There are 50 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2000 Ford Windstarin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR AN HOUR WHEN HE DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH WAS REPLACED DUE TO A RECALL IN 2011, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.
ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHILE BRAKING ON SNOW AND ICE, ABS STOPPED WORKING AND VAN SKIDDED OUT OF MY CONTROL, PUMPED BRAKES UNTIL VEHICLE CAME TO STOP, LUCKILY DID NOT OCCUR AT NEXT INTERSECTION,OR WOULD HAVE SLID INTO BUSY INTERSECTION !! BROUGHT TO SHOP AND THEY DID SOME DIAGNOSTICS AND CAME UP WITH VAN NEEDING A NEW ABS/TRACTION CONTROL MODULE. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. UPWARDS OF $2000.00, IF BOTH ABS MODULE AND ABS HYDRAULIC CONTROL PARTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. WENT ONLINE AND HAVE READ MANY MANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL OF VAN. FORD KNOWS AND THEY WONT ISSUE OR RECALL A MAJOR SAFETY / BRAKE RECALL......THIS COULD CAUSE SOMEONE SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH !!! BRAKES ARE THERE TO SAFELY STOP A VEHICLES MOTION !!!!! DEALER SAYS VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE WINDSTARS.IF FORD COULD FESS UP AND MAKE PART VERY AFFORDABLE THEN I COULD FIX VAN MYSELF. REAR AXLES,SUBFRAMES BREAKING HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO THIS PROBLEM. SINCERELY, [XXX] HERE IS ONE LINK TO A SITE I WAS ON HTTP://WWW.FORDWINDSTARRECALL.INFO/ INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
I HAD STOPPED AT THE STOP SIGN. WHEN IT WAS CLEAR FOR ME TO GO, I ACCELERATED AND WHEN I GOT TO THE NEXT STO SIGN AND SLOWED OWN, MY CAR WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. I PUSHED ON THE BRAKES, HEARD A LOUD VROOM AND THE CAR KEPT GOING. IT'S HAPPEN 3 MORE TIMES. ONE TIME, I WAS AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT DRIVE THRU. I WAS SLOWING DOWN AS I GOT IN LINE AND WHEN I PUT ON THE BRAKES, THE CAR MADE A LOUD VROOM SOUND AND KEEP GOING. I KEPT PUSHING ON THE BRAKES AND IT FINALLY STOPPED. I CANNOT REMEMBER IF I PUT THE CAR IN PARK OR NOT BUT I THINK I DID THAT TIME. I WOULD HAVE TAPPED THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. I READ ONLINE ABOUT A SON WHOSE MOTHERS WIND STAR HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IT MAY NEED TO BE RECALLED. *TR
WE WERE DRIVING ON LOCAL HIGHWAY WHEN ABS AND TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON. WE THEN HEARD A GRINDING NOISE AND THE SPEEDOMETER WAS JUMPING FROM 20 TO 50 SPORADICALLY. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED EVERYTHING IS NORMAL, BUT RECURS SHORTLY AFTER DRIVING. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS BURNING FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE AFTER ENGAGING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,140.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES USING BOTH AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE A VACUUM LINE WAS DISCONNECTED HOWEVER, DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS SERVICED AND THE THROTTLE BODY WAS DECARBONIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 128,000.
THE ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN GOING ON AND OFF FOR NO REASON. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THE ONLY CODE THAT WAS AFFECTING THE LIGHT WAS THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE SPEED SENSOR WHICH WE REPLACED AND THE CODE WENT AWAY. THE CRUISE CONTROL DOSENT WORK AND THE LIGHT COMES ON AND BREAKING IS SOMETIMES MUCH MORE DIFFICULT WHEN SLICK/WET AND LIABLE TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME MY VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE FORD RECALL FROM 6/2012 RELATINGN TO ABS LIGHT AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE C1185
THE ABS LIGHT BEGAN COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR NO KNOWN REASON; GRADUALLY IT HAS BEEN ON MORE. IN RECENT WEEKS, HAVE ALSO BEGUN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEED CONTROL WORKING ONLY INTERMITTENTLY, AND LAST WEEK THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING INCORRECTLY; THE HIGHEST SPEED IT REGISTERS IS 28-29 MPH, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I'M GOING FASTER. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS NOW SUDDENLY WORK ONLY ON LOW OR, IF TURNED UP TO THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SETTING, THEY GO HALF SPEED. TWO WEEKS AGO A BRAKE SET UP FOR NO KNOWN REASON, TO THE POINT THAT I SMELLED 'BURNING.' I STOPPED TO INVESTIGATE WHEN TRAFFIC ALLOWED AND COULD SEE NOTHING WRONG. I DROVE TO A HOSPITAL WHERE SON WAS WORKING AND HE INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THE FROZEN-UP BRAKE. HE WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY GET IT FREED UP. A VEHICLE THAT ONCE WAS A VERY DEPENDABLE WORKHORSE HAS SUDDENLY BECOME ERRATIC AND DOWNRIGHT SCARY. *TR
AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, CRUISE CONTROL SET TO 60MPH. MY CRUISE SHUT OFF, MY ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON. IF YOU SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND LET IT COOL DOWN, IT WILL STAY OFF FOR A WHILE, BUT USUALLY COMES ON WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS OF BEGINNING TO DRIVE. AND THE BRAKES WILL WORK, BUT I WILL NOT HAVE ABS OR TRACTION CONTROL AT ALL. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE ABNORMALLY SOFT AND THERE WAS A DECREASE IN BRAKING POWER. IN ADDITION, THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS INOPERABLE AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY HIS PERSONAL MECHANIC THAT THE BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH, WHICH WAS ALSO THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH, HAD FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V399000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). HOWEVER, WHEN CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 119,520.
I HAD MY MOTHERS' 2000 FORD WINDSTAR IN TO BE REPAIRED FOR TWO RECALLS, ONE DEALING WITH THE ABS SYSTEM AND FLUID LEAKING THAT COULD CAUSE A FIRE, AND ONE DEALING WITH ELECTRICAL ISSUES IN THE TRAILER WIRING. AFTER FOUR DAYS WITHOUT A VEHICLE, I PICKED UP THE VAN (SECOND RECALL STILL NOT COMPLETED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS). I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP AND WITHIN 5 MILES THE ABS LIGHT CAME BACK ON. WHEN THE LIGHT CAME ON, I NOTICED THE VAN STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND BRAKING WAS MORE DIFFICULT AND FELT VERY SOFT. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK IN ON MONDAY. THEY DID NOT OFFER TO GIVE MY MOTHER A LOANER DURING THE FIRST REPAIR AND SAID NOTHING FOR THE SECOND EITHER. I AM VERY DISPLEASED WITH THE SERVICE REGARDING THESE RECALLS, AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE PROBLEM STILL IS NOT FIXED. I AM WORRIED ABOUT MY MOTHER DRIVING THIS VAN WHILE THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD ERRONEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000. *TR UPDATED 05/10/13*LJ UPDATED 05/17/2013 *JS
CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEMS MY CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK AFTER BEING REPLACED WITH THE NEW SWITCH FROM THE RECENT RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS BEING FIXED AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE PARTS AND SERVICE. HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE SCDS AND ABS. *TR
DURING A TRIP ON THE HIGHWAY AT APPROX. 70 MPH THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYS ON AS LONG AS VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN UNTIL ITS RESTARTED AGAIN AND CYCLE CONTINUES. *TR
FORD WINDSTAR RECALL, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V399000, FOR ABS ECM MODULE THAT CAN CAUSE A FIRE. FORD ONLY INSTALLED A FUSIBLE LINK AS A SOLUTION AND I AM STILL HAVING TROUBLES. THE ADDRESSED THE INITIAL CAUSE, BUT PROBLEM HAD ALREADY STARTED. POWER STEERING OUT, ODOMETER, SPEEDOMETER DO NOT WORK, ALL DOCUMENTED ISSUES FOR THE RECALL THAT CAN LEAD TO FIRE. *TR
BRAKE FLUID LEAKING AROUND THE BRAKE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL DEACTIVATION SWITCH (SCDS) (2B264) LOCATED UNDER THE MASTER CYLINDER (BEHIND THE AIR FILTER) OVER TIME DEVELOPS A LEAK. THIS CAUSES A SHORT AND A FUSE TRIP, FUSE #10 IF THE ENGINE IS ON. THIS LEAK ALSO CAUSES BRAKE FLUID TO WICK DOWN TWO WIRES TO THE ABS BRAKE MODULE (2C219). THE FLUID ACCUMULATES ON THE (ALWAYS ON) POWER CONNECTORS FOR THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM WHICH ARE POWERED BY FUSES 101 AND 102 AND ARE BOTH 40 AMP. THE FLUID ATTRACTS MOISTURE, ROAD SALT AND LEADS TO A FIRE WHEN THE FLUID AND MOISTURE ACT AS CONDUCTOR BETWEEN THE HOT LEADS AND GROUND. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE SHE SAW SMOKE, SO SHE IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. AFTERWARDS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. SHE THEN RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE # 09V399000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). SHE CONTACTED THE DEALER TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THEIR FACILITY. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TOWING THE VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.
SEVERAL WEEKS OF THE ABS LIGHT COMING ON, AND CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONING, FOLLOWED BY MY VAN CATCHING FIRE WHILE DRIVING, AND BEING COMPLETELY DESTROYED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH LEAKED BRAKE FLUID INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, CAUSING THE FLUID TO SPILL ONTO THE WIRING. THE DEALER MADE AN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM UNDER NHTSA RECALL NUMBER: 09V399000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL); HOWEVER, THE FLUID CONTINUED TO LEAK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 93,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000. UPDATED 02/23/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED A WIRING JUMPER WAS ADDED TO PREVENT A POSSIBLE FUTURE LEAK OF BRAKE FLUID, SINCE THE PRESSURE SWITCH WAS NOT LEAKING. WITHIN 3,00 MILES, THE PRESSURE SWITCH BEGAN LEAKING BRAKE FLUID INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DIRECTLY ONTO THE TRANSMISSION SPEED CONTROL SENSOR. THE TRANSMISSION SPEED CONTROL SENSOR SUBSEQUENTLY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE SPEED CONTROL SENSOR. UPDATED 04/28/11
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD WINDSTAR. THE BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH ONTO THE WIRING HARNESS AND IT'S COMPONENTS WHICH CAUSED THE ABS LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECT WHICH LED TO RECALL 09V399000. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE COMPONENT LISTED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST HIM UNTIL HE TOOK HIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 125,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 124,500.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026