2003 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

BOTH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT AND ANTI-LOCK BRAKING LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE ILLUMINATED WITHIN 5 MINUTES OF HAVING STARTED THE CAR. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES, ALL ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES FAILED, INCLUDING DIRECTIONALS, BRAKE LIGHTS, ETC. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, HOWEVER IT STRUGGLED ON UPHILL CLIMBS. *TR

VEHICLE HESITATES OR STUTTERS,VIBRATES ROUGH SOUND .......................... AT APPROX 40-60 MPH DEALERSHIP DID REPAIR, DID NOT FIX PROBLEM, STILL HAPPENING ONE MONTH LATER THEY TELL ME IT IS THE TRANSMISSION, AND ADVISE ME TO JUST DRIVE IT THAT WAY! WHEN I PUSH FOR MORE ANSWERS THEY SAY TRANSMISSION TORQUE INVERTER AND COST TO REPAIR 2200-2800.00 , ON TOP OF THE 5000.00 I PAID THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000. UPDATED 05/01/13 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION HAS SINCE FAILED AGAIN.

ABS LIGHT STAYS ON. CAR IDLES HIGH ALL THE TIME, SPEEDOMETER AND ALL OTHER DASHBOARD CONTROL GO HAYWIRE FOR NO REASON. I HAVE TO POUND ON THE DASHBOARD TO MAKE IT STOP. THIS HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME. CARMD DEVICE STATES ABS SENSOR NEED AND VARIOUS OTHER THING. I HAVE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO NO AVAIL. SEAT BELT ATTACHED TO SLIDING DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE WHICH IS TO CROSS OVER TO THE PASSENGER ON THE SECOND ROW NEVER WORKED. I PURCHASED THIS AS A USED VEHICLE SIX YEARS AGO I DO LIKE THIS MINI VAN BUT WITH ALL OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS I REALLY DON'T THINK I WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD THIS VEHICLE MUCH LONGER. PLEASE HELP ME IT YOU CAN. I LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE A VEHICLE IS MANDATORY AND I AM ON A FIXED INCOME. I JUST WANT TO BE SAFE ON THE ROAD. PLEASE HELP. *TR

AFTER DRIVING VEHICLE SHORT TIME THE WARNING LIGHT FOR ABS MALFUNCTION LIGHTS ALONG W/ BRAKE WARNING LIGHT. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTANTLY. LIKELY BRAKE WARNING LIGHT PROBLEM IS LOW FLUID IN MASTERCYLINDER YET FLUID LEVEL IN EVERY CASE WAS OK. THIS PROBLEM IS ONGOING. SCAN CODE WAS C1185. *TR

ABS LIGHT AND RED BRAKE LIGHT IS ON, WAS TOLD IT WILL EVENTUALLY SHUT DOWN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. I HAD MY BRAKES DONE AT FORD DEALERSHIP AND SOON AFTER THAT THE LIGHTS APPEARED. I TOOK IT BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A SENSOR SWITCH THAT NEEDED TO EVENTUALLY BE REPLACED AND IT WOULD COST AROUND $2000.00. I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY. WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT HAS OCCURRED IN A LOT OF WINDSTARS LIKE MINE AND WONDERED WHY IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED? ARE THEY WAITING FOR US TO GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE? WOULD LIKE FEEDBACK ON THIS PLEASE, ALSO MY INTERIOR LIGHTS KEEP FLASHING ON AND OFF LIKE A STROBE LIGHT...IS THIS PART OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM DUE TO FAULTY SENSOR SWITCH? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR SOMETHING THAT IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL THE FORD WINDSTARS LIKE THE ONE I OWN, IF FORD IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WHY WAS I NOT CONTACTED ON THIS? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO OPERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS FAULTY AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2004 FORD WINDSTAR MODEL YEARS BUT NOT THE 2003 MODELS (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER:12V006000-POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

ABOUT MARCH OF 2012 MY 2003 FORD WIND STAR'S LOWER CONTROL ARM SEPARATED FROM THE SUB FRAME "ENGINE CRADLE". I TOOK MY VAN TO DEALER. THEY DID DO A REPAIR TO SUB FRAME, WHICH I DID NOT FIND SATISFACTORY, FORD CORP. HAD THEM CUT OFF WHAT WAS LEFT OF ANY DAMAGED BRACKETS AND CLAMP STEEL BRACKETS ONTO A SUB FRAME THAT IS ALREADY DAMAGED DUE TO HEAVY RUST AND CORROSION. NOW ABOUT ONE YEAR LATER "MARCH OF 2013" THE SWAY BAR MOUNT, WHICH IS PART OF THE SUB FRAME HAS RUSTED OUT. MAKING DRIVING VERY UNSAFE AND UNSTABLE. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECTIFIED WHEN THE RECALL WAS DONE IN 2012. I TOOK VAN BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY SENT PICTURES TO FORD CORP. FORD DID NOT APPROVE ANY REPAIRS TO SUB FRAME STATING THAT IT WAS NOT PART OF ORIGINAL RECALL. NOW HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE IF THE SUB FRAME AND SWAY BAR MOUNT ARE ALL ONE COMPONENT. IT'S ALL ONE WELDED PIECE OF STEEL. THERE IS NO FIX AT THIS TIME BUT TO REPLACE THE SUB FRAME. NOW IF THE SUB FRAME IS UNDER RECALL AND THE SWAY BAR MOUNT IS PART OF THE SUB FRAME, THEN I FEEL FORD SHOULD RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. I PLAN ON KEEPING MY FORD WIND STAR FOR A WHILE. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND REALLY NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH. FORD SHOULD COVER THIS COMPONENT OR THEY GET AWAY WITH AN UNSATISFACTORY FIX AND I STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW SUB FRAME, WHICH WAS THE WHOLE ISSUE TO BEGIN WITH. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2003 FORD WINDSTAR USED IN OCTOBER OF 2012. IT HAD 114,000 MILES ON IT WELL FROM DAY ONE I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM. THE RPM, SPEED AND GAS ON THE DASH GO CRAZY. IT SAYS I AM DOING 20 MPH WHEN I KNOW I AM GOING FASTER THAN THAT. THE RPM WILL GO AND UP AND DOWN. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND THE BRAKE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT CAME ON. I TAPPED THE BREAK AND IT WENT AWAY. 5 MILES LATER I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED MOVING. COULD NOT GO REVERSE OR IN DRIVE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION YET I HAD NO SIGNS THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD THE OTHER ISSUES WERE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AND WOULD COST ME ANY WHERE FROM $700.00-1500.00 PLUS UP TO $2500.00 TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION. STARTED DOING RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THESE ARE VERY COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDSTAR. ALSO I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY LOCK ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. SOMETIMES IT WILL NOT LOCK AND OTHER TIMES WILL NOT OPEN. YOU HAVE TO CLIMB THROUGH THE VAN TO UNLOCK IT. THEY NEED TO RECALL THIS ESPECIALLY THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS...THIS IS UNSAFE! I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD.... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR AXLE DEVELOPED A CRACK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THE AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V195000 (SUSPENSION). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000. *TR