1999 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

ENGINE SEIZED AT 78,568 MILES; ALL PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE UP TO DATE; INSPECTION OF ENGINE RESULTED IN 3 FRACTURED PISTONS, SCORED CYLINDER WALLS, BENT RODS AND LARGE CHUNKS OF METAL DEBRIS SECONDARY TO THE ENGINE SEIZURE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED IMMEDIATELY THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT CAUSE OR WARNING. INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE IS PARKED BECAUSE THE CONTACT IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP.*AK UPDATED 2/28/2006 - *NM

FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT REMAINS ON DESPITE THE FACT ALL THE DOORS ARE CLOSED; THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING AND MANUAL LOCKING WILL NOT WORK. AFTER 10 TO 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, IT WILL GO OUT AND THE DOORS WILL FINALLY LOCK. TODAY, WHILE THAT LIGHT WAS ON AND THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK, THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR SLIDING DOOR OPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AND MAKING A TURN. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. MY GRANDCHILDREN RIDE IN THIS VEHICLE AND IT IS TOTALLY UNSAFE! *NM

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS LISTED IN RECALL NUMBERS 01V261000; 00V351000 AND 99V147000, HOWEVER, MY VIN # IS SOMEHOW NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REPAIR AT NO COST. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE HESITATED WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE DID NOT DIE, BUT OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST PRODUCED CODES. HOWEVER, NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK

I WAS SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WENT TO PULL AWAY WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN. THERE WAS VERY LOUD NOISE, LIKE AN EXPLOSION, AND THE VAN LURCHED FORWARD. AT FIRST I THOUGHT ANOTHER DRIVER HIT US AND I WAS BRACING FOR THE IMPACT. FORTUNATELY, WE HAD NOT BEEN HIT, BUT THE VAN WOULD NOT MOVE MORE THAN A FEW FEET AT THAT POINT. I MANAGED TO PULL AS FAR OVER AS I COULD IN THE TRAFFIC LANE, ALTHOUGH I COULD NOT REACH THE SHOULDER, AND TURNED ON MY HAZARDS. THERE HAD BEEN NO WARNING AT ALL THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VAN AT THAT POINT. NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO LEAKING FLUID, AND IT WAS STILL RUNNING-IT JUST WOULDN'T MOVE FORWARD OR REVERSE. I HAD BEEN DRIVING IT ALL DAY, AND I AM THE PRIMARY DRIVER. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO BE WORKING JUST FINE UP UNTIL THAT POINT. I HAD NOT NOTICED ANY SLIPPING OR ANY OTHER PROBLEMS. ONCE IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WE FOUND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TOTALLY FAILED AND WE ARE NOW PAYING $2600 FOR A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. THE VAN HAS 89,000 MILES ON IT CURRENTLY, AND WE DID HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THAN RAN OUT AT 75,000 MILES. WE HAVE HAD THE POWER STEERING UNIT REPLACED ALREADY, IN ADDITION TO FORD SENDING MECHANICS OUT FROM MICHIGAN TWICE TO REPAIR OUR AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOORS, WHICH HAD BEEN MALFUNCTIONING SINCE WE BOUGHT THE VAN. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATED AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR THE OD LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS SMOKING FROM UNDERNEATH. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD . THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP TO BE INSPECTED. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. ALSO, THEY STATED THE FIRE COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WHILE DRIVING AT A LATER TIME THE DASHBOARD LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS CAUSING IT TO SMOKE. *AK UPDATED 12/7/2005. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES. THE REPAIR SHOP CLEARED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM SHE WAS REFERRED TO AN AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER. THE DEALER CLEARED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE. AFTERWARDS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SHE WENT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, AND SAID NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. NO FURTHER REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. *AK UPDATED 04/06/06

ON 7/29/05, MY 82-YEAR OLD MOTHER, PURCHASED A 1999 FORD WINDSTAR, WITH LESS THAN 44,000 MILES ON IT. MY MOTHER RECEIVES MINIMAL SOCIAL SECURITY & I, TOO, AM ON SOCIAL SECURITY FOR DISABILITY. WE COULD NOT AFFORD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON TOP OF CAR FINANCE $200./MO.) WE DID HAVE A DEALERSHIP LIMITED WARRANTY OF 60 DAYS AND 3,000 MILES. BEFORE THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED, WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BE EVALUATED BY OUR REGULAR MECHANIC HE FOUND ONLY TWO PROBLEMS &E ACTUALLY CONGRATULATED US ON FINDING SUCH A GREAT CAR. WE TOOK THE MINIVAN BACK TO BRANFORD SUBARU WHERE WE PURCHASED IT AND THEY MADE THE REPAIRS IMMEDIATELY. NOW THAT WE ARE ONE MONTH AND 50 MILES OVER THE LIMITED WARRANTY, POWER STEERING FLUID IS LEAKING. EXXON DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE RACK AND PINION STEERING. I HAD TO LEAVE THE MINIVAN AT BENS EXXON BECAUSE THE LEAK WAS SO BAD I WAS HAVING EXTREME DIFFICULTY STEERING & WAS LOSING MORE THAN 2 QUARTS OF OIL PER DAY. MY MECHANIC FOUND A TSB ABOUT IT BUT MANTILIA FORD DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO FIX IT BECAUSE WE ARE PAST THE ORIGINAL 3-YEAR WARRANTY. THEY REFERRED ME TO FORD CORP CUSTOMER RELATIONS WHO GAVE ME HE SAME ANSWER. OBVIOUSLY, FORD WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL STEERING RACK WITH A REVISED UNIT UNLESS THE ORIGINAL UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE. ALTHOUGH THAT FACT IS NOT ACTUALLY STATED IN THE BULLETIN, IT IS VERY CLEARLY IMPLIED.NOW, HERE WE HAVE AN 82 YEAR OLD AND A 59 YEAR OLD, BOTH ON LIMITED INCOME FROM SOCIAL SECURITY, WHO TOOK EVERY PRECAUTION POSSIBLE TO BUY A RELIABLE VEHICLE AND AVOID EXPENSIVE REPAIRS STUCK WITH A VEHICLE WITH A DEFECT KNOWN TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY BUT THAT WE CANT HAVE FORD FIX BECAUSE WE DID NOT BUY THE VEHICLE WITHIN THE 3 YEAR ORIGINAL WARRANTY PERIOD! I HAVE CHECKED YOUR DATABASE AND FOUND THAT OUT OF THE FIRST 255 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE 1999 FORD WINDSTAR, 26 WERE ABOUT THE RACK AND PINION STEERING! I STOPPED LOOKING AFTER 255. I AM APPEALING TO YOU TO SEE WHAT REMEDIES CAN BE PURSUED.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HWY (60 MPH), THE OD LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND MESSAGE BOARD SHOWED CHECK MESSAGE. I PUSHED INFO BUTTON, AND TXT. MESSAGE DISAPPEARED. I PULLED OVER TO FIRST LANE AND OBSERVED A LOT OF SMOKE IN THE REAR MIRROR. I STOPPED THE CAR AND OBSERVED FIRE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. FIRE CONTINUED FOR APP. 4 MINS. AND EXTINGUISHED SLOWLY. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER, WHICH HAS STATED THAT TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN OVERHEATED AND HAS TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE CHECKED SOME OTHER CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AND IT LOOKS LIKE FORD HAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH WINDSTARS. LUCKILY ME AND MY TWO CHILDREN CAME THROUGH THIS INCIDENT UNSCATHED BUT IT CAN BE A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION. HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. NO HELP FROM DEALER AND ACCORDING TO OTHER CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS IT SEEM LIKE FORD ALSO IS VERY RELUCTANT TO LOOK INTO SUCH PROBLEMS. *NM