1996 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HEAD HASKET FAILURE AND STATES THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION STOPPED THEIR CONCERN AT THE 1995 FORD WINDSTARS, CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE 1996 WINDSTARS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED SINCE THE 1996 VEHICLE IS IDENTICAL TO THE 1995 EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THEY WERE TITLED FOR 1996, A 1996 WINDSTAR COULD HAVE BEEN BUILT IN LATE 1995 AND THERERFORE THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.*JB

LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE STRUT BUSHINGS FAILED, CAUSING A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO EXIST IN THE FRONT END. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORDS. IF SO, I FEEL THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURER. OTHERWISE, I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REWELDING OF THE BUSHINGS ($100.00).*AK

VEHICLE WAS MISFIRING. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY STATED THAT ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

VEHICLE MISFIRES. CONSUMER FOUND WATER IN OIL AND EXHAUST. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THIS IS A COPY OF THE COMPLAINT I SENT TO FORD REGARDING PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 1996 WINDSTAR. I AM STARTING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. CONSIDERING ALL THE THINGS I'VE READ REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THEIR IS NOT A RECALL FOR THIS YET. I RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE (JUNE 1999) IN FOLSOM, CA FROM A PRIVATE PARTY. THE VAN IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH 46800+ MILES. RECENTLY I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEEDOMETER. IT WOULD GET TO APPROXIMATELY FIFTY MILES-PER-HOUR AND THEN START FLUCTUATING +/- FIVE TO SEVEN MILES-PER-HOUR. THE PROBLEM GRADUALLY BECAME WORSE, GETTING TO THE POINT THAT IT STARTED SWINGING WILDLY AND WOULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT. I FIGURED IT WAS PROBABLY A SPEEDOMETER CABLE. I CALLED MY LOCAL FORD DEALER IN YUBA CITY TO HAVE THEM GIVE ME AN ESTIMATE. WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE VAN, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS LIKELY NOT THE CABLE, BUT THE SPEEDOMETER UNIT ITSELF. I ASKED HOW THEY COULD BE SO SURE AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS COMMON TO SEE THE SPEEDOMETER GO BAD IN THIS VEHICLE. I WAS FLOORED TO LEARN THAT THE COST OF A NEW ONE WAS $333.33, NOT INCLUDING LABOR. NOW, I HAVE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT NEW CAR PARTS ARENT CHEAP, BUT $333.33 SEEMS RATHER RIDICULOUS.I THEN CALLED A SPEEDOMETER SPECIALTY SHOP, SPEEDOMETER ELECTRIC, IN MARYSVILLE TO HAVE A SECOND OPINION. NOT THAT I DONT TRUST THE DEALER, BUT BECAUSE AS A TECHNICAL SERGEANT IN THE USAF I JUST CANT AFFORD WHAT THE NEW SPEEDOMETER COST. MR. LARRY WITHEROW, LONGTIME OWNER OF SPEEDOMETER ELECTRIC, VERIFIED THAT IT WAS NOT THE CABLE, BUT INDEED THE SPEEDOMETER ITSELF. HE ALSO TOLD ME HE HAS REPLACED APPROXIMATELY TWENTY SPEEDOMETERS FROM WINDSTARS AND OTHER FORD VEHICLES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THOSE WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT AFFORD THE REPAIRS. IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS AND THE DEALERS COMMENTS AS WELL THAT I AM WRITING THIS LETTER. *AK

MY ALUMINUM WHEELS HAVE CORRODED AT THE TIRE BEAD SEAT SEVERELY. THIS PRODUCES TIRE PRESSURE LOSS CONSTANTLY. THE WHEELS ARE NOT CORRODED AT THE FACE BUT AT THE AREA WHERE THE TIRE SEALS. MY LOCAL TIRE STORE IN MICHIGAN SAYS THEY SEE THIS SAME ISSUE REGULARLY. I AM A FORD ENGINEER AND HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS DEFECT TO THE WHEEL ENGINEERS AND THEY SAY THERE IS NO SUCH PROBLEM. THE TIRE STORE ALSO ADDED THAT ALUMINUM WHEELS COMBINED WITH MICHELIN TIRES ARE THE WORST. TWO OF MY WHEELS HAVE THIS PROBLEM NOW WITH THE ORIGINAL TIRES. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AS THEY KEEP LOOSING AIR. I HAVE TO ADD AIR ONCE A WEEK.PLS CALL ME- I CAN SHOW THEM TO YOU. I DISMOUNTED THE REARS AND THE CORROSION IS SEVERE. I TAKE CARE OF MY CARS-THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS LEVEL OF CORROSION. THANKS. *AK (TIRESIZE: 215X70X15)

NOTICED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON IN DECEMBER 2001. LOOKED IN MANUAL AND SAID NEEDED TO COMPLETE 3 COOLED COMPLETE CYCLES, BUT LIGHT DIDN'T GO OFF. STARTED LEAKING COOLANT AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WOULD GO TO HOT. HEATER WOULD BLOW OUT COLD AIR. TOOK TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT HAD A CRACKED BLOCK AND THAT FORD HAS HAD THESE SAME PROBLEMS WITH PREVIOUS YEARS. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO HELP OUT. AM IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING FORD COMPANY TO SEE IF THEY WILL BE WILLING TO HELP. PLEASE FOLLOW UP WITH ANY INFORMATION. AT THIS POINT MY FAMILY OF 5 IS DRIVING AROUND IN A SMALL PICK UP TRUCK BEAUSE I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VAN SINCE TOLD IT COULD STOP ON ME AT ANYTIME AND CAUSE EVEN MORE DAMAGE.*AK

AT ORIGINAL NEW CAR DELIVER AND RECURRING AT APPROX. 800 MILE INCREMENTS, THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (AN COMPONENT OF THE 4 WHEEL DISK ABS OPTION) DISABLES ITSELF AND CEASES TO FUNCTION. THE CAR HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS TO FORD HAVE ALSO BEEN ISSUES. I LOSS THE VALUE OF TRACTION CONTROL WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS I PURCHSED THIS VEHICLE AND PAID A SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADE FEE FOR THIS OPTION. DESPITE MANY ATTEMTPS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES. TRACTION CONTROL REMAINS DISABLED UNTIL THE CAR CAN BE SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED. THIS IS DANGEROUS TO DO ON A HIGHWAY AND MEANS I GO WITHOUT TRACTION CONTROL FOR LONG PERIODS. THIS PROBLEM WAS ALSO THE SOURCE OF A NYS LEMON LAW ACTION. MORE THAN 4 FORD DEALERSHIPS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM WITHOUT SUCCESS.*AK

HEADGASKET PROBLEMS NEED NEW ENGINE, JUST LIKE THE 1995 RECALL BUT FORD WONT HONOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 1996. *AK

CONSUMER STATES THAT ENGINE FAILED, CONSUMER BELIEVES ENGINE FAILURE IS BY FACTORY RELATED DEFECTS, ALSO THE TIMING COVER GASKET FAILED AT 65,454. *YD