1996 Ford Windstar problems

What is wrong

Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). The scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.

Risk

A vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary. Repairs will be completed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 27, 2009. Owners may contact ford at 1‑888‑222‑2751.

Recall number 09V399000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain minivans originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. During assembly, some brake lines were installed in a twisted position, causing contact with the dash panel insulator above the catalytic converter. This contact could abrade the brake line corrosion protection, consequently, salt or water absorbed in the dash panel insulator would promote corrosion. This corrosion could ultimately lead to a leak in the brake line.

Risk

Leakage of brake fluid will result in brake light activation. Extended stopping distance could also result, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the brake line for corrosion and clearance conditions. A brake line that is not corroded will be repositioned. A brake line that is corroded or leaking will be replaced with a nylon coated brake line and secured using three retaining clips to assure clearance from the insulator. Owner notification began may 10, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.

Recall number 02V101000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: mini vans, light pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Off lease canadian vehicles equipped with daytime running lights which meet canadian requirements and not the photometric requirements of fmvss 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." according to ford, the vehicles were imported into the u.s. Erroneously.

Risk

The light given off from the daytime running lights is brighter than allowed by u.s. Standards.

Remedy

Dealers will be advised to deactivate the running light function and to complete any outstanding safety recalls on these vehicles.

Recall number 00V168000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: minivans. The brake fluid master cylinder is recessed and oriented in the engine compartment so that the brake fluid warning statement embossed on both the top of the filler cap and the side of the reservoir body are not entirely visible by direct view. These vehicles may not fully comply with requirements of fmvss no. 135, "passenger car brake systems."

Remedy

Owners will be provided with new labels and installation instructions.

Recall number 99V147000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles and mini vans. Tearing of the bond between the inner and outer hood panels during minor front end collisions can result in a gap at the leading edge of the hood. Air forced between the inner and outer panels can produce enough pressure to force the outer panel upward.

Risk

This condition can result in total separation of the outer hood panel.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the hood area for any damage along the leading edge of the hood. If there is any evidence of bond separation, the hood will be replaced. If there is no evidence of bond separation, additional adhesive will be applied between the inner and outer hood panels.

Recall number 97V180000 · Recall details

What is wrong

The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.

Risk

Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.

Recall number 96V166000 · Recall details

What is wrong

The four fasteners securing the driver's seat to the floorpan were not torqued to proper specifications.

Risk

The driver's seat may not properly hold in the event of a vehicle accident resulting in personal injury to the occupant.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the driver's seat fasteners and retorque to proper specifications.

Recall number 96V114000 · Recall details

What is wrong

The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.

Risk

This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.

Recall number 96V086000 · Recall details

Ea08-021 is closed with ford's actions in recall 09v‑399 recalling approximately 4.5 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).with this recall ford has now recalled all of the approximate 16 million ford model vehicles that were manufactured from my 1992 through 2003 with a texas instruments scds.the federal safety agency will continue to monitor the recalled vehicles to ensure remedies installed by ford tomitigate the potential for scds related fires are effective.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached closing report for further details.

EA08021

Odi has received 134 consumer complaints, 285 manufacturer complaints, and 137 manufacturer warranty claims alleging incidents of engine compartment fire in model year (my) 1995 thru 2003 ford windstar vehicles.two of the odi complaints allege the fires caused structural damage to the complainant's home.of the 134 odi complaints, 36 allege the fire occurred while the vehicle was parked, 72 allege the fire occurred while the vehicle was running and 26 of the complaints do not specify if the vehicle was running or not.further review of the odi complaints shows that 72 allege that the speed control deactivation switch (scds) caused the fire and 10 allege that the scds leaked brake fluid on to the ABS module resulting in the fire.there were 52 that did not identify a cause or that identified miscellaneous other causes.odi has also received 89 complaints ( not counted in this resume) alleging that the scds developed a brake fluid leak.thirteen of these complaints say that the leak at the scds resulted in braked fluid reaching the ABS module.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea) to further evaluate the cause of the fires and assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequences of the alleged defect.

PE08035

On april 4, 2002, ford motor company notified odi of a defect condition that could result in extended stopping distances in approximately 250 thousand model year (my) 1995 and 1996 windstar minivans sold or registered in salt belt states (recall 02v‑101).according to ford, improper brake line routing in vehicles manufactured at the oakville assembly plant from january 14, 1994 through may 21, 1996 resulted in some vehicles with mis-positioned brake lines that could contact a dash panel insulator.such contact could abrade the brake line protection coating and result in corrosive failure of the brake lines. Odi opened rq04-003 to investigate complaints of brake line failure in windstar vehicles that were:(1) located outside the recall region; or (2) built after the recall range.regarding the latter group, ford changed the assembly process after may 21, 1996 to eliminate the mis-build problem.the failure rates in the my 1996 windstar vehicles built after the process change are relatively low in both the salt-belt states. With respect to the my 1995 and 1996 vehicles built during the period of concern that were not sold or registered in salt belt states, the failure rate is also low.the related brake line warranty claim rate for those vehicles is also low. Accordingly, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified in the my 1995-96 windstar vehicles that were not included in recall 02v‑101.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

RQ04003

See attached report.

RQ02011

There is no summary currently available

EA00027

There is no summary currently available

PE00024

There is no summary currently available

EA99020

There is no summary currently available

PE98056

There is no summary currently available

EA97018

The office of defects investigation has received 6 reports indicating the outer hood panel separated from the vehicles as they were being driven.ford has provide 39 additional reports that are consistent with odi reports.ford indicates that the likely cause is prior collision damage.this investigation is being upgraded to further study this issue.

PE97011

There is no summary currently available

EA96026

Odi has received sixty-eight (68) consumer reports of alleged failures or malfunctions in the brake system on certain 1995 and 1996 ford windstars, which resulted in brake pedal fade and in extended stopping distances during brakingthese alleged failures or malfunctions are reported to have caused twelve (12) accidents that resulted from vehicle loss of braking.the conplainants report that the loss of braking occurred duringbraking situations on dry roads as well as on wet or slippery roads.in response to odi's information reques (ir) concerning the long stopping distance complaints on the 1995 windstar, ford reported receiving 259 report (field reports, owner complaints, and subrogation claims) of long stopping distance on the 1995 ford windstar, along with 64 reports of accidents.in addition, ford reported receiving some 64,000 warranty claims that could relate to the alleged defect of long stopping distance performance on the subject vehicles.since apreliminary evaluation was opened, odi has received additional complaints of the alleged failure on the 1996 models, which were not included initially in this investigation.odi believes that an engineering analysis on the 1995 and 1996 ford windstar vehices in warranted to determine the scope of the problem.

PE96042

The manufacturer has notified the federal safety agency that the subject vehicles will be recalled to correct a safety related defect identified under the scope of this investigation.the defect affects certain 1996 model year windstar, ford taurus, and mercury sable vehicles equipped with ford ax4s model automatic transmissions.the safety recall action has been identified as the federal safety agency no. 96v‑086.

PE96015