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Ford Windstar

804 messages,  Last post on Sep 24, 2012 at 2:07 PM

You are in the Ford Windstar Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Windstar, Ford Windstar Cargo, Van

Messages Page 37 of 81

#354 of 804 engine surge when braking by horton4

Feb 12, 2001 (7:15 am)

I Bought a 1998 windstar 6 weeks earlier I am quite pleased with it however twice during braking or slowing for a stop sign and a rail crossing the engine has surged and the van jumped forward. After the last experience I spent the next day trying to duplicate the problem but it did not. My concern is the engine will surge when I,I braking in traffic and cause me to rear end someone. I am taking the car to the ford dealer for them to check it over . Has anyone else experienced this problem ??..

#355 of 804 '99 windstar chrome by chromeproblems

Feb 12, 2001 (2:24 pm)

I have now nearly made it through two winters with my '99 windstar se. no major problems other than rusting of the chrome inserts on the door mouldings. ford replaced them (under warranty)last year. This year I have cleanered and waxed them several times. but to no avail....they still rusted. the chrome inserts on the bumpers don't have any rust.....can you say plastic chrome. why they didn't use that everywhere is beyond me. i have had similar problems with the chrome wheels on my sable. i'm guessing they just use an inferior product and process for chrome these days. any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

#356 of 804 Paint Problem--Oddest Rust Blooms on Top Of Paint On the Rocker Panels by snappy3

Feb 12, 2001 (4:49 pm)

2000 Windstar, purchased 3-17-2000. When it was about six weeks old, I noticed what looked like rust on the rocker panels. There were many rust spots, some of which were larger than 1mm. They were not through-rust. They were too big to be the metal rusting out (in six weeks). They looked like raw steel filings had fallen into the top layers of the paint and had formed rust, but that is only a theory. Has anyone seen this? Would anyone care to hazard a guess of what it was? A Lincoln-Mercury dealer gladly did repaint this. I suppose they sanded the rust off. The problem did not reoccur--yet.
 
I also noticed the gray primer showing through the white top coat on the tailgate, tailgate frame, side door frame. The dealer repainted these to be white. Any other such observations?

#357 of 804 2000 Windstar (lemon)poppin noise and more by jdunn1

Feb 12, 2001 (5:48 pm)

I brought a Ford Windstar in June 2000,first it was the rear window it would not close,then the right slide door was making a bubbling noise,then on top of that,I started hearing a popping noise in the front end of the Van. could hear the noise when I was turning and backing the van. want some help on how I can get my money back and give them their lemon back before anything else happens.

#358 of 804 You want to buy a what?!?!?!? by wholigan

Feb 12, 2001 (9:00 pm)

I'm BBBB AAAA CCCC KKKK! And Oh, how I hate to be here... Nothing against you folks; we are all just part of a club that nobody wants to be a member of... Nonetheless, the 95 WS has bitten me again!
 
Brief history:
JAN 1999 - 47000 - New Transmission (warranty)
MAY 1999 - 52000 - New Transmission (warranty)
MAY 1999 - 52000 - New Head Gaskets (warranty)
MAY 1999 - 52025 - New Motor (warranty)
JUL 1999 - 53000 - Replace O2 Sensors (warranty - $50)
OCT 1999 - 56000 - New Transmission (warranty)
JAN 2000 - 59600 - New Blower Motor (et al - only $400!) - Extended Warranty is about to expire...
FEB 2000 - 61000 - New Front Brakes & Rotors ($225)
APR 2000 - 63000 - New Inner Tie Rods ($300)
At EVERY oil change from this point forward, I indicated to the service rep that we were constantly smelling coolant....
 
Luck Me! What now! We are at 75000 and guess what?! We need another engine again! Oh yeah! You'll even give me a rental car? Why? It is going to take 10 days to get another engine! Wait a minute... Isn't there a buy back program? That program for 95WS ended in October.
 
I cannot believe this... I'll keep you posted...

#359 of 804 Transmission, alignment, loose hardware,... by ronrizz

Feb 13, 2001 (7:49 pm)

Wow!
I am amazed at the number of transmission problems on this model.
Our WS 98 has 56K.
Here's its dirty laundry list:
1. The Tracking bar has been replaced at 25K - Warranty.
2. The Windshield developed a growing crack for an unknown reason - replaced windshield via insurance, beyond 36K warranty.
3. Door Handle on sliding door coming loose. I have to push in on the handle to get it to work. Dealer estimated $250 to fix. - beyond 36K warranty.
4. Right passenger side mirror coming loose at base that attaches to door ( not the glass itself ). Dealer estimated $250 to fix. - beyond 36K warranty.
5. 12V DC power socket on center console blew a fuse. Replaced fuse and it worked. 3 months later the same socket stopped working again. It might be a blown fuse. I haven't bothered checking it since I've become accustomed to things breaking in this car and really wish it would go away. If it is a blown fuse again, might this indicate an electrical short somewhere that could cause a fire?
6. After a wheel rotation, the car started pulling right. I have to turn the steering wheel 5 degrees left of center to keep the car going straight. The pulling seems worse when accelerating or when the engine is pulling at a high torque.
First Try: Dealer rotated tires ( back to the original position ), checked alignment to be good. They must not have test driven it because the car was still pulling.
Second Try: Dealer rotated tires, adjusted alignment with a greater attention to detail. I was told that it was test driven, and I believe them, as I requested the dealer to pick up and drop off the car at our house. The pulling was less severe, but it was still there. Service manager said it was "radial pull" ( tires ) or shocks. Using the old fashion "bounce" test, the shocks did not appear to be a factor.
7. The rim covers keep coming off. I replaced missing covers twice( at $50 - $75 each ). I made sure the metal tabs were bent out enough to grip the rim to the point it was difficult to get the cover on. Regardless, I am down to one rim and don't plan on replacing any more. Oddly, that last rim is holding tight.
8. The last straw. The transmission made a grinding noise that grew Louder over a week, and was most prominent when accelerating. Finally, while driving it the day before I was to take it to the shop the transmission seized up on a hill. If this happens to you, - get behind the wheel, shift it to Neutral and have some one else rock it. Eventually it will break loose and roll back down the hill, so be ready to move out of the way.
 
I've owned 4 different cars over the past 18 years, each from different manufactures. A couple I have kept over 5 years/100,000 miles. Personally, I have never seen a car develop so many problems inside of 3 years and under 56K miles. 3 years ago this was a $29,000 car and I was expecting $29,000 worth of quality.
 
Does anyone remember when Ford's motto was "Quality Is Job #1" ?
Is it a coincidence that they don't advertise that any more?
Instead, "Built Ford Tough" implies "Tough" to maintain one.

#360 of 804 To jdunn1: 2000 Windstar by the5fours

Feb 14, 2001 (9:36 am)

I had a clunk in mine when I first got it that went away right before I took it in to the dealer. This winter the front end started to shimmy--they blamed it on going though snow banks although there was no physical evidence of this. They balanced the tires even though they were in specs. They ended up steam cleaning the suspension which took care of the shimmy but it felt like it was hitting every bump in the road had. On night it started clunking bad and over every little bump. They replaced and tightened a few bolts and it improved the ride too.
  As far as the lemon law, you need a total of 30 out of service days, or the same problem 4 times--I'm I'am the process of this. The attorney I talked to said the dealer will always make an offer that looks good to the person, but generly with an attorney they won't mess around.

#361 of 804 Un Flippin Believable... by wholigan

Feb 14, 2001 (3:24 pm)

OK - I am awaiting the call from either the dealership or the FMC representative. FWIW, every Ford dealership is assigned a Regional Representative. This person works for the Ford Motor Company. This person is only available through the Service Manager at each dealership (the 1-800-392-FORD folks will NOT acknowledge that this person exists). If you feel you are not getting anywhere with your dealer, I suggest you ask for the Ford Regional Representative.
 
Well, it is now after 3:30PM and I was supposed to hear from them by 3:00PM. I have called the 1800 number again. Another rep (LeRoy) is taking all the information (again). It is just amazing to me that that all I seem to do is repeat the story - over and over - the reps do all they can to keep you from getting upset. Which is probably good. THey have all the history of calls that I have made. Funny, I asked them to send a copy of that infomration to me, however, they wont send anything?! They say that their "system" cannot do it...
 
Nonetheless, FORD has dished out a LOT of money to keep this car running. WHY? I have asked, once again, to get the same offer that was made under program M010. While he has not stated so,
I am under the impression that this program is over. I still can't get confirmation on that. It is now 4:10PM and I have been on the phone since 3:40PM.
 
At 4:10PM the Service Manager FINALLY joined the phone conversation. His name is JEFF. Turns out, he knows NOTHING about this! It appears that TERRY, the Parts Manager, was the person who spoke with the the Ford contact yesterday! This is absolutely screwed! Jeff has claimed complete ignorance to this issue. I have asked that Jeff talk with Terry and the Regional Rep to review the situation. Jeff stated that he will call tonight. I'll believe it when that happens...
 
More to come...

#362 of 804 I Guess Its a Motor and a Rental... by wholigan

Feb 15, 2001 (2:24 pm)

Well - I tried... Just got off the phone with the Regional Rep for Ford. I'll give her some credit - she was much more compassionate than the last one; nonetheless, the buy-back is not in my future. According to her, the buy-back option was NOT a part of the head gasket program. It was an addendum to the program because the demand for rebuild 3.8L V6 far outstripped supply. As part of the program, they were offering a rental car for the time that you would be out of your car. Unfortunately, they found that some waits (the combination of getting the motor and having it installed) were running in excess of four months. It was more cost advantageous to buy those people out of their vehicle. According to what she said, for the region that I live in, she had to use the addendum in June, July, and part of September.
 
Whatever the case, I did find out one VERY interesting thing... The first motor replacement (in June 1999) did NOT include the re designed head gasket - as I was told...
 
Soooooo, tomorrow I get a rental and wait for a motor to be installed. I can't wait for the Customer Satisfaction Survey on this one...

#363 of 804 Regarding the engine surge.... by iwasscammed

Feb 19, 2001 (7:56 am)

I too have the same problem. I have 1995 with MANY problems and just bought it Dec 2nd. I came dangerously close to hitting a woman walking in front of my car as I was pulling out of her way and the van jumped forward. My husband came very close to rear-ending another car when he was taking a turn at a light. I took it to service and they said the air intake was loose and they tightened it. When I picked it up and drove it again, sure enough it did it again. Is the problem fixed... NO. Two days ago the GM called me and said to bring it back yesterday to have someone ride with me to point out all the problems, I have yet to hear from him. HAS ANYONE WATCHED THEY'RE ENGINE WHEN YOU PLACE IT IN PARK, DRIVE OR REVERSE????????? Mine literally shifts forwards and backwards, it rocks in the compartment. I have never seen an engine do this.

Messages Page 37 of 81

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