Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER | |||||
| 02208 | 10/14/2002 | 10013060 | Climate control a/c service tech tips. *eh | 04/07/2005 | |
| 96724 | 03/25/1996 | 613346 | Experiencing a musty smell within the vehicle with the air conditioner operating on some vehicles built through 2/15/96. *tt | 06/22/2000 | |
| 985086 | 11/01/1998 | 613214 | Some vehicles may exhibit a customer concern described as an air conditioner hiss noise. *tt | 06/19/2000 | |
| 99196 | 09/20/1999 | 6090087 | Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems. *tt | 03/08/2000 | |
| 99195 | 09/20/1999 | 6090085 | Service information for musty and mildew type odors coming from the air conditioning / heating system. *tt | 03/06/2000 | |
| 9913073 | 08/01/1999 | 609037 | Climate control is investigating concerns of broken and / or binding blend doors. *tt | 12/07/1999 | |
| 09/23/1999 | 607465 | Climate control is investigating concerns of broken and or binding blend doors on some vehicles. *tt | 09/23/1999 | ||
| 98125 | 01/19/1998 | 605607 | Vehicle may exhibit a whistling noise heard from the a/c plenum. *tt | 07/13/1999 | |
| 97624 | 03/17/1997 | 52006 | Air conditioning- water dripping onto floor drain tube during a/c system operation. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| 96226 | 10/21/1996 | 50945 | Air conditioning - compressor failure - insufficient amount of refrigerant oil. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| 95168 | 08/01/1995 | 45951 | Air conditioning-a/c compressor moan - vehicles with 3.8l engine. noise -'moan' - a/c compressor-vehicles with 3.8l engine.*sd | 04/25/1996 | |
| 942414 | 11/01/1994 | 37764 | Condensate leak at auxillary a/c unit - evaporator hose disconnected. *tw | 01/06/1995 | |
| 94239 | 11/01/1994 | 37735 | Excessive clutch air gap on fs-10 a/c compressors can allow the clutch disc to move away from the pulley. *tw | 01/06/1995 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Fuel leak, causing fumes in passenger compartment. | |||
| 02/03/1997 | 1 | 06/01/1995 | |
| Remote control failed. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | |||
| Consumer is handicapped and the conversion vehicle is not working right, especially the fuel tank which is not taking any gas. *ak consumer states wrong address he has never owned a ford vehicle.*jb | |||
| 11/11/1995 | 1 | ||
| Power steering pump leaks. *dsh | |||
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL | |||
| 08/15/1999 | 94000 | ||
| Heater core failure that led to immediate cylinder head cracking that led to coolant entering engine oil system and total engine failure. transmission failure of original and replacement transmission. told by auto parts store employee about the cylinder head recall as his sister owned same 1995 windstar 3.8l, ford had a vendor answering calls. representative stated that ford had mailed recall information to the wrong address, that is why i never recieved it. rep unable to explain how ford mailed hood recall info to correct address, but not the cylinder head recall info. rep refused to address issue further. i would love to taker part in any cylinder head or transmission class action proceeding. | |||
| 09/15/2003 | 60 | ||
| Ford windstar 95 shift lever prdnl does not match gear. when in park car rolls have to find d or r by moving shift lever. sometime have to put lever in to park twice or three times befor it catched and car starts. when the car rolls back and kills someone it will get fords attention. also replaced head gasket engine and head gasket again. tranny sensor, door ajar sensor. what a car mark hershkowitz | |||
| 01/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| I have owned this van since 1999. since i have owned it we have had nothing but problems with it. i have had the rotors turned, and replaced at least 3 times, and they need it again. i have had the head gasket replaced 3 times and one of them times was at 99,000 miles when it was under the warrenty. it had been replaced at least one time before that. my sliding door won't stay closed, even though i just spent $300 getting a new latched put on. my windows won't work. i had larson motors fix a head gasket and my electronic windows, cost me over $250 for the window, that only worked 2 times. i called, and since they put "may not be the problem" on the invoice, they think that clears them, and they wanted me to spend more money on another part. my speedometor has been replaced once and is broke again. the alternator has been replaced. i could go on and on. i am getting no where with anyone. i have spent around 5,000.00 in repairs, and can't trade the thing off, since i still owe too much on it, due to a tornado that hit our home, and what the insurance didn't cover, the balance was put on our car loan. we don't have the best credit do to having to spend anywhere from $100-300+ a month on repairs to this lemon car. i have a family and need to know that i have a reliable car to drive. i have been stranded with my 3 children a minimum of 4 times this past year. | |||
| 3 | |||
| The air bag warning light remains illuminated, indicating malfunction within the system. cause unknown, please give any further details. *ak | |||
| Cigarette lighter melted apparently not popping back out once heat reaches certain temperature. please describe details. tt | |||
| 02/22/1995 | |||
| The cigarette lighter when engaged and gets hot it dislodges form the holder onto the floor, and gets hot without the engine on. tt | |||
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER | |||
| 10/20/2000 | |||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 08/01/2000 | 01/01/1997 | ||
| I have had several different problems with my '95 windstar since i bought it used in jan of 1997. the scary thing is i don't know what all has already been replaced on it , but here is my list head gaskets replaced, speedometer replaced & is now making noise again, rear heat and air repaired,trouble with ignition switch, steering is making noises hopefully this isn't a problem with the suspension spring you are already investigating, bells are rining all the time, door adjar light stays on periodically causing interior lights to stay on so you can't drive at night and your battery goes dead.most recently my transmission is giving me problems, it goes out of gear at a stop and then slams into it hard when you try to go forward also shifts hard from 1st to 2nd. this is very dangerous when entering a busy intersection or street. i did some home work on the internet only to find that it seems all of these problems are very common and everyone seems to have them at some point or another. i have been thinking of re pairing my transmission but i have read of several people repairing theirs only to put 2 or even 3 more in. what is it with this vehicle?no safety defect mentioned. *ak | |||
| 05/05/2000 | 3 | ||
| Was experiencing problems with head gasket leaking on 01 jan 00. had vehicle towed to mechanic & informed head consumer that gasket was repaired previously. problem caused engine to be damaged. mechanic indicated vehicle is driveable, but engine was dying & had owner drive off lot. returned vehicle & engine was replaced. new engine started to have electrical problems. air conditioner did not work & dome light came on and off.*ak | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 1 | 03/01/1999 | |
| The brakes were repaired prior to us ever taking possesion of the vehicle, 1 week after purchase the transmissions and electrical system were under repair for 3 wks, electric sys still does not fnction properly, a/c never worked in car, brought in for repair and engine is damaged due to recall - will not be fixed for 5 to 12 weeks. i want a comparable replacement vehicle | |||
| 07/12/2000 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was traveling about 60mph on the highway and air conditioner was blowing hot air . vehicle overheated on the highway due to engine head gasket blowing out. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| The a/c unit overheated. nlm | |||
| 01/21/1999 | 1 | ||
| A/c compressor is noisy due to compressor failure. yh | |||
| 7 | 03/09/1997 | ||
| Water pump leaks coolant and timing case cover leaks antifreeze. cause unknown. other failures include left and right tie rods, ignition key lock, a/c, and head gasket. *ak *ml | |||
| 1 | |||
| The air conditioner was working sporadically. yh | |||
| 04/01/1996 | 1 | 03/01/1995 | |
| Rear shocks failed at 3000 mi. a/c compressor relay failed summer of 1996 (hasn't work reliably since). tailgate lock motor failed, pass window motor faled, sliding door elec contacts replaced, head gaskets failed 3 times in 80000 mi. and many other problems that the dealers have fixed under warranty or service bulletins. how much will it take for ford to take responsibility for the 1995 lemon windstar !!! | |||
| 07/13/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1994 | |
| At 30,170 miles, transmission was replaced. at 45,472 miles the air conditioner would work when the van would first start and then the a/c would cut off. while awaiting for the parts to fix the a/c to arrive at the dealership, the van began missing during idle. i was driving out of my driveway on july 11, 1999 when the check engine light came on. i immediately pulled back into the driveway where the van sat until monday, july 12, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. per the service dept at the ford dealership, we were advised to drive the van there, if we could get it that far. upon leaving our home with my husband driving the van and me following in a reliable vehicle, we started out for the dealership only to stop midway because the van was overheating. we waited for it to cool and started for the dealership once again. my husband turned the van off as he pulled into the dealership and had to let it coast the rest of the way because again, it was overheating. they diagnosed the blown head gasket and intake gasket the next day. on dec 7, 1999, i was using the van to go home on my lunch hour. it started to die as i pulled out of my parking space but continued to run. i headed for home and within 2 blocks, while sitting at a stop light, the van died . i managed to start it back up only to have it die again. the van had to be towed this time. they diagnosed that the air flow tube had fallen off of the filter housing. on 12-16-1999, i was pulling from my parking space to go home from work for the day, only to have the van die. it started up again only to make it to the street out of the parking lot. it started again and i made it 1/2 a block before it died again. i started again and made it one full block this time before it died again. i had to start the van approx. 5-6 more times only to have it die each time in order to get into a local hotel parking lot. i called the service manager at the ford dealership and he came to check things out. he could. *ak | |||
| 03/31/1998 | 1 | 06/25/1997 | |
| A/c clutch cycle switch failed. mjs | |||
| 10/18/1999 | |||
| Due to a defective moisture punger modulator wiring harness kit, there is a mildew fungus type that grows in the air conditioner evaporator which causes the driver and occupants to breath dififcult, and may result in occupants fainting or possible death. there is a tsp bulletin 98-10-2 regarding this problem. manufacturer is only willing to pay half for this known problem. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| Ie98-080; while traveling at 65 mph with the air condtioning on, the air conditioner cut off. also, engine operated erratically and white smoke come from the exhaust pipe. consumer contacted the dealer. dealer stated that engine head gasket blew out. dealer has replaced engine head gasket and other parts. engine overheated very quickly. | |||
| 07/09/1998 | 2 | 05/01/1997 | |
| Currently our vehicle is awaiting a new engine after having the head gasket replaced on a recall notice from ford last october. while we have an extended warranty on this vehicle, we feel it is not fair they should have to provide replacement in light of other similar complaints about the same problem on other ford windstars. this vehicle only has 34,489 miles on it. we have had transmission concerns about this van as well, however the dealer has never been able to duplicate the problems experienced. we are very concerned that this van is infact a lemon, and we have contacted the ford customer service line, which advised us that no assistance would be provided because the vehicle was out of manufacturers warranty by time, not by miles. *ak | |||
| 12/01/1998 | 3 | 09/01/1995 | |
| Engine - both head gaskets were replaced by dealer, then engine replaced, tranmission showed burnt fluid and was replaced 3 months following engine replacement, air conditioner failed to work 3 days after transmission replacement. | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| Engine head gasket/radiator replaced, domn lights won't shut off, water in rear tail light, hood wont shut, airconditioning switch replaced, brakes making noise after being just replaced, didnt solve problem,. seat belt seems loose. *ak | |||
| 06/25/1998 | 1 | 06/01/1995 | |
| Air conditioner evaporator failed causing leakage. | |||
| 05/11/1995 | |||
| Brakes replaced, vehicle computer chip failed, air conditioner malfunctioned, the motor started missing, at 36,000 miles the vehicle started making chirping noises, belt frayed and a warbeling sound started in the tires and front end. | |||
| 05/11/1995 | |||
| Vehicle experiencing following problems: faulty computer chip/transmission missing from 1st to 2nd gear/inside door paneling came loose, and faulty air conditioner. | |||
| 05/01/1995 | 1 | 05/01/1995 | |
| Air conditioner compressor failed. | |||
| 09/01/1996 | 5 | 12/21/1994 | |
| Hatchback latch failed, causing door to open when secured, also replaced front brake rotors/pads/shoes, also transmission leaked oil and a/c compressor failed. *ak | |||
| 07/17/1995 | 7 | ||
| Air conditioner control panel very hot to touch. *sd | |||
| 03/15/1995 | 1 | ||
| A/c control panel overheated. *ak | |||
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | |||
| 09/11/2003 | 12 | 10/21/1995 | |
| Engine has been sputtering, flashing overdrive light keeps coming on. rear passenger front and rear windows won't open, radio console started to get real hot and then went out. engine continues to sputter as though its skipping a gear, and overdrive light constantly blinking.*ak | |||
| 3 | |||
| Radio failed. nlm | |||
| 03/07/2000 | |||
| Engine head gaskets needed to be replaced. consumer spoke with customer service concerning extension of warranty. request was denied. also, rear axle/ windshield wipers/ cassette, & oil pump were broken. manufacturer wasn't responding. dealer was out of business. *ak | |||
| 1 | 07/01/1995 | ||
| Radio failed. mjs | |||
| 11/08/1996 | 1 | 10/19/1994 | |
| Speedometer failed/radio failed several times, | |||
| 05/11/1995 | |||
| Sliding door paneling came loose. also power window/lock and speakers work occasionally on passenger's side. | |||
| 1 | 11/01/1994 | ||
| Radio volume switch failed. | |||
| 11/08/1997 | 1 | 05/13/1995 | |
| When minivan slowed down and driver applied the brakes there were no brakes, driver did not pump the brakes. *ak consumer stated he slowed from 70mph to 30 mph with no problems while entering city limits, when slowing at a traffic light ahead, brakes were inoperable causing a crash and $8000 worth of damage. consumer states that the rear window windshield wiper, washer, and defroster switch is too low, one has to take their eyes off the road to find it. radio controls do not allow for manual operation without diverting the driver's attention from driving vehicle. *slc | |||
| EQUIPMENT - MECHANICAL - CARRIER/RACK | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 2 | ||
| Cable ratchet assembly that holds spare tire under car has broken twice. vehicle has a piece that is hanging from undercarriage.*ak | |||