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Ford Windstar Problems - READ ONLY

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

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What is this discussion about? Ford Windstar, Van

Messages Page 61 of 262

#597 of 2608 95 Windstar Nightmare by nevadamom1

Jun 25, 2001 (10:20 pm)

We bought our 95 LX new in 6/95. Had the usual (for the 95) problems: the interior lights that would not go off, gas tank gauge problems, interior trim that fell off, and exactly one week after we received the head gasket extended warranty notice from Ford our head gasket went at 40K (June, 1998). We now have 74K on it, and had to take it in to our local Ford dealer for a grinding noise when braking, the ABS light was on, and I noticed a small coolant leak on the garage floor. The brake problem was a bad left ABS sensor ($209.00). The coolant leak was a timing cover gasket leak. The Ford dealer refused to fix it. Their suggestion: new engine (we pay for it) or trade in. They cited the high milage at 74,000 as rationale for their refusal for fixing the timing cover gasket leak. We declined both the dealer's suggestions. Luckily we knew of a great, honest mechanic that is fixing it. There is no coolant in the engine oil, and no signs of engine failure, just a small exterior coolant leak. We bought this van after a horrible experience with a chevy suburban. I refuse to buy another new vehicle. The Ford Motor Company should be ashamed of themselves for the mediocrity of this product and the dealers are... well.. words cannot describe their worthlessness.

#598 of 2608 HCLEMO by jvirginia

Jun 26, 2001 (6:30 am)

Regarding the warranty extension, the following is from a previous post:

According to all posted information, Ford's extended warranty for 1995 Windstars covers 7 years or 100,000 miles. The service campaign number is 00M09 and this was an addendum to campaign 98M01 which only extended 5 years and 60,000 miles. Original AND subsequent/current owners are covered and it INCLUDES rebates for any costs you incurred for repairs from an independent (non-Ford) repair shop. See the following web sites for additional info:

 http://www.autosafety.org/autodefects/FORD-3.8L.htm

 http://home.att.net/~ccatanese/ford

The following excerpts comes from an Edmunds site (no longer a current site):

"The last type of service notification would be a warranty extension, which is just that: an extension of a part or whole of the vehicle's warranty. In any of these service notifications, it does not matter if you are the original owner or if you purchased the vehicle used; the service notifications go with the vehicle and not with the owner."

Also:

 "...program 00M09, which basically extended the original program from five years or 60,000 miles to seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurred first, covering the same vehicles as the 98M01 program. Letters to consumers for this program went out in March of 2000. Ford obtains a current list of owners from R.L. Polk and several other sources".

#599 of 2608 I just got my '95 Windstar back from the dealership's garage... by tony22r

Jun 28, 2001 (11:28 am)

for Blown Head Gasket repair under the (00M09 & 00M10) 7yr/100,000mi gasket replacement program
Call Ford at: (800) 392-3673 to find out more.
 
Initially when my head gaskets blew and i contacted Ford they warned me that *I* would have to pay a $70 "Diagnostic Fee", and if the dealership felt that my vehicle had enough "symptoms" to warrant gasket replacement under 00M09/00M10, then my $70 would be reimbursed.
I said "listen pal, 2 weeks ago all my warning lights came on, my engine was hesitating, chugging, knocking Badly, felt like it was running on 3 cylinders, was burning white smoke out the tailpipe, was consuming 1 gallon of coolant per week, and now it is sitting on Jackstands in my driveway waiting for the Tow Truck to tow it to the Ford Dealership!! How many more symptoms do you Need??"
 
Also, the dealership said all the Courtesy cars were already taken by Other owners with blown head gaskets! and they Refused to cover a rental car!
 
Anyways, the total cost of repairs was $1300 and took TWO weeks! But the "Extended Gasket Warranty" program only covered $1050!
The dealership said *I* had to come up with $250!! I said WTF?!? WHY do I have to pay $250 for FORD's defective gaskets Scewing up MY engine??!!
The dealership said the Warranty *only* covered gaskets and installation, but I was responsible for things like corroded spark plugs, block flush, oil, coolant, and waste disposal fees!!
I just about got in my Ford and crashed it thru their dealership window!
But decided to drive it home and put a For Sale sign on it instead... at least now that it was running again.
 
Over the years of (unhappy) ownership i have spent Thousands of dollars out of my own pocket for parts & service not covered by the recall/warranty, rental cars!, towing, time taken off work, etc.
So with the Thousands of dollars i've WASTED i could've just bought a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan to begin with!!!

#600 of 2608 Anyone Remember This Sequence? by Justinl

Jul 03, 2001 (6:17 pm)

Mini Van ('98 LX - 3.8L) Starts fine... drive it down the street... notice the O/D indicator on the gearshift lever blinking. Within less than 200 yds, the "Service Engine Soon" light goes on.
 
So what do you think?
 
Am I up the proverbial Windstar creek? Or could I get lucky and have it be something small and inexpensive (less than $100).
 
Any bets???
 
BTW - Brought it in to the dealer, they checked the codes and found no "Crisis" messages. Scheduled the van in to service on Thursday. They re-set the trouble lights.... no issues for about 20 miles... both lights are now back on.
 
The van has ALWAYS shifted hard at lower speeds. The village idiot, ah, er,I'm sorry - Ford mechanic, said that that is typical for the vehicle.
 
I think that I should have traded it in somewhere along that 20 miles....

#601 of 2608 99 Power Steering Mess by pennanj

Jul 03, 2001 (6:29 pm)

Well, I just got back from my local Ford dealership, after having the power steering pump on my LX replaced at 30,800 mi. Took them two days to do the repair, after having the pump and hoses "fedexed" from Ford parts heaven (why is it that the dealer never has anything other than air filters in stock, even for a vehicle that's only 2 years old?). Fortunately, the repair was done under warranty. Unfortunately, as I drove the five miles to my home, the familiar whining returned, and I'm not talking about my kids. By the time I pulled into my driveway, moving the steering wheel was like trying to turn the Titanic. This means that I get to spend yet another couple of days without my wheels while the "experts" (re)fix the problem. The quality of this repair job also gives me a bit of pause when I consider that I just forked over almost $500 to them for my 30K "facelift", in which all "vehicular fluids" were flushed and replaced. Also, it seems like Ford has recalled practically everything on my buggy but the blue oval. I get lonely when a day goes by without one of their postcards. But my main concern is...is this power steering problem just the prelude of more dire things to come? How are other '99 owners faring?

#602 of 2608 Rod by drew_

Jul 04, 2001 (11:18 pm)

Sorry to hear about your problems. Sounds almost like there is a problem with the steering rack in addition to the power steering pump! I can't imagine having to drive such a large and heavy vehicle without power steering. You may also want to repost your question in the Maintenance & Repair message board here in Town Hall. Perhaps someone can suggest something that may of be of assistance to you.
  Best of luck,

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

#603 of 2608 Anyone Remember This Sequence? by bdemas

Jul 05, 2001 (4:19 am)

justinl: My 99 had the hard shifting at low speeds "feature". The OD light started flashing on one of those occasions while driving in stop and go traffic. It turned out to be Cam Shaft/Turbine shaft Sensor. It fixed the flashing OD, but the hard shift feature never went away. I had read somewhere (I think the manual) about a flashing OD was a bad thing, I got the van in as soon as possible. As far as cost goes, the van was still under warranty and I don't have the paper work anymore (or the van for that matter).

#604 of 2608 Hard 1-2 shift by crkeehn

Jul 05, 2001 (7:59 am)

The Windstar transmission will do a hard 1-2 shift under the right conditions. Generally it is most noticeable in stop and go traffic where your speed is very low. In that case, when the car reaches the shift point, the shift is very abrupt. Under more normal conditions, the shift is much smoother.
 
If you are suffering the abrupt shift at very low and gradual speeds, then it is considered normal. If you are suffering the abrupt shift while speeding up more rapidly, then it isn't normal.
 
I have a 96 Windstar and it does the same thing, only in stop and go and slow accelleration. Because I hardly ever drive in that type of traffic, I seldom see the problem.

#605 of 2608 Change Bulb Warning by liebeda

Jul 05, 2001 (8:26 am)

I have a '99 Windstar LX and recently experienced the following. The indicator on my dashboard showed that there was a bulb that needed to be replaced. I found the damaged bulb (rear - passenger side - brake light) and changed it. The warning light went away - except for when I step on the brakes or have my headlights on. For some reason the warning light seems to go on whenever the lights are being used. When the bulb was broken, the warning light would be on all the time. Anyone have any ideas what could be causing this?
 
Thanks.

#606 of 2608 96 w/s by ralmo

Jul 07, 2001 (1:32 pm)

I spent some time in the mountains this weekend,as usual took the van out of overdrive. When we stopped for awhile then restarted I noticed I could not take the van out of overdrive anymore. After some checking I noticed the 10A fuse under the hood was blowing out...each time I replaced the fuse it would blow (3 times)after starting. we usually do not drive in mountains, Has anyone run into this problem or have a fix? thanks

Messages Page 61 of 262

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