WHICH THEY REPLACED AND THEN RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO ME. EXACTLY ONE THOUSAND MILES LATER I HAD TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AT WHICH POINT THEY CONDEMNED MY ENGINE DUE TO COOLANT ENTERING THE #1 CYLINDAR. THEY OFFERED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE FOR $3,650, WHICH INCLUDES A 20% DISCOUNT FOR THE TIMING COVER GASKET WORK THAT WAS DONE FOR NOTHING. I REFUSED THE OFFER AND MANAGED TO BARELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME, WHERE IT NOW SITS, UNDRIVABLE. AWARE OF THE WINDSTAR HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS FROM THE BEGINNING, I REPEATEDLY STRESSED TO THE DEALERSHIP MY CONCERN THAT THIS WAS A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM, BUT THEY REPEATEDLY EXPLAINED THIS WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. THEY LIED BY SAYING NO KNOWN GASKET PROBLEMS EXIST ON THE 1996 WINDSTAR, BUT I RESEARCHED THE NHTSA'S RECORDS AND FOUND TSB 99-13-1 (TITLED "UNDERDETERMINED LOSS OF COOLANT"), WHICH INSTRUCTS DEALERSHIPS TO REPLACE THE GASKETS IN SITUATIONS LIKE MINE. THE TSB IS VERY CLEAR. I WROTE THE DEALERSHIP A LETTER DEMANDING HELP REPLACING THE ENGINE, BUT RECEIVED NO REPLY. I RE-SENT THE SAME LETTER AND DOCUMENTS TO THE DEALERSHIP JUST YESTERDAY. I CAN PROVIDE COPIES OF ALL DOCUMENTS, AS I HAVE SCANNED THEM INTO A COMPRESSED PDF FILE FOR E-MAIL TRANSMISSION.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, WHITE SMOKE EMITTING FROM TAILPIPE, MISSING, WILDLY ERRATIC SPEEDOMETER AT 35-40, REAR AIR BLOWS HOT. REPLACEMENTS: HAD GASKETS, LOWER INTAKE GASKETS, UPPER INTAKE GASKETS, SPARK PLUGS, WIRES, THERMOSTAT, GASKET, ? BELT, TIMING COVER, TIMING COVER GASKET, WATER PUMP. SPEEDOMETER AND A/C PROBLEM NOT YET FIXED.

I HAD SYMPTOMS OF WATER IN THE EXHAUST, ROUGH IDLE, AND HYDRAULIC LOCK OF THE ENGINE. TOOK TO THE SHOP, THE HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN ON #1 CYLINDER, AND THE CONNECTING ROD WAS BENT ON THE CYLINDER, WHICH HAS NECESSITATED REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE. FORD HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY ME AND BY THE DEALER TO THE DISTRICT REP, TO NO AVAIL. AFTER READING ALL THE LITERATURE ON THE WEB ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND IT'S CONTINUING THRU THE 95 MODELS WHICH ARE COVERED TO THE 96 MODELS WHICH AREN'T; I NEED FURTHER HELP.

THIS VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED! THE 1996 WINDSTAR 3.8 LITRE V-6 ENGINE HAS HEAD GASKET LEAKS. I AM NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL FORD AGREES TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. FORD DID PAY FOR REPAIRS TO '94 & '95 WINDSTAR OWNERS, BUT HAS NOT AND WILL NOT PAY FOR THE '96 MODELS. THE VEHICLE EMITS CLOUDS OF WHITE SMOKE AND CONSUMES ANTIFREEZE. THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL, BUT STATES THAT FORD WILL REJECT CLAIMS ON IT.

12-15-97 AT 21,145 MILES I REPORTED NOTICING THE COOLANT LEVEL ALWAYS BEING LOW. NO LEAK WAS FOUND AND I WAS TOLD THERE MUST BE A LEAK SOMEWHERE IN THE RADIATOR. 12-27-99 AT 56,526 MILES I BEGAN HAVING A "COLD START" PROBLEM. IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS NOT GETTING FUEL. 12-1200 AT 74,306 MILES I HAD THE SAME "COLD START" PROBLEM AND THE FUEL FILTER WAS REPACED. 12-22-00 AT 74,930 A NEW THERMOSTAT & GASKET. 12-29-00 AT 75,113 A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR. 03-02-01 AT 77,569 MILES A NEW FUEL PUMP RELAY(CCRM), FUEL PUMP AND PVC VALVE. 09-11-01 AT 87,907 MILES A MULT-FUNCTION SWITCH. 01-31-02 AT 95,069 MILES A SECOND CCRM RELAY. 03-06-02 AT 99,348 MILES ON AN 80 DEGREE DAY "NO START" SAME SYMPTOMS AS "COLD START" PROBLEM. INSTEAD OF NOT GETTING FUEL IT IS SUSPECTED IT IS FLOODING. 4-23-02 AT 99,348 MILES COLD START PROBLEM, FUEL INJECTORS CLEANED. 05-30-02 AT 101,330 MILES WOULDN'T START, NO FUEL PRESSURE-INTERMITTENT. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. 6-7-02 AT 101,388 MILES "NO START" PROBLEM. NEW FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP AND SENDER O-RING. 12-01-2-01 109,530 MILES VAN STARTED STEAMING - APPEARED TO BE A COOLANT LEAK OR BROKEN HOSE. ADDED COOLANT DIRECT IN RADIATOR. I HAVE CARRIED OWN COOLANT AND ADDED FREQUENLTY SINCE 1997, WHEN I WAS TOLD THERE MUST BE A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR. I COULD NOT FIND ANY TRACE OF SUCH A LEAK BY PUTTING CARDBOARD UNDER VAN. SUSPECTED THE PLASTIC COOLANT CONTAINER HAD A LEAK. NO COOLANT LEAKS WHERE EVER FOUND DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGES. 12-04-02 109,568 M,ILES FOUND LEAKING FRONT TIMING COVER GASKET. REPLACED HEADGASKET AND ALL ELSE THAT GOES WITH IT. COST OF REPAIR $1,915.21. I BELIEVE THE HEADGASKET DEFECT HAS BEEN THE PROBLEM ALL A LONG, COSTING ME A SMALL FORTUNE.

MISFIRING AND LOSING COOLANT. AM SURE IT IS A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. FATHER-IN-LAW CURRENTLY IN DISPUTE WITH FORD FOR SAME MODEL/YEAR AND THEY WON'T REIMBURSE HIM. MAY ATTEMPT REPAIR MYSELF IF FORD UNWILLING TO RECALL OR PUT RIGHT. ALSO, SPEEDOMETER FAILURE INTERMITTENT OR INCORRECT READING.

PROBLEM WITH WATER SEEPING IN AND SOAKING THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR PADDING AND CARPET.

HEAD GASKET FAILURE. TOOK CAR TO DEALER, GOLF MILL FORD IN AUGUST. THEY MISDIAGNOSED PROBLEM AND CHARGED ME $1300. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOOK IT BACK. HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED ANOTHER $1400. HAVE WRITTEN NUMEROUS LETTERS TO FORD AND DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE DENYING LIABILITY OR COMPENSATION. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN ON A LIMITED INCOME, HAVE ALWAYS OWNED FORDS AND AM APPALLED BY THEIR TREATMENT. INTEND TO TAKE THEM TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT

THE ENGINE GASKET BLEW OUT DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AND BOILING THE COOLANT. CONSUMER FILLED VEHICLE WITH COOLANT TWICE A WEEK. *AK

HEAD GASKET FAILED, SAME PROBLEM AS 95, WHICH WERE REPAIRED. I WAS TEACHING MY TEEN AGE DAUGHTER TO DRIVE AND THE ENGINE COULD HAVE EASILY FAILED CAUSING A VERY INEXPERIENCED DRIVER TO CRASH. IN A LETTER TO FORD AND A SEVERAL CONSERVATIONS, THEY STATE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. PERSUSAL THROUGH NUMEROUS CAR WEB SITES INDICATES THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. FORD TOLD ME IT WAS MY PROBLEM. *AK