1996 Ford Windstar: check engine light

Filed May 28, 2012 · Acceleration · 198 miles · UT · fire

My van was in great shape and great condition. I was driving to work on may 6th 2012 about 45-50 MPH entered the I-215 collector, started to smell a burned rubber smell, I looked at the temp gauge and it was normal, the van started to sputter like running out of gas, the van was not out of gas almost full, the service engine light started to flash on and off, I pulled over to the shoulder and came to a complete stop, looked at the temp gauge again and it still was normal, the burned rubber smell got worse and I noticed then a black smoke coming from under the hood. I got out of the van and stood at the front of the van to call aaa and the engine burst into flames under the hood. There was not indicator what so ever that the vehicle was overheating. This all occurred in about 5-10 minutes. The police came and could not put the fire out with extinguisher. The fire department had to put the fire out. It burned up my entire vehicle with all the contents inside. The fireman stated that even the front tires were burned up and melted. I did get pictures of what happened. I only had liability insurance so I thought I was just out of luck. A security specialist from work said that it sounded like the fire could have started due to a factory safety defect and told me to do some research. I did find that there was a recall on the speed switch or control on 1996 ford windstars. I always use my cruise control. I have filed a claim with my insurance based on a burn under the assumption that the fire occurred due to the speed control recall. Please let me know what I can do. I never received any notification of the recall or I would have taken it in to be fixed before this happened.

Filed May 7, 2011 · Engine · MO

Check engine stays on after tuneup ... Does not lose speed ... Runs rough after accelerating and doesn't not overheat ....what is the problem.

Filed Aug 15, 2007 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · VA

Abs light stays on continuously. Was told it was due to a problem on the right front wheel, replaced parts on right front wheel, ABS light still stays on. No other reasons found for light to be on. Numerous attempts to correct have not succeeded. *jb check engine light continues to stay on. I have paid $89 3 times to have 'diagnostics' run which show no reason for the light to be on, yet it continues to stay on which will not allow my car to pass state inspection.

Filed Sep 20, 2005 · Electrical, Engine · PA

Vehicle had constant engine problems along with other problems that surfaced and ended its life cycle. *la the consumer experienced coolant leaks, hard starting, electrical noises, radio noises, vibration upon acceleration along with thumping noises, erratic dash light illumination, intermittent door ajar light, bearing noise and the engine blew out prematurely. *sc *jb from a normal sitting position the consumer could not see that the check engine light was on. It wasn't until he dropped something on the floor and looked up that he saw the light on.

Filed Jan 5, 2005 · Brakes, Electrical · NY · crash

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.

Filed Sep 27, 2004 · Engine · 147,000 miles · MN

1996 ford windstar, misfired under normal highway driving, the check engine light started flashing. This is indicative of a misfire according to the owners manual. Upon further research, this is a very common problem to the 1996 model. The computer will say the engine is misfire in cylinder x when it is actually a misfire in cylinder y. Have been told that this is anything from a faulty spark plug to a blown piston ring, causing a loss of compression in a cylinder. Seems to be a very very very common problem among 1996 windstars.

Filed Mar 17, 2004 · Engine · 80,000 miles · NE

Engine light came on and off, on and off, etc. Took it of service center. They said we had blown a head gasket. Took to another service center they said it was the intake manifold gaskets. Had them replaced. Now have an antifreeze leak in the timing cover. Service center said they don't want to fix it cause the engines end up seizing after about 2 months after repairing these leaks. They said to just keep an eye on the fluid level and keep it filled. I wish we wouldn't have purchased this vehicle.....

Filed Feb 7, 2004 · Engine · GA

I've had the check engine light since 9/98 (6 months after purchase)-approx 40000 miles. I've spent over $2000 over 5 trips to the shop- last one 11/27/03- trying to have this fixed. I just had my transmission rebuilt for addt'l $1600 (jan 2004) and now I have the head gasket failure. I am desparate for some assistance as I have no other transportation and have invested way too much money into this van to replace it with more car payments.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Engine, Transmission · 88,580 miles · MS

Check engine light on, white smoke emitting from tailpipe, missing, wildly erratic speedometer at 35-40, rear air blows hot. Replacements: had gaskets, lower intake gaskets, upper intake gaskets, spark plugs, wires, thermostat, gasket, ? Belt, timing cover, timing cover gasket, water pump. Speedometer and A/C problem not yet fixed.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Brakes, Engine · 78,000 miles · MD

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.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Brakes, Engine · 106,954 miles · UN

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.

Filed Dec 29, 2003 · Acceleration, Brakes · 118,000 miles · VT

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.