1996 ford windstar with blown head gasket. Same engine and parts as recalled 1995's. Was stranded on the side of a highway. No assistance from ford. Have read 100's of internet accounts of same problem. Thousands of people with same problem. This is a major saftey hazard.
1996 Ford Windstar engine complaints
Page 9 of 17: complaints 221 to 250 of 472, newest first, as owners wrote them.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Engine coolant leakage at intake manifold & head gasket. Since we bought,been having multiple issues with engine light on & various work done at dealership. On 11/3/01 intake gasket replaced for white exhaust smoke & engine light on. Returned 12/7/01 for engine light on & 02 sensor replaced. 1/3/02 heater blowing cool air- dealer sts head gasket bad. Corporate ford refuses to do goodwill gesture/pay.(mileage to date approx since car still in shop).
Major engine failure at 72,201 miles. All maintenance work peerformed by dealer
Engine check light came on. Rough idle. Tune-up performed. Oxygen sensor replaced. Engine check light is now off. Two days later, engine check light is back on and rough idle returns. Replaced oxygen sensor and plug wires. Next day, driving car and temperature gauge falls almost all the way to cold side. Heater blowing out just a little warm. Pressure tested engine. Leakage in a cylinder. Upon teardiown, head gasket has failed leaking coolant into engine.
Head gasket blewout. Please provide further information.
Exhaust fumes entered into vehicle.
While driving at 50 to 55 MPH vehicle was vibrating. Took to dealer, and they replaced fuel filter. Currently, a yellow warning light came on instrument panel. Consumer took vehicle to mechanic, and he replaced head gasket. Please provide any further information.
Consumer is experiencing same problem as previous year models concerning engine head gaskets. A recall was issued for that year. Consumer feels that later model years should be included. *ak
Engine check light and the air bag light would intermittentl/simutaneously come on and cause loss of acceleration while traveling at highway speed. Dealer notified. *ak consumer was informed that vehicle had a transmission leak, the speedometer was acting erractically, parking brake and brakes were inoperative,also the power windows were inoperative.
Speedometer: shakes back & forth on highway . Impossible to know speed travelling( unless equipped with good stopwatch & excellent math skills). Head gasket- failed .must be replaced. Does not meet any extended warranty criteria.
Head gasket failed, and then soon after engine stalled. Contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.
We bought this van 07/25/00, since then it has had head gasket replacement, and two engines, 0-2 sensors, heater plug, now the PCM, we have only driven our van for @ 6 months, all repairs have been done at dealership, today is 11/24/01. And our van is at the dealership as I submit this. I have copy of all records. Thank you, [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
1996 ford windstar 3.8l head gasket failure at #4 piston
I have a 1996 ford windstar with one of those 3.8l engines. My problems began with an antifreeze leak resulting from head gasket problems. I have just had the engine replaced in my van and the cost was $5000. I contacted the ford motor company consumer number at the suggestion of a friend who said that there had been a recall on her windstar. I was told by the ford rep. That my windstar had the wrong VIN number to be recalled. I'm having a hard time understanding why some bad 3.8l engines are recalled and replaced if necessary and others are not. Can you help? Also, the needle on my speedometer fluctuates wildly at speeds over 30. I know that this, too, is a common problem with windstars.
Vehicle has leaked 2 1/2 gallons of coolant. Engine check light stays on, andvehicle is having trouble starting. Heat is warm because coolant keeps leaking out. Mechanic suggested to replace engine head because leakage was ruining the engine.
There was premature failure of headgaskets, causing coolant to leak onto engine and inside passenger's compartment. Dealer and manufacturer have been notified. Please provide further information.
Bought car 3/01-immediately replaced cat. Converter. Overdrive lt flashing-needed new transmission, torque converter, planetary gears, solenoids; had to realign;speedometer off by at least 10 MPH; need new rack & pinion-power steering fluid leaking; nothing but problems have spent so much money and also been without car for over a month -only had it 7 months!
Vehicle was starting to miss, and gasket was leaking water into oil pan. Please provide any further information.
Head gasket failed. Ford provided new head gaskets and sometimes complete engines for same problem in 1995 windstars with 3.8l engine, but denies there is a problem with the 1996 same model engine. Since there are hundreds of other identical complaints about the 1996 windstar 3.8l on this website, I find ford's denials pretty hard to believe! This has created a serious financial hardship, and ford has refused to compensate in any way for the obviously defective part. I am requested that you proceed with an investigation, and will be contacting my senators and representative.
While driving motor blew a head gasket which resulted in loss of power. Contacted dealer, and vehicle was being repaired.
They have recalled 94 and 1995 versions of the same engine. Problem not fixed.
The engine overheated and then died. It was determined this happened because of ford's faulty head gaskets. We had to replace the engine.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Head gasket blew on 3.8l engine while sitting in a parking lot. Caused additional damage to the starter and flywheel wheel broke.
Engine started overheating, engine check' light came. Noticed oil mixed with coolant in reservoir. Dealer confirmed head gasket failure.
3.8 v6 engine check light stays on while driving, vehicle is leaking oil and running rough; vehicle taken to dealer and informed of a blown head gasket. Feel free to provide any further information.
Engine was running rough and white smoke was coming from tail pipe. Vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop. Repair shop informed consumer that engine head gasket had blown out.
Van had a failed head gasket (a common problem among windstars). The failed head gasket, lead to a thrown rod and totalled engine to the tune of $3600.00. We had at 89k miles taken the van in for to the dealer because a check engine light came on and a strange smell was noticed. They said nothing was wrong. 3 months later the engine blew.
Oil contamination. Found oil in the coolnat. Dealer inspection concludes that this is a blown head gasket. An exact problem caused a major recall for the same engine for the years 94-95. No recall yet for year 1996. Growing amount of reports show that this problem exists on the 1996 model that carries the same engine. Dealer recommends to replace the engine block at a cost of $4000. I am expecting ford to pick up these charges due to the reasons stated above.
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