1998 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

FRONT STABILIZER BAR BROKE IN HALF INSIDE BUSHING NONE OF THE AUTO TECHS COULD FIND THE PROBLEM FOR THE PART 2 YEARS (NOT EVEN DURING NY STATE INSPECTIONS) SO THEY PAST THE VAN ANYWAYS UNTILL FINALLY ONE GAVE A TUG ON THE PASSANGERS SIDE OF THE BAR AND IT CAME OUT OF THE BUSHING IN THEIR HANDS THE TECH SAID HE NEVER SAW A BAR BREAK LIKE THAT BEFORE AND THAT WAS THE CAUSE FOR HAVING TO GET THE WHEEL HUBS LOWERBALL JOINTS &TIE ROD ENDS REPLACED TWICE IN ONE YEAR ALONG WITH THE TIRES ON THE FRONT OF THE VAN SO THE VAN SITS IN THE DRIVE WAY UNTILL IT CAN GET FIXED (FINDING THE BAR IS THE HARD PART)DEALER SAID HE COULD NOT LOCATE ONE NOW WHAT???? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APRESHIATED. *AK

MY HEAT WOULDN'T COME ON SOMETIMES, THEN THE HOT LIGHT CAME ON. HAD IT IN THE SHOP 2 TIMES, EVERYTIME SAID IT WAS FINE, ONLY CHANGING OUT TEMP GAUGE. DEC 2005 3RD TIME TOOK IT IN, SAME PROBLEM ONLY OIL LIGHT WOULD ALSO FLICKER AT LOW IDLE PULLING INTO PARKING SPOT. TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD THEM THEY HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG, IT HAD BEEN GOING ON TOO LONG. TOLD THEN HEAVY RESIDUE ON OIL CAP, COULD SEE DARK MARKS AROUND EXHAUST PIPE. LOOSING RADIATOR FLUID SLOWLY. I AM NO MECHANIC BUT ALL I RESEARCHED SHOWED HEAD GASKET. TO MAKE STORY BRIEF, THEY TOLD ME SAME DAY ALL WAS OK, COMPUTER READ FINE. I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT SATISFIED AND TO KEEP TESTING. TOOK 3 DAYS, THEN THEY CALL ME TO SAY THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD FAILED. OF COURSE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD ENDED 2 WEEKS BEFORE. THEY CLAIMED I HAD BEEN DRIVING IT WITH NO OIL AND TRIED TO GET ME TO BUY A NEW ENGINE! I HAD BEEN CHECKING THE OIL MYSELF, NEVER RAN LOW. OIL PAN THICK WITH GUNK. I HAD IT IN FOR ALL REG MAINT, WHY WOULD IT HAVE GOTTEN THAT BAD? $3200.00 LATER I HAD NEW HEAD GASKET WATER PUMP, OIL PUMP, AND VARIOUS SEALS AND HOSES. PICKET IT UP, FOLLOWING DAY HAD IT BACK FOR NOT WANTING TO START, ROUGH IDLE. ANOTHER $175.00 LATER I GOT IT BACK. UNHAPPY TO KNOW THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING ISSUE AND MY 98 WINDSTAR, FELL IN THE AGE/MILES TIME FRAME FOR THE ISSUE. KNOWING THAT ONE VAN HAD THIS ISSUE THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOW FROM ALL MY DESCRIPTIONS WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. IF FOUND 2 WEEKS EARLIER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. OIL LIGHT STILL FLICKERS NOW AND THEN WHEN PULLING INTO PARKING SPOT. I WILL NEVER BUT A FORD PRODUCT AGAIN. COMPANY WAS UNWILLING TO WORK WITH ME, GIVE ME ANY BREAKS. *NM

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING HIS 1998 FORD WINSTAR AT 35 MPH ON JUNE 26, 2005 THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE CAME OFF THE VEHICLE AND FELL TO THE GROUND, THE VEHICLE RAN OVER THE TIRE. ON JANUARY 15, 2007 THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE FELL OFF AND WENT BEHIND THE VEHICLE THEN HIT A FENCE ACROSS THE ROAD. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WENT INTO THE GROUND AND THE VEHICLE SPUN AROUND ONCE AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND REPAIRED ON BOTH OCCASIONS. *AK

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT MY HEAD GASKET IS BLOWN ON MY 1998 FORD WINDSTAR. I READ UP ON THIS AND SAW THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FORD AND THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM NOR DO THEY OFFER YOU A SOLUTION TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AT THEIR EXPENSE. *JB

I WAS DRIVING OUR 1998 FORD WINDSTAR NORTHWOODS EDITION FROM THE SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT ON 12-24-06 WHEN THE VAN BEGAN TO SMOKE. THE SMOKE CAME INTO THE CAR AS I TURNED ON THE HEATER. I PULLED THE CAR IMMEDIATELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED 911. WITHIN MINUTES THE CAR WAS FULLY ON FIRE. THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. I BELIEVE THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE RIGHT FRONT NEAR THE DASHBOARD,THE FIRE CAME THROUGH THE FIREWALL AT THAT POINT, AND THAT IS WHERE THE SMOKE STARTED AND THE FLAME FIRST CAME OUT AND WHERE THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE IS. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE CAR IS TOTALED AND WE ARE NOW WITHOUT A MUCH NEEDED VEHICLE. THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR STATED THIS WAS THE THIRD FORD WINDSTAR IN THIS AREA TO BURN LIKE THIS.

I PURCHASED A 1998 WINDSTAR VAN FROM THE FORD DEALER LOCATED IN CORNING CA. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH IT PASSING SMOG FOR THE OXY SENSOR. AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS NEVER WORKED RIGHT. THE TURBO THING IS BAD. WHEN I WENT TO TRADE IT IN I FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF CANADA. AND THESE THINGS WERE PART OF THE RECALLS REPORTED TO YOU. BUT, FORD OF CORNING SAID THEY DID NOTHING TO THIS VAN BEFORE SELLING IT TO ME. I FOUND 14 THINGS WRONG WITH THIS VEHICLE. I ACTED UP A MONTH AFTER PURCHASE. BUT I WAS ON AWARE OF MY RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER. ALSO, I WAS NOT SURE WHAT OMS MEANT. THE VAN IS STUCK IN FOLSOM,CA AT AAMCO TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP. FINANCED THROUGH FIRESIDE BANK. FORD OF CORNING SAID THEY DID NOTHING TO THE VAN BEFORE I PURCHASED IT BUT CLEANING IT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNED. THE STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED, BUT INFORMED THE CONTACT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL # 97V165000 REGARDING THE STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT SECTOR DUE TO THE VIN, ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A BURNING SMELL WAS PRESENT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. UPON INSPECTION, THERE WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE GROUND OF THE DRIVEWAY. UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE THERE WAS FLUID LEAKING OUT OF THE SERVO COVER OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND FAXED A COPY OF THE NHTSA RECALL #97V097000. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION MECHANIC STATED THERE WAS NO RECALLS PERTAINING TO THE SERVO COVER AND THERE WERE NEVER ANY VEHICLES REPAIRED AT THAT DEALERSHIP ACCORDING TO THE NHTSA RECALL. WHEN THE DEALER WAS ASKED TO FIX THE VEHICLE BASED ON THE RECALL, THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THE INFORMATION MEANT NOTHING TO THEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED WHO EXPRESSED THAT THEY COULD NOT AUTHORIZED REPAIRS FOR THE VEHICLE UNDER THE NHTSA RECALL. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT HOOD UNLATCHED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH. THE HOOD BLEW OFF, AND WENT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD NEARLY CAUSING INJURIES.

THURSDAY OCT. 5, 2006 AT 7:00 PM, MY VAN WAS SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT AT MY SON'S HIGH SCHOOL WHERE IT CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY WINDSTAR VAN. *JB