1998 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM THE SPEED CONTROL PRESSURE SWITCH CAUSED THE ABS AND CRUISE CONTROL TO STOP WORKING. *TR

A FAULTY BRAKE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL DEACTIVATION! SWITCH IS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID! *TR

INTERIOR LIGHT AS WELL AS BEEPING NOISE RINGING NONSTOP WHILE ALL DOORS ARE SHUT CORRECTLY. DASH LIGHT ALSO STAYS ON COMPUTER ISSUE WITH SYSTEM. *TR

I OWN AN 1998 WINDSTAR 3 LITER ENGINE. ON APRIL 16,2008 I PARKED MY CAR (NOSE DOWN HILL) DURING A RAIN STORM. LATER THAT EVENING I NOTICE THE RUNNING LIGHTS WERE ON AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF. I THEN UNHOOKED THE BATTERY. THE NEXT MORNING I JUMP STARTED THE CAR AND DROVE IT BRIEFLY TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY AND NOTICED A SMELL OF HOT OR BURNING WIRES. I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND NOTICED POOLING WATER IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER THE ENGINE DRIED COMPLETELY THE SMELL WENT AWAY. WHILE NO FIRE RESULTED I WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED. I READ THE STORY CONCERNING YOUR INVESTIGATION OF THE WINDSTAR AND THOUGHT IT RELEVANT. *TR

I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET ON MY 1998 FORD WINDSTAR. IT ACTED LIKE THE ENGINE REVVED UP A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN SMOKE STARTED ROLLING OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH. NOW THE TURN SIGNALS DON'T WORK AND THE VAN ISN'T PERFORMING WELL. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 1998 FORD WINDSTAR ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND SCRAPING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE AREA. THE SOUND STOP SHORTLY AND A SIX INCH LONG CURVED ROD OF METAL HAD FALLEN OUT ONTO THE ROAD WAY. THE FRONT COIL SPRING HAD CRACKED AND A PIECE OF IT HAD COME LOOSE AND EVENTUAL FELL OUT UNDER THE VEHICLE. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE COLLAPSED SPRING HAD NOT DAMAGED THE TIRE OR THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING SERVICED TO REPLACE THE BROKEN COIL SPRING AND INSPECTION FOR FURTHER DAMAGE. *TR

MY 1998 FORD WINDSTAR HAS BROKEN BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT COIL SPRINGS. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, MY ABS AND REGULAR BRAKE LIGHT WON'T GO AWAY EVEN AFTER SERVICING. MY OVERDRIVE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND STAYING LIT FOR DAYS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD WINDSTAR. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE. SHE PARKED THE VEHICLE, CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD, AND FOUND THAT IT WAS VERY HOT AND SMELLED LIKE BURNED RUBBER. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, THERE WAS AN ENGINE FIRE UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 97V097000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) WAS REFERENCED. THE PURCHASE DATE, POWERTRAIN, AND MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN. UPDATED 04-08-08 *BF UPDATED 04/08/08 *TR

TWO WEEKS AGO OUR 1998 FORD WINDSTAR MINIVAN, WITH 220,000 MILES ON IT, CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD WHILE PARKED, AND WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. WE HAD BEEN CAREFULLY FOLLOWING THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY. DURING THE WEEK BEFORE THE FIRE, WE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE INTERIOR LIGHTS NOT ALWAYS TURNING OFF WHEN WE EXITED THE VAN. *TR

NO PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDSTAR BEFORE THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND UNATTENDED WHEN THE OWNER WAS ALERTED BY OTHER RESIDENTS THAT IT WAS ON FIRE. THE SMOKE WAS WHITE IN COLOR AND COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT AREA OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AT THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THE FIRE HAD MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE FIRE WALL INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE INVESTIGATOR DETERMINED THE FIRE APPEARED TO HAVE STARTED IN THE FRONT LEFT CORNER OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT EVIDENT BY THE HEAVIER BURNING IN THAT AREA THERE IS A V-PATTERN NOTED ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE RADIATOR POINTING TO THE CENTER OF THE ENGINE. THE FIRE APPEARED TO HAVE BREACHED THE FIRE WALL AT THE AREA WHERE THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS AND STEERING COLUMNS COME THROUGH INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. CAUSE WAS RULED UNDETERMINED. *TR