Head gasket failed, causing loss of power, rough running, white smoke out exhaust, and strong coolant smell inside of vehicle. This seems to be a common problem with this year, make, and engine.
1995 Ford Windstar engine complaints
Page 35 of 55: complaints 1,001 to 1,030 of 1,613, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The vehicle was overheating due to a faulty engine head gasket. Dealer has not seen.
Our mini-van blew a head gasket and head was cracked. These defects were known to ford who reapired them thru december 1998 how can ford limit repair of a manufacturer's defect?
Engine overheated. At 82,904 miles, dealer replaced thermostat and head gasket on 8/7/99. On 10/29/99 with 86,411 miles in rush hour traffic, the engine just stalled on us75 n. Dealer now states that engine is blown and needs to be replaced.
The head gasket failed causing the engine light to come on & other components to malfunction.
As the owner of a 95 ford windstar with the 3.8l motor, I received a recall notice from ford extending warranty coverage due to premature head gasket failure. At 59,482 miles I had the 95 windstar serviced at battlefield ford, specifically asking them about the head gasket problem to make sure my vehicle was not showing any signs of problems. The dealer performed the 60,000 mile service and gave my vehicle a clean bill of health. On 28 oct 99, at 1030 pm on a dark road, the head gasket blew on my vehicle with no warning. Ford has refused to fix my vehicle. Every dealer I have spoken with will not repair the head gasket on windstar's, they will only replace the motor at a cost of $6,000.00 dollars. Upon inspection of the cylinder heads it was found that the casting numbers were for a ford taurus, not a windstar. I have also found over 40 people who have experianced the same exact problem over the past 3 months with their 95 windstar. I would like to know how many of these 3.8l motors have failed. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, scott a. Heffner
We have just experienced the same problems that many owners of 95 windstars complain about - blown head gaskets and transmission problems. We currently have our van in the shop and will be paying about $5,000 in repairs for both problems. Ford brushed us off since our car is over the 60,000 mile point.
While driving vehicle engine overheated and vapors from the coolant came into the passenger compartment. Also, vehicle's engine started stuttering. This was due to blown engine head gasket. Dealer has vehicle now.
We have replaced the transmission twice. The first time at 72,000 miles and then again at 94,000 miles. The brake pads, rotors, tie rods, rear whell cylinders, front drive axle have also been replaced. The pads 4 times and the rotors twice, ground down in between. Now the head gasket has blown and possible caused enough damage to warrant replacing the whole engine.
Car will not crank due to blown head gasket. Ford has recognized problems with head gaskets on 1995 3.8l engines but state they will not cover this failure since the car has over 60,000 miles. $1000 repair bill is totally unacceptable for a known defect in ford's product. Both dealer service department and ford customer assistance state my vehicle is not covered by the campaign ford had concerning their head gasket problem.
On friday evening, october 29, 1999 my 1995 ford windstar blew it's 3.8 liter v-6 engine head gasket. As I drove the car it began to emit clouds of steam from the exhaust system that had a very heavy chemical vapor smell. This was accompanied by my engine vibrating and running very roughly. Upon checking under the hood I noticed that the coolant overflow container was dry. I checked my oil and found that it had antifreeze in it. These are the classic symptoms of a blown engine head gasket.
I understand that a very high % of these engines have a head gasket failure. The ford company has made a replacement gasket to correct the problem. This repair was not covered on my vehicle (I paid for the repair) but a friend of mine had the same repair done this past april with 52000 miles on and ford covered his repair under a recall letter. With the magnitude of this problem, ford should cover all cost.
Our engine began overheating during the last week on dec. '98. Due to the holidays, we were unable to get it into our personal mechanic until 1/9/99, at which time he diagnosed the cause as head gasket failure. We contacted our local dealer, who said th
While driving around town. Heard a funny sound, restarted vehicle and the temperature gauge went high. Towed to dealer, and dealer determined that head gasket blew out and needed to have the engine flushed. Contacted dealer, and replaced head gasket. Oil light was coming on. Dealer said that vehicle will continue to have problems. Stepped on gas pedal and vehicle would hesitate when stopping, then shut off.
Head gasket failed. Nlm
Driving car to make a left turn when check engine lite comes on. Vehicle starts rough idle and wife notices white smoke fuming out of exhaust pipe. Knowing that 95 windstar 3.8l has a reputation for blown head gaskets suspected that was what occured. Compleated turn and got car safetly off the roadway, called for tow to nearest ford dealer. Diagnosis, blown head gasket, causing hydro-lock during diagnostic test . Solution . Replace engine with longblock due to coolant damage to crankshaft and cylinders and block. No warning and this car has been professionally maintained. Oil and coolant were checked the day before and were at proper levels. Coolant changed 07/99. Solution engine replaced at owners expense. No properly maintained car should have this kind of failure,especially during first 100,000 miles. Am pursuing this with ford customer service hot-line with little sucess. Any suggestions?
Head gasket failed. Had tried to get problem looked at during warranty period, was informed by dealer that repair would not be made until part failed. Warranty would not cover repair , when failure occured.
Blown head gasket. Existing ford service bulliten 98m01.
Headgasket failed. Dealer said recall expired dec.1998. Estimated $900 repairs. Understand problem was and is recurring
No summary
While driving at 35 MPH the engine head gasket blew out. Steam was coming from vehicle. Temperture gauge went up to hot level, and all the water came out of the vehicle.
While traveling noticed fumes from the tail pipe. Also there was a smell. Engine check light came on. Also, vehicle was pulsating. Dealer has been notified. Please provide further informaton.
When timing cover gasket is replaced, lower engine knock occurs,bearings get washed out, and engine needs replacing. Ford acknowledges this problem, does not know why it happens, but is not willing to compensate customers for the cost of engine replacement. This is on 3.8 v6 engines in 1995 windstars, taurus and sables.
This is the second time that head gaskets are damage or blown in less than 16 months dealer and ford motor company are aware of this problem but will not fix problem more than once even when they know taht problem will happen more than once
Failed head gasket, which has been on going problem. Dealer states since I am over the mileage would not help pay bill on a pro-rated offer. If I would have known of the problem, I could have had it checked out or traded the vehicle.
Vehicle began to run sluggish and sporadic . Overheating and eccessive loss of coolant. Dealer recommended tune-up. Tune-up completed and problem remained until the gasket blew. I understand there are owners with similiar problems. Is there a recall (manufacturer or consumer driven) for this model/year? If so I never received notification.
Odometer failed. Mjs
We have had the same defects/repairs that most of the other windstar owners have had. Ford motor company will not assist in helping to pay for these repairs. We feel that ford motor company knows that these problems are because of their design flaws, but they are not standing behind their product. Our most expensive repair has been the engine which needed to be rebuilt. Per the ford dealers, and other sources, this is due to engine coolant leaking into the engines, and has been occurring approx. 10,000- 20,000 miles after the head gaskets have been replaced.
Head gasket failure. The dealership has estimated that it leaked for a period of time prior to complete failure. Coolant in the oil has resulted in the deterioration of the main bearings. This required replacement of the motor.
No summary
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1995 Ford Windstar?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history