1996 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

CHECK THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING DUE TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE 1995 WINDSTARS HAD BEEN ISSUED A RECALL NOTICE BUT WHEN THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER BUT THEY WERE UNWILLING TO HELP WITH THE COST OF REPAIR, THE CONSUMERS TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PARTS WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED PART. YH

1995 WINDSTAR 3.8L ENGINES HAVE GOTTEN EXTENDED WARRANTIES ON BLOWN HEAD GASKETS IN THEIR ENGINES. IT IS APPARENT THE 1996 WINDSTAR 3.8L ENGINE HAS THE SAME PROBLEM BUT FORD HAS NOT EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. REQUEST THE NHTSA FORCE FORD TO BACK UP THEIR PRODUCTS THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE DEFECTIVE. *AK

AFTER THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED WE INQUIRED OF THE MECHANIC IF THE TANK CRACKED DUE TO MISUSE. THE MACHANIC COULD NOT SEE ANY SIGNS OF MISUSE, THE TANK WAS PROPERLY MOUNTED AND THE CRACK WAS ON THE UPPER PORTION OF THE TANK. WE NOTICED ONT HE NEWS RECENTLY A RECALL FOR FORD ECONOLINE VANS FROM THE SAME PERIOD WERE BEING RECALLED DUE TO CRACKED GAS TANKS. DOES FORD USE THE SAME GAS TANK ON THE WINDSTAR? HAS ANYONE ELSE COMPLAINED OF THIS PROBLEM?*AK

CONSUME RWAS TRAVELING ON A MAIN HIGHWAY AND HEARD A NOISE, REAR PASSENGER TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. TIRES WERE BOUGHT ON JULY 16, AND TIRE BLEWOUT. TIRE SIZE P20570 R15. HANCOCK TIRES DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE, IT SLIPS INTO OTHER GEAR THATIS NOT SPECIFIED, DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS IN SHOP MORE THAN FIVE TIMES.*AK

HEAD GASKETS FAILED MECHANIC HAS REPLACED SEVERAL FORD 3.8L HEAD GASKETS, CALLED FORD THEY REFUSED TO PAY $1256.13 BILL. *AK

PREMATURE FAILURE OF HEAD GASKET CAUSING ENGINE COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE #1 CYLNDER CAUSING A MISS FIRE AND THE VEHICLE TO RUN ROUGH. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER HAD IT FOR A FEW DAYS, REPLCED THE SPARK PLUGS AND SAID IT WAS FINE. ON THE RIDE BACK FROM THE DEALER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. THE DEALER THEN KEPT IT FOR ANOTHER TWO DAYS AND FOUND THE COOLANT IN THE #1 SPARKPLUG WELL. BROUGHT TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DETERMNINED TO BE A HEAD GASKET FAILURE.

PRIOR TO RECALL NOTIIFCATION (96S50) VEHICLE WOULD GO IN AND OUT OF GEAR WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF OVER 50 MPH, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR RECALL TO BE PERFORMED, HOWEVER TRANSMISSION CONSEQUENTLY FAILED, CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT FORD KNEW THAT THEY BUILT A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION.*JB

COOLANT LEAKED INTO ENGINE CAUSING COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE BLOWING THE HEAD GASKETS AND CRACKING THE ENGINE BLOCK. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THERE WAS A COMPLETE POWER LOSS IN THE STEERING AND BRAKING OF THE VEHICLE. MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN WERE IN THE VAN AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. FORTUNATLY THEY WERE NOT ON THE INTERSTATE OR MAJOR HIGHWAY BECAUSE THERES NO TELLING WHAT THE RESULT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THIS CASE. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A RECALLED PROBLEM FOR THE 94 AND 95 YEARS FOR THE SAME MODEL THAT I HAVE BUT NOT THE 96. THIS IS NOT JUST A PROBLEM WITH WINDSTAR BUT HAS ALSO HAPPENED WITH THE MUSTANGS AND LINCON TOWN CARS WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A DESIGN ERROR WITH-IN THOSE YEARS IN QUESTION WITH MANY FORD MODELS. THIS WILL COST ME NEARLY $4500 TO REPAIR AS QUOTED FROM A FORD DEALERSHIP AND IT COST ME $80 JUST TO TELL ME SOMETHING I ALREADY PAID FOR AT GOODYEAR, I NEED A NEW ENGINE. SEEING THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR PREVIOUS YEARS FOR THIS MODEL I WOULD APPRIECIATE IT IF YOU COULD TELL FORD TO CONSIDER RECALLING THE OTHER AFFECTED MODELS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT BUT REFUSE TO ADMIT.*AK

WHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE WHEN GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED. THIS IS 3RD TIME IT HAPPENED IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE ENGINE REVVED UP BUT THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO MOVE AT ALL.