1999 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

99 FORD WINDSTAR HAS BEEN HAVING NUMEROUS BATTERY PROBLEMS IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. WENT THROUGH 3 BATTERIES AND 1 ALTERNATOR. TOOK TO FORD DEALERSHIP WHO COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. TOLD ME THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH. MY 99 WINDSTAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. TURNS OUT CAR DIED TODAY ON MAJOR HIGHWAY WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. BURNING SMELL UNDER HOOD. I AM COMPLAINING BECAUSE I DELIBERATELY ASKED ABOUT THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH RECALL 2 WEEKS AGO AT FORD DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD BY DOMINICK THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. ON OCT. 13 2009 MY CAR WAS INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. MY ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR AGES... MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN AT FORD DEALERSHIP SINCE OCT 13 2009 SO I KNOW THE RECALL WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED. THE DEALER IS COURTESY FORD IN SANFORD FLORIDA... THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THAT LOCATION. IT IS SUNDAY SO THE DEALERSHIP IS CLOSED.... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRAME IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE SNAPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 91,000.

MY 1999 FORD WINDSTAR LE SEEMED TO BE SWAYING ON TURNS. I LOOKED UNDER AND THE REAR AXLE WAS SNAPPED IN TWO ABOUT 12" OFF OF CENTER ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. I WAS ONLY ON LOCAL ROADS, GOING NO MORE THAN 35 OR 40 AT MOST. IT IS NOW PARKED IN A PUBLIC LOT. I TOOK PICTURES. I RESEARCHED TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH THE REPAIR MIGHT BE AND FOUND A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SAME BOAT I AM IN. I HOPE FORD WILL RECALL THIS PROBLEM. I NOTICED MY ABS LIGHT ISSUE IS NOT MINE ALONE EITHER! *TR

MY 99 WINDSTAR WITH 144,000 R/F SUB FRAME SNAPPED DUE TO RUST FROM THE A/C DRAIN TUBE LOCATED ABOVE THE SUB FRAME. POOR DESIGN ON THE PART OF FORD. THIS VAN IS IN VERY GOOD RUNNING CONDITION, BUT NOW IT WILL COST MORE THAN IT'S BLUE BOOK WORTH TO REPAIR IT. PLEASE FIND BELOW A LINK TO A FORUM WHERE MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL !! THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THE FRAME TO RUST OUT BEFORE THE BODY OR 20 YEARS OF DRIVING. HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/REVIEWS/FORD/WINDSTAR/R114296/COMMENTS/ SOMEONE COULD GET KILLED . *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN I95 IN PHILADELPHIA MY 99 FORD WINDSTAR STARTED TO SWERVE AND MAKE STRANGE NOISES. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND NOTICED MY REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE ON A 45 DEGREE SLANT AND MY OTHER TIRE ON A SLANT TOO. I HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO A MECHANIC SHOP. WHEN THE PUT IT UP ON THE LIFT WE NOTICED THAT THE REAR AXLE WAS CRACKED ABOUT 75 PERCENT OF THE WAY. *TR

1999 FORD WINDSTAR W/ 103,500 MI. TRAVELING 57MPH ON HIGHWAY. WHILE TRAVELING OVER A ROUGH SECTION THE VAN STARTED TO SHIMMY, THEN THE REAR STARTED SWAYING SIDE TO SIDE RAPIDLY THEN THE REAREND OF THE VAN DROPPED. THE FACT THAT THE REAREND DROPPED, W/ THE TOPS OF BOTH TIRES RIDING AGAINST THE INNER WHEEL WELLS ( / \ = REAR VIEW OF VAN), IS WHAT STABILIZED THE VAN TILL I WAS ABLE TO STOP SAFELY ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE REAR AXLE BEAM WAS FRACTURED, SURFACE RUST IS NOTICEABLE BUT THERE IS NO ROT IN THIS AREA, I HAVE A PHOTO. THE FRACTURE OCCURRED ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VAN ABOUT 6" TO THE RIGHT OF THE WELDS, (THE AXLE BEAM IS TORN IN HALF). THIS IS A STRESS FRACTURE! I'VE SEEN THINGS LIKE THIS OVER THE YEARS ON SOME OF OUR EQUIPMENT AT WORK. I FIRST NOTICED SOME SWAY IN THE REAREND THE DAY BEFORE WHILE GOING AROUND SHARP CURVES IN THE RAIN, I ASSUMED IT WAS DUE TO TRACTION. A WEEK PRIOR TO THE SWAY I STARTED HAVING A SHIMMY WHICH EMANATED FROM THE FRONT, OR SO I ASSUMED. THE VAN HAS BEEN TAKEN BY FLAT BED TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER. I AM WAITING TO HEAR FROM THEM CONCERNING COSTS ON REPAIR WORK. THE VAN IS NOT DRIVABLE IN ANY WAY! *TR

INTERMITTENT ABS WARNING LIGHT. ALREADY HAD VEHICLE SERVICED FOR RECALL 09V399000, BUT CONTINUE TO GET INTERMITTENT ABS WARNING LIGHT. *TR

REAR AXLE BEAM FAILURE, 99 FORD WINDSTAR. AXLE AILED (BROKE) ON 4-8-09 AT 96,765 MILES AND THEN AGAIN ON 7-13-10 AT 107,500 MILES. FIRST TIME THE AXLE SNAPPED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE 2ND TIME IT SNAPPED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. BOTH TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE AXLE BROKE. THE SECOND AXLE WAS A USED PART WHICH WAS INSTALLED AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE 1ST. AXLE AFTER IT FAILED. *TR

MY 1999 FORD WINDSTAR REAR AXLE BROKE IN HALF GOOD THING NOBODY HURT. I CALLED FORD THEY ARE DOING NOTHING ABOUT THIS 900.00 TO FIX PROBLEM THIS HAPPENED 7/8/2010 73,000, MILES. *TR

I HAVE A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR THAT I PURCHASED USED APPROXIMATELY 9 YEARS AGO. ON FRIDAY, JULY 9TH, I WAS ON MY WAY TO THE BEACH WITH TWO OF MY SONS AND HAD JUST CROSSED THE DELAWARE MEMORIAL BRIDGE AND HAD TURNED ONTO ROUTE 40 WHEN I HEARD A LOUD NOISE. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I HAD A FLAT TIRE BUT THEN SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. I WAS VERY ALARMED TO SEE THAT THE REAR AXLE OF MY CAR HAD COMPLETELY BROKEN IN HALF AND MY TIRES WERE TURNED INWARD. HAD THIS HAPPENED WHILE CROSSING THE BRIDGE THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THIS HAPPENED WHERE IT DID, EVEN THOUGH I HAD TO BE TOWED FROM NEW JERSEY TO PA. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT WITH THESE VANS AS I HAVE FOUND OUT SINCE FRIDAY. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS BEFORE A LIFE IS LOST DUE TO THIS DEFECT. *TR