Every 3,000 mile front tie rod end breaks which may cause loss of vehicle control. Been replaced 3times. Dealer cannot determine caus eof the problem. Please provide further information.
1998 Ford Windstar steering complaints
Page 6 of 6: complaints 131 to 143 of 143, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When brakes are applied vehicle experiences extended stopping distance. Also, dealer has replaced tie rods and the brake system. Manufacturer has been notified.
Whenever steering wheel is being turned, left or right it would make a great deal of noise. Had taken vehicle to dealer for diagnostics & was informed it was the tie rod. Had taken vehicle to private mechanic who stated that it was the rack & pinion that needed to be replaced.
Tie rods failed on two occasions. Mjs
The amp to the radio and cd keeps burning out and the last time it caught on fire. It's been fixed (again) but I'm still scared to drive it. My van stinks like electrical burnt transformer. They said they found a short, but I wonder??? Also, why is my exhaust putting out so much black soot on my van? I clean it off and every time I drive it, it becomes all sooted up again. My left tie rod went out too. Is that normal for such low mileage? I'm very unhappy with this vehicle.
Rack and pinion steering failed causing the vehicle to wander.
The steering column moves up and down. Also there is a funky noise coming from the front left end suspension when turning the steering wheel to the left. The dealer was not able to find out what was causing the problem with the steering, loss of steering control resulted in vehicle hitting curb causing damage to vehicle.
Power steering pump pully assembly failed.
Power steering failed. Nlm
The power steering line of my minivan brushed slightly against the mountable curb as we backed from the driveway to the street in front of our house. This mountable curb and gutter is typically used in residential neighborhoods. Eden pairie's standard plate shows a curb height of 4 inches. Ourdriveway is not on any type of an incline. The bump was so slight that it did not concern me at the time. I proceeded to drive forward and to enter the highway. Luckily it was the part of the highway that still has stoplights, so my speed was very slow. The car made a groaning noise, I had a complete failure of the power steering sysem of my motor vehicle, and black smoke began pouring out of my vehicle. The ford dealership said the slight bump had crimped the powersteering line causing a great pressure in the power steering lines which in turn exploded pouring power steering fluid all over the engine. The engine had to be degreased and the powersteering pump was damaged due to the sudden lack of powersteering fluid. Ford would not cover this under warranty saying that the slight bump was an accident that caused the powersteering lines to be damaged. This experience felt so lide threatening that I began to investigate the problem further. I found the placement of these lines to be so low in the front of the vehicle that they were at the level of the spoiler or even slightly lower. The minivan's with the tow package are lower than the other vans. I have had mechanics, engineers, and product liability expers examine the vehicle. They agree that this is a design defect that could likely result in death. The experts say this ;fluid could hit the catalytic converter which would bring the temperature high enough to cause a fire which burns much hotter than gasoline. Additionally, the slightest bump causes a complete failure of the powersteering system. This design defect is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury.
While making a right turn the vehicle cut off and the steering wheel locked up, causing loss of vehicle control. Cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Speedometer doesn't return to zero upon stopping vehicle and stays at a particular speed, even if you brake or accelerate. (qcaw)
Vehicle steering begins to vibrate at approximately 50-60 MPH.
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