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.
1996 Ford Windstar: doors won't lock, open or latch
10 of the 1,386 complaints about the 1996 Ford Windstar describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
Engine: head gasket failure @ 62,218 miles. Needed to replace both cylinder gasket heads and resurface same. Power door: failure of power door lock on passenger side. Transmission: was replaced twice under warranty. Other: ignition control module needed replacement. Have been advised engine has a sludge condition despite regular oil changes per ford guidelines.
This car has barely 75,000 miles on it. We are told it costs $2,800 for a rebuilt transmission. Upon investigation on the internet, I found that transmission failure in the windstar is a chronic problem (along with the door locks and rear hatch failing). I believe the transmission should be recalled. Just fyi-our extended warrently expired one year ago.
When driving door locks automatically lock up. Also, door panel was ringing noise.
When closing the sliding door all other doors lock without operator operating the door lock function, thus, locking the parents out vehicle. Consumer has contacted the dealer. Please provide any further details.
The electrical door lock for the back tailgate , does not automatically lock when vehicle is put into drive. The dealer is aware of the problem. The problem has not been corrected.
Door locks activate while exiting vehicle (as to close a garage door) with engine running after backing up . This leaves driver locked out of vehicle with engine running and key in ignition. Imagine the situation if an infant is in the car and mom is locked out!!! Dealer says it is the way vehicle is designed.
Horn is continually shorting out due to electrical failure which is also causing power window and door latch failure.
Outer hood panel separated from body of vehicle prior to recall (97v‑180). In addition, replaced front electric door latch/multifunctioned wiper switch/windshield wiper switch/engine cylinder head gaskets due to coolant leak, and differential seal.
Door lock design allows doors to be opened from inside when locked.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1996 Ford Windstar door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 1996 Ford Windstar?
10 of 1,386 owner complaints about the 1996 Ford Windstar (1%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Ford Windstar?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Ford Windstar
ABS 99Engine failure 83Check engine light 78Coil spring 63Overheating 57Brake failure 46Fire or smoke 41Transmission failure 40Misfire 30Stalling 27Ball joint 26Grinding brakes 25Adaptive cruise 22Slipping 16Loss of power 13Tire blowout 13Wipers 13Knocking 11Fuel leak 10Fuel smell 9Won't shift 9Sudden acceleration 9Jerking 8Harsh shifting 7Premature wear 7Fuel pump 6Headlights 6Power steering loss 6Seat belt 6
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