After driving for 2 minutes the temperature gauge went to hot. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced head gasket. *ak engine overheats due to head gaskets and timing cover gasket failure . Consumer stated that windshield was cracked after repair.
1996 Ford Windstar visibility complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 38 of 38, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Consumer states that engine failed, consumer believes engine failure is by factory related defects, also the timing cover gasket failed at 65,454.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Door to defroster has broken off. Consumer feels this is very unsafe because it stops defroster from clearing windows, vision becomes impaired. Please provide any further information.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
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.
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).
Consumer was traveling on a main street and turned on heat. Vents were blowing out cold air,and engine check light came on dashboard. Vehicle was not leaking any fluids. Thermostat was on hot. Dealership was aware of problem.
Consumer was traveling on the highway and passenger's door came open without touching electrical windows. Dealership was aware of problem. Also, coil spring failed during installation. Vehicle had six inch suspension. Dealership was aware of problems.
In the past two weeks the transmission has slipped twice. When at a complete stop and accelerating the vehicle has to be put into park and then back into drive. This is very dangerous. There is only 56000 on vehicle. Battery light continually comes on this can be very nerve wracking when in heavy traffic. . Speedometer fluctuates and flops around after 40mph, sometime sticks at 50mph. Rear wipers work when they want. We have just returned from serving 8 years overseas, this is our only vehicle and from the research we have just been able to start this windstar is headaches with the same problems. I would like to be able to take my family to see relatives they have not seen in over 8 years but this vehicle is unsafe.
Have had the minivan in several times for symptoms of the head gasket failure only to find problem after warranty expired. Transmission has always "clunked" when shifting into drive or reverse, this is a daily problem the dealership cannot "find". Windshield cracked overnight in november. We don't think the windshield should have been so fragile.
Nothing but problems since purchasing 1)door ajar light constantly illuminated-all doors checked none ajar 2) engine check light occasionally comes on-happened right after purchase and catalytic converter replaced obviously didn't fix problem 3)occasionally power windows/locks and A/C will go out unless adjustable fan speed turned to high 4)recently front passenger door will open at random usually during a turn-luckily no one sits in that seat 5)speedometer will occasionally flicker higher while driving at speeds greater than 65mph all of these problems have surfaced in the past 1-1.5 yrs and have continued since then.
The speedometer starts moving erratically once speeds of 25 MPH are reached. Also, sometimes, the windshield wipers will only work on high speed. I have contacted the dealer, and am told it will be $500.00 for the speedometer. I feel this, as well as the problems with the wipers is a serious safety issue. I've read several complaints on this site about problems with speedometers on 1996 windstars, and I think ford should be responsible for repairs, not me.
Eletrical system shorted out. Windshield wipers worked only when washers were being used, dome light stayed on when door was closed and won't go off.
The premature failure of the 3.8l engine head gasket was first noticed by myself during a routine inspection of my fluid levels and engine compartment. What I noticed was what appeared to be a coolant leak around the head gaskets. Under more constant supervision my wife and I observed other symptoms which include a more constant drop in the coolant level and a loss of heat when the heating system was operating. These symptoms seemed seriuos so we decided not to drive the vehicle until it has been serviced. Through friends and relatives we have discovered that this problem is occuring with many windstar owners so we have decided to further research this matter which is how we have come across your site. Please contact us with any updates you may have on this matter. Thank you.
There have been numerous failures of systems in my van. The engine must be replaced, the speedometer is out again.
Auotmatic transmission slips out of gear into a neutral after you come to a stop. You then have to put it in a low gear to get in back in drive. This can be a hazard in traffic. The power steerinng pump makes a loud grinding noise much louder than the normal sound the pump makes, the dealer has said previously that it is normal for the windstar. The passenger side power window has stopped working, unk reason has not been looked at. These problems are occurring in other windstars of the same year .
When turning on the windshield wipers the wipers don't work,upon turning on the washers they work.
Whenever the vehicle is turned off, all the power windows would still move up and down. Will be taking to dealer to have them checked.
Rear window exploded inward. Hit consumer in face next to left eye. Also baby was rear facing in vehicle when incident occured. , baby did not sustain any injuries. Manufacturer / dealer notified, and informed consumer that they are willing to pay 90% of replacment cost.
Windshield failed resulting in crack.
Front windshield failed.
Windshield wiper pivot arm nut became loose while in use. Wiper fell to left off of windshield.
Abs brake sensor failed resulting in collision.
Power window failed.
Owner states that his rear wiper does not clear window effectively and that washer pump does not operate, he also notes that he has a hard time of seeing out rear window.
Windshield wipers do not work when there is a little snow or rain. Visibility is very poo/blades ice up and become coated with snow and will not functrion properly.windshield wiper and defroster don't seem to work.
The front windshield the bottom part in cold weather and windshield blade wouldn't defrost . Tt
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