1995 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

IN JUNE '99 TOOK VAN IN AS PER OWNER NOTIFICATION TO HAVE HEAD GASKET CHECKED. DEALERSHIP FOUND NOTHING. IN NOV '99 HEAD GASKET FAILED. FORD WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING. IN DEC '99 SENT LETTER TO TX STATE ATTY GENERAL CONSUMER DIVISION WITH LISTS OF COMPLAINTS FOUND ON THIS WEB SITE. IN FEB '00, FORD MOVED WARRANTY UP TO 100,000 MILES AND GOT REFUND. IN MAY '00 ENGINE FAILED. IN AUG '00 FORD REPLACED ENGINE WITH ANOTHER 3.8 L. IN SEPT '00 TRANSMISSION STARTED FAILING (BUT NOTICED PROBLEM SINCE DAY PURCHASED. DEALERSHIP STATES PROBLEM IN ALL WINDSTARS, TAURUSES, AND SABLES. IN FEB '03, REPLACED TRANSMISSION. IN NOV '03 HEAD GASKET FAILS AGAIN IN NEW MOTOR CLOSE TO 60,000 MILES ON THIS MOTOR. FORD WILL DO NOTHING. SEEK HELP THROUGH YOUR STATE ATTY GENERAL CONSUMERS AFFAIRS OFFICE, SEND COPY OF LETTER TO FORD, YOUR LOCAL BBB, DETROIT BBB, AND CONSUMER REPORTS. ALSO, MY ENGINE CUTS OFF WHEN TAKING OFF AFTER STOPPED WITH WHEELS TURNED SHARPLY LEFT OR RIGHT.

JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, MY 1995 FORD WINDSTAR BLEW THE HEAD GASKET. THE CAR ONLY HAD 56,200 MILES ON IT. WHY ISN'T FORD BEING FORCED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?*AK

VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND CONSUMER NOTICED A BRIGHT LIGHT COMING FROM THE GARAGE, THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT INDICATED IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. *AK

AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES ON THE INTERSTATE, WE WAS DRIVING IN TOWN, MADE A STOP AT THE STORE, WHEN WE LEFT THE STORE WE STOPED AT THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY, WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING.*AK AFTER TALKING TO SEVERAL TRANSMISSION SHOPS, AND TAKING VEHICLE TO FORD SHOP WE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE WINDSTAR VAN. ( TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING ) HAD THIS HAVE HAPPEND ON THE INTERSTATE ITY COULD HAVE CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT, OR EVEN A FATALITY...

WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. DEALER DETERMINED THAT BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED, CAUSING HOLES IN THE BRAKE LINE. *AK *MR

CONSUMER WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT AN ENGINE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS RUNNING HOT, AND WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, HEAD GASKETS WERE REPLACED IN OCTOBER 2001, AND 700 MILES LATER HEAD GASKETS FAILED AGAIN.*AK

THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH WITH THE VEHICLE RUNNING. THE DEALERSHIP HAD BEEN NOTIFIED, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. *AK THE BATTERY DIED AND WAS REPLACED. *SCC *JB

FORD KNEW WINDSTAR 1995 MODEL'S HAD HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS AND HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY TWICE, FROM 3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES TO 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES AND FINALLY TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES. WHY STOP AT 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES FOR A KNOW DEFECT? HOW DID FORD DETERMINE THAT THEY WERE ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PROBLEM UP TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES OF USE? FORD GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS SHOULD NOT EXPECT THEIR VEHICLES TO LAST LONGER ALTHOUGH BLOWN HEAD GASKET IS A MAJOR DEFECT AND THEY HAVE ADMITTED THIS SINCE JUNE 1998 AND POSSIBLY KNEW EARLIER. *LA

WHILE DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED THE HEAD GASKET BLEW WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *NLM

LEFT-FRONT AND RIGHT-REAR SLOW AIR LEAKS. TIRE SHOP COULDN'T FIND LEAKS UNDER WATER AND SUGGESTED THAT VEHICLE WEIGHT STRESSES THE WELDED SEAMS OF THE WHEELS CAUSING THE LEAKS. FORD SERVICE PARTS WANTS $110 PER WHEEL BUT CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT LEAKS WILL STOP. ONLINE REPAIR FORUMS KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM AND SUGGEST USING A HOT GLUE GUN AT THE WELDED SEAM BUT THEN THERE'S NOBODY WHO WANTS TO DO THAT AND I CAN'T SINGLE-HANDEDLY REMOVE THE TIRES AND APPLY THE GLUE AND REMOUNT THE TIRES. IT SEEMS THAT FORD HAS BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH WHEELS ON THEIR VEHICLES FOR MANY MODELS OVER MANY YEARS BUT I COULDN'T FIND ANY RECALLS IN YOUR DATABASE. *LA