1996 Ford Windstar Steering Problems

THE VEHICLE'S DOOR LOCKS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED ON THEIR OWN. *NM THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL AND THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENT. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED AN ACCIDENT WHICH MAY BE DUE TO THE BRAKE LINES. REFER TO RECALL#02V101000. *SC THE SWAY BAR RATTLED, THE TIE RODS WERE REPLACED. *JB

I BROUGHT MY 1996 FORD WINDSTAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, AND WAS TOLD TIE RODS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. , THEN, NEXT DAY, THEY PHONED AND ADVISED ME THAT TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THE PAN WAS FULL OF SHAVINGS, ALSO, POWER STEERING RACK WAS LEAKING, AND INTAKE GASKET NEEDED REPLACEMENT. , A TOTAL OF $5000 TO FIX THIS VEHICLE. I BOUGHT IT AT 118,000 MILES, AND THIS HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER OWNING IT FOR ONE YEAR. CURRENTLY, IT HAS 134,000 MILES, AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN. I PARKED VEHICLE THEN STARTED IT AFTER BEING PARKED FOR A WEEK. HEARD A NOISE FROM FRONT, AND THEN WHITE SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE. I DO BELIEVE THAT PAUL CORNIES, THE DEALER THAT I PURCHASED VEHICLE KNEW THAT THEY WERE SELLING ME A LEMON. IT HAS CAUSED ME A LOT OF HARDSHIP AS I NO LONGER WORK DUE TO HEALTH REASONS. I FILED FOR DISABILITY INSURANCE, AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A PREEXISTING DISEASE , AND REFUSED TO PAY THE INSURANCE. CURRENTLY, I HAVE A JUNKER IN MY DRIVEWAY THAT I CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX , AND A BILL FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS, SINCE I STILL OWE FOR IT. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD. *AK

REPLACED RACK AND PINION FOR THE SECOND TIME 8/01 ( BY DEALERSHIP) AND 5/03. ALSO REPLACED FRONT END BEARING IN 1999 AND TRANSMISSION. WIRING HARNESS IN 2000. REAR A/C DOES NOT WORK AND THAT'S ONLY THE ITEMS I CAN REMEBER.*AK

WHEN THE KEY WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE IGNITION, THE ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO STATED A PIN CAME OUT OF THE STEERING SYSTEM. *JB

12-15-97 AT 21,145 MILES I REPORTED NOTICING THE COOLANT LEVEL ALWAYS BEING LOW. NO LEAK WAS FOUND AND I WAS TOLD THERE MUST BE A LEAK SOMEWHERE IN THE RADIATOR. 12-27-99 AT 56,526 MILES I BEGAN HAVING A "COLD START" PROBLEM. IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS NOT GETTING FUEL. 12-1200 AT 74,306 MILES I HAD THE SAME "COLD START" PROBLEM AND THE FUEL FILTER WAS REPACED. 12-22-00 AT 74,930 A NEW THERMOSTAT & GASKET. 12-29-00 AT 75,113 A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR. 03-02-01 AT 77,569 MILES A NEW FUEL PUMP RELAY(CCRM), FUEL PUMP AND PVC VALVE. 09-11-01 AT 87,907 MILES A MULT-FUNCTION SWITCH. 01-31-02 AT 95,069 MILES A SECOND CCRM RELAY. 03-06-02 AT 99,348 MILES ON AN 80 DEGREE DAY "NO START" SAME SYMPTOMS AS "COLD START" PROBLEM. INSTEAD OF NOT GETTING FUEL IT IS SUSPECTED IT IS FLOODING. 4-23-02 AT 99,348 MILES COLD START PROBLEM, FUEL INJECTORS CLEANED. 05-30-02 AT 101,330 MILES WOULDN'T START, NO FUEL PRESSURE-INTERMITTENT. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. 6-7-02 AT 101,388 MILES "NO START" PROBLEM. NEW FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP AND SENDER O-RING. 12-01-2-01 109,530 MILES VAN STARTED STEAMING - APPEARED TO BE A COOLANT LEAK OR BROKEN HOSE. ADDED COOLANT DIRECT IN RADIATOR. I HAVE CARRIED OWN COOLANT AND ADDED FREQUENLTY SINCE 1997, WHEN I WAS TOLD THERE MUST BE A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR. I COULD NOT FIND ANY TRACE OF SUCH A LEAK BY PUTTING CARDBOARD UNDER VAN. SUSPECTED THE PLASTIC COOLANT CONTAINER HAD A LEAK. NO COOLANT LEAKS WHERE EVER FOUND DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGES. 12-04-02 109,568 M,ILES FOUND LEAKING FRONT TIMING COVER GASKET. REPLACED HEADGASKET AND ALL ELSE THAT GOES WITH IT. COST OF REPAIR $1,915.21. I BELIEVE THE HEADGASKET DEFECT HAS BEEN THE PROBLEM ALL A LONG, COSTING ME A SMALL FORTUNE.

NEED TO REPLACE SPEEDOMETER HEAD, REPLACED TIE ROD, FRONT AND REAR BRAKES, CYLINDERS, HEAD GASKET AND NOW ENGINE BLEW NEED NEW ENGINE. *AK

VEHICLE HAS BEEN LOOSING COOLANT FOR MANY YEARS. *LA THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE BUT ENDED UP HAVING MAJOR REPAIRS. APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY TWO DEALERS THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A SHORT BLOCK INSTALLED. THERE WAS ALSO NOISE IN THE STEERING AND A COOLANT LEAK. THE INTAKE UPPER AND LOWER MANIFOLD GASKETS WERE ALSO REPLACED. *SC *JB

THE LEFT OUTER TIE ROD WAS REPLACE. *YH THE FUEL INJECTOR, TIMING COVER GASKETS AND WIPER BLADES WERE REPLACED. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT WAS REPLACED . THE SWITCH HEADLIGHT CONTROL WAS REPLACED. THE DRIVERS DOOR AJAR SWITCH WAS REPLACED. UPDATED *JB

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

VEHICLE WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT AT ALL TIME, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR ALIGNMENT. DEALER STATED ALIGNMENT COULD NOT BE DONE, DUE TO THE TIE ROD COUPLING BEING CRACKED. NLM

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE THE VEHICLES NEEDLE STARTED TO HUM. THEN NEXT, THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE STARTED TO FLY BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN 40-110MPH. I DID SOME FURTHER RESEARCH ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT ABOUT 20 OTHER INDIVIDUALS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM WERE HAVING TO REPLACE THIS COMPONENT WITH LESS THAN 40,000 MILES USAGE BETWEEN REPLACEMENTS. UP TO TWO OR THREE WERE BEING REPLACED WITHIN THE VEHICLES. NOW IF THERE WERE 20 REPORTS ON ONE WEBSITE ABOUT THIS CONCERN THEN THERE ARE PROBABLY HUNDREDS MORE NOT BEING REPORTED. AN INVESTIGATION IS WARRANTED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR ALL DRIVERS ON THE ROADS WITH THIS PROBLEM. *AK

BOUGHT CAR 3/01-IMMEDIATELY REPLACED CAT. CONVERTER. OVERDRIVE LT FLASHING-NEEDED NEW TRANSMISSION, TORQUE CONVERTER, PLANETARY GEARS, SOLENOIDS; HAD TO REALIGN;SPEEDOMETER OFF BY AT LEAST 10 MPH; NEED NEW RACK & PINION-POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKING; NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS HAVE SPENT SO MUCH MONEY AND ALSO BEEN WITHOUT CAR FOR OVER A MONTH -ONLY HAD IT 7 MONTHS!

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

TWO FROZEN OUTER TIE RODS. CONUSMER WOULD NOTICE SINCE HE HEARD SOME NOISES. ALSO, STREEING WHEEL WOULD NOT COMPLETEY TURN BACK TO ITS PLACE. CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER FIXED PROBLEM.*AK *SLC

WHILE DRIVING THERE CAME A LOUD SQUEAKING NOISE FROM STEERING AREA. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER NOTED THAT THERE COULD BE PROBLEMS WITH TIE RODS. *AK PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT 50000 MILES. *YH

IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS THE TRANSMISSION HAS SLIPPED TWICE. WHEN AT A COMPLETE STOP AND ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE HAS TO BE PUT INTO PARK AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. THERE IS ONLY 56000 ON VEHICLE. BATTERY LIGHT CONTINUALLY COMES ON THIS CAN BE VERY NERVE WRACKING WHEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. . SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATES AND FLOPS AROUND AFTER 40MPH, SOMETIME STICKS AT 50MPH. REAR WIPERS WORK WHEN THEY WANT. WE HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM SERVING 8 YEARS OVERSEAS, THIS IS OUR ONLY VEHICLE AND FROM THE RESEARCH WE HAVE JUST BEEN ABLE TO START THIS WINDSTAR IS HEADACHES WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE MY FAMILY TO SEE RELATIVES THEY HAVE NOT SEEN IN OVER 8 YEARS BUT THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE.

FRONT END GROANS WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. WAS TOLD TIE ROD ENDS HAVE TO BE REPLACED. *AK

VEHICLE BOUGHT IN 3/99 THROTTLE BODY LINKAGE BROKE REPAIRE BILL $500.00 SHORTLY THEREAFTER SENSOR WENT OUT (FUEL)BILL 256.00 LATER NOTICED SQUEKING IN FRONT END ADVISED IT WAS TIE ROD ENDS NOT FIXED YET THIS THING HAS BROKE ME HAVE HAD MANY OCCURENCES WITH SPEED ODOMETER GOING CRAZY AFTER 45MPH RECENTLY NOTICED POPPING WHEN TURNING STEERING OR APPLING THE BRAKES BUT BEFORE I COULD GET IT FIXED TRANSMISSION BEGIN TO EITHER NOT SHIFT UPWARD ,SLIP AT 45MPH AND HAS DOWNSHIFTED AFTER REACHING SPEEDS OF 45MPH (ON I-85) HAS JERKED SEVERAL TIMES ..WAS TOLD ANYWHERE FROM 100.00-2000.00 ? SEEMS I HAVE NOT BEEN ALONE IN MY DISQUEST WITH FORD...ONLY PROBLEM NOT ENCOUNTERED HEAD GASKET THANK GOD PLEASE HELP US WORKING FOLKS AGAINST THIS BIG BOY ON THE BLOCK THANKS

SPEEDOMETER BEGAN JUMPING AROUND ABOVE 40 MPH. FORD DEALER STATED IT WAS A SPEEDOMETER GEAR REPLACEMENT. COST >$400. FORD HAD A RECALL FOR THE SAME ITEM FOR THE 95 WINDSTAR (TSB 94B47) AND A SERVICE BULLETIN TO REPAIR (TSB 99-7-9). NHTSA HAS MORE THAN 30 COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME FAILURE. IT APPEARS FORD RECOGNIZED THE SAFETY HAZARD ON THE 1995 WINDSTAR, BUT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM ON THE 1996. *AK

WHEN WE TURNED THE CAR ON, A LOUD GRINDING SOUND CAME FROM THE ENGINE ALONG WITH LARGE SPARKS/FLAMES. WE HAD IT TOWED TO OUR MECHNAIC WHO DISCOVERED THE BOTTOM BOLT OF THE POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY HAD NEVER BEEN TIGHTNED. THE BOLT HAD LOOSEND ITSELF, HIT THE PULLEY AND CAUSED FLAMES. COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE IF WERE ON THE ROAD AT THE TIME. *AK