1999 FORD WINDSTAR Complaints

THE ENGINE COOLANT IS MISSING AND #4 SPARK PLUG IS GETTING DAMP CAUSING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON.

I JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE MAY 2003. I WAS HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WOULDN'T ACCELERATE PAST 40 KM'S THEN WOULD REV REALLY HIGH THEN KICK INTO GEAR. I FOUND OUT FROM ANOTHER DEALERSHIP THAT THE VEHICLE HAS HAD A TRANSMISSION PUT IN DEC'02 AT 68,000KMS THEN ANOTHER WENT IN JAN'03 WITH 974 KM'S ON THAT ONE & FOUND OUT TODAY I NEED A NEW ONE. I AM FIGHTING WITH THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD ME THIS VEHICLE THAT I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. THAT THEY OBVIOUSLY KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH IT WHEN THEY SOLD IT TO ME. STILL WAITING TO SEE WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR IT. BEEN WAITING FOR TUESDAY WILL BE A WEEK. DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM WAS TOTEM FORD MERCURY.

* VEHICLE LEANS SINCE PURCHASED SEPT 13, 2003. * ALLIGNMENT PROBLEMS. * TRANSMISSION DOES NOT PROPERLY CHANGE GEARS. * LOW TREADS ON TIRES. * A FRAME PROBLEMS. * SUSPENSION STEERING MAKES A CLUNKING NOISE. * BRAKES MUST BE PUMPED TO STOP, AND MAKE A TICKING NOISE WHEN APPLIED. * VEHICLE HAS OVERHEATED. * POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKED. * GEARS DO NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. * PRIMER SCOTCH GUARD ON SEATS WEARING AFTER COAT APPLIED.

HEAT FAILED IN JULY, PIN TO FLAP IN EVAPORATOR CASE ASSEMBLY HAD BROKEN OFF. WHOLE ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED REQUIRING TEARING APART THE DASHBOARD. PART ALONE COST $326.40 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON - FOUND PRESSURE LEAK AT GASKET. HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT ENGINE SLUGGISHNESS FOR YEARS AND WAS TOLD THE COMPUTER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG...AFTER GASKET WAS FIXED, NO MORE ENGINE SLUGGISHNESS. FORD WOULD NOT COVER SAYING THE PROBLEMS COULD NOT BE TIED TOGETHER TO JUSTIFY WARRANTY REPAIR!! POWER STEERING WENT. FIRST ATTEMPTED FLUSHING SYSTEM. AFTER FAILED AGAIN, REPLACED PUMP, AFTER THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, HAD TO REPLACE ENTIRE SYSTEM. FORD REPLIED TO MY REQUEST FOR COVERAGE THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST CASE THEY HAD HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM IN A WINDSTAR AND TO KEEP MY RECEIPTS SO THAT I MIGHT GET CONSIDERATION IF THEY DO SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE. I FEEL THESE PROBLEMS ARE EXCESSIVE FOR A 50,000 MILE CAR...FORD AGREES BUT SAYS THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS IS MUCH LOWER SO THEY STILL CLASS THEIR CAR AS VERY RELIABLE!!!

THE REAR AC UNIT WENT OUT AROUND 75K NEVER GOT IT FIXED BUT WHEN WE HAD THE CAR SERVICED THE COMPUTER PANEL WAS RESET AND IT WORKED AGAIN AT 96K. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED AND WE NEVER GOT IT FIXED. THE GAS GAUGE LIGHT CAME ON AND WE HAD IT FIXED AT 98K AND I DON'T KNOW THE COST. THE VAN WAS RECALLED BECAUSE OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND THE REAR AC UNIT. THERE WASN'T NO COST.THE DETAILS OF THE FIRE. MY WIFE GOT OUT HER CAR FOR WORK AND ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER THE FIRE TRUCKS WERE THERE. OUR ADJUSTER SAID THE FIRE INITIATED BEHIND THE PASSENGER SEAT IN THE AC AND HEATING CONTROL PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED ON 12 SEPT. THE VEHICLE HAD 119K ON IT NOW. IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU LIKE TO ASK ME FEEL FREE TO. I AM REALLY UPSET WITH FORD ON THE WAY THEY HANDLED THIS ENTIRE SITUATION ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTED FIRES FROM RECALLS LOCATED ON THE WEB SITES. I

WE FIRST HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT 49000 MILES FOR $2000.00. JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER THE ENGINE FAILED AT 53000 MILES. TO SAVE MONEY, WE PURCHASED A USED ENGINE FROM A WRECKED WINDSTAR VAN FOR $900.00. MY HUSBAND AND FATHER DID THE LABOR THEMSELVES. THEN IN JULY 2003 WE HAD TO REPLACE THE SHIFT SOLENOIDS WHICH COST $500.00 FOR PARTS AND LABOR. NOW, JUST A LITTLE OVER A YEAR FROM REPLACING THE FIRST TRANSMISSION, THE VAN IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. ANY ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATE. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

PURCHASED USED 11/15/02. UPON 2ND ROUTINE OIL CHANGE WAS ADVISED THAT I HAD A TRANS. LEAK PAN GASKET. TOOK THE VAN TO DEALERSHIP (NEMER FORD) WHERE PURCHASED, ADVISED THEM THAT THE VAN WAS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY IN ADDITION TO THE GASKET NEEDING REPLACEMENT.THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE GASKET DID NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED AND SERVICED, I AGREED TO THIS SERVICE. THERE WAS STILL SLIGHT SHUDDERING WHEN SHIFTING, BUT NOT LIKE IT WAS. UPON TAKING IT IN FOR THE 3RD ROUTINE OIL CHANGE, I ADVISED THEM THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE SHUDDERING GETTING WORSE, BUT NOW THE O/D LIGHT IS FLASHING AND THE RPM'S ARE JUMPING AROUND. ALSO TOLD THEM THAT WHEN YOU INITIALLY START THE VEHICLE THERE IS A MOMENTARY GRINDING NOISE. PICKED UP THE VAN AND RETURNED IT FOR THE EXACT SAME ISSUES 19 DAYS LATER. I HAVE YET TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AS WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING ALL OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUES, WITH THE ADDED TWISTS OF INTERIOR LIGHTS COMING ON WHEN WE HIT BUMPS AND TURNING OFF WHEN WE HIT THE NEXT BUMP, WHEN USING THE RIGHT HAND TURN SIGNAL, UPON STRAIGHTENING OUT FROM THE TURN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL COMES ON ALL BY ITSELF, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THERE IS AN ODOR THAT CAN ONLY BE COMPARED TO RAW SEWER COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD, NOT SULFER, BUT SEWER. TO DATE THE SOLENOID HAS BEEN REPLACED, AS HAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER, (WITH MUCH RESISTANCE FROM THE WARRANTY COMPANY) I HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT THE FORD CORPORATION IS UNAWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS, AS I AM CLEARLY NOT THE ONLY CONSUMER DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, TIFFANY M. SANCHEZ

MILEAGE WAS 49600, TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS $2600.00 BUT OUR COST WAS ONLY $2072.00 BECAUSE DREW FORD IN SAN DIEGO, CA HELPED US COVER SOME OF THE COST. THE ITEMIZED BILL SAID THE REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION WAS $1702.28. THE TRANNY WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS AND NO SIGN OF GIVING OUT. MY WIFE USUALLY DRIVES IT BUT I HAD JUST DRIVEN IT THE DAY BEFORE AND I AM IN TUNE WITH ODD NOISES AND THE VAN HAD NONE. 8/22/2003 IN THE EVENING WHEN SHE PULLED INTO OUR GARAGE AND WAS STILL MOVING FORWARD, IT STOPPED. IT DIDN'T MOVE UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS REV'D PRETTY HIGH THEN IT WOULD KICK IN VIOLENTLY. THAT LASTED ABOUT 2 OR 3 TIMES WHILE TRYING TO FINISH MOVING IT INTO THE GARAGE WHEN A HUGE GRINDING SOUND TOOK PLACE AND THE VAN DID NOT MOVE AGAIN UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK TOOK IT AWAY! I AM OUTRAGED THAT THE VAN WAS SO YOUNG WHEN A MAJOR COMPONENT WENT OUT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION. AND AFTER COMBING THE WEB FOR OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS, I FOUND PLENTY OF PEOPLE. I THINK FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD PAY FOR THIS. I FIGURE THEY WON'T, THOUGH.

WE PURCHASED THE 1999 WINDSTAR IN DEC 1998. FROM THE FIRST WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP, WE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION. DEALER CHANGED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. PROBLEMS WERE AS FOLLOWS: LOUD CLUNKS WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE, WHILE FOOT PRESSING FIRMLY ON BRAKE PEDAL; TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN DOWN SHIFTING GOING AROUND CORNERS; AS A PASSENGER I FELT AS IF THE WHOLE CAR WAS LUNGING CAUSING DIZZINESS TO MOTION SICKNESS (DID NOT OCCUR WHILE I WAS DRIVING); HARD SHIFTS BETWEEN FIRST & SECOND; REAR WINDOW WIPER FAILED; POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED WHICH CAUSED THE RACK & PINION SEALS TO FAIL, WHICH RESULTED IN A NEW RACK INSTALLED; EGR VALVE RUBBER BOOT KEPT POPPING OFF UNTIL I PLACED A SMALL HOSE CLAMP TO HOLD IT IN PLACE; CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON EVERY SINCE 15,000 MILES; O/D BUTTON NEVER WORKED; O/D LIGHT FLASHED REPEATEDLY MINUTES PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION GOING OUT. NOW THE FORD DEALER SAID I NEEDED A NEW UPPER PLENUM, EGR VALVE, PFE, VALVE COVER GASKET, BATTERY CABLE AND THIS WAS FOUND WHILE CHECKING THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I TOLD THEM TO FORGET IT! $3K IS ENOUGH TO SPEND ON A FIVE YEAR OLD CAR! THIS IS ALL I CAN THINK OF AT THIS POINT.

WE HAVE TAKEN THIS VAN IN FOR REPAIR FIVETIMESIN ONE YEAR. THE FIRST MONTH WE HAD IT THE HEAD WAS REPLACED. THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT FOR NOW THE FIFTH TIME. I ACTUALLY LOST CONTROLOF THE VEHICLE DUE TO BEINGUNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING. MY HUSBAND HAS TO DRIVE ME EVERYWHERE BECAUSE ONLY HE CAN TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. EACH TIME WE TAKE IT FOR REPAIR WE ARE CHARGED A DEDUCTIBLE AND I CAN NOT DO THIS ANYMORE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A LEMON. MARSHALL MIZE FORD IN CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE IS WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN JANUARY OF 2001. THEY ALSO HAVE PERFORMED ALL SERVICE ON THIS VEHICLE. FORD HAS NOT BEEN UNDERSTANDING OF WHY MY PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN LATE, BUT WHEN YOU ARE HAVING THESE KINDS OF ISSUES SUCH AS ELECTRICAL, TRANSMISSION, AIR CONDITIONING, AND ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS, IT DOES NOT TAKE A GENIUS TO FIGURE OUT WHY A WOMAN WITH A FAMILY WHO DEPENDS ON THIS VEHICLE AS RELIABLE, SAFE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION IS HAVING DIFFICULTY. MAYBE IF THEIR PRODUCT WAS OF BETTER QUALITY, MY CHILDREN WOULD BE IN A SAFE VEHICLE, AND FORD WOULD GET THEIR MONEY ON TIME.