Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 06/28/1997 | 1 | ||
| 2 years after vehicle was purchased brand new, the door chime would not turn off nor the dome light. i still have the vehicle and had it inspected and worked on over 10 times and no one can fix it. *tr | |||
| 02/04/2004 | 78000 | 5 | 02/03/2004 |
| I asked the seller at ford to completely service the van before i would buy it. he said his mechanic would. i checked the van out two weeks later, low on oil, no brake fluid, trans fluid very low, no water hardly at all in receiver, then the starter went out, replaced it no good, replaced switch, no good, brakes gone out, can't keep fluid in systems, engine light came on, emission problems, mechanic stalls for the hour amount, and still can't fix/test ii code. inside lights dim when extra. lights come on. it's a damn piece of junk and they sold us a lemon. i paid over $4,000.00 cash for it, and all they wanted to so was sell it for money. what can i do? it has 72,000 etc mile and now has 82,000. we are both disabled with two kids. we have been screwed. i can get the ford info on the ford windstar 95 3.8 it rattles, water runs out of the exhaust pipe and the converter. i want to sue them, i calld them and they said the hell with you, you bought it as it was. ford products are the worst auto's on the market. we want revenge and all our money back now. avery herring res8cvfs@verizon.net 8284977787. what is next a head gasket? i heard that cost over $1,600.00 to fix. and there are alot of them going out. ford needs to stand behind it's products or get out of the bussiness. i have had my kids tossed to the dash when i step on the brakes before we even get out of our drive way. we wear seatbelts, i wouldn't dare ride in it. it is a death trap tp me.*ak | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 49780 | 2 | 03/18/2004 |
| Speedometer inoperable above 45 mph (bounces and grinding noises); outer door locks inoperable (except drivers door), key only opens drivers door; door ajar sensor and interior lights stay on when all doors are closed. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 1 | 03/13/1995 | |
| While driving the door ajar dome light comes on without door being opened. when driving at night and dome lights illuminates it's so bright that the reflection obstructs consumer's vision. *ph the indicator light stay illuminated after the rear or side door is opened. this happened intermittently. *ph | |||
| When starting up vehicle dome light continually stays on. dealer had to wait aleast 45 minutes before light went off.*ak | |||
| 06/22/2001 | 1 | 05/21/2001 | |
| The interior light stays on sometimes.*yd | |||
| While driving and without warning interior lights will turn on and stay on for 5-10 minutes. mechanic has switched the wiring; however, problem still occurs.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2001 | |||
| After first start it takes 15 minutes before dash lights and power windows work. mechanic determined an electrical short under dash.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 11/01/1996 | ||
| We have contacted ford numberous times and didn't seem concerned. we have so much money in this van we can't get rid of this lemon. now the engine light is coming on. the interior lights stay on and has ruined batteries. we have to change brakes at least 3 times a year. now my locks start locking w/o anyone pushing the button. it has been really a nightmare.. | |||
| 06/22/2001 | 1 | 05/21/2001 | |
| The interior light stays on sometimes.*yd | |||
| 07/01/2000 | 3 | 07/01/1999 | |
| Antilock brake light ignited on two occasions, filling with brake fluid fixed this problem. now the anti lock brake light intermittantly comes on. when light is not activated, the antilock brakes are activated with every use of the brake, causing the brake pedal to become very difficult to depress. once the brake goes beyond this point, the pedal will depress to the floor and pressure will push the pedal back up and pulsate. when coming to a complete stop the brakes will make a grinding sound from the right front. when the light is ignited and the antilock brakes are not operational, the brakes work normal, but still grind when a complete stop is made. there is a wire at the starter connection that works itself loose occassionally causing the engine not to start. when this occurs you need to jiggle the wire and tighten to get to start. this problem had been looked at and serviced in sept 2000, but still occurs approximately every four months. the door ajar light and dome light intermittently activate. this seems to be false as all doors are closed. again, some playing around with connections seem to fix this problem also. all problems seem to have occured after the vehicle reached 75,000 miles. we do have acquaintances who also own windstars of the same year and have the same antilock brake problem.*ak | |||
| 02/02/2001 | 1 | ||
| Door ajar warning light stays on even though all doors are shut completely. ford dealer has been contacted.*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 | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 20 | 09/01/1995 | |
| For the past year have had door ajar light go on, tried closing all doors till it shuts off. now the door ajar light will not go off at all, so the interior lights stay on--even after vehicle is turned off with no keys in the ignition. i lock up vehicle for the night and interior lights wont turn off. i now had to remove some of the light bulbs hoping that the battery is not being drained. would like solution to this problem.*ak | |||
| 05/01/1997 | 3 | 12/01/1994 | |
| The door ajar switch has gone bad 3 times in 5 years, each time it cost $250.00 to repair. if we do not get it fixed then the dome lights stay on for 15 minutes after each time any door is opened. in the dark that makes it unsafe to drive do to glare. i do not wish to unhook the switch , but i will not replace this again. *ak | |||
| Interior lights illuminate without manual operation, also, door ajar light comes on when the doors are actually closed, cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 10/19/1999 | 1 | 02/01/1995 | |
| Notified by ford sliding door latch, had it repaired. then front end doesn't stay in alignment, head gasket blew, causing loss of starter and other related parts, total cost of $1800.00 at this time the car only had around 50,000 miles. door light stays on indicating that a door is open when one isn't. sometimes goes on and off and beeps. interior lights stay on for extended period of time. heard on news about recalls and buy back, called ford, they tell me about 3 other recalls on the van,: head gaskets, hood separation, feul tank mounting (which will only replace or repair if they feel its necessary). i looked on the net and found that there is also an airbag problem on the passenger side. i was never notified of these and only recently became aware of them. i am in the process of trying to get a refund for the $1800.00 on the head gasket and related problems. i was told to go and speak to a mary flanagan at the sanders ford in jacksonville, nc where i live and purchased the vehicle. i would like to find out more information a out all these recalls and repairs that are needed and if the buy out program applies to my vehicle. i have 3 children and i am feeling very unsatisfied with safely transporting them in this vehicle. *ak | |||
| 01/20/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1994 | |
| Faulty switches cause door ajar & interior lights to remain on, making it difficult to see at night. | |||
| Door ajar light and seatbelt warning light do not distinguish ,causing a distraction to driver, and possibly draining battery.please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1995 | |||
| The interior dome lights as well as the dashboard door ajar light and the door open chimes stay on even when all the doors are closed. i took it in to have it repaired and even after replacement of the sensors, it is still an intermittent problem. this same problem has been reported twice in the sj mercury news action line column.*ak | |||
| 04/01/1998 | 40 | 07/01/1995 | |
| Door open light on dashboard and overhead dome lights frequently do not shut off, even when all doors are closed securely. *ak | |||
| 1 | 02/01/1995 | ||
| The cargo light malfunctiones. yh | |||
| 08/27/1997 | 1 | 06/25/1997 | |
| Dome light does not go off, due to courtsey switch failure. mjs | |||
| 1 | 09/01/1996 | ||
| Brake light on the console failed and would light intermittently. mjs | |||
| 02/26/1999 | 5 | ||
| Transmission can shift into reverse, but will not back up. the engine head gaskets blew. the interior lights would go on/off on their own, day or night. the key shift interlock will not release out of park position. the front disc brakes had crumbled inside. heard grinding/rambling noises when the brakes were applied. been to dealer 3 different times for brakes. *ak | |||
| Interior dome light remains illuminated which can become difficult when driving at night. the light only goes off when driving above 20 mph. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| While driving or parked the interior dome light stays on in the vehicle. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| 10/28/1996 | 1 | 07/30/1996 | |
| Dome light stays on. | |||
| 06/30/1997 | |||
| Water leaks into trunk. | |||
| 11/01/1997 | |||
| 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. | |||
| 06/01/1997 | |||
| The door ajar light remains lit, even though all doors are shut. this causes the interior lights to remain on. had vehicle in shop 3 times and they could not find problem. *ak | |||