1995 Ford Windstar Complaint Log

SINCE 1997 WE HAVE REPLACED 4 HEATER CORES, 2 RADIATORS, HEAD GASKETS TWICE, WE ARE FACING REPAIRS AGAIN ONLY A FEW WEEKS AFTER REPLACING THE 3RD HEATER CORE. DAMAGE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. WE WISH TO SELL THIS MINIVAN, BUT FEEL IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO BURDEN AN UNSUSPECTING CONSUMER WITH THIS POORLY DESIGNED VEHICLE. *AK

AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE ENGINE RAN ROUGHLY AND WOULD SUFFER MOMENTARY POWER LOSS. AT IDLE THE ENGINE WOULD LOOSE POWER MOMENTARILY UPON ACCELERATION.

LIGHTS INSIDE AND THE DOOR AJAR LAMP STAYS ON WHEN ALL DOORS ARE CLOSED AND THE ENGINE IS STARTED. INSIDE LAMP GOES OFF AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES WHEN THE ENGINE IN ON BUT STAYS ON WHEN THE ENGINE IS OFF UNTIL THE BATTERY IS DRAINED.

HEAD GASKETS FAILED, CAUSING ENGINE TO MISS AND HESITATE.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED.

A CIRCULAR ALUMINUM RING IN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED/BENT. FORD CHANGED TO STEEL THE FOLLOWING YEAR. DUE TO HEARSAY MULTIPLE FAILURES

HEAD GASKET - SLOW LOSS OF COOLANT UP TO 65,000 MILES WHEN COOLANT LEAK OBSERVED AROUND REAR HEAD. "BARS LEAK" ADDED TO COOLANT WHICH STOPPED VISIBLE LEAK. CURRENTLY AT 112,000 MILES AND COOLANT HAS STEADILY DROPPED SINCE THIS TIME WITH NO VISIBLE LEAKS. APPARENTLY ENTERING COMBUSTION CHAMBER. GASKETS ARE A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. TRANSMISSION - ABRUBPTLY DOWNSHIFTS APPROXIMATELY 6 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING NEW. HAS OCCURRED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS IN OD THEN SUDDENLY DROPS INTO SECOND GEAR CAUSING VEHICLE TO OVER REV AND SLOW DOWN SUDDENLY (OF COURSE WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS). DISCONNECTING BATTERY AND THEN REINSTALLING ALWAYS CORRECTS PROBLEM (RESETS COMPUTER). BOTH PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE VERY COMMAN WITH 95 WINDSTARS, BOTH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

THE DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET BLEW WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE BLOCK TO CRACK AND OVERHEAT THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO DIE WHILE DRIVING. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK

HEADGASKET STARTED LEAKING AT 50683 MILES AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. AT THIS TIME HEADGASKET IS LEAKING AGAIN, AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.*AK *SLC

TRANSMISSION LEAKS.

VEHICLE HAD BEEN RUNNING ROUGH. CALLED DEALER & INFORMED TIMING CHAIN HOUSING WAS GONE. NEEDS TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKETS. *AK

ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED. *AK

WHEEL STUDS SNAPPED OFF, CAUSING WHEEL TO FALL OFF AND FRONT END TO COLLAPSE.

THE ABS LIGHT AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. . THE OWNER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR OF BRAKES. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER. *AK

WHEN DRIVING AT 40 MPH AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED, LOST POWER, AND SHUT DOWN,CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAIT TO START THE VEHICLE BACK UP. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE I BACK UP, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AGAIN AND CUT BACK OFF. CONSUMER IS ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT 40,000 MILES,THE NEW TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP BECAUSE OF A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND THE DEALER CAN NOT DETERMINED THE PROBLEM'S. *AK *JG

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35 MPH WHEN THE INNER TIE ROD BROKE AWAY FROM THE RACK AND PINION,CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION. *AK

ENGINE GASKETS BLEW AFTER NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ENGINE.

ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ACTIVATES BY ITSELF CAUSING STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE.

WHILE DRIVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WON'T SHIFT INTO ANY FORWARD GEAR FROM A STANDSTILL. AFTER STOPPING AT A LIGHT AND WHEN LIGHT TURNED GREEN, WOULD TAKE FOOT OFF BRAKE AND DEPTRESS THE ACCELERATOR. IN STEAD OF MOVING FORWARD ENGINE RACED IN NEUTRAL. THIS WAS CAUSED BY TWO CRACKED EXTERNAL PINS. *AK

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING.

BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWO TIMES IN ONE YEAR. ORDINARY WEAR ON BRAKES. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED 2ND TIME JAN 6,1999

ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED. *AK

THE FRONT RIM CRACKED AT WELD.

WHENEVER ABS BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. ITS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. VEHICLE WOULD STOP FURTHER THAN NORMAL. HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED. ABS COMPUTER IS NOT WORKING NOW. *AK

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH: 1. THE ENGINE GASKETS AND, 2. THE TRANSMISSIONS OF MANY OF THE 1995 FORD WINDSTARS AND FORD TAURUS'S. THEY ARE ROUTINELY FAILING. GIVEN THIS OBSERVATION, I WAS COMPELLED TO PURCHASE A $1000 EXTENDED WARRANTY TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD RECALL THE AFFECTED POWERTRAINS AND REPLACE/REPAIR THE DEFECTS WITHOUT CHARGING THE OWNERS. OWNERS SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THE COSTS OF REPAIRS OR PURCHASE OF AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE "LEMON LAW" MAY APPLY BECAUSE THERE ARE REPETITIVE REPAIRS.

HEAD GASKET FAILED, CAUSINGENGINE ROD TO BREAK/ENGINE HEAD TO WARP. *AK

VEHICLE GOES INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT WARNING, PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICED WHEN VEHICLE IS AT STOP SIGN, VEHICLE ALSO SHIFTS INTO DRIVE WITHOUT NOTICE, DEALERS HAVE NOT FOUND CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS FINALLY DETERMINED AS AN ALUMINUM SPLIT PISTON FAILURE.*JB

DURING IMPACT THE CENTER SEAT/RIGHT SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE BROKE, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO DETACH FROM THE BELT BUCKLE. *AK ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT, THE BROKEN BELT BUCKLE CAUSED A CHILD TO BE THROWN ACROSS THE VEHICLE INTO SIDE OF VEHICLE. *SLC

TRANSAXLE MALFUNCTIONED, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL. IN ADDITION, TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED UPON BRAKE RELEASE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ROLL BACKWARD INTO TRAFFIC. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

AFTER ARRIVING HOME, HAD TURNED OFF HEAD LIGHTS. THEY FAILED TO TURN OFF. HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. THIS HAD HAPPENED 4 DIFFERENT TIMES. TOOK TO DEALER & THE MECHANIC UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM. ITS INTERMITTENT ONLY. *AK

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER SAYS THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD BEEN BLOWN AND THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK. DEALER HAS FIXED. *AK

INNER WELD ON WHEEL RIM DEVELOPED A LEAK, CAUSING TIRE TO GO FLAT.

PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT WITH DEER IN ROAD, AIRBAG SEVERELY FRACTURED PASSENGER'S LEFT LEG. SPEED 35 MPH. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED.

TRANSAXLE PISTON FAILED.

WE ALSO HAD OUR HEADGASKET REPLACED THREE WEEKS AGO.I'M BEGINNING TO THINK WE BOUGHT A LEMON.

IGNITION SYSTEM FAILED.

WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLES HOOD SHEARED OFF THE CAR CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL.

FOWARD CLUTCH PISTON WAS BUILT IN ALUMINUM INSTEAD OF STEEL, PISTON THEN SPLIT, CAUSING THE FOWARD AND REVERSE TO BE INOPERTIVE , AND LEAVING THE CONSUMER STRANDED. DEALER SAID THERE IS A BULLETIN, BUT CONSUMER IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK

DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED SMALL PIN HOLE LEAKS IN HEAD GASKETS. *AK

I HAVE SPENT $2,650.00 ON THIS VAN.IT IS STILL A DEATH TRAP. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK

CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION TRAVLEING ABOUT 15 TO 20 MPH, IMPACT 12:00, AND BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. UPON DEPLOYMENT OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE THE AIR BAG CAUGHT FIRE. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. VEHICLE NOT INVOLVED IN RECALL 95E006002. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NO SUMMARY

. COSUMER IS HAVING AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THE RPM GETS UP TO ABOUT 5 BEFORE THE GEAR WOULD CHANGE, AND WHEN IT FINALY CHANGES THERE IS A HARD JERK IN THE VEHICLE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

CONSUMER WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT HAD NO PRESSURE, CAUSING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO SLAM INTO GEAR, MAKING A LOUD CLOCKING NOISE. ALSO, THE CAR JERKED DUE TO BAD ENGINE GASKETS. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

BRAKES: DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND PUTTING FOOT ON BRAKES AND VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN . HAD TO PUSH PEDAL VERY HARD AND VEHICLE STARTED TO SLIDE . TOOK IN TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD BRAKES WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT. *AK THE SELF ADJUSTERS DO NOT COMPENSATE TO NORMAL WEAR AND CREATE UNSAFE CONDITION. *YH

THE CONSUMER HAS HAD TWO HEAD GASKETS FAILURES, THE SECOND FAILURE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. NM