1999 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

1999 FORD WINDSTAR FAULTY BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH FOR CRUISE CONTROL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. FROM THE WEBSITE, FORD WINDSTAR RECALL: MANY OWNERS OF THESE POPULAR VANS HAVE ENCOUNTERED ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS. FORD HAS NOT TAKEN ACTION TO SOLVE THESE CRITICAL PROBLEMS YET. *TR

ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD TURN ON AT TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. ADDED EXTRA FLUID IN BRAKE RESERVOIR (OVER FILLED) AND BRAKE LIGHT STOPPED TURNING ON. ABS LIGHT USED TO TURN ON ABOUT 2 TIMES A MONTHS WITH 38000 MILES ON THE CAR. NOW LIGHT TURNS ON ALMOST ALL THE TIME WITH 1400000 MILES ON THE CAR. BRAKES HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REPLACES, CALIPERS, PADS, ROTORS AND ALL OTHER WORN PARTS. ALL FRONT SUSPENSION PARTS, INCLUDING STRUTS ARE NEW. REAR HAS NEW SHOCKS AND BRAKE PARTS AS WELL. ALL BRAKES PROPERLY BLED BUT THE ABS LIGHT CONTINUES ALMOST EVERY TIME IT IS DRIVEN. CAR IS DRIVEN DAILY. MPG WAS ABOUT 21MPG AVERAGE BEFORE 35K MILES BUT NOW ONLY ABOUT 17 MPG. ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION HAS ALL MAINTENANCE COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE - TRANSMISSION MERCON V FLUID REPLACED EACH 30K MOTOR OIL BY SCHEDULE IN MANUAL. CAR HAS HAD OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS - LIKE THE DOME LIGHT TURNING ON RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD - THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE TWO PROBLEMS ARE RELATED. ALSO THE REAR AC WOULD TURN ON RANDOMLY SINCE NEW, BUT FORD SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT - THE DASH CONTROL SWITCH FOR THE REAR AC IS INCORRECTLY MAID AND THE LEVER GOES PAST THE OFF POSITION. THIS CAUSES THE REAR AC TO RANDOMLY TURN ON AND WOULD PROBABLY BE CONSIDERED A SHORT. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 1999 FROM HUB CITY FORD IN LAFAYETTE, LA. THERE APPEARS TO BE SEVERAL ELECTRICAL SHORTS IN THE VAN THAT THEY WERE NEVER ABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX. IS THIS DANGEROUS? THE CLICKING SOUND FROM THE REAR AC SYSTEM? THE ABS RANDOMLY TURNING ON? THE MPG DROPPING SO DRASTICALLY WHEN THE ABS STARTED TURNING ON? THE FRONT OF THE CAR SOUNDING LIKE IT IS HITTING LARGE BUMPS IN THE ROAD WHEN THERE ARE ONLY MINOR IMPERFECTIONS? THIS HAS CONTINUED FOR OVER 100000 MILES AND WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT IS DANGEROUS OR JUST AN EXTREME IRRITATION. GUILLORY *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE REAR FRAME SPONTANEOUSLY FAILED, NEARLY CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE TIE RODS FAILED AND THE TIRES ARE NOW FACING INWARD. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR FRAME WAS EXCESSIVELY RUSTED. THE MANUFACTURER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH EXCESSIVE RUSTING OF THE REAR FRAME. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL, THEY WOULD NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAS PICTURES OF THE FAILED COMPONENT. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 140,000.

I HAVE A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR, 3.8L ENGINE. ABS BRAKE LIGHT ON, NO SPEEDOMETER, NO ODOMETER, NO AIR CONDITIONING. TOOK TO A REPAIR SHOP, THEY FOUND FUSE #10 WAS BLOWN. REPLACED THE FUSE AND SMOKE STARTED TO COME UP FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER AREA, HE REMOVED THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION PLUG FOR THE BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH LOCATED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. THANKFULLY THIS DID NOT OCCUR WHILE MY WIFE AND CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE, SO NO ONE WAS INJURED. I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET OF SEVERAL WINDSTARS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM, AND BELIEVE FORD SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM. *TR

STARTED HEARING A FUNNY NOISE (RUBBING OR SQUEAKING) ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE (1999 FORD WINDSTAR). MECHANIC SHOWED ME WHERE THE SUB-FRAME HAS RUSTED AND SPIT APART. THE FRONT END OF THE CAR IS LITERALLY SEPARATING FROM THE BACK END. HE SAID HE HAS NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN AND RECOMMENDED THAT I CALL FORD. FORD WAS NO HELP AT ALL. SAID "SORRY", BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. MADE NO EFFORT WHATSOEVER TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT WITH THIS, BUT THERE DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I CONTINUED DRIVING THIS. *TR

I WAS PREPARING TO TURN OVER THE OWNERSHIP OF MY 1999 FORD WINDSTAR VAN TO MY SON. AFTER GOING OVER THE VEHICLE AND CHECKING THE FLUID LEVELS, I REMEMBERED THE FACT THAT THE VAN HAD USED AN INAPPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID OVER THE PAST MONTHS. I CHECKED THE BRAKES, LINES, CALIPERS, ETC TO FIND THE TROUBLE. I WAS MADE AWARE OF THE AREAS I SHOULD SEARCH BECAUSE I HAD A RECALL NOTICE ABOUT MY E150 VAN WARNING OF POSSIBLE FAILURE AND DANGER OF FIRE FROM A CRUISE CONTROL CUTOUT SWITCH MOUNTED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. I CHECKED THE FUSE BOX ON THE WINDSTAR BECAUSE MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAD FAILED, I SAW A BLOWN FUSE BUT THE FUSE BAX DID NOT HAVE WHAT THE FUSE CONTROLLED PRINTED ON IT. I REPLACED THE FUSE AND STARTED THE CAR. IMMEDIATELY, I SAW AND SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I SHUT OFF THE IGNITION. BECAUSE THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER IS NOT ACCESSIBLE FOR SERVICE UNLESS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER PANEL ASSEMBLY, I REMOVED THE ASSEMBLY AND SAW THAT THE WIRING TO THIS SWITCH ON THE BOTTOM OF THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER HAD BURNED. I REMOVED THE SWITCH AND IT WAS SO BURNED THAT IT FELL APART IN MY HANDS. THE SEAL IN THE SWITCH HAD FAILED AND ALLOWED THE BRAKE FLUID TO CONTACT THE SWITCH CONTACTS AND ALSO LEAK OUT. I REPLACED THE SWITCH AND WIRING AT MY EXPENSE BECAUSE THE SWITCH WAS NOT ON FORD'S RECALL LIST EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AND SWITCH AS IN THE E150 WHICH WAS UNDER RECALL. *TR

TRAVELING AT 55 MPH GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, I NEEDED TO BRAKE ASAP TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. THE CRUISE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF, I TAPPED ON MY BRAKES AND NOTHING HAPPENED THE ON OFF SWITCH DID NOTHING EITHER, SINCE I WAS GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES UNTIL THEY STARTED BURNING BEFORE I REAR ENDED THE DUMP TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE VAN IN NEUTRAL WITH THE ENGINE STILL RACING AND PULL OVER AND SHUT IT OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED THE VAN THE IDLE WAS NORMAL. I CONTINUED ON MY WAY BUT ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. FROM THAT DAY ON THE ABS SYSTEM KEPT CAUSING PROBLEMS UNTIL MY MECHANIC PULLED THE FUSE. THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AS OF TODAY I HAVE NO ABS THE CRUISE JUST HUNTS FOR POSITION WHEN ON AND THE OVERDRIVE LIGHTS KEEPS FLASHING. I HOPE THIS WILL HELP YOU. *TR

ABS LIGHT ON, SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER DO NOT WORK, LEAK FROM MASTER CYLINDER VISIBLE ON CONNECTORS BELOW IT. *TR

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW MY 1999 FORD WINDSTAR HAS HAD INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS LIGHT (YELLOW) AND TRAC OFF LIGHT (YELLOW) COMING ON WHILE DRIVING. *TR

THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM ON MY 1999 FORD WINDSTAR HAS BEEN MALFUNCTIONING FOR ABOUT THE PAST 6-9 MONTHS. THEY WILL COME ON AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES (WHEN CONDITIONS DON'T WARRANT THE USE OF ABS BRAKES) AND WILL STOP WORKING ALTOGETHER AT OTHER TIMES. THE CRUISE CONTROL HAS NOT WORKED FOR ABOUT THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF AND THE SPEEDOMETER INTERMITTENTLY WORKS. BRAKE FLUID IS LEAKING DOWN UNDER THE MASTER CYLINDER IN MY ENGINE-ALL OVER WIRES. THE CONSTANT PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM ARE CAUSING UNNECESSARY WEAR AND TEAR ON MY BRAKES MAKING CONSTANT REPLACEMENT A NECESSITY. I HAVE DISCONNECTED THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM IN MY VAN IN ORDER TO PREVENT A FIRE OR CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BRAKES THAT WOULD ENDANGER MY FAMILY. *TR