Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 131000 | ||
| After going about 4 miles after starting up van, abs light comes on, occasionally the red brake light will come on too, speedometer goes crazy (up and down) and inside lights flicker at random. seems to be some sort of electrical issue and/or brake issues. | |||
| 10/27/2012 | 126720 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. while driving approximately 35 mph, the interior lighting began flashing erroneously. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 126,720. kmj | |||
| 10/27/2012 | 126720 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. while driving approximately 35 mph the interior lighting began flashing. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 126,720. da | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 109000 | 20 | |
| Abs and brake light comes on all the time and goes back out all the time. the right rear brake light blows out about every two weeks to two months, have replaced about 20 times since buying vehicle. neighbor has a 2003 windstar with same problem. horn failed, connection problem, works off and on. attempted to get replacement part but was informed not available. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 1 | ||
| Lights turn on and of inside the car. the abs light and the brake light on and off. windows stop working get stuck. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 109000 | ||
| Abs and brake light comes on all the time and goes back out all the time. the right rear brake light blows out about every two weeks to two months, have replaced about 20 times since buying vehicle. neighbor has a 2003 windstar with same problem. horn failed, connection problem, works off and on. attempted to get replacement part but was informed not available. | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 1 | ||
| Lights turn on and of inside the car. the abs light and the brake light on and off. windows stop working get stuck. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2012 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Abs light and brake light stay on. have new brakes. interior lights keep flashing on and off when driving battery light stays on. i have had battery tested. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2012 | 100000 | ||
| Abs light and brake light stay on. have new brakes. interior lights keep flahisng on and off when driving battery light stays on. i have had battery tested. | |||
| 08/31/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Spedometer lights come on while driving and dont go away. now the car wont start fromwhat was told to me because of electrical problems. rear driver light doesnt work but can signal,left rear passenger lights wont signal. | |||
| 11/17/2010 | |||
| Interior lights come on randomly and blink while driving. sometimes they stay on after turning off the vehicle draining the battery. the door ajar stays on when the door is closed. all contacts cleaned and it still does this. driving with a flashing light in the vehicle is distracting and could cause an accident, this seems to be a problem in all ford windstars and should be investigated. | |||
| 06/23/2011 | 150000 | ||
| While driving, i felt the van was not shifting, so i went to the dealer i bought it from. they said there was nothing wrong with the tranny. the problem still existed. i took it back to dealer-again, nothing wrong with tranny but they did do a transmission tune up. when i picked it up, i drove into town. i was driving on the highway and had to stop on a red light. on green, i pressed my gas pedal but the car would not move. in a desperate effort, i shut the engine off and waited a few minutes. i was able to move again, but for only about a quarter mile to have to do the same repeatedly until i got to a safer spot. finally, i ended up leaving my van parked at a shopping center and called a cab home. this is not the only problem i have been going through with my ford winstar van. the interior lights flash on and off while i am driving, and my air conditioning doesn't work, even when i had free on put it. i do not have the money for another car, nor do i have the money for a new tranny, along with having it put in. i live in a town where there are no buses and can only get a ride from a taxi. i don't have $10 one way for this! i need to get to work, and cannot afford to lose my job....all because of a malfunctioning vehicle that is causing same problems for many others out there. ford should be recalling these vehicles! | |||
| 09/07/2011 | |||
| 0i was parked outside my home.i went out to my van to go pick up dinner and to my distress, the van wouldn't reverse or go forward.after some investigation from online source and auto mechanics, this is an ongoing problem with ford's transmissions.no warning of a problem.in the past weeks,my interior lights would come on while im driving.this van is a hazzard.you really need to investigate this please. | |||
| 07/21/2011 | 124550 | ||
| Abs/brake lights are coming on constantly....losing power....front/passenger side windows will not work, lights go on and off..... | |||
| 04/05/2011 | 174000 | ||
| Vehicle passenger headlight would come on in the middle of the night by itself and now passenger headlight would not work on dim. they said there was a problem with the wiring harness. so i had to pay for them to take the same materials again. i'm deciding if i should cut my losses and sell. my husband said we should never have bought a ford. i'm disabled and can't afford to be sticking this kind of money monthy into it. | |||
| 01/05/2005 | |||
| Electrical problems that required the replacement of the main electrical harness 3 times, which were under warranty. the interior lights continue to flash and flicker to this day, both day and night, creating a hazard to safe operation of the vehicle. there are also false aleerts of the tire warning system, and other intermittant electrical problems in the vehicle. there is also a noise coming from the front end, which is in the area of the sub frame assembly. | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 45000 | ||
| 55000 miles. original owner 09s09 recall. brake switch leaking-repaired before recall.paid 250.00 abs/brake lights intermittent, occasional burning smell, rear tail light remain on. battery dies (on#3) flashing interior lights, radio go out upon braking. dealer performed recall (wire thing) said need new ecu and hcu at cost of 1800.00. have had car in and out of service many times for strange electrical occurances and warning light problems. always said can not duplicate. have seen hundreds of complaints on message boards www.fordwindstarrecall.info, www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2003/ford/windstar/abs+warning+light, www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2003/ford/windstar/electrical+system. from consumers with similar complaints. feel car is not safe. low miles, always had scheduled maintenence. | |||
| 07/25/2009 | 77971 | 1 | |
| With no prior problems to report, i was suddenly unable to put my vehicle in gear after starting it. the gear-shifter felt somewhat loose as if i were parked at an incline without putting the hand brake on. however, i was parked on level ground. after turning the vehicle off, i was finally able to get the vehicle out of park and into neutral where i was able to start it and put it into drive. whenever i placed it in park it was extremely difficult to get it back into any other gear however, it would randomly go into gear as if there was no problem. but once placed back into park it would get stuck again. now there is all kinds of wacky electrical stuff going on...window swithches aren't functioning, no tail lights, fuel gage is not functioning and the remote alarm entry only unlocks the drivers side door. there is a clicking in the left side of the steering column when trying to utilize any of the listed electrical functions. *tr | |||
| 11/24/2008 | 48000 | 1 | |
| It started with the interior lighting coming on while driving ,then the dash windows nd radio ,battery dying and the outside lighting staying on while keys were out and not working once started. they are all happening constantly even with all the new parts that the ford garage replaced{battery,switches,alternator,light sockets,etc}. *tr | |||
| 02/10/2007 | 59000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 ford windstar lx for about the last year and a half the abs (orange) light and the brake (red) light come on whenever i driver more than about a mile in the summer time it is almost always on i know that this seams to be a problem because there is a web site dedicated to this. i really believe ford needs to do something about this i have taken my van to the ford house and they say they can do nothing. *tr | |||
| 06/17/2006 | 1 | ||
| On my 2003 ford windstar the abs system light is almost always on also my brake light is the same i have had my brakes checked many times i went to a ford dealer and they said it would cost $500 dollars so i went to a different contractor and they said my brakes are fine please help. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 06/10/2009 | 1 | ||
| Abs and red internal brake light intermittently light up due to faulty switch. there is an unrelated recall issued for 1998-2003 windstars but it does not cover this particular problem. since the recalls was issued have seen that this problem is rampant among windstar owners. this causes a safety issue as we are told it is just a switch and not to worry but then if there is a problem we are unaware. *tr | |||
| 09/08/2008 | 91 | 1 | |
| Abs and brake light come on when car is running for a while or heated up. car smells like something is burning. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2007 | 52000 | 1 | |
| Abs light and brake light always come on in my ford windstar. fire hazard. *tr | |||
| 04/29/2007 | 50000 | 5 | 12/19/2003 |
| Exterior brakes lights stay on as though the brake pedal is depressed, and even come on by themselves when no one is in the car. when you get in the car, there is a hot, overheated smell in the car. several mornings i have gotten in the car to find that the battery is dead, and i have to jump the car to start. *tr | |||
| 04/29/2006 | 5 | ||
| Brake lights (all three) are lighted when no one is in car. it like the break lights stay lit after parking vehicle. you go to get in car and find the break lights are on as if break pedal is depressed. interior of van smells like electric overheat. *nm | |||
| 07/12/2004 | 28500 | 1 | |
| Consumer stated that brake light worked intermittently. consumer has took vehicle to the dealer and repairs were made. however, problem recurred. the vehicle was hit from the rear because the brake lights failed to come on when applying the brakes. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 02/07/2006 | 3 | ||
| Message: i have a 2003 ford windstar that is getting water into the left headlight. the water is causing the headlight to deteriorate and effectiveness. i can find no cracks or breakage of the product and feel that this is a defect in ford material or workmanship. ford refuses to replace the headlight as a warranty or safety item. so i am asking you to check into this problem with 2003 ford windstars. thanks. *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | |||
| 03/31/2008 | 55000 | 10 | 05/18/2006 |
| Right side (passenger) front marker light has a grounding problem. i changed the bulb twice and the problem still occurs. the light stays on for no reason and the onboard computer shows that all lights are fine. if you bang it will go out. *tr | |||