A faulty brake pressure differential deactivation! Switch is leaking brake fluid!
1998 Ford Windstar brakes complaints
Page 3 of 8: complaints 41 to 70 of 199, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 1998 ford windstar has broken both right and left coil springs. I've had to replace the transmission, my ABS and regular brake light won't go away even after servicing. My overdrive light keeps coming on and staying lit for days.
Repetitively failing ABS by cracked ABS rings(four times) or faulty ABS sensor
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle leaks brake fluid, which causes him to constantly add more fluid in the vehicle. He also stated that the cruise control does not operate. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the cruise control recall. The recall number was unknown. The current mileage was 100,000 and failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 02-01-08. *kb the consumer stated the fuses blew out in the cruise control. Updated
1998 ford windstar van. Front passenger lug bolts. All five lug bolt failed with no warning. Vehicle mileage 33300. No notice before failure. No shaking or vibrations. 60 MPH at time of incident. All parts saved. Replaced 5 lug bolts, 5 lug nuts, rotor.
The brake warning light came on dimly and stayed on. I took the 1998 windstar to a mechanic, who informed me that there was brake fluid in the ABS module that was causing the problem. I was also told that this situation could cause a fire. From what I have been told by my mechanic and the ford service technicians at two ford service centers the ABS system valves which contained brake fluid sat on top of the ABS module and were somehow connected. This design, apparently could lead to brake fluid getting into the ABS module. I have asked ford repeatedly if the brake fluid in the ABS module could cause a fire, but have not received a straight answer from them. My concern was that this situation could cause a fire shouldn't it be made known to owners of the ford windstars or any vehicle with this particular ABS sytsem design?
The brakes suddenly started failing and the brake petal would go to the floor like a defective master cylinder. The master cylinder was replaces 3 times at 2 different shops because they were sure it was the master cylinder and they thought perhaps it was a defective replacement. The defect ended up being the antilock brake system (ABS) hydraulic control unit (hcu). If you do an internet search for windstar hcu, you will find windstar reviews rating their brakes as significant problems specifically stating "an occasional problem on this vehicle is failure of the antilock brake system (ABS) hydraulic control unit (hcu). The cost to repair the ABS hydraulic control unit is estimated at $975.00 for parts, without traction control, and $1,200.00 for parts, with traction control, and $162.50 for labor." this problem also affects the 1997 windstar. Http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=1998&make=ford&model=windstar and http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=1997&make=ford&model=windstar this is potentially a life threatening problem and should be subject to a recall if it is bad enough than in auto reviews they cite it as a problem with ford windstars.
In september, 2002, I had to replace the speed control pressure switch on the master brake cylinder of my 1998 ford windstar, because it started leaking brake fluid. I also had to replace the drivers side tie rod end because the leaking brake fluid damaged the ruber bushing.
The rear brake line above the spare tire was rusted and blew apart when my wife hit the brakes to slow for a turning vehicle. This line is in a very bad spot. It is not visible and there is the greatest chance to hold moisture there. It is a safety issue. It only has 70,000 miles on it.
Ford windstar is experiencing problems with the brake equipment which is creating a safety issue. *mr the anti-lock braking system did not operate properly and would activate 80% of the time. The consumer was told that the sensors were the problem on one occasion and on another, the master cylinder, but could not guarantee this.
While driving at 75 MPH front coil spring snapped and broke, puncturing the front drivers side tire. Consumer had the coil spring replaced once. This was the second time this has happened. The front end of the vehicle completely dropped. Also, there was a brake failure. Two the federal safety agency recalls regarding front coil springs, recalls 01i007000 and 01v199000 were issued.
Front brake rotors completely rusted through with only 47,000 miles on vehicle.
Three (3) ABS sensors have gone bad and had to be replaced on this vehicle since ownership. Each sensor cost $175.00 with labor to replace and vehicle is out of service for 1/2 day.
Hydraulic control unit and electronic control unit both had to be replaced with only 40,000 miles on the vehicle. This failure occurred suddenly and caused the vehicle to have very little brakes while driving. An accident was narrowly avoided. The cost to fix this problem was in excess of $1,500.
1998 ford windstar. Abs pump has failed and brakes are not working properly. There was no brake light on dash to denote a problem and nothing coming up when tests were run on computer. All mechanics thought it was the master cylinder and as a results I had 5 put on the van from christmas 2003 to present. Called ford directly and said that they would note the problem, but nothing that they can do to fix the problem. I cannot drive my family in the vehicle as afraid of having accident in result of pump not functioning. Cost just for pump is $2200.00 not including labor. Very upset that ford will not stand behind their product and attempt to help.
When we purchased the van, we also bought a diamondkote warranty ,for 499.99$ and told at the time of purchase that is was a good warranty.we then found out that we should not have been sold the warranty and plaza ford lincoln will not honor it, we can't even get a refund, so we spoke to someone at diamondkote and this person told us that we should not have been sold the warranty and have been trying to get a refund ever since,either from plaza ford lincoln or diamondkote. I had intentions of suing ford motor company two years ago when my husband took my two daughters to halifax, because my 8 year old had cancer at the time, she had a appointment at the I.w.k hospital and it was by the grace of god that thay were not killed when the front suspention spring broke in which case my husband lost steering. I spoke to a lawyer who sadly told, because there was no death or injury there was nothing he could do,well my 8 year old who is now cancer free was so scared, she still gets very scared to get in a vehicle. I could go on but for now this is just the begining. I am going to pursue the matter of the diamondkote warranty further,and possibly more.we have had alot of vehicals before but never a ford with as much trouble as this has been.
I purchased my 1998 windstar with approx 20,000 km on it in 1999. Just after the warranty expired (at 60,000 km) I noticed 2 large bubbles in the paint on the two front doors. I took the car to the ford dealership where they agreed to pay 80% of the cost of repainting. This was not entirely agreeable to me but I felt I had no choice. My vehicle how has 86,000 km on it and the paint is peeling on the roof and around the sliding door. I have contacted ford canada but have not heard back from them as yet. Other problems encountered include having to replace a motor for the power windows, the fan mechanism (the blower would not move off of defrost), a leaking brake cylinder as well as what I would consider standard maintenance such as brakes, tires. I am also having intermittent problems with the electrical system eg. The warning bell signalling that the lights have been left on or the keys are in the ignition goes off for no reason. This then prevents me from being able to lock the vehicle.
The first item listed under other was for a power steeringn leak, which ended up being a power steering rack that needed to be replaced. My car had just gone out of warranty, so a portion was paid for by ford. I also had to get a front end alignment when the new rack was put in. The next day I drove it and it was making the same noise as before. I returned to the dealer where it was determined that they also need to replace the return hose for the power steering. They said they missed that and didn't charge me anymore. My service advisor is an extremely nice and understanding person. August 2003 problems with the rear brakes and master cylinder. The car is not at a ford dealer. That repairis 615.00. I have more problems, but these are the two big ones and the brakes are the current issue.
This van has all the defects and complaints listed on thegovt. Recalls the federal safety agency site and others ihave too much info to put on this site if there is anyone I can send my complaint to please let me know iam putting it back into the shop again ive been thru a nightmare along with trying to assure my 4 kids that they were safe in this van thankyou angela wallace and by the wat the dealer that sold me this van will not cooperate at all
Head gasket failure. Faulty head gasket design in my opinion ABS/traction control unit. Current problem tsb states that fuel tank manufactured with incorrect depth - fuel pump wiring is rubbed until electrical short occurs - and fuel pump fuse blows - vehicle is then stuck in traffic, in the middle of an intersection etc. Fords recommended fix is to replace the fuel tank and pump assembly however, they will not contribute anything to the cost of the repairs caused due to their faulty design.
I sent the following in an email to ford motor company, and also talked with their "customer service". They said that they could not do anything about this dispute between the dealer rep and myself, as it was a field decision. The original repair was a rebuild of the drum brake on the right rear wheel, the same wheel that later suffered a catastrophic failure of the shoes. Luckily, we were driving at over 35 MPH, so the wheel did not lock up until we stopped at a friends house. The entire hub assembly had to be rebuilt after the brake siezed. Note: this is the second brake rebuild. The car has also suffered from broken tie rods. ======================================================== the parsons dealership that rebuilt my right rear brake last october will not admit that the failure of the brake pads, and subsequent complete failure of the brake assembly last week which required replacing the drum, is covered under their warranty (12,000 or 12 months.) they say it was due to a rusted parking brake cable that seized. I say that is a big load of baloney....even if it was rusted (in a pretty new car!) then they should have seen that last year. The total cost of repair on 9/20/02 was $639.88. I want ford to: 1) make parsons return my money, and 2) reprimand parsons for poor customer service. I will not buy a car from them again, nor will they ever see my car again - despite their admonition at the bottom of their invoice that says "warranty 90 days or 4000 miles on adjustments, align, balance. All other repairs covered 12 months or 12000 miles. Customer must return to parsons ford for defective repairs. No refunds if customer takes to another repair facility. I won't go into the delays (a full week to repair the drum and brake assembly).
When the consumer applied the braked, the pedal went to the floor and the vehicle failed to stop, which caused extended stopping distance. The emergency brake had to be engaged to stop the vehicle. This was caused by a failure in the master brake cylinder.*ak the rear brakes were destroyed because the emergency brake had to be used to stop the vehicle. *ts
Master cylinder and hc unit were replaced in january of 2003, in the shop for 6 weeks. On 9/19 brakes failed again. Result hitting a parked car. Told by dealer that same 2 parts were again bad.
1998 windstar brake line failure over catalytic converter similar to 1996 ford windstar recall 4/3/02 02v101000. Local mechanic with knowledge recall on 1996 windstar contacted brockport ford (closest dealer) for information on repair and if any special materials were available to repair. The mechanic was told there wansn't anything available. Throug my own research on your website after repair on 9/3/3, 1996 recall describes specific repair for the 1996. Are and ford sure the same recall isn't necessary on other model years? Under other conditions, our failure could have been devestating to my wife and 4 children!!!!
Consumer called complaining about front brake problems. The brakes squeaked for a long time until they were replaced. Also, front coil spring problems. Consumer started vehicle and a terrible noise came from the front of the vehicle. She stopped, and had vehicle towed to the dealer. Dealer did an alignment, and told consumer that front coils needed to be replaced.
I am seeking action to alleviate the cost of maintenance problems I have experienced with my 1998 3.8l v6 ford windstar gl. Over the past few years, my windstar has displayed reoccurring and extensive mechanical problems in the front end, brakes, and engine that have resulted increasing amounts of time and money spent on repairs. From research, I have found that our difficulties are not an isolated event, and are in fact a common problem in the 1998 windstar, and are the same problems found in the 1995 windstar. The most recent event was the requirement to have the head gasket replaced. The local ford dealer provided this service which cost $1500.00 in parts and labor. Upon completion of the repairs the van was not roadworthy, a new short block was needed due to damage caused by the faulty head gasket. I have been quoted over $6000.00 for this job. In addition to the mounting repair costs, I am forced to rent a car so that we have transportation while we consider options with our windstar. My windstar has less than 100,000 miles. It is not uncommon these days to have vehicles operate this long before requiring the first tune-up. In order to maintain this van, I have spent the time I have ownwd this vehicle and a lot of money taking my windstar into service centers to have inferior parts, such as the plastic tie-rod ends and brakes, replaced many times. I have also spent a fortune on rental cars while our windstar sat unserviceable. We have born this cost with the expectation that investing money in repair would result in safe, reliable transportation for our family. With this major repair, the months of exhaustive diagnosis and trial repair jobs to fix the problems that arrise, the multiple tie rod end replacements, and brake system repairs, I feel that I am entitled to compensation from the ford motor company.
From the date of purchase, january 2002, brakes and ABS system has failed ,peyton-cramer ford has charged us to replace an ABS ring, 2 sensors and a tire. After all of these repairs peyton-cramer ford has failed to correct the braking problem and now they want to charge $1,300 for a new ABS system. The vehicle currently has 40k miles. The transmission has currently gone out as well within the past week. I feel that this matter should be investigated because I feel that this vehicle is a lemon due to the low mileage on the vehicle and because of the multiple problems with this vehicle. Peyton cramer ford is unwilling to assist with the current ABS problem. The transmission will be covered because I currently have an extended warranty on my vehicle. However, the ABS is not covered by my current extended warranty and ford motor is unwilling to offer any goodwill assistance with the repair.
When depressing the brakes vehicle would go into extended stopping distance. Vehicle was serviced, ABS module needed to be replaced.
Consumer has called several dealerships to have four recalls done and they were refusing to honor them. Recall # 01v199 concerning front springs:coil spring/ 99v147 000 concerning brake master cylinder/ 00e11 ford's additional warranty for front springs:coil spring corrosion, and 01m 03.
Abs system is constantly malfunctioning, brakes give out, traction control is turning off and on. Drivers side lock does not work with alarm remote.
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