I have also expirienced emission problems, erratic speedometer, brakes vibrating, car rattling, sliding recall.
1995 Ford Windstar engine complaints
Page 44 of 55: complaints 1,271 to 1,300 of 1,613, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I contacted ford cust. Service and they were aware of the head gasket failure in the 95 windstar. They did not issue a recall, this problem with the engine design came from the factory, and was original to my car as it left the factory floor.only certain VIN numbers are affected by this defect, my car is one of them.ford only issued a notice to dealer's that if a customer came in with this problem between may and dec 98, then the dealer was to fix the van for free. Ford did not inform me by mail or otherwise that my car could fail to operate after acceleration had taken place. If my dealer knew of this defect, why was I not given the information.this repair cost approximately $2,600.00. This repair is only guaranteed for 12,000 miles and then because of the engine design, the failure could occur again. I spent 27,000 dollars on this car and now it is broke, ford refuses to pay any money to repair my car because it broke after the dec.98 cut off. My car was not broken then so the cutoff date only works for them. I should not have to pay for a failure that ford knew would happen, regardless of how well I drove my car. This failure occured as I was driving my two young children to school. I am glad I got my car off the road before an accident could have occured. I called ford today and was basically told, too bad for you. This is unacceptable.
Head gasket failed.
Started vehicle & noticed it was blowing smoke. Took to dealer & was informed engine head gasket had blown. Received a tsb on head gaskets. Had no problem before receiving tsb. Dealre refused to repair due to vehicle being over the mileage requirement.
The windstar is very unsafe. The transmission has failed three times, always while vehicle is in traffic, sometimes at high speeds. The head gasket failure causes serious other engine compnonets to fail, eventually causing complete engine failure, which can also occur suddenly while in traffic.
At 57,898 miles (sept. '98), my windstar started acting funny. I brought it to a local repair shop , who said it appeared to be a head gasket problem, and to bring it to the dealer to check it out. I brought it in, had it checked and they said it was fine. On 4/17/99, it started driving very poorly, and on 4/19 brought it to the same local mechanic, who said again, it was this time a blown head gasket, and to call the dealer. The dealer said there had be a recall that ended 1/99 (I am the original owner and never rec'd any notice), and I would have to pay the expenses myself. They also stated that it was agianst the law for them to cover any expenses, after the recall notice expired. I have now been waiting w/out my car for a week now, for them to complete the repairs. I have called ford directly and they say essentially, tough luck.
Anti lock brakes failed due to cracked rings. Mjs
Ford was aware of this problem and extended warranty coverage to 1/99.
Ford extended warranty on this failure until dec '98. Failed 4/99. No safety defect indicated.
The head gasket on our 95 ford windstar blew up today, and we have found many other complaints about this 95 ford van's head gasket on the internet. We are deeply concerned and hope something will be done about it.
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.
April, 1998 at 34,000 miles car taken to dealer for routine maintenance. Dealer stated that there is a slight oil leak. Kept car overnight and then for a few more days. Replaced numerous seals and gaskets. Valve cover gasket, etc. One year later, april, 1999 at 47,000 miles car brought in again for routine maintenance, check engine light and unexplained engine coolant loss. Dealer advised that head gasket must be replaced.
In august of 1997 I purchased a used ford windstar from robin ford in glenolden,pa. I traded in my 91 ford topaz. The mileage on the windstar when purchased was 28,853. In september of 1997 I took the windstar in to ford in hazelton to flush and fill radiator, and a new fuel filter. At that time I was having problems with my doors sticking. They lubed cylinder. In december of the same year, I took it back to have all locks replaced, have a recall done, oil change and filter, and at that time I informed them that I was smelling anti-freeze, to please look into it. They checked for leaks and loose hoses, and found nothing. Even though I continued to smell it, they told me that they could find nothing. In march of 98 I complained of my windows fogging, again. They told me there was no leaks that they could see.they installed new head gaskets oil and filter two plugs. I also had an inspection done and an alignment. Things seemed to be okay to me. Then I started smelling anti-freeze again, and went back to tell them that there was something wrong. When they checked it they found that the gaskets had not set right. And that they would have to replace them again. That was in febuary of this year. Also had a state inspection done. Although I did not have to pay for the gaskets I did have to pay for a head cover, because they told me that was separate from the gaskets. I picked my car on the 26th of febuary that was a friday, and by monday morning I was back telling them that I still smelled anti-freeze, and that the car was not running properly, that it felt as if it wanted to stall, everytime I stopped or put in reverse. I was told that the computer would have to relearn itself??????? And that I probably would smell anti-freeze for awhile. Then this past weekend I had to take my son to visit with a friend, and the car seemed to not have any pickup, and it started to stall, it would stall when I came to a stop, or tried to park it, when I was sitting at a light it.
The head gasket(s) failed, causing the car to overheat and possibly sustain internal damage. My wife was stranded in traffic, posing a danger to herself, our children who were passengers, and vehicles having to drive around her. I've have learned that this failure may be epidemic among 1995 windstars with 3.8l engines. Ford temporarily extended the warranty in recognition of this problem, but terminated it as of 12/98. Since my vehicle did not show any symptoms until this past weekend, I did not take it in to ford for a repair under warrranty. I believe that ford should be made to repair my engine at their cost, as the unexpected, sudden failure of the head gasket due not to wear and tear, but to a flaw in the vehicles design, can cause passengers to be placed in conditions of extreme danger. Wear and tear is something that a vehicle owner can anticipate; a blown head gasket on a vehicle of this age and mileage is not to be expected, and therefore constitutes a safety defect.
No summary listed for this vehicle.
The head gaskets began to fail on april 12,1999, resulting in the overheating of our engine. Although ford issued a letter to us last june regarding the problem they were having with head gaskets related to this vehicle, they claim we cannot be compensated for our expenses because we missed the cutoff to their no charge coverage by 3 months. It is obvious that ford realized that this product was faulty, and we want ford to take some responsibility in resolving this issue. We have been informed that the cost to repair our vehicle will be $3200.00. We feel that ford needs to be held accountable to their customers, and provide assistance in repairing and compensating for a problem that they knew would occur.
Car was idling rough, white smoke coming out of rear of vehicle, temp gauge reading normal, smoke got worse, check engine light came on, engine died, all in 3 block distance. Garage says blown head gasket, new engine needed, ford will do nothing.
Coolant leakage is causing engine head gaske/timing belt and water gasket to fail. Dealer cannot determine what is causing the coolant leakage.
When we contacted the dealership, we were told there were numerous problems with this make and model vehicle. We know of 3 other families in our area with the same problem. The dealer verified that there were approximately 10 calls by march 1, 1999.
Vehicle experienced engine overheating due to defective head gasket prior to recall notice, however repairs made at time of overheating were only to the thermostat(12-98), continued to overheat with failure of the head gasket however denied due to mileage and date. Mjs (98m01)
The vehicle had just returned from florida to michigan. Driving around town afterwards the engine head blew and was towed to the dealership. Extensive damage was reported to the cost of approximately $3600. Also transmission failure.
My vehicle overheated in june, 1998 and I added additional coolant. In approximately 2 weeks, I received an extended warranty notice from ford where head gaskets on my particular vehicle type and make were failing prematurely. I took my vehicle to a local ford service department (delta ford, vicksburg, ms) on 7/28/98 (invoice number 017128) and they checked it out and told me the head gasket was still good. My vehicle continued to require coolant every 2 - 3 months. The problem recently has gotten much worse. I added coolant to it on 4/5/99 and then again on 4/17/99 - 368 miles later. Today (4/17/99) my check engine light illuminated. It does appear that I have a head gasket failure and all of this could have been prevented if delta ford would have replaced the faulty gasket on 7/28/98 while the repair was under warranty. Ford should be forced to recall this problem that consumers are experiencing.
No summary listed for this vehicle.
Head gaskets blown causing coolant to mix with oil in engine. Ford had a program which expired 12/31/98 that covered repairs to head gaskets regardless of miles or time owned. However, my head gaskets blew in 2/99 so they will not take responsibility for the engineering defect that is causing the blown head gaskets.
Head gasket is defective on 1000's of 3.8l engines, should be recalled
Consumer was driving on the highway, engine started knocking. Anti-freeze was coming out from head gasket.
This repair cost about $1,500 and we were having to have a rental car for 19 days while it was repaired at a cost of $541.00.
Engine replaced due to head gasket failure, warranty expired, total costs $3869.64.
Head gasket failure caused complete engine failure. Appears to be known defect but ford customer service division unwilling to acknowledge a problem.
Faulty head gasket is a known defect, should have been recalled.
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