I have a 1996 ford windstar that has developed a leak in its brake line. I went on the internet to find a brake line for the car and I found out that this is a chronic problem with this vehicle. There was a recall for this exact problem from ford. I contacted ford and told them of the problem and they stated to me that my vehicle was seen by a ford dealer for the recall in 2002. They then told me to contact my local dealer and find out if this would be covered by ford. I contacted my local dealer and they told me that if the car was already recalled for this problem that it would have to be paid for by me. I looked at the brake line and it does not look like it was ever replaced. The recall # is 02v101000 .
1996 Ford Windstar brakes complaints
Page 2 of 9: complaints 11 to 40 of 229, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My vehicle has a brake line that blew. The line that blew is subject to a recall from ford. (recall # 02s36). On the phone ford says that the recall was completed in 2002 and therefore does not apply to this vehicle even though the problem is the same as outlined in the recall.
I discovered burnt wiring near the master cylinder on my 1996 ford windstar. I took the van to the local ford dealer, paradise ford in cocoa florida, they told me that the sensor/switch, that is attached to the bottom of the master cylinder, had malfuntioned and shorted out causing the wire and connector to burn until the wire was no longer connected to the sensor/switch.
Dt: consumer has a 1996 ford windstar. He took vehicle to dealer for recall 02s36 repairs. The brake line was inspected on july 21, 2003 as stated in recall. The brake line was considered not a problem that needed replacement. On august 14, 2005 the brake line ruptured while the consumer's wife was driving on city road. Has taken vehicle back to dealer and has contacted manufacturer, and they told him that the recall was considered closed because they had already performed inspection. He felt that recall repair did not fix problem due to problem recurring . He thought brake line may have ruptured due to rubbing and rust.
Dt: the contact owns a 1996 ford windstar. Two years ago around june 7 2003 while driving the van all weekend, when they got out of the van and walked into a store, were not into the store for 10 minutes and someone said that the vehicle on fire. Had problems with ABS light coming on, and they tried to have this fixed. Were not successful in getting this fixed. The vehicle was totaled, and the insurance company covered it. She believed the problem was from the deactivation of cruise control switch. The fire started under the hood.
The vehicle's door locks locked and unlocked on their own. *nm there were problems with the front driver side wheel and the engine light and the ABS light was intermittent. The consumer experienced an accident which may be due to the brake lines. Refer to recall#02v101000. *sc the sway bar rattled, the tie rods were replaced.
The computer that controls the ABS malfunctioned, resulting in the anti lock brakes not engaging when vehicle was being driven on ice or snow. Dealership was contacted.*ak
This morning, I was preparing to back out of my driveway when, all of a sudden, the brake pedal went to the floor. I had completely lost my brakes and brake fluid was spilling onto the driveway.*ak upon investigating the leak, my neighbor and I were able to locate a crack in the right front hard line. There was obvious signs of corrosion on all of the hard brake lines. I have not received any notification of defective brake lines and was unaware of any problems until I reviewed the information on this site. I am not sure whether to contact ford directly or speak with an attorney first. I shudder to think of what may have been the result if this had occurred on the interstate while on a family trip rather than in my driveway.
Complaint received via e-mail. My wife was driving to church when the electrical system caught on fire. My two kids were in the car. They were able to put out the fire, and had the car towed to an automotive center. The brake monitor system caught on fire.
The consumer received a recall for the front portion of the brake line. The consumer felt that the entire brake line should have been included in the recall because the entire line on his vehicle was rusted. The consumer also stated that he was nearly involved in an accident due to the defect with the brakes. No recalls found. *jb a leaking brake line was found.
This is a second or follow-up for my earlier complaint filed on the day of teh incident. I just found additional information and wanted to append this to my complaint.*ak first complaint was about the total loss of braking in my 1996 ford windstar with 4 wheel discs and ABS. With a dual braking system the rupture of a brake line should not cause total brake loss but this failure did cause just that. If the electrical power was not on some pedal was evident. Once electrical power was on the pedal went to the floor. Since the ruptured brake line was in the rear and the front brakes still had fluid and do most of the braking I would have expected to retain some stopping capability. I purchased the 4 wheel disc system to gain a safer and more secure vehicle. If the additonal of ABS 4 wheel braking results in the loss of the dual master cylinder function , which is more critical, I think this option is less safe. The new information is the fact that other ford windstars have a recall for improperly installed brake lines which are subject to rust through and rupture. Ford tells me that my VIN is not in that group. I do not know if this is correct but the sumptoms sound identical. All the other brake lines in my car were in excellent shape save for the one to the rear brakes which ruptured and caused the loss of the fluid in the rear system. The front system retained fluid but did not pressurize the brakes. I assuem this failure was caused by the ABS but I can not be sure if that is the actual cause. Ford indciates that my need to replace the brake line is not the same as the existing recall. I am requesting that you investigate if the brake line problem with the windstar product is larger that originally thought. My car also is supposed to have the master cylinder signage updated on a recall. Ford indicates my was done but I do not see any of the expected markings. Perhaps these were applied and have fallen off or I could be looking in the wrong place.
My 1996 ford windstar with ABS 4 wheel disc brakes experienced total brake failure on the ny cross island highway. I managed to get the car off the highway and into a parking lot. Despite having dual zone brakes and brake fluid remaining in the front brake system I had zero braking. I would think that paying extra for 4 wheel disk ABS brakes would not be at the cost of losing the value of the dual master cylinder. I expected improved braking with the ABS 4 wheel disk option. The loss of any braking mote than off-sets the heat discipatation and ABS features. Should having ABS and disc brakes make a car less safe? The car with only 58,500 miles on it had a metal brake hose rust out. This line went to the right rear brakes and the failure was in the middle of the car above the spare wheel. Other brake lines still appear rto be in excellent condition. I do not know why this one failed at this date. The real reason for this complaint is that I was surprised by the total loss of braking. I think this may be a design failure. Shouldn't the front brakes still have worked? Indeed with the ignition and system off some pedal was encountered but with the power on there was absolutely no pedal. The indicator lights did indicate a braking problem. This car has been reported to ford and to several dealers as the ABS/traction contorl often automatically disengages. Despite more that 20 attemtps to have this corrected at multiple dealers this problem persists. This is another problem that results in the loss of benefits in what should be a safety improvement. However, this report is not about the recurring traction control failure. This is only to surface the fact that braking force is totally lost when a brake line for the rear brakes fails.
While driving on the road and approaching a red light consumer applied the brakes and the vehicle did not stop. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer. It was determined that when the brake pedal went to the floor fluid leaked. The brake line that LED to the firewall was defective. Previously, recall 02v101000 concerning brake lines was issued. Consumer indicated that ford performed recall repairs. However, the brake failure recurred.
Consumer complained about a brake problem. The brake line ruptured, causing the vehicle to crash into a tree. A recall was issued on this make, model and year. But the vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. *ak
While applying the brakes pedal went to the floor. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pulled over. Vehicle stalled. Consumer tried to restart vehicle, but was unable to do so. Consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic could not duplicate the problem.
Vehicle brought in for smoke from under hood. Found cruise control deactivation switch caught on fire. Sheehy ford ro# 611676
I maintained my windstar properly. It began to leak coolant and engine light. Ford dealership stated it needed a new engine. Due to faulty head gasket causing leak of coolant. Ford canada agreed to cover some of the cost but not all of it. Said if I declined their offer they would withdraw all offers. So I took it. I couldn't afford the bill as it was. I have since seen a small claims court in quebec found that ford was responsible for the repairs related to the head gasket. I have contacted ford canada customer complaint center. And told they will not reimburse me for the expenses. And that although they lost the complaint in quebec in all other canadian proviences they have one. Even a class action suit. Why would they pay a portion of the repair if they were not responsible??? I feel they are responsible for the full cost of the engine repair.
The 1996 ford windstar continues to have defective head gaskets as in 1994 and 1995 models. This lead to engine failure at 78,000 miles! The cost to replace the engine per miller ford was 4,778.00. We paid 19,000 for this vehicle and refuse to pay for a new engine! The nasa has stated the head gasket should last at least 120,000 miles or the life of the vehicle. We have had this ford windstar with a blown engine due to head gasket failure since last december, but continue to make monthly payments on this dead ford windstar. We pay taxes, insurance, and montly payments to ford credit for the next 18 months or so. We just discontinued registration fees as the dmv told us we could do this. Ford refuses to acknowledge this problem and is not standing up to it's committment of quality care to it's customers. I urge anyone who is considering buying a ford to do their research. Ford is a company that does not stand behind it's promises. We will never own another ford although our family has never owned anything but until now. Ford wake up!
My 1996 ford windstar van's engine assembly must be replaced due to persistent internal coolant loss into the engine, despite repeated trips to the dealership with complaints of classic head-gasket symptoms. Ford displayed blatant neglegence and dishonesty in its dealings with me. I took my van to dealership twice for head-gasket-like symptoms: excessive loss of coolant with no external leakage, gray smoke out of exhaust, and engine running rough. The first time the dealership said no problems could be found. Two weeks later I returned to the dealership with the same symptoms, only this time more obvious, and the check-engine light had come on. The dealership determined my engine had overheated and that coolant was lost via the timing cover gasket, which they replaced and then returned the vehicle to me. Exactly one thousand miles later I had to have my vehicle towed to the dealership, at which point they condemned my engine due to coolant entering the #1 cylindar. They offered to replace the engine for $3,650, which includes a 20% discount for the timing cover gasket work that was done for nothing. I refused the offer and managed to barely drive the vehicle home, where it now sits, undrivable. Aware of the windstar head gasket problems from the beginning, I repeatedly stressed to the dealership my concern that this was a head gasket problem, but they repeatedly explained this was not the problem. They lied by saying no known gasket problems exist on the 1996 windstar, but I researched the federal safety agency's records and found tsb 99-13-1 (titled "underdetermined loss of coolant"), which instructs dealerships to replace the gaskets in situations like mine. The tsb is very clear. I wrote the dealership a letter demanding help replacing the engine, but received no reply. I re-sent the same letter and documents to the dealership just yesterday. I can provide copies of all documents, as I have scanned them into a compressed pdf file for e-mail transmission.
Our 1996 ford windstar gl, which we purchased new, has 118000. We have experienced a broken (bouncing) speedometer, dome light malfunctioned, ABS and brake light malfunctioned, and more recently, leaking coolant which is linked to a blown head gasket and check engine warnings. The cost has been astronomical. According to many other consumers, all of these issues are common with the 96 model. Please investigate whether ford intends to make any recalls regarding these issues.
The brake pedal when it was depressed went to the floor and smoke started coming from under the van. This occurred while in park with the engine still running. Upon inspection of the vehicle by a mechanic, they noticed a pin hole in the brake line. There's a recall for the brake line 02v10100, which the dealership did inspect the van's brake line as indicated in the recall letter, but no problem was found at that time so the part wasn't replaced.
While driving at 45 MPH brakes failed without warning, causing vehicle to collide with another vehicle.
Tried to stop vehicle as we entered intersection, however brakes failed due to corroded brake line. Three cars in accident.
While driving 10-15 MPH and applying the brake, the pedal went down to the floor and vehicle had no brakes. A rupture in the brake line was the cause of the failure.
Brake pedal when to floor. Resulting in no brakes. Metal brake line corrosion was the cause of the problem.
1996 ford windstar van has rear brake line immediately above the catalytic converter causing brakeline failure. Brakeline gets very hot and causes it to rus,t deteriorate and leak on catalytic converter. Fortunately this failure did not result in a accident.the car is presently being repaired at a goodyear repair center. No recall notice or other warning has ever been received from ford regarding this obvious defect. I have the brakeline and it clearly shows the effect of the excessive heat from the converter.
My 1996 ford windstar was parked "in park" in my driveway, without the keys in the ignition, and just rolled downed the driveway and crashed into a stone wall. There is significant undercarriage damage to the car and wall damage.
The consumers vehicle experienced symptoms of recall 02v-101000 which was related to brake line corrosion. The vehicle was not included I the recall due to VIN. *nlm the vehicle was manufactured at the plant with the recall during that time.
The consumer requested an investigation of ford motor company and their lack of recalls on some serious defects. *mr. The vehicle experienced a clunking sound, however the dealer stated the clunking sound was normal and then the transmission failed, the transmission was replaced with another ford transmission, which failed on a test drive and one other occasion. Coolant leaked into the engine through the intake gasket, which was recalled for the 95 models. The timing chain leaked. There was a recall on the coils in the suspension, which ford would only replace when they failed. The brake rotors failed at 30000 miles. Scc
The ABS light illuminated on the dash board, and then the brake pedal traveled to the floor.
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