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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.- Your Host is KCRam@Edmunds
What is this discussion about? Ford Windstar, Van
#906 of 2608 2002 Windstar by jsiedhoff
May 02, 2002 (12:35 pm)
I have a 2002 windstar with a squeaking driver's side sliding door. What is strange about it is that it only squeaks and rattles when it is raining. Has anyone experienced this? I had a 2000 that was a lemon and I wish then I stayed away from Ford. My '02 that I got as a replacement (after fighting with Ford for 3 months) has already had two front end alignments, three steering wheels and a squeaky driver's seat also. I will never buy another Ford product in my lifetime.
#907 of 2608 2000 sel power doors by allyho
May 02, 2002 (7:56 pm)
new to the board, and for the most part thought i had a pretty good vehicle until recently, (or at least til i started reading this board.) the major problem i have had with the van has been the power sliding doors. we bought the car new about a year and a half ago, and since early on, the door on the driver's side has often gotten stuck. it will open, and then using the button, or trying to manually close it will not work. we've taken it to the dealership at least 3 separate times, and each time, it starts working and they've done no repair. this time, finally while it was at the shop the technicians saw that it was not working and have agreed to keep it til they can fix it, but even over the week they've had it, they've called saying it's working now and they can't find the problem. the reason it was at the shop in the first place was it had gone dead recently. we re-charged the battery and it went dead again. we drove it to the dealer and they replaced the alternator. we also just had the front end aligned. it seems to me that there is a lot of work being done for a car that is less than 2 years old, and has only 20k miles. i'm learning from your posts, that a lot of others are having similar problems, but i really wanted to find out if anyone could help with the power door issue. and please advise if anyone knows of any power drain problem related between the alternator and the power system/doors of the vehicle. thanks.#908 of 2608 Please, Let this only be a very small sample.... by ssartori
May 03, 2002 (2:17 pm)
To make a long story short, I just bought a 96 Windstar with 47,000 miles on it... The Windstar replaces a 94 Transport with 68,000 care free miles we bought new but was rear ended by a garbage truck after the truck lost it's breaks coming down a steep hill... (Was the garbage truck a Ford also?). The only problems with the Transport were the constant warped rotors… They would last for about a year then warp out.. The pads would last forever, and the valve seals were going.. I just dropped $700 3 weeks before the accident on an ABS sensor $500 and $200 for a new Power steering line that rusted out thanks to salt and Upstate NY... The ink on the Visa bill was still wet when the Transport was totaled.. Thank God My wife and Mother weren't hurt.. That space age frame under the plastic really worked...Well in a pinch with only $6300 from the insurance, try to find a reliable vehicle on a lot for that price.. We try to dive them for 10 years and then buy new.. Yes I have a 99 Sable that has two more years left on the loan.. The Sable has been reliable so far.. but it's still under warranty.. We found a clean 96 Windstar with 47,000 mile for $7,200.. The ride is much nicer than the 94 T-sport and everything seems to be working on it... I did need something with at least a 3.5-3.8L engine to pull out 1200lbs pop-up trailer.. I figured we went up 2 model years and dropped 21K in miles, and all I need it to do is last the next two years till the Sable is paid off..
After reading the nightmares here with head gaskets, and trannies I cannot believe the quality of the Windstar can be this bad.. It sounds like Ford couldn't care less.. I really do love the ride of the Ford over the Transport... My last Ford was an 86 T-bird that we loved but with two little kids it was time for a van... My wife loved the idea of the power sliding door.. GM came out with them in 94... GM could of used my wife, our 3 year old and baby for the commercial.. Arms loaded and the pod in hand trying to open the door.. BTW The Transport Plastic body still looked great.. No Rust... Just don't look under the van..
Well anyways I'll keep you posted on the Windstar... I'm hoping that (unfortunately) this may only represent .01% of the bad Windstar out there and this group is extremely vocal..
Man I hope that’s soooooooo….
#909 of 2608 ssartori by 5greyhounds
May 03, 2002 (6:43 pm)
I had a 95 with 135K on it till it was totaled in the front by a red light runner. I had no trouble with the transmission and it was as reliable as could be. It is like almost any vehicle--luck of the draw. I purchased a used 99SE and so far so good.#910 of 2608 Looking at used Windstars by quickfords
May 03, 2002 (7:28 pm)
Like many other shoppers, I am trying to find a decent used Windstar. I am used to buying $1000 Subarus (a second car for my wife who drives 10-20 miles a week), but with 3 kids a Subby is too small. I found a 1998 GL with 105k miles for $4995 and it seems nice. It did have some minor body work done, but only a small area- the rest is very nice. It is that gold chameleon color. Fairly well optioned (3.8l, quad seats, rear power windows, alum. wheels, aftermarket cd radio). It does need new rear shocks, hoses and a belt. It does have an anti-freeze smell I could not trace. Is there anything particular to look for?It seems to be a good van for the money, even at $5k I have extra for the minor parts it needs. Any thoughts???
#911 of 2608 5grayhounds RE Windstar lemons by ssartori
May 05, 2002 (3:19 am)
Thanks 5grayhound,One of the problems with this type of forum is very few people who don't have problems visit or post on them.. Why should they don't need information about an issue with a vehicle or the dealer or company... When I first got my new 99 sable the only problem I had was the "99" Ford Ping problem that seems to also reach into the 99 Windstars... I took the sable back to the dealer 3x to find out in need to up the Octane level from 87 to 89+… Yes they replaced the MAP sensor and thermostat checked for Prom Updates.., Nothing… I was very vocal about this issue on this form… Here it is 1999 and they can’t get a car not to ping… I think there should be a good news thread on here also… A place where people can crow about what’s positive about the vehicle and what hasn’t had to be done… Wish there was a way to read % on number of issues vs./ numbers sold.. If you read the forum, you think maybe 50% - 75 % are having this problem, then you think the other 50-25% who haven’t posted well their vehicle is already in the junkyard from accidents or was taken by aliens for backyard sculpture on planet Nebula… J
Take care
#913 of 2608 Go ahead and buy that 98 windstar by penguin
May 07, 2002 (9:57 am)
Then when it craps out on you, you can talk to 5grayhounds and he can tell you what a wonderful Ford he has.#914 of 2608 penguin by 5greyhounds
May 08, 2002 (10:04 am)
Now be nice. I can only use my own experiences to draw from. However, if you compare the number of posts on this board to some others, including the Honda board, this board is not really that big. I think the Honda board is up to 1,500 by now. As I said above, I can only go with my own experiences and that is both my Stars have been reliable. The 95 only left me stranded once when the ground wire rusted at 100k but it happened in my garage. I have a neighbor down the street that has a 95LX with over 150k and it still runs just fine. As I said, sometimes it is the luck of the draw.#915 of 2608 5greyhounds by jvirginia
May 08, 2002 (6:17 pm)
I think you might have managed to get one of the few good Windstars that have been made. As I've said before, if you look at all the Ford vehicles that used that 3.8 liter engine/tranny combo it has been a huge catastrophe. And the problems are all similar; Head gaskets, timing cover gaskets, failed trannies, etc. The only Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles that are still using that dreaded drivetrain are the Windstar and the mustang. People would be well advised to stay away till a more reliable drivetrain is offered in those vehicles rather than hope for a lucky draw.Advertisement
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