Fuel tank is leaking, causing a fire hazard. Please provide further information.
1998 Ford Windstar fuel system complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 71, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Fuel cut off switch would cut off without any warning while driving. This has happened at least 4 times. Has taken vehicle to dealer each time. It was repaired the first time it happened. The last 2 times been in contact with dealership & nothing was informative about problem. Vehicle died out. Got out of vehicle & turned switch back on to start vehicle again.
Problem originated immediately after purchase. Was taken in 3 times for repair. Fuel gauge would not register full when filled and filling up with only 12 to 14 gallons when at 1/4 of a tank or less. Problem supposedly fixed but still had occasional erratic movement and improper fuel gauge readings over a period of 1 1/2 years. Problem became much worse in july 2000. Had erratic movement in fuel gauge, would fill tank, gauge would go to full, then drop 1/8, then go back up to full, the drop 1/8 again. Filling up at 1/4 of a tank or less with 12 to 14 gallons again. Vehicle has been at dealers 5 times, to date. Continually say that it is fixed but when I fill up with gas the problem is still there.
Driving fwy speed, left most lane, gas guage read over 1/4 tank, vehicle was really out of fuel (empty) and stalled in left lane with heavy traffic. Was repaired 2x previously by dealer, dealer insists there's no problem.
Fuel will leak when filling up gas tank to full, possibly due to failure of o-ring. Tank still leaked after o-ring replaced. Owner has not replaced tank. *ak
1st to 2nd bang when shifting on slow acceleration (repeats often), fuel pump continually cuts out when parked on slight downhill, still 6+ gallons left. Only since replacement of fueltank and gas pump due to electrical short
Fuel spitting back out of filler neck while filling fuel tank. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle's problem was not covered under manufacturer's recall. *ak
No summary listed for abov evehicle.
Exit line from the fuel injection system is leaking fuel onto the engine , causing a very strong gas odor in the vehicle. This could lead to a fire. Please give any further details.
We have been to arbitration on this defect. We have the 25 g. Gas tank and ford says the misreading is supposed to be the way it is.
Ie99059, the defective steering bushings does not support the system which causes the vehicle steering system to malfuction. Also, braking system malfunctioned, causing extended stopping distance which may result in a crash. The fuel pump went out unexpectedly, cause vehicle to stall. Finally, liftgate indicator light came on, but the liftgate remained closed. Brakes been replace once,and bushings 3 times. Please provide further information and VIN#.
Gas gauge.
Fule tank sending unit is leaking fuel. The dealer has been notified.
For no apparent reason the vehicle just cuts off while driving. The first time a computer adjustment was made, the second time(july 23rd) the electric fuel pump was replaced. The vehicle is being service for the third time(aug 5th) for the same problem. Each time the vehicle had to be towed to the dealership.
Noted problem only when gas tank was filled, smelled gas, thought it was from vent line - after a few more tank fills - noticed gas leaking on ground during tank fill-up. Problem was fixed 07/29/1999 at brown motors petoskey, mi - this could be a vary serious problem - could cause fires at gas station, home garage's, ect. This problem was there when we bought the van as it was never full during test driving - started smelling gas fumes when we would fill tank up and untill the fuel level would drop down low enough not too leak out the o-ring seal.
Fuel gauge inaccurately reads the amount of fuel in the vehicle. The dealer says that the problem is normal.
We purchased an optional 25 gallon fuel tank. When the fuel gauge pointer bottoms out at "e" and the "low fuel" light comes on, we fill the tank and are only able to put approximately 18 gallons in the the tank (on a regular basis). The owner's guide says that the light should come on when there is 1/16 of a tank (1.5-2 gallons) left as a reserve. We have had the van into two different dealers for a total of 8 times but they have not fixed the problem. The dealers have replaced the sender assembly twice, the fuel gauge assembly and the fuel tank assembly twice. The dealers state that there is nothing that they can do; they have done all that ford has authorized. Ford says that this is a problem that the dealers should handle. We feel that it is unsafe for my wife and children to travel in a vehicle that may run out of gas on a busy highway (possibly causing an accident) or in the middle of nowhere(leaving them stranded and unsafe). We feel that a gauge as important as a fuel gauge should be accurate and consistent.
Fuel pump failed.
Neither dealer nor ford zone rep helpful. Probable cause of tank collapse is failure in vapor/vent system to fuel tank. See also your odi id 829866. Problem appears to be limited to 1998 windstar with 25 g tank. Dealer has found orig tank crushed, has replaced same, has replaced/checked gauge sender, and replaced gauge. Probelm continues as originally reported, and believed to be related to vacuum in tank as pump extracts fuel, and external air pressure plus internal tank vacuum crushed 25 g tank to 16 g volume.
Vehicle supposedly has 25 gallon gas tank. Will not accept more than 15 gallons when dash light indicates low fuel ( 1/16 tank ). Dealer has replaced tank 4 times, done several tsb procedures. Manufacturer notified. Still not resolved.
Gas tank sensor unit failed. Yh
Gas gauge failed.
Air lock on filling gas tank, after repair attempts still continues. Nlm
Vehicle has a bad seal on the fuel cap. Vehicle was being inspected at state. Dealer contacted and cannot duplicate the problem. Provide further information.
The consumer has experienced problems with gas tank. The consumer statevehicle doesn't hold the capacity of gas that is stated on the sticker. The gas tank gauge will read empty when it has 4+gallons gas. The manufacturer has been to be contacted. Two repair attempts and both failed and currently third repair has been postponed due to lack of parts. The transmission has developed a second leak. *ak.et.
While driving the fuel system doesn't let know how much fuel is in the tank. The vehicle has been in the ford repair shop four times. Dealer cannot deterimine what the promblem is.
Fuel gauge reads inaccuratly. The fuel gauge reads empty even when there is still 1/4 tank or more fuel.
While driving 30 MPH down hill the fuel pump will shutdown, which was caused by a short in the sensor of the fuel tank. Dealer replaced the fuel pump and the tank. *ak consumer states that the tank was a 25 gallon tank, however the sensor was causing the low fuel light to come on when only 16-17 gallons had been consumed.
After dealer did the recall for the fuel tank sensor, there was a gas smell which was caused by a pin hole in the gas tank. Dealer replaced gas tank with a new plastic gas tank. 45 days later, the vehicle had a gas leak caused by a pin hole in the gas tank, in which if there was a source of ignition a fire could have occurred.
The fuel tank was punctured after running over a dead turtle in the roadway and fuel leaked profusely from damaged area. The tank was found to be plastic and had not type of protective shields.
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