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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 86 of 261

#849 of 2608 FORD = Found On Road Dead by tony22r

Mar 10, 2002 (10:15 am)

My 1995 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L V6
Problems, Defects, Recalls
 
* Defective factory Head Gaskets at 60K miles. White smoke, coolant in engine oil. Replaced under Ford Recall but I still had to pay $200 for "fluids & environmental fees".
* "Hood Separation at high speeds" Recall. Dealer applied more Glue to the plastic hood!
* Gas Tank (plastic) needed Reinforcement for hot weather climates. Recall. They installed redesigned straps on the plastic gas tanks.
* Sliding Door needed reinforcement/welding.
* Transmission Oil pan leaked constantly since vehicle was new at 0 miles. I was original owner.
* Engine oil pan started leaking at 10K miles.
* "Check Engine" light came on ALL the time! Usually on long drives or change of altitude. Dealer could never explain, and refused to fix it as there was no "problem".
* Hesitation/Jerking/Loss of power at certain temperatures, elevations, engine speeds. Dealer could never reproduce problem so refused to fix.
* Trim, body panels, weather stripping falling apart. (20K miles)
* Radio buttons and knobs falling off. (20K miles)
* Windows came off their tracks (30K miles)
* Defective rim that leaked Air! There was an Air Leak in the steel Wheel right from the factory! Dealer refused to replace, they said it was a Maintenance item! GRR..
 
I sold my Windstar last year at a loss for $3000. It only had 67K miles on it, yet everything was falling apart. I took the money and ran while the vehicle was still 'running'.
I was the original owner and maintained that vehicle religiously, changing oil every 3K, tranny fluid flushes, air filter every 10K, coolant flush every summer, etc.
 
Bottom line; DON'T buy a FORD!
In the end it will end up owning YOU!
I will Never Ever own another Ford vehicle again!

#850 of 2608 Tony22r....and the Windstar by gandalf17

Mar 11, 2002 (10:03 am)

Tony22r,
 
Appreciate your feedback. Sounds like you got stuck with a really horrible vehicle. You probably should have pursued the lemon law on that one....
 
Although your words alone would not influence my decision at all, I have decided not to purchase this 1998 Windstar. I have done quite a bit of further research, both here and independently and there isn't a chance I would pony up the money for a vehicle with a problem plagued history such as this. I find it exceptionally troubling that years went by and the same issues kept re occurring in the same vehicles. It reinforced to me why i will never buy a car from a North American manufacturer. I have owned Honda's, Mazda's and now a Subaru WRX for the last 10 years. I have never had a major mechanical issue or malfunction in all of that time. I have only had to have regular maintenance and a few minor problems fixed under warranty such as squeaking seats and loose window trimming.
 
Steve Host,
 
Thanks also for the feedback on pricing. I was planning on using this vehicle almost exclusively as transport to my boat which i have docked about an hour north of Toronto. The extra carrying capacity and the fact i didn't have to put mileage on my wife's Mazda Protege ES or my WRX intrigued me. I'm sorry, but the potential for costly transmission and engine repairs just isn't worth it for me.
 
Thanks,

#851 of 2608 '95 Windstar "incentives" and its control module???? by mikeu42

Mar 13, 2002 (11:49 am)

Like all too many others, I wish I had this site before I bought my 1995 Windstar. I've had almost all the problems written about, and basically got the same "treatment" from Ford. My biggest disappointment was the Ford factory rep telling me that I could either take my costs for replacing the defective head gaskets in cash, or apply that same dollar value to the purchase of a replacement Ford vehicle. I took the $800.00 in a flash, but later found that I should have been offered a $4,000.00 incentive to buy that new Ford replacement vehicle. Of course Ford Customer Service told me that I had no proof of anything and to go scratch. Late last year there was some sort of a California court case regarding the control module???,,, but all I can find out is that nothing is settled yet??? Does anyone out there know if I/we have any chance of recouping a little more of our losses,,, or,, be offered a "replacement" incentive?????

#852 of 2608 Used Windstar by bob550k

Mar 13, 2002 (2:39 pm)

I didn't buy a windstar due to the comments on this site. Call the factory prior to any used car purchase and give them the VIN number and most manufacturers can give you a complete history of all of the repairs done under warranty to that vehicle, some will even provide a printed report. This is a great way to verify mileage and repair history. Many companies keep all of the service information available to the public including oil changes etc... It would be a big mistake not to make a simple call prior to the purchase, you might avoid a real lemon.

#853 of 2608 98 Transmission by penguin

Mar 14, 2002 (3:23 pm)

About 6 months ago, I took windstar to dealer because of a strange sound coming from engine. They said I need a new transmission-$2700.00. Since I was not experiencing any drivability problems I figured why not just wait until it dies. Well today I take it in for brakes and they tell me the transmission should be replaced and that they will put in a Ford rebuilt transmission for $500.00. Warranty period will be for 6 years/100,000 from when I bought van, which was May 1997. It has 70,000 miles so I get in effect, 15 months/30,000 miles. Now that seems pretty hard to turn down, but I'm wondering, if the replaced unit will have the same problems that the original had. Anybody have a similiar story?

#854 of 2608 How the heck do you call the factory? by davids1

Mar 16, 2002 (11:58 am)

Where do you get the phone number. I would love to have all this information.
 
Thanks

#855 of 2608 Penguin by rayt2

Mar 16, 2002 (5:49 pm)

You may be better off with the rebuilt. The part that usually goes (I don't remember what it's called) is replaced w/a better unit when they are rebuilt. Ford knows about this problem but it's $$$ running the show at assembly time, save a buck on the sale make a few more after the warranties run out and customer pays for new/rebuilt units.
 
Ray T.

#856 of 2608 You're probably right, Ray by penguin

Mar 19, 2002 (6:12 am)

I guess there's no good reason not to take Ford up on this. I would hope they would improve the rebuilt to fix whatever the problem was, but of course you never know.

#857 of 2608 trans problems too! help? by joiner1

Mar 20, 2002 (11:25 am)

My '99 Windstar needs a new transmission at 37,800 miles. Everytime I took it in, I complained about the trans. It was serviced in Oct.(31K) and December(33K), both times they told me trans was ok. Dealer says they will pay half of the $3000 job. I don't have an extended warranty - Ford Customer (no)Assistance rudely told me to take a hike. Do I have any recourse here? And, if not - where did you get that $500 transmission?

#858 of 2608 Joiner by davids1

Mar 20, 2002 (7:20 pm)

Make sure you have copies of your previous repair orders. If you complained of transmission problems during your warrantly period, and you have the repair orders/documentation to prove it, and they said you had no problem, then you can argue your condition existed before your warranty expired. Stick to your guns and fight it.

Messages Page 86 of 261

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