Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||
| 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. | |||
| 02/07/2003 | 124000 | 10 | 01/17/2003 |
| Left-front and right-rear slow air leaks. tire shop couldn't find leaks under water and suggested that vehicle weight stresses the welded seams of the wheels causing the leaks. ford service parts wants $110 per wheel but cannot guarantee that leaks will stop. online repair forums know of this problem and suggest using a hot glue gun at the welded seam but then there's nobody who wants to do that and i can't single-handedly remove the tires and apply the glue and remount the tires. it seems that ford has been having this problem with wheels on their vehicles for many models over many years but i couldn't find any recalls in your database. *la | |||
| 04/13/2001 | 1 | ||
| While driving, consumer sideswiped a parked car, the wheel then came off, causing consumer to hit two more vehicles before coming to a stop, claim 05-4615-981. *slc | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 1 | ||
| Insured stated that the wheel fell off. claim# 38-j472-820 *yh | |||
| 06/07/2001 | 1 | ||
| While the insured was driving, the vehicle wheel came off. claim# 13-7361-978 *yh | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 4 | 06/01/1995 | |
| In january 2001 both front tires would go flat overnight. after 2 or 3 visits to tire shops found out there was a failure of both front wheels due to broken welds and not a tire problem. in july of 2001 the third wheel failure occurred and now in sept. 2001 the fourth wheel has failed. dealer denies knowledge of any defect or complaints from other customers; however a non-dealer company manager who sold replacement wheels to me says both he and wholesaler know this to be a problem with ford windstars.*ak | |||
| 10/09/1999 | 1 | 10/01/1994 | |
| Recall for engine head gasket, wiring, also had cracked wheel and transmission problems. *ak | |||
| 01/21/1999 | 06/12/1994 | ||
| While driving about 5-10 mph the wheel on the left front cracked. the dealer is aware of the problem. the wheel has been replaced by owner at his expense. *ak | |||
| 02/15/1997 | 1 | 09/01/1995 | |
| On the cylinder head gasket issue, i received a letter from ford last may 1998 and took the vehicle to the dealer to have it inspected. i was told that they check the vehicle and there was no problem with the gasket. now i am face with major repairs on the engine. the fuel tank is extremely slow filling. i fear a potential fire or explosion related to the fuel filler issue. the transmission groans mostly in the morning and at times does not engage in drive or reverse. also the form wheel bearings failed early in the vehicles life , another expensive repair was necessary. there is no temperature control to modify the rear heater temperature. | |||
| 08/29/1998 | 2 | 05/01/1995 | |
| I've had two rim/wheel failures within six months, both of which caused loss of tire pressure. luckily there were no injuries but i don't believe wheel rims should fail. | |||
| 01/10/1998 | 1 | ||
| Driver side front wheel fell off of vehicle, while in motion. | |||
| 01/21/1999 | 1 | ||
| As stated previously, the left front wheel on our ford windstar suddenly cracked as she was backing out of our driveway this morning. we immediately took the van to the dealership where we bought it (we are the original owners) and were told they had never seen a problem like this before and that it was no longer under warranty. i believe the wheel is defective perhaps from metal fatigue, but in any event a serious accident could have occured and owners of this year model should be notified and the wheels checked. i also think that ford or the dealership have a responsibility to pay for replacement of this defective wheel. | |||
| 12/01/1996 | 06/10/1995 | ||
| Transmission stopped working. also multi-function switch failed, and stress fractures on steel wheels. | |||
| 01/21/1998 | 1 | ||
| Stress crack in wheel caused noise from wheel | |||
| WHEELS - LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS | |||
| 07/06/2002 | 3 | 06/01/2095 | |
| Three of the five lug studs in one front wheel broke simultaneously, causing severe vibrations of the whole car. we were able to maintain control and slow down to a safe stop at the side of the freeway. we were towed 150 miles from akron to columbus. we have followed the manufacturer had had an alignment and wheel rotation at germain ford in columbus in march 2002. three possible causes: metal failure of the studs, torquing the lugs too tight when the tires were rotated, or lugs coming loose. the service people at germain ford have ruled out loose lugs due to the finding that none of the lug holes were out of round. if all five lug studs had failed at once, we probably would have had a fatal accident. we had driven about 10 hours from manchester, ct and broke down just east of akron, oh. speed was generally between 65 & 75 mph. we were towed home to columbus. germain ford did a torque test on the other studs in all wheels today, and none of them failed. however, we chose to replace all studs in all wheels. | |||
| 11/23/2000 | 1 | ||
| While driving the lug nuts came off. claim# 22-v658-695 *yh | |||
| 10/15/2000 | 2 | ||
| While the insured was traveling the vehicle's wheel came off. claim #38-j549-690 *yh | |||
| 01/31/2000 | 1 | ||
| When the insured pulled the vehicle into parking lot the front pasenger tire sheared off 5 lug nuts causing damage to rotor and bumper. claim #13-9132-767 *yh | |||
| 01/06/2001 | 4 | ||
| Four studs broke while remaining on nuts. *ak | |||
| Missing/not properly tightened lugs:nuts:bolts. | |||
| 05/01/1998 | 08/02/1995 | ||
| One of the lugs:nuts:bolts broke off. manually removed four lugs:nuts:bolts from the others. noticed these lugs:nuts:bolts were not firm. | |||
| 10/17/1997 | 1 | 10/01/1995 | |
| Wheel studs snapped off, causing wheel to fall off and front end to collapse. | |||
| 02/09/1997 | 07/31/1995 | ||
| Passenger's side lugs: nuts sheared off wheel, causing vehicle to be in a crash. *ak | |||
| 05/05/1995 | 1 | ||
| The wheel hub bolts on the front wheel are severely rusted. tt | |||
| WHEELS - RIM | |||
| 06/30/2003 | 1 | 06/23/2003 | |
| The vehicle was equipped with a faulty rim which caused to tire to leak at the weld and go flat. the consumer replaced all the rims with steel rims. *ak *cb *nlm | |||
| 07/29/2002 | 88000 | 2 | 08/13/1995 |
| I had to replace the second stock rim on my 1995 ford windstar. i have never had a rim leak air on any other car that i have owned and was quite agrivated to learn from the wheel shop owner that he has done around 30 such replacements this year. all on ford windstars. no other manufacture or model. i realize that the 1995 windstar was the worst year for ford windstars, but after having to put up with headgasket blowouts at 58,000 miles, transmission blowouts at 70,000 and assorted other electrical failures, the wheels seem another rediculous manufacturing blunder that i should not have to pay the brunt of. they are dealer only part and $90+ a piece. i have now replaced 2. the first time, a few years ago, when this happened, the dealer had to special order the part. now they carry them in stock. (i wonder why???) | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 2 | 10/01/1997 | |
| Wheels - 2 wheels (rims) warped without reason. caused constant vibration. had checked 3 times before problem found. found at non-ford garage. rearview mirror fell off while parked. windshield wipers have never worked properly, constantly smear. replace at various times. | |||
| 10/10/1999 | 2 | 04/09/1995 | |
| Rims cracked allowing air to leak out of the tires. nlm | |||
| 02/01/1996 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Hole in the rim of wheel causing flat tires. mjs | |||
| 06/26/1998 | |||
| While driving, when stopping at a light and taking off again reaching up to 25 mph, the wheel rim fell off, it bounced off and hit the car when it bounced back. the dealer cannot duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 07/01/1998 | 3 | 08/01/1994 | |
| Front wheel cracked through diameter of metal, possible safety problem with stress fatigue due to overheating of front brakes or just plain cheap metal. have another windstar at work and have had to replace 2 front wheels due to similar metal fatigue cracks. that is 3 of 8 wheels cracked within 50,000 miles. very unusual don't you think. contacted ford customer service to no avail. wheels should be recalled as safety problem. wheels did make noise indicating problem before replacement. | |||
| 07/15/1997 | 05/09/1997 | ||
| Intermittent operation of both left and right front windows from the driver's controls. drive assembly and electrical regulator replaced on the right side window, however the problem continued. | |||
| 02/16/1998 | 05/09/1997 | ||
| Noise started coming from the left front side of the vehicle. dealer inspected vehicle and found a stress crack in the rim. | |||
| 09/28/1997 | 2 | 02/23/1996 | |
| The front rim cracked at weld. | |||
| 09/10/1997 | 1 | 11/01/1995 | |
| Inner weld on wheel rim developed a leak, causing tire to go flat. | |||
| 05/05/1995 | 1 | ||
| Wheel rims on both sides are severely rusted. tt | |||