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Ford Windstar Problems - READ ONLY

2608 messages,  Last post on Oct 27, 2006 at 8:51 PM

You are in the Ford Windstar Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Windstar, Van

Messages Page 45 of 262

#432 of 2608 by slbaron24

Mar 23, 2001 (4:11 pm)

I bought my Windstar in May of 1998, and it had 54,000 miles. It is a 95 model (actual production around Aug 94). When I bought my van, the dealership never told me about any recalls. I first found out about the recall on the 3.8L engine (Head Gasket Recall) in the fall of 1999(one yr later!). The only reason I found out was because the tranny needed to be replaced, and the tranny shop said that there were a lot of problems with the transmissions so I wanted to see if Ford had any recalls on them. When I went to the dealership, that is when they told me about the 3.8L Head gasket recall. There was one catch....the recall was up to 60,000 miles, and my van already had 83,000 miles on it so it could not be fixed under the recall. I called Ford Headquarters, and they told me there was nothing they could do for me. Lucky for me the van was not showing any signs of head gasket problems, but I still would have felt better if it was looked at. Ford also informed me that there were no problems with the transmissions..(I beg to differ with that....). I did not pursue it any further because I did not have any problems, and I figured I was an ant trying to fight an airplane. Then at the end of the summer in 2000 I got a letter from Ford stating that the recall had been extended up to 100,000 miles. I thought great, NOT. The mileage on my van had just turned 101,000 miles. (does ford have a satellite hooked up to the vehicles they make?!?) So yet again I got on the phone to Ford, and yet again they refused to honor their recall. I pleaded with them and told them that I had called back in 1999. They said they saw when I called in their computer, but there was not anything they could do because the mileage on my van was over 100,000 miles. I WILL NOT buy another Ford product because of this lack of customer service. I told this to the person I spoke to at Ford, and they did not even care. I am VERY thankful that I have not had this problem with my van because I would not be able to afford to get it fixed.
I have also noticed reading up on different problems on the w/s, that there seems to be a lot of problems with the speedometers and ABS systems. On my van when you are going around 60-70 Mph, the speedometer jumps to around 80-90 Mph and fluctuates. The dealer wants over $400.00!!! That's ridicules. They also told me that when they pull the speedometer that they have to keep the vehicle for about three days without giving me a loner. Regarding the ABS, when I brake the brakes start to pulsate between 15-5 Mph. The dealership wants $80.00 just to tell me what is wrong. This does not include the cost to fix the problem. I have also had a problem with the rear window wiper not wanting to work when it is cold out.......Something needs to be done with these companies not wanting to stand behind their work.

#433 of 2608 re: Tire Recommendation? by wholigan by vezini

Mar 24, 2001 (9:05 am)

I am in the same situation. My 98 has 47K and the Goodyear Invicta's are about shot; I will most likely get another month or two out of them.
 
I did check Sam's Club. They do have the BF Goodrich Advatange Plus tire, size 215-70-R15, for $53 each. They charge another $11 for mounting, road hazard, disposal etc. So, mounting and tax, you are around $275. The tire is a 65K warranty. This is a good name tire for a lot less the premium brands (and it is made by Michelin).
 
Let me know what you come up with.

#434 of 2608 95 Windstar Head Gasket Warranty by hoppy5

Mar 24, 2001 (9:24 am)

Does anyone know whether Ford is still replacing engines on 95 Windstars or are they doing a buyback and at what price?

#435 of 2608 '95 WS, 86K and paranoid by jipped1

Mar 24, 2001 (9:40 pm)

In response to the post by Fullsize, it's real nice to know your WS has a whopping 40,000 miles and hasn't had any problems yet! With such an in-depth track record with your WS you certainly have a right to accuse people of falsifying their postings. HAH! Come back when you've "grown up" to 80,000 miles. Sorry to sound so sarcastic, but I'm bummed. I bought my Windstar last August and immediately experienced trans problems. I did not buy the extended warranty so when I first contacted the dealer they said sorry, but we can't help. But when I went to pick the van up from the service center I overheard the service manager reading to himself from the computer and the words "no prep" caught my attention. I then pinned him down as to whether or not my van was checked out before I drove it off the lot. It was not (can you believe that?). I then immediately called the dealership and pitched a fit over that and they changed their mind about replacing the trans. They charged me $200.00 for that. The door ajar light often stays on (I can live with that) and we have replaced brakes and tie rod ends (I can live with that, too). Also in cold weather my speedometer does a nice dance and is noisy. I don't know if the head gasket has ever been changed or even if the vehicle has the origional engine. Right now my biggest concern is the antifreeze I'm smelling every morning as I am warming it up. I live in Michigan so I have to warm it up every morning. I took it back to the dealer but they said nothing is leaking and all the fluid levels are up where they should be. Could this be the headgasket or maybe the heater core? I'm scared! I'm up to my ears in debt with this thing so there is no possibility of trading it in for something else. I know only 2 other people with Windstars and they both have had their trans replaced. I feel cheated. We have 3 children (1 in college) and a big $40,000 a year income. Doesn't Ford understand that some of us are struggling just to make ends meet? We put our faith in their company only to to be slapped in the face. I wish I would have researched this vehicle before I bought it. The wonderful safety rating doesn't do much good when the reliability rating is only 1 star! From what I'm hearing they will be losing a big percentage of their faithful customers over these defective vehicles. Word of mouth can be a terrible thing and my gums are flappin'! 5 years from now Ford Motor Company may be in big trouble. Serves them right! I would appreciate any advice I could get.

#436 of 2608 JIPPED1... by iwasscammed

Mar 24, 2001 (10:22 pm)

This is what I did to make my dealership start correcting problems immediately.
Http://homwtown.aol.com/lisam1120/myhomepage/news.html
Hope this helps.

#437 of 2608 jipped1 by matycat

Mar 25, 2001 (12:28 am)

Just so you know, I too experienced an odor, for some time. At first it would come and go, gradually got worse. It ended up being the heater core and nearly 400.00 later, it was fixed. I don't know, though, I still smell something everytime we have the defrost on. The tech said, "you'll smell something for a little while," yada yada yada. It's been a couple weeks since we've had it back, no problems currently but the slight odor. I swear, these techs know how to "temporarily" fix things so that months later when things go wrong, it's out of the "labor warranty". I also feel like they are jimmying something else loose everytime I bring it in, it seems something else is bound to go wrong. Am I the only one who raises the eyebrow to "Leave the car with us ALL DAY, "(knowing full well we are not about to hang out in the waiting room ALL DAY,) and then you're not allowed to go back in the shop to watch them work on the vehicle, gee, I wonder why. IWASSCAMMED--I am still with you! You are admirable sticking with it. I really hope the best for all of us. And, I too am still working on the situation, class action, etc. Will keep in touch.

#438 of 2608 to:hch53 #410 by dannynoonan1

Mar 25, 2001 (8:00 am)

The check engine light and O2 sensor going off is the early sign of head gasket leaking. Have dealer add dye to coolant then return a month later. If they pull a plug and shoot "black light" at it they should be able to detect the leaking gasket. All the standard "FORD" tests did not find my leaking headgasket. The dye test I requested did. But be ware I had the headgaskets on my 95 Windstar done at 55,000 miles. The engine failed a year later at 65,000. I believe it was do to the coolant in the oil which caused premature internal wear of oil lubricated parts. Good luck. Hope you have warranty coverage. If not I recommend selling it.

#440 of 2608 Ford Windstar ABS light/bad mileage by hch53

Mar 19, 2001 (10:49 am)

I have a 95 Windstar which has had all of the usual problems (head gasket and sensors).
But I must say, it has been pretty reliable otherwise. Now I have 122,000 miles on it, and the ABS light stays on. Is this just a fluid level problem? The brakes were replaced about 20,000 miles ago.
Also, my mileage actually had been about 18 mpg, but the last 5,000 miles it has dropped to 13 mpg overall. Does anyone have any clue why? I do not service my vehicle at a Ford dealership. My mechanic is trustworthy, but he says he does not have any clue why the mileage has dropped.

#441 of 2608 Tires! by wholigan

Mar 26, 2001 (1:46 pm)

I bought tires this past weekend...
 
OK, it is my family we haul around so I didn't skimp too much - OTOH, I didn't go crazy either. After talking with a couple of shops I got the impression that the cheap tires (35000 to 40000 mile tires) have softer sidewalls that would not last very long on a 4200 pound vehicle.
 
I went to the local Fleet Farm and picked up a set of four Duron Vertex IV. They are a 75000 mile tire made by the Dayton Tire Company. They were on sale for $49.95 each and for the month of March they had free mounting, balance, and valve stems. $212.79 later I took the tires to their Auto Service Center and they had them on the van in 45 minutes. I asked them to do an alignment as well. It turned out I didn't need one. After they put it on the rack they showed me that all four wheels were within spec. Sooooo... They charged me $6 to dispose the old tires and $10 for the alignment "check".
 
That is the least amount of money that I have spent on service for this van since I bought it in 1998!

Messages Page 45 of 262

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