1996 Ford Windstar transmission problems

Filed Mar 13, 2015 · Transmission · 65,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford windstar. While at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The service brake warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Filed Jul 3, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 58,958 miles · GA

This is a second call for help ford corporate will not email me back. Will not verify if PCM has been updated. The van only has under 59,000 miles on it . It should not break this bad this soon makes me tell anyone on social media and our local news media and clark howards team. I do not want to call ford unless it is agreed the phone will be recorded for court purposes. I even asked is the would let me use the updater. I sure do not want don rich ford in villa rica ever again. They stripped the screw. That set min clearance on throttle plate. No shifts funny and sputters and terrible noise in oil pan area. Rod s knocking. Internet has tons of complaints of pistons exiting engine oil pan.

Filed Jun 29, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 58,586 miles · GA

Dear ford my mother and I have been trying to get answers from the dealer and since they gave up. Because they could not fix it right the first time. Even the second or third time. The van a 1996 windstar with 59,000 miles on it and it started the engine started stalling, when making slow turns not touching the gas pedal loses power steering. My mom almost went into a ditch to avoid a collision with another car. With little internet searching found hundreds of vans with same problems, and appears there is not one resolved. And since this has gone on for over a month. The last visit to the ford dealer in an attempt to fix the stalling. . The idle air control valve is new, and mass air flow is clean supposed to have been replaced also. I checked the air filter was clean, the fuel filter is original so I replaced it. I started looking at the throttle body, and noticed that the throttle plate screw was all gouged up. While I was sitting in drive way with engine running and unless ford engines are only good for 60,000 miles, with all the stalling and low engine idle that keeps oil pressure in the engine lubricating the crank shaft.!! So when engine stalled at very low idle there was no oil getting through the engine. This engine now has lower end knock, which I verified by pulling van onto floor ramps, test drove and confirmed the problem, is critical. Each time I slowed down to turn engine stalled every time, lost power steering and brakes. I could have been killed because ford is ignoring this problem.. And this also answers why other complaints were about engine failures and very expensive repairs. This letter will be put on all social networks, to warn others this could happen to them be aware. They said the ecu/PCM computer was updated. Could not find update on invoices, or in history I can access.

Filed May 16, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 125,000 miles · WA

I purchased a 1996 ford windstar van 3.0 l in june 2010. I have had numerous issues with this vehicle from day 1 to current most dangerous is the blowing spark plug which has blown out 2 times forcing me to drive it to a place where it could be parked for repair first time blow out was 7 days after purchase repaired by a mechanic now 2000 miles later again blew out ford should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring such a huge hazard this could seriously ignite fuel fumes and cause a major fire, explosion while some one is driving with there children to find a repair shop unaware of the danger and damage this could cause, second issue is a failing shifting module or tranny and this has happened alot driving and all of a sudden the vans transmission shifts to a 1st or 2nd gear causing extreme change in speed and in heavy traffic we have almost been rearended several times due to this issue, vessil must be pulled over and trans reset by shifting to park and sometimes shutting off the vehicle and starting it again.ford dealer gave us a 3000. Estimate to replace transmission and told us we would continue to replace trans aprox every 70,000 miles this is a chump way to build cars and they have managed to get more money out of repairs than sales I will never own another ford again safe or not. Ford should be forced to reclaim all these dangerous vehicles and replace all money spent on repairs and purchase of the vehicles due to endangering and there is no way they didn't know about these problems.

Filed Sep 11, 2009 · Transmission · 187,569 miles · WA · fire

There was no crash. There was no warning what so ever. I was driving a client home from a picnic and pulled into a parking lot to park and smoke started rolling out of the engine compartment. I got my passenger who was in a wheelchair to safety and opened the hood to find flames coming from the top of the transaxles. I put out the fire. The "transaxles range sensor" and plug just forward of the range sensor were the cause of the fire. The wiring harness above coming out of the black box(fuse box) was also burnt. This problem has not been repaired.

Filed Aug 27, 2008 · Transmission · 153,000 miles · FL

The park pawl shaft occasionally does not engage when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position or other position. Therefore, the vehicle either does not stay still or does not move when placed in gear.

Filed Jun 29, 2006 · Transmission · 125,000 miles · MO

Dt*: the contact stated while driving on normal road conditions at any speed the transmission slipped continously and would not go into overdrive when gas was applied while trying to pass other vehicles. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who advised the contact to take the vehicle to a reputable transmision service. The contact disregarded the option because it was too far and the towing too expensive. A tire was also punctured while repairing a coil spring. After the tire was replaced without being balanced the vehicle lost its aligment.

Filed Mar 1, 2006 · Transmission · 16,000 miles · IL · crash · 1 injury

1996 windstar minivan park pawl pin is defective. Gear moved out of park hitting consumer. *ts a recall had been issued regarding the problem. However the consumer was told her vehicle was not included in the recall.

Filed Aug 25, 2005 · Transmission · 5,000 miles · MI

Dt: when the owner bought the car in 1996 he noticed that the gear shifter was hard to remove from park. The gear shifter developed a lot of play. When the car was in drive the gear position indicator showed that the car was in reverse or neutral. When the car was in reverse the gear position indicator showed park. The owner was concerned that the car may roll out of gear becuase it was usually parked on a small hill. The owner took vehicle to the dealership for the first time in 1996.the dealership did not know what was wrong. The transmission was replaced in 1997 while under warranty. The owner was unsure if the transmission was replaced. The owner stated that even after replacement of transmission, the vehicle always had the the gear position indicator problem. The owner took vehicle to the dealership a couple of years ago, and the mechanic told him that the car was hard to shift into gear. Then the owner checked and saw that there was a recall on the transmission. The owner's vehicle was not included in the recall.

Filed Apr 26, 2005 · Transmission · NC

Start van everything fine. Stop at store,etc. Restart van starts jerking and goes into second gear and will not go back into drive mostly jerking all the way or slips into drive and then back to second with a jerk over and over again. Don't have money to fix if really bad so please what could this be?? Give time to sit overnight and start its ok again??