Original complaint - car would not shift into reverse after parking, car engine replaced at transmission shop at 51770 miles, bonnell motors was not helpful so we took it to a referred transmission shop who said mfr's rebuilt part was krappy and the problem was torque converter blew while driving causing engine failure 2nd time. Engine was under 12k miles/ 1 yr warranty however, have been having same problems with jerky starts and engine straining to make uphill drives before the 1st failure, so I am anticipating a 3rd failure with this engine.
1995 Ford Windstar transmission complaints
Page 13 of 30: complaints 341 to 370 of 875, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle lurches forward at 25mph. Dealer service dept identified the problem on the first upshift the transmission. He informed me that the two transmission specialists at the dealership have probably seen this problem 50 times. I was informed that an aluminum forward piston needed to be replaced at an estimed cost of $1200-2300. I further learned that ford knew of this defective forward piston as early as 1993, but continued to use them on new assemblies. Where is the justice? Is there a class action suit pending?
Initially took vehicle to dealer nov. '99 for follow-up check on head gasket replacement from sept.'99 because of chugging and what felt like engine hesitation. I suspected complications from repair work performed on engine. Dealer was not able to verify complaint. Now know this was an initial indication of a premature transmission failure. It disengages at stops without warning. When attempting to accelerate from a stop engine revs and vehicle moves very slowly, or not at all. When this first occurred, had an incident where the vehicle moved slowly into speeding traffic when attempting to turn onto road from a stop. Vehicle would not fully accelerate because trans would not engage (engine racing) and a collision was barely avoided because of this. My family was stranded in the middle of a high speed intersection with oncoming vehicles having to swerve or stop to avoid hitting us. Trans eventually engaged. However, a very close call. We now know not to pull out into fast moving traffic unless there are no vehicles in sight, or we know they have ample time to slow down if the vehicle gets stuck in front of them. Dealer now acknowledges problem is due to forward clutch piston failure and transmission requires replacement.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Engine head gasket and the transmission were defective. There was no heat inside of the car, and white smoke was coming from the exhaust system. Transmission went into neutral, and slipped upon shifting gears. Also, there was a clanking and knocking noise.
Speedometer has been replaced on three occasions. Also, speedomter reading was not acurate. The needle flickered. Consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer has replaced parts.
Hillard auto park discovered that the transmission had failed while the vehicle was in for 2 unrelated recall notices. Although the service manager stated that cause of failure couldn't be determined, failure appears to have been the result of original defective parts or design flaw. Ford has refused to provide any compensation for the repair.
The head gasket in the engine malfunctioned causing damage to the engine. Nlm
Driver's side front coil spring broke, which may cause a loss of vehicle control and a crash. Also problems with transmission system which needs to be replaced. Automatic transmission was sluggish at 67000 miles, progressively got worse--over drive light was flashing and transmission was not going into the next gear while driving.
Transmission failed completely. Yh
2nd trans. Failure-lst one @ 48,683 miles 7/'97 cannot get local dealer to return calls.
This vehicle 1995 ford windstar is a lemon,do a search on the internet and it becomes obvious.all people that replaced transmissions and head gaskets in the 1995 windstars should be compensated.espeacially those that had less than 70000 miles such as mine .this vehicle is a nightmare and consumers should be compensated.
At 48,612 miles transmission failed. $2338 to replace. No satisfaction from ford. Stop at corner, step on gas would not engage, then engaged with a jerk. Head gasket failed at same time.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Transmission failed 3 times, head gaskets failed 2 times, ford doesn't care!
Heating and A/C system failed due to head gasket failure. Yh
Head gasket failed. Yh
Head gasket - slow loss of coolant up to 65,000 miles when coolant leak observed around rear head. "bars leak" added to coolant which stopped visible leak. Currently at 112,000 miles and coolant has steadily dropped since this time with no visible leaks. Apparently entering combustion chamber. Gaskets are a well known problem with these vehicles. Transmission - abrubptly downshifts approximately 6 times since purchasing new. Has occurred at freeway speeds in od then suddenly drops into second gear causing vehicle to over rev and slow down suddenly (of course with no brake lights). Disconnecting battery and then reinstalling always corrects problem (resets computer). Both problems seem to be very comman with 95 windstars, both potentially dangerous.
This van had a rebuilt transmission at 36000 miles, and new brake rotors at 45000, wht is ford allowed to market such shoddy products?
Head gasket and timing cover leak (dealer estimate to fix = $3600). Previously complained to dealer and ford (10/4/99 at 58207 miles) about a transmission problem that I now think was related to the current head gasket/timing cover problem (in another report here, the head gasket/timing cover was listed as a solution for transmission symptoms that were the same as one's I had experienced and reported).
No summary listed for abov evehicle.
In july of 1997, my 1995 ford windstar experienced the beginnings of a transmission failure. I was driving the van at a low rate of speed, and came to a stop light, which was on an uphill incline. The vehicle was in "drive" but I noticed that it was starting to roll backwards (which I know is indicative of a transmission fault). If I had not reacted quickly, I would have crashed into a vehicle which was located behind me. I quickly called ricart automotive from the nearest public telephone, and arranged for a service appointment. The vehicle registered 15583 miles on the odometer, only because the odometer had been previously replaced, under warranty. If you add the miles on the previous odometer, the total was 51713 miles. I had to pay $1776.60 for a re-built transmission, since the total mileage put the vehicle out of warranty. I assumed that I was out of luck, because of the out-of-warranty situation, but I understand that there is a class-action lawsuit that is being pursued against ford for the faulty transmission. I no longer own this lemon, having replaced it with a 1998 ford windstar, which, I understand, may have transmission (and possible head gasket problems)of it's own. This situation is very disheartening to me, to say the least.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Well maintained windstar needs new transmission at 52k miles ,and blew rod bearings at 64k miles requiring a new engine. Have read hundreds of same problems on the internet. Ford has a problem and needs to address it.
My 95 windstar has been nothing but problems since day one. My transmission went within 6 months after purchas., now the head gasket are gone, and ford knew there was a known problem with premature failure on there head gaskets on 3.8l engines. I never received the notification letter from ford about this problem. I had vehicle towed to nearest dealership malouf ford in north brunswick, nj and was told it'll cost me about $1400 to repair. I feel this is totally unfair to saddle the consumer again with repair bills for something ford new was a problem. They should honor there product and fix and no cost to me. I will be filing a complaint with the better business bureau and the small claims court if ford doesn't what I feel is fair and right. Thanks francisco martinez.
Engine head gasket failed after warranty had expired, replaced transmission after warranty had expired, steering locked up (repaired under warranty), wears out tires because has pulled to right since day one, have replaced braking system twice
Dealership could not find or explain why the transmission failed. "premature failure. Was asked how they explained it.
Vehicle recalled but not applicable if over 60k and/or 5yrs old....second owners never notified of defect...ford will not repair if over warranty limits. No afety defect listed in summary.
This car has had constant electrical and transmission problems from the day we got it. Warning lights would go on at strange times, interior lights would not go off, transmission would not shift smoothly, warning bells would not quit. We tried to deal with ford dealers in sringfield, missouri (friendly ford). They gave us the run around for four hours. We couldn't even get them to give us the regional service rep's name or phone number. We could never get to a person on the ford "800" customer service line, even though we stayed on hold for one hour. Please help .
Engine failure was due to blown head gasket,transmission has been serviced and vehicle well cared for.
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