Vehicle started smoking, and when consumer lifted up the hood there was a smell of coolant sprayed all over vehicle, and leaking from underneath onto the ground. Transmission was replaced. But problem was still there.
1998 Ford Windstar engine complaints
Page 5 of 8: complaints 101 to 130 of 193, newest first, as owners wrote them.
# 4 cylinder was checked by ford dealer as defect, but it was headgasket paid $300.00 for computer check wrong information, car kept stalling before and after installation due to head gasket failure while making turns or sudden stops.
Engine stalled on an off . Called dealership, they said because of the emission control was on recall campain. After they fixed the emssion control, the problem still existed. Brought the car in and the dealer said it is out of warranty. Nothing they can do. The recall just done about 3 months ago this year.
Consumer received recall letter , but dealer has not honored recall as of yet.
Vehicle was traveling aproximately 65mph and engine shut down. Power brakes and steering went out without warning. Brake pedal was pushed to the floor to stop vehicle. Dealer stated it would be too expensive to find out what was the cause.
While driving vehicle stalls. When vehicle shuts off, engine check and battery lights come on.
While driving, vehicle will stall. When coming to a stop vehicle will also stall. Engine light will come on and go off. This happens very often. Contacted dealer and dealer stated engine light has to stay on at least 15 minutes before vehicle could be put on computer. *ak
When in stop and go traffic with cooler weather conditions the engine nearly stalls out when stopping. This affects the power brakes and the power steering making it difficult to control. Complaints to dealers and ford customer care have not resolved this issue. Problem developed after installing a rebuilt transmission at 30,000 miles. Ford can not find the problem after at least four trips to the shop. This vehicle could have been submitted under the lemmon law and replaced but was not.
All stalling has occurred when slowing for a turn from a slow speed (from about 30 MPH to 15 MPH.) once nearly caused an accident when power steering, brakes, etc were lost and nearly rear-ended car immediately ahead. Another stall was in middle of busy traffic which was held up until engine started again. All stalling occurred when on public thoroughfares, turning either right or left. Problem began in february 2000 at approx 44,000 miles odometer reading.
When proceeding through a light or stop sign after a stopping, vehicle will die. Consumer can restart it again.
Consumer stated vehicle steers hard, dealer replaced the power steering pump.
While driving, consumer heard a large pop and saw smoke, vehicles engine compartment caught on fire, claim 42-1402-914.
This vehicle has had two engines, transmission work and a lot of smaller problems. Right now it is having the drivers seat track and adjusters replaced. Would like to be part of a class action suit. The windstar may be safe, but it isn't reliable.
Vehicle stalls when making slow turns. Not taken to dealer yet.
While traveling in warm weather ,making sudden stops/parking and while in stop and go traffic, vehicle would stall without any indication. Please provide further informaiton.*ak air bag light illuminated due to faulty module, the drivers side door adjar switch was sticking causing the door adjar light to illuminate, outer tie rod failed causing noise in the front end, vehicle experiences loss of power/slipping due to faulty transmission, check engine light illuminated and vehicle stalled, dealer replaced sensor, speedometer was off. Nlm
The 1998 ford windstar 3.8l v-6 engine's head gasket leaked on our windstar and the coolant contaminated the engine oil, which created engine failure due to excess bearing wear. In the last 2,000 miles we lost approximately 2 quarts of coolant. Ford says it does not have a recall for the 3.8l head gasket problem and will not compensate us for the costs of installing a new fqr 3.8l engine. The new fqr engine only has a 24 month/24,000 mile warranty, which may fail again after the 2year/24,000 mile and the customer is taken advantage of again! Ford is aware of the 3.8l engine head gasket problem and has had the problem since 1988 model year. Ford has issued two onps (owner notification program) 98m01 which extended the warranty for 5years/60,000 through 1995 model years, and the 00m09 which extended the 98m01 warranty to 7years/100,000. I have checked the federal safety agency complaint database and found they are still having problems with the 3.8l head gaskets through the 1999 windstars, mustangs, sables, taurus, lincoln continentals, and cougars. Many of these vehicles are having the problem as early 18,000 to 36,000 miles but the bulk are having the problems in excess of 3years/36,000 and the customer is stuck with a huge repair bill, of $4,000 to $6,000 dollars. Ford claims they corrected the problem after the 1995 model year with new head gaskets even though it is obvious the problem has not been corrected. Ford has sold and still may be selling a product that is defective that could lead to creating accidents with multiple fatalities. Ford has admitted to the fact that the 3.8l head gaskets should not fail before 7 years/100,000 miles for vehicles manufactured through 1995 with the 00m09 owner notification program. Ford is still having a problem with the 3.8l head gaskets failing through the 1999 model year! Why aren't they taking care of these problems. Why hasn't the government (the federal safety agency) investigated this and permit ford to take advantage of the consumer?
Unexpected catastrophic engine failure. Low milage vehicle with complete service records and no warning threw piston rod during normal operation. Dealer estimates cost to repair at $4900. Dealer estimates damage due to failed head gasket. Antifreeze leak filled cylinders.
Engine failure 1 month after head gasket replacement and approximately 2000 miles.
Consumer has experienced several problems with the transmission, dealer has replaced it once, however problems continue, consumer has filed for a request for arbitration, vehicle bucks, jerks, and jumps into gear before taking off. Vehicle shimmies from one side to another upon acceleration, there is a thumping sound heard also at times while driving. Vehicle experienced a speed sensor circuit problem. Speedometer jumps. Problem with power steering, dealer adjusted rack and pinion and made other repairs to steering mechanism. Right side brake light bulb failed. Battery failed. Consumer stated it felt as if vehicle was going to stall sometimes, engine has no power at acceleration, engine belt was noisy and was replaced. Tire had a slow leak due to loose tire valve.
Vehicle is experiencing a stalling problem, dealer has replaced the alternator and performed tsb 982506, however problem is still occurring, a customer service rep from ford was supposed to call consumer back regarding problem and has not. *slc consumer states he has since discovered that the problem with the vehicle is an engineering defect in the fuel injector causing the engine to shut down at slow speeds when the vehicle is turning.
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.
First incident 11-13-00. Engine stalled making left turn against oncoming traffic. Van serviced at ford country, henderson, nv and alternator changed. Four more of same type incidents in february. Car returned to ford country in henderson for this complaint. Mileage 35024. They performed tsb 982506. Sent letter and called ford customer service. Andrea insisted that the car be looked at once more at colorado river ford in kingman, az. She said she made appointment and arranged for a loaner van or large car. Contact was steve. We drove 40 miles for the appointment.. On the way we had another stalling incident. We arrived for the appointment, steve did not have a loaner car. We had to leave and when at home called ford again. We were promised a call back from andrea within 1/2 hour. It is now more than 24 hours and we are still waiting for the call back. This is a very dangerous situation. We were told by two people at the dealership in henderson that ford is aware of this problem. Stalling could cause a crash situation with both oncoming traffic and traffic behind us. Does the body count have to rise before something is done about it? Will this become another situation like the tire problem? I will also be sending a copy of this to you in the mail.
While driving straight or when making an u turn about any MPH steering wheel will lock up without a prior warning. Then, engine will stall. Dealer said this problem could not be found.
Blown head gasket is diagnosis after noticeable loss of antifreeze and heat in vehicle.
Three months after ownership the vehicle was experiencing vibration and stalling, three separate visits to the dealership to correct the computer software adjustments.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Vehcile will stall when motor is hot, putting consumer in a dangerous situation.*ak sliding door malfunctions.
Engine will have lower than normal RPM when first coming to a stop. Has stalled 3 seperate times.
I have had 2 windstars - the first a 1995 had multiple problems. The dealer - premier ford would not fix the van and ford's complaint department was tedious and unresponsive. Therefore, I turned to arbitration which resulted in replacement of the vehicle under the lemon law in nc. Because of this, I reluctantly purchased a 1998 windstar. This vehicle has had the head gasket replaced before it had 36,000 miles. It started stalling. The van was taken to lee motor, a ford dealer in wilson, nc. They could not find anything. Since that time, it has continued to stall at least 5 times that I can document. It has concerned me that the recent news regarding stalling includes up to 1995 windstars. There is a very great safety issue here - as great if not worse than the problems with the much publicized tire recall.
Engine stalls when wheel turned to far left/right.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1998 Ford Windstar?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history