1999 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 10V385000, FORD MOTOR COMPANY RECALLED 1998-2003 WINSTARS WHICH ARE CURRENTLY REGISTERED OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN 20 STATES. MY VEHICLE IS NOT PART OF THIS RECALL BECAUSE IT IS NOT REGISTERED OR WAS ORIGINALLY SOLD IN ONE OF THOSE STATES. THE REASON THE RECALL SPECIFIED THESE 20 STATES IS BECAUSE THESE 20 STATES FREQUENTLY USE HIGH AMOUNTS OF SALT TO MELT SNOW AND THE SALT CAN/HAS RESULTED IN CORROSION TO THE POWER TRAIN REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY. AS MY VEHICLE IS NOT CURRENTLY REGISTERED AND WAS NOT ORIGINALLY SOLD IN ONE OF THESE STATES, FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS NOT AND WILL NOT INCLUDE MY VEHICLE IN THE RECALL. OVER THE 10 YEARS I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE, I HAVE FREQUENTLY TRAVELED TO AND THROUGH 6 OF THESE STATES, INCLUDING DURING WINTER MONTHS WHEN THERE HAS BEEN SNOW ON THE GROUND AND SALT HAS BEEN USED TO MELT THE SNOW. AS A RESULT, MY VEHICLE HAS CORROSION ON THE POWER TRAIN REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY AND CRACKS VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONES SHOWN ON PICTURES OF AFFECTED VEHICLES. I FEEL THAT UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY, AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO ADD MY VEHICLE. ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE APPRECIATED AS I FEAR THAT A COMPLETE FRACTURE OF THE AXLE IS PROBABLE. *TR

THE VAN HAS HAD BOTH THE FRONT SUBFRAME AND REAR AXEL RECALL REPAIRS COMPLETED. ON PICKING UP THE VAN, IT STILL HAD A HARD PULL TO THE RIGHT AFTER PAYING FOR AN ALIGNMENT. THE DEALER ATTRIBUTED IT TO THE TIRES. ON PUTTING THE VAN IN FOR PA INSPECTION, IT DID NOT PASS DUE TO "SUBFRAME ROTTED AT REAR TRANSMISSION MOUNT". THE FORD DEALER THAT PERFORMED THE RECALL WORK SUBSEQUENTLY LOOKED AT IT, AGREED THE FRAME WAS ROTTED BUT THAT NO RECALLS COVERED IT. THE REPAIR COST IS IN EXCESS OF THE VEHICLE VALUE. I SUSPECT THE ALIGNMENT COULD BE RELATED AS WELL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL, SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, TACOMETER AND THE FUEL GAUGE WERE INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ANTI LOCK BRAKING LIGHT WAS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE FLUID NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURES DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THE ABS LIGHT COMING ON RESULTED IN PRODUCING DIAGNOSTIC CODES OF C1185 C1242 AND AN ABS REAR SENSOR CODE. THE ABS LIGHT WAS VERY INTERMITTENT AT FIRST BUT NOW HAS BECOME MUCH MORE FREQUENT. THE LIGHT WILL DISPLAY MORE SO ON BUMPY ROADS AND HOT DAYS. I DEPEND ON MY ABS SYSTEM BECAUSE I AM HANDICAPPED AND LIVE IN NORTHERN CLIMATE (SNOW AND ICE CONDITIONS). I CAN KNOW LONGER DEPEND ON MY ABS SYSTEM TO HELP PREVENT AN ACCIDENT OR AN IMPACT. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V030000 (STRUCTURE: FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS). THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE INSTALLING NEW TIRES, HE NOTICED THAT THE BRACKET WHICH HELD THE FRONT SWING ARMS IN PLACE WAS COMPLETELY CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS BEYOND REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 129,000. UPDATED 10/4/11 *CN UPDATED 02/22/12. *JB

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM: PROBLEMS INDICATED BY ON BOARD MESSAGE CENTER READS "CHECK BRAKE LAMPS", "CHECK TAIL LAMPS" CHECK HEAD LAMPS" CHECK REAR TURN LAMPS", "CHECK FRONT TURN LAMPS", NOTICED THAT INTERIOR LIGHTS WILL NOT WORK, AUTO LOCKS WILL NOT WORK, KEY REMOTE WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK VEHICLE OR OPEN DOORS. GET NO CODES FROM O B D II. SCANNER. HAVE REPLACED BATTERY BECAUSE IT WAS 6 YEARS OLD AND WASN'T PUTTING OUT PROPER AMPS. THOUGHT WOULD SOLVE PROBLEM. IT DIDN'T. THOUGHT DISCONNECTING BATTERY FOR 30 MIN. WOULD RESET COMPUTER. SEAMED TO WORK A COUPLE OF TIMES, HOWEVER, NOW BELIEVE IT WAS JUST COINCIDENCE. SOMETIMES WHEN I START THE VEHICLE EVERYTHING IS FINE, HOWEVER WHILE DRIVING, THE MESSAGE REAPPEARS AND NONE THE ABOVE MENTIONED, NO LONGER WORK AGAIN. THIS IS A DRIVING HAZARD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE SUB FRAME SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE, DUE TO RUST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 136,553.

THE ABS SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON WHEN CAR OPERATING TEMP OR OUTSIDE AIR TEMP IS WARM. REPORTED TO FORD ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS & THEY TELL ME IT'S MY PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THAT FORD HAS PRODUCED A FAULTY PART WHICH HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED BY OTHER WINDSTAR OWNERS ON FORD FORUM SITES ETC. APPARENTLY WHEN THE ABS BOARD GETS HOT, ONE OF THE ELECTRONIC PARTS SEPARATES CAUSING THE FAULT ERROR CODE. I THINK FORD HAS SOME RESPONSIBILITY WITH THIS ISSUE AND SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM! *TR

1999 FORD WINDSTAR - ABS LIGHT- INTERMITTENT, NO APPARENT CAUSE.. REDUCED BRAKE FUNCTION. HAPPENING FOR MORE THAN 4 YEARS, BRAKES, SENSORS, MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED. STILL GET THE ABS LIGHT WITHOUT A REASON. FORD SAYS "IF THERE'S DUST IN THERE, THE LIGHT WILL COME ON.." REALLY? SO WHY DOES IT COME ON WHEN IT'S RAINING TOO? *TR

VEHICLE: 99 FORD WINDSTAR LX. PROBLEM: THE ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN TURNED ON AND OFF FROM TIME TO TIME FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS. THE LIGHT WILL BE ON RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING. IT CAN BE SHUT DOWN AFTER THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND THEN RESTART. THE ABS LIGHT WILL BE TURNED ON AGAIN AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING. THE REPORTED VEHICLE HAS BEEN SEND TO FORD DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN FRONT TONE RING. AFTER THE TONE RING IS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT IS TURNED ON AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING ON THE ROAD. *KB