Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||||
| 0712 | 10021217 | Power steering hose leak near cooler extreme cold climate areas only -4 degrees and cooler. *kb | 03/23/2007 | ||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 17744 | 04/01/2004 | 10008240 | Power steering noise. *tt | 07/23/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 03/01/2012 | |||
| About march of 2012 my 2003 ford wind star's lower control arm separated from the sub frame engine cradle. i took my van to dealer. they did do a repair to sub frame, which i did not find satisfactory, ford corp. had them cut off what was left of any damaged brackets and clamp steel brackets onto a sub frame that is already damaged due to heavy rust and corrosion. now about one year later march of 2013 the sway bar mount, which is part of the sub frame has rusted out. making driving very unsafe and unstable. this problem should have been rectified when the recall was done in 2012. i took van back to the dealer. they sent pictures to ford corp. ford did not approve any repairs to sub frame stating that it was not part of original recall. now how is that possible if the sub frame and sway bar mount are all one component. it's all one welded piece of steel. there is no fix at this time but to replace the sub frame. now if the sub frame is under recall and the sway bar mount is part of the sub frame, then i feel ford should rectify the problem. i plan on keeping my ford wind star for a while. i feel this is a serious safety issue and really needs to be delt with. ford should cover this component or they get away with an unsatisfactory fix and i still have to pay for a new sub frame, which was the whole issue to begin with. | |||
| 05/24/2012 | |||
| My dealership just confirmed that the front (passenger) side engine mount that is part of the subframe has corrosion to the extent that there are two perforations completely through the engine mount. i was told that the recall for the subframe has closed and that there is no recourse for getting financial assistance with this. however, the service manager (jack) also admitted that the extent of corrosion and perforation did not occur in one year ( i had the original recall service done in may of 2011). therefore, i question why they did not bring this to attention of the recall and include the repair accordingly. this is a safety issue and i would appreciate any help you can give me. the dealership where i had the service performed is roy o'brien ford in st. claire shores mi and their phone number is 586-776-7600. they have | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 50000 | ||
| Abs module does not work, and shows a constant alarm light. cost to repair is $2k door locks failed and have to be opened manualy. cost to repair is $500/lock power steering unit constantly noisy, hard to steer vehicle. no repair cost known. door open light constantly on. no repair cost known. interior lights do not come on when doors are opened. no repair cost known. | |||
| 04/06/2004 | |||
| The abs and brake light have been on in my car intermittently for almost as long as i have owned the car. the ford dealer was unable to find any problems even though the light remains on. i have had to replace 3 sets of wheel bearings in the car and now the power steering unit is about to go out and the rack is leaking. the vehicle only has 78,000 miles on it. i work at home so i do not drive to work so the mileage is low for a vehicle this age. the vehicle is also rusting and i keep it parked in my garage unless it is being driven. the passenger side window only rolls down occasionally. in conclusion: i have been driving for 41 years and i have never replaced wheel bearings or power steering in any vehicle, let alone 3 sets of wheel bearings and a power steering unit. the costs of these repairs will total over 2000 dollars with no resolve of the brake issue or window problem. | |||
| 03/10/2012 | 74500 | ||
| Driving 45 mph when something snapped under front of the vehicle lost steering completely hit the curb got pushed back to the middle of the 4-line road and came to a stop very lucky. later found out that lower subframe control arm broke of the frame due to rust and pulled out axle snapped sway bar and damaged ball joints, towed it to a dealer and they are willing to fix frame but want me to pay for all the other expense sway bar, ball joints, tires, steering arm totaling over a 1000 $. can not believe that ford would not at least replace all needed part considering that i made it out alive and with out a crush. and all this after they have performed rear axle repair and checked the front and was informed that front was safe a year ago .about 10,000 miles and a year later i had this happened. the vehicle has 74,000 miles only. | |||
| 08/02/2011 | 129000 | ||
| Abs light is on as well as check engine light.car is idling rough.checked with numerous car repair places with no success.also, van is pulling to the right even after i changed tires and did alignment check ! | |||
| 03/10/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. the contact stated the inner control arm on the steering fell apart. the vehicle was uncontrolable and the left driver side tire turned out but the right passenger side would not move. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who will inspect the vehicle and replace the inner control arm. there is no warranty on this failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 105,000...mw | |||
| 11/28/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. while driving approximately 55 mph the steering wheel became loose and easily turned the vehicle to the left. once the vehicle began steering towards the left the steering wheel became very stiff and difficult to turn. after a few seconds the failure ended and the contact was able to steer the vehicle back into a normal direction. the vehicle was not taken to be examined for the cause of failure. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was told the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 03v349000 (steering:gear box:shaft pitman). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 85,000. sm. | |||
| 12/29/2010 | 106000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. the contact state while driving 55 mph the vehicle suddenly swerved left and right, she lost control of the vehicle went into a ditch. while the towing company hauled the vehicle out the ditch they found the steering bracket broken. the vehicle was moved to a towed yard. the insurance company will investigate the failure. the contact received injuries to the left side. the carroll township police report number 10-0910. the failure and the current mileage were 106,000. li | |||
| 08/24/2010 | 208000 | ||
| The right front sub frame on my 2003 windstar corroded causing the lower control arm to separate and wheel to pull out. lost steering. also axles shaft pulled from transmission and fluid ran out. fortunately at slow speed so no accident, but what if i were on a freeway running fast? | |||
| 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. | |||
| 09/16/2009 | 124000 | 1 | |
| 2003 ford windstar se brake and abs lights on intermittently. the following codes are present: c1226;c1235;c1185;c1198;c1194;c1254;c1246;c1250; and c1242. the mechanic said it appears the abs control module is going bad or is bad at a cost of $700. i replaced both rotors, drums , right wheel bearing, left inner tie rod and my brakes work just fine. the lights coming on are an annoyance and could possibly cause a fire?? *tr | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 40000 | 1 | |
| We have had many different problems with our '03 ford windstar. we have had the powersteering pump replaced 3 times. we have had the transmission rebuilt because is quit working. the abs and brake light on the dash are always on. we can not adjust the temperature of the a/c or heater. it is always cold. the rear air selector switch does not work. the dome lights flicker from time-to-time. the rear speakers work about 1/2 the time. the brakes sometimes make a growling sound when applied. the mechanics can not find the reason for the noise. the rear door indicator switch needs to be replace. when we shut the rear hatch (door) the doors will not lock because it seems that a door is still ajar.*tr | |||
| 04/04/2008 | 50000 | 1 | 02/03/2003 |
| Power steering pump makes loud noises that can be heard over a block away. had pump replaced twice still makes the noise. replacement pumps were rebuilt. also when pump makes noise the interior lights flicker but not all of the time. *tr | |||
| 01/19/2008 | 1 | 06/13/2005 | |
| Rainy weather . power steering failed. let the power steering belt dry out. took ford car to dealer to have it checked out. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 60000 | 3 | 01/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. the contact stated that the power steering malfunctioned and a noise was heard coming from the engine compartment while driving approximately 65 mph. all of a sudden, the power steering completely failed. he took the vehicle to the shop and they repaired the power steering. the current mileage was 63,780 and failure mileage was approximately 60,000. the consumer stated wanted to be reimbursed for repairs, however ford stated will not reimburse the consumer due to the fact the repairs were not made by a local ford dealership. updated 09/18/07 *tr | |||
| 01/19/2005 | 35000 | 3 | 06/16/2003 |
| Power steering went out in january 2005. from jan 05 - may 05 rack and pinion has been replaced a total of 3 times. | |||
| 11/13/2003 | |||
| We purchased the 2003 ford windstar in october of 2003. since that time, the van has been in and out of the shop 5 times because of a loud screeching in the power steering, interior lights flickering on and off (which they told me that they couldn't find a reason for that and that i should just turn the interior lights off so that it dosen't happen), and a thumping in the front end when the wheels are turned sharply. they told me that i should bring the van to the shop whenever any of these things happen since they couldn't figure out what was causing these problems and i have done that. i am currently driving a loaner car from the dealership because the van is back in the shop. i called ford motor company and filed a complaint with them. i need to know why this is happening and what can be done to fix this van. | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 2 | 04/01/2002 | |
| Nar 05/21/2003 *mr the consumer has made two major safety related repairs (transmission, and steering pull) made to the vehicle over an 11 month period. please review for further investigations. *cb | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 03/20/2002 | 1500 | 1 | 02/24/2003 |
| Steering wheel locked at 35 mph. consumer had to press the brake and gas pedals simultaneously to unlock steering wheel. dealer had been contacted. *ak | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 06/06/2005 | 25255 | 3 | 09/16/2003 |
| Our 2003 ford windstar began experiencing intermittent electrical failures. on may 27, after driving normally, we stopped for about 30 minutes. then the van stalled several times on a short trip. after another 10 minute stop, it operated normally again. several times during the next week, although the car did not stall, the power to the steering and brakes went out. we had an appointment with our local ford dealer to service the van on june 7. however, on june 6 the power systems failed, causing the car to crash into a road side mailbox. no personal injuries occured. nothing was done to correct the failure. at our expense, ford would have had someone look at the vehicle to see if they could determine the exact cause of the accident. we choose to deal with our insurance company instead. the car was totaled and repossessed by state farm insurance. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 11/02/2006 | 1 | ||
| I have a horrible whining noise when i turn my steering wheel, i heard its probably the power steering pump. i am going to have to replace it. *nm | |||
| 04/29/2006 | 59000 | 2 | 02/25/2006 |
| We own a 2003 windstar and the transmission and power steering is going out of it. to me they should last longer than 60,000 miles. *nm | |||
| 11/12/2005 | 56999 | 1 | |
| Noise in power steering. *nm | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 07/20/2011 | 84000 | ||
| Our 2003 ford minivan passed front subframe inspection and cleaning on 3/14/2011 when vehicle was in for rear axle recall repairs. it was taken back to the dealership for front subframe recall on 7/11/2011 and recall repairs were made. in addition, other repairs were sold to us after a thorough inspection by mechanic. nine days later, while driving on the highway, a clunk noise was heard from the front of the vehicle. on 8/1/11, the dealership mechanic found a broken right sway bar due to excessive rust at the subframe attachment. service manager was told by ford that this failure is unrelated to the recall issue and that subframe replacement would not be provided by ford. we then had the mini van put up on a lift at an independent garage where repair of subframe was observed and pictures were taken of the subframe which was literally separated into sheets of rust under the repair brackets. any force to put bolts into the repair brackets could easily have hastened the corroded sway bar failure. we were told the mini van is safe to drive even without repair, however, we have no confidence in that and live in an area where there are lots of small children, joggers and pedestrians. we greatly fear that any further failure in the front end could result in serious injury or death to someone. vehicle has 84,000 miles. ford denies any assistance or responsibility for our issue. | |||
| 05/02/2011 | 92773 | ||
| Ford windstar. dealer stated the left rear axle cracked and the front sub frame brackets were defective. dealer kept van on their premises. no date given for possible repair. the van had extensive repairs on 12/08/10 but no mention of recall and possible dangerous condition advised by dealer to owner. updated 06/08/11 *bf | |||
| 05/02/2011 | 92773 | ||
| Ford windstar. dealer stated the left rear axle cracked and the front sub frame brackets were defective. dealer kept van on their premises. no date given for possible repair. the van had extensive repairs on 12/08/10 but no mention of recall and possible dangerous condition advised by dealer to owner. | |||
| 03/01/2011 | |||
| Dealer performed rear axle safety recall. vehicle passed sub frame inspection. the vehicle's front sub frame where it attaches to the chassis on the left side is rusted through. i have pictures. | |||
| 08/14/2008 | 98000 | ||
| The front suspension on the driver's side collapsed while we were driving. the wheel well ended up right on top of the tire and we ground to a halt. | |||
| 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. | |||