1996 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

TIMING COVER SEAL WAS LEAKING, UPON HAVING THIS PROBLEM FIXED, THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE, ENGINE WAS REPLACED. *SLC

AFTER DRIVING TO STATE OF VIRGINIA AND PARKING IT FOR 5 DAYS. WHEN CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO START VEHICLE HEAD GASKET BLEWOUT. *AK

FRONT SPRING FRACTURED FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN IT WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT.FORTUNATE FOR US THE VAN WAS PARKED WHEN THE SPRING BROKE .HAD WE BEEN DRIVING WHEN THE SPRING BROKE ,IT WOULD HAVE PUCTURED THE FRONT TIRE AND POSSIBLY CAUSE ME TO LOOSE CONTROLL OF THE VAN .I PURCHASED A NEW SPRING FROM A FORD DEALER AND REPLACED THE FRACTURED SPRING .MY CONCERN IS I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THE FRONT SPRINGS AND THAT NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO HOLD FORD ACCOUNTABLE TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE SPRINGS.THIS SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEAR FROM YOU IN REGARDS TO THIS PROBLEM.*AK

HAVE COMPLAINED SEVERAL TIMES TO DEALER WHILE VAN IS IN FOR SERVICE, THAT I SMELL GAS BY LEFT REAR WHEEL WELL AND FUEL FILLER DOOR. THE SHOP CLAIMS NO LEAKS FOUND WITH ELECTRONIC SNIFFER. GAS SMELL STRONGEST WHEN TANK IS 3/4 FULL OR MORE. PROBLEM HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1998. NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF LEAKAGE.*AK

THE FRONT SUSPENSION SPRING ON DRIVER SIDE SNAPPED AND WENT INTO TIRE, HOWEVER THE TIRE WAS NOT DAMAGED.*YH

MY VEHICLE WENT CRAZY. IT LUNGED BACKWARDS AND THEN ROCKETED FORWARD STRAIGHT RIGHT INTO THE WALL OF A FURNITURE STORE. IT FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING 500 MPH. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE CAR. IT WENT CRAZY. I AM TOTALLY SERIOUS. IT WAS THE SCARYIST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE! PLEASE HELP ME REPORT IT TO ALL WHO NEED TO KNOW.*AK

20 GALLON TANK HAS CRACKS IN IT. FUEL IS LEAKING ALL OVER THE GROUND. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE INTO DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

IN 1999 WHEN TURNING TO THE RIGHT, WE EXPERIENCED A GRINDING NOISE. MY HUSBAND REMOVED THE HUBCAP AND FOUND THE STEEL RIM OF THE WHEEL TO BE CRACKED BADLY. WE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER WHO BOTH SAID IT WAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM, BUT THAT THE OTHER SHOULD PAY TO HAVE IT FIXED. BECAUSE I PUT MY 3 SMALL CHILDREN IN THE CAR, I PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED. TWO YEARS LATER, WE HAVE FOUND TWO MORE WHEELS HAVE CRACKED. THIS TIME, WE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER AGREED TO HELP PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE SPEEDOMETER WAS THE FIRST "PROBLEM" WE CAME ACROSS WITH THIS CAR. AT SPEEDS OF OVER 40MPH THE NEEDLE WOULD GO SPORACTICALLY BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN ABOUT 35 AND 110MPH. WE WERE TOLD IT WOULD BE $400 TO REPLACE SO, WE HAVE NOT YET HAD IT FIXED. SINCE THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF ITS OCCURANCE, IT ONLY MOVES BACK AND FORTH 5MPH UP OR DOWN OF OUR SPEED. PLEASE RECALL THE SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM. WE HAVE BEEN READING ON THE INTERNET AND IT SEEMS MANY, MANY OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MAKE OF CAR. THANK YOU.*AK

IT APPEARS THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED "THE PROBLEM" WITH MY VAN. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS LODGED COMPLAINTS THE VEHICLE STARTED SMELLING LIKE IT WAS OVERHEATING. THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS CHECKD AND NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. THEN THE ROUGH IDLE STARTED. THEN THE DEALER FOUND OUT THAT THE HEAD GASKETS WERE BAD, AND A ROD WAS BENT AND THE MOTOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AND IT ALL STARTED AT 60K MILES. THE PROBLEMS ARE WELL DOCUMENTED AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO GET WORSE. MOST OF THE VEHICLES OF THIS YEAR ARE PROBABLY GETTING CLOSE TO THE RIGHT MILEAGE FOR THE GASKETS TO BLOW. FORD WILL HAVE TO RAMP UP PRODUCTION ON REPLACEMENT ENGINES BECAUSE EVERY VEHICLE WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW WELL IT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT A COMPANY WOULD KNOWINGLY AND WILLINGLY LET THIS HAPPEN. AS LONG AS PEOPLE AREN'T DYING WHO CARES ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON REPAIRS BY CONSUMERS. WHAT A JOKE!*AK

HAVE FOUGHT WITH FORD ABOUT LOSING POWER AND VEHICLE STALLING SINCE OWNING THE CAR. ALSO FIND THAT MANY OTHERS(ON WEB 'WINDSTAR HEAD DEFECT' SEARCH) HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO HAD TWO FORD MECHANICS UNOFFICIALY ADMIT THAT THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE 1996 WINDSTARS. FORD, AFTER BEING BADGERED, SAID THEY WOULD COVER MY ENGINE TO 100,000 MILES AND ARE RENIGING NOW THAT IT HAS COMPLETELY BLOWN. I JUST WANT A CAR THAT IS SAFE FOR MY FAMILY. HELP ME. *AK