Hood area was bent and caused vehicle to lean unevenly. The structure of the vehicle was poorly designed.
1998 Ford Windstar body complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 81, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Paint peeling on the vehicle. Started at roof and now is peeling all over. Also the front suspension makes a banging noise when traveling on bumpy roads. Have tried to have fix but 2 or less months it starts again.
There is peeling paint on most of the topmost surfaces of this vehicle, including the lift gate, above and around the top of the side sliding door, and along the luggage rack. The paint is peeling off the primer layer.
Consumer states that paint is peeling off. Consumer feels the interior may eventually fall and paint chips may get into passengers eyes.
I puchased my van on 2/24/02 with 55k on it from cavalier ford in chesapeake ,va. The van was taken back to cavalier ford in chesapeake, va. On 2/12/03 because of a popping sound coming from the front area when breaks are applied and sometimes while turning. The mechanic discovered severe cracking in sub frame where right strut rod attaches. The mechanic has never seen one do this and said I could lose my steering if it cracks all the way while I am driving. He said could be manufactuer defect. Est. Cost for repairs $3,000.00. I only have 65k on the van and havent even had it a year yet. There is no evidence of van being in a wreck. This is not coverd under my extended warrenty . Has this been a problem with other windstars and what do you suggest that I can do? L.j. Va. Beach,virginia
Peeling paint on most upper surfaces, including roof, liftgate, and side door. Mr
Recall 01f090000 was done in april 2002. Shields were installed within 1/8 inch of tire, new tires will rub on the shields.*ak consumer stated that the gas filler hoses are exposed to flying stones from the wheels after 98 fords added a shield to cover their hose.
Light that indicates door is open stays illuminated. Light gets so hot that it may cause a fire. *ak the switches have been replaced. The ford company is aware of the problem and doesn't want to fix unless consumer pays out of pocket. The sliding door was replaced.
The dealership service department stated the "front subframe sleeves were loose; welding of the radius arm sleeves was required. They stated this problem was very common for windstar and even taurus models. If so, this is a potentially serious and widespread problem in these cars.
I brought the vehicle to walker ford on 3/14/202 for a protective spring shield, recall #01s19. We noticed a clunking noise from the passenger side front shorrtly after. We brought the vehicle back to walker ford on 5/3/02. Upon inspection, we were told the weld for the sub frame was broken. This holds up the transmission,engine, suspension,.. This is definieetly a severe safety issue and gone unchecked, I believe it could have LED to a major accident and possible injuries, not just to myself, but others who may be driving a vehicle with a similar problem. This is not something that needs to be fixed as part of routine maintenance and is very rare and uncommon for this to break, as confirmed by another mechanic. I believe the weld was defective. This vehicel is well maintained and there is no cause for this type of problem other than a defect.
Without prior warning door warning light comes on panel, and light will stay on. Interior light will go off, but the sound of the chime will not stop. Dealerlership is aware of problem.
Driver side sliding door failes to lock from either inside or outside due to an electrical problem. Consumer has contacted dealer. Please provide further information.
Door ajar light on dash is on constantly when all doors are shut. Chime is also going off at all times. When chime is on it is not possible to lock doors. Vehicle at dealership at this time.
Courtesy lights will intermittenly work. They will come on when driving at night, or sometimes they will not come on at all. *ak experiencing other electrical problems with the reverse lights, interior lights, automatic door locks, door check light, and signal lights operating intermittently, consumer states that the engine is noisy and the engine check light is always on, the seat belt is loose, passenger side arm rest is loose, and the back window wiper is inoperative.
Door locks are not working properly. They will lock at times, and not lock at other times. Also, instrument panel will illuminate showing that door is not closed when it is. Please provide more information.
Was driving 25mph when suddenly driver lost control of vehicle. Managed to get to side of road after going from west bound crossing to east bound lane. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Was informed by mechanic that rear frame bolts had sheared off and caused frame to separate.
When driving vehicle/ either turning or coming to a stop there is a knocking sound near front wheels. Took vehicle to dealer, and they said that subframe strut sleeves need to be welded. Please provide any further information.
The interior lights stayed on even after the engine was turned off, due to door switch failure.
I have basically had everything that could go wrong with this vehicle.. Go wrong. It has been in several times for the seal around drivers side door (air flows in). The door ajar indicator continually goes on and the dome light comes on(making it very unsafe to drive at night. Especially when trying to back up. The dome light then stays on causing battery to die. I have had problems with the traction control light to blink have had in shop they say they replaced a sensor. As soon as my warranty was up. It happened again(cost me over $400.00) when either window is rolled down about 3 inches(as soona s it hits that point) a buzzing sound will occur. I had a huge gash on the interior of my right tire(no known cause) I believe the van was 3 months old at this time.... Had to purchase a new tire. I have had work done several times on the front passenger side. Including the bearings replaced.... A sensor ring that had broken in half, tie-rod... I am so disappointed in this vehicle, we bought this because it was convient to tote around 3 children but the fact that I am so afraid to drive it alot of times ins't very convenient at all. I am amazed that it has made it this far (90,000) the back hatch seems to have some electrial problems as whenever it is opened it woll set off the door ajar light and when closed it never goes off.. For some reason it has periods of time that it will stay on for weeks and then when that stops the window buzzing starts. I am not under warranty and am very tired of sinking money into a van that we apid well over 30,000 for. Why is something so expensive........... Such a money pit????? I feel I get no response from the dealers. They seem to be able to word it in a different way when they fix something and you have to take it back in to be re-fixed.. Although it does the same thing??? I guess we will have to do more research on vehicle manufactors when buying our next family vehicle. I have never been so disappointed. Please send recall informat
Ongoing problem with door ajar light staying on while all doors are properly closed. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was out of its warranty, and nothing would be done. *ak
Door open indicator stays on, causes interior light to stay on. Every other 1998 ford I know has same problem (7 vehicles). Nieghbor has had thier van (98) worked on 4 times in one year. Dealer not helpfull. Ford has blinders on, acts as if they know nothing about thos problem. All I wanted is ford to say they knew it was a problem, and they were working on a solution. Fords integrity is in question with me.
Door sensor replaced in 1999 "just goes bad" rick hunt ford in warrenton va. Says.went bad again. Interior lights stay on up to twenty MPH. Sometimes the chimes are on the same way , sometimes the chimes and all interior lights come on at traffic lights and cut off again at20 MPH, but dip down to15 MPH and they all start on again. Sometimes the door locks pop to unlock position also.do I have the only vehical like this?
Various problem with power lock locking by itself/windshield wipers working intermittently/dome light not operating, and door ajar light staying on. Vehicle been in / out of dealer shop on several occasions, and problems still reoccurring. *ak possible electrical problem with failure of power locks, windshield wipers, dome light, door ajar light, door ajar switch, lift gate door ajar switch, battery saver relay inoperable, and washer light illuminating. Brakes noisy at times, dealer stated this was due to brake dust. Power steering is noisy when turning back and forth, dealer replaced tie rod end. Sliding door rattles while driving over bumps, dealer added foam tape to back side of panel, driver door rattles, sliding door hard to open at times, dealer lubed sliding hinges and latch. Dealer replaced shocks due to rattling noise when riding over bumps. Drivebelt replaced. Maf sensor replaced due to hesitation. Window guide did not fit tight.
The door locks on this vehicle are operated by swtiches on the front doors and at the rear storage area. These switches will no longer activate the locks on the two front doors. The dealership checked the problem and advised that the doors need new "actuators" at a cost of $70 per device, plus close to $200 to install them. I am concerned that these locks should fail at this point in the life of the car. I have had similar locks on several cars and never had them fail, much less at such an early date. Please note that I have owned the car less than the 36 months normally covered by warranty, though the 36,000 mile threshold has long since passed. I argued with the dealership, however, that the door locks are not elements of the car so affected by mileage, but more likely by usage over time. They wouldn't budge on fixing them. I am concerned about this from a safety standpoint because the front locks cannot be manually unlocked from the interior. In an accident, this could prove fatal.
A spring under car came loose and was dangling aroung under vehicle.this part could have punctured a tire and caused a serious accident.
Vehcile will stall when motor is hot, putting consumer in a dangerous situation.*ak sliding door malfunctions.
1. Transmission will shift erratically , and a loud noise will occur and motor will shake. Ford engineering was sent out and determined transmission needed work, but no dealer will honor warranty. 2. Brakes will fail in the winter and in slippery roads, causing pedal to go to floor and vehicle will not stop. 3. All doors lock by themselves/ lights flash on and off, and heater and defroster motor will come on even without the key in the igntion. Vehicle will even start up by itself.
The passenger door contact was corroded causing the interior lights to come on and an alart on the dash that the door is "open". Reported to dealership but never repaired or replaced under waranty. This is a danger to the driver that the door is open and distracks the drivers attention to immediately turn around to visually check. This alert also causes the interior lights to automatically come on when this "open door" indication is given. This is also a distraction. Both the dealership and ford were contacted but nothing was done. I will never buy a ford product again.
Possible design problem with the vehicle, which allows for mice to enter vehicle, owner has trapped twelve mice and continues to have incidents.
Tailgate power lock inoperative. Yh
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