About 2 weeks ago I noticed creaking noises from the rear of my windstar minivan. I took it to my mechanic who discovered a severe crack in the rear cross beam (frame); there is only about 2 inches of metal remaining holding the rear frame together. The crack has rust around it. There is a second crack at the same location on the opposite side of the cross beam, also with a line of rust that wraps around the cross beam. The component is apparently near the failure point, as the rear wheels started to spread apart (like wings) during the drive to the mechanic. If this part had failed while I was driving on the highway, it could have lead to a fatality. I plan to have the part replaced.
2000 Ford Windstar body complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 216, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Passenger side rear door has failed three times since I purchased the car in 2000. Ford fixed it once while it was under warranty...no cost. They also fixed it after the warranty expired...no charge. This time...april 2006...they refused to cover the repair since I am out of the warranty period....even though this repair goes back to when I had the warranty. They say they only cover their repair for 12 mos. All 3 times the electric passenger rear door locks up and cannot be opened....either manually or via the electric button. Cannot lift door lock...and is not safe to drive. This problem has been happened just about every other year. I feel they should be responsible for the repair since it goes back to when the car was under warranty.
The main recurring problem with my windstar has been a leak in the right rear of the cargo area, resulting in damage to the headliner and a body control module that wiped out the lights, turn lights, brake lights, and dome light in the rear of the vehicle. I purchased it in october of 2002 and had issues with this immediately. The dealer I bought the van from replaced the carpet and attempted to seal the liftgate hinge and electrical connector. There was still a leak and I took it back, their response was that I shouldn't take this van to a car wash. I took it to a mercury dealer and they "fixed" a recall that was supposed to take car of the problem. Despite the effort, it has been leaking for three years and I didn't find out until my wife told me the lights went out. The headliner and carpet were soaked. I also found corrosion on the casing of the body control module, a part that ford was going to charge me almost $400 for. Not including labor. To make a long story short, I ended up taking it to an independant body shop. It's going to cost us $350 to remove the liftgate and repair the damage to the integrity of the body and correct the leak. I was "lucky" enough to find a body control module for $150 that I'll install myself. $500 is a lot ot spend on something that ford should have taken care of on the assembly line, especially since this was the subject of recall. There could have been a fire and my wife is disabled. I've owned three ford products and all have had water leaks. All of these were new or newer vehicles. All of the competing brands I've owned including fiat, gm, datsun and chrysler have never had this problem. The owner of the body shop we took it to pointed out the repairs made by the mercury dealer had also failed. He also commented that the van might have been in an accident, something that was never disclosed to me at sale.
Passenger side power sliding door will not close. Have to close it manually and door resists closing so person has to pull very hard on door to close. Could cause injury to person having to close the door due to force needed to close.
While driving the electric sliding door. Automatically becomes ajar. Sometimes the vehicle can be parked, and the door becomes ajar. Consumer states he has taken the vehicle in about 8 to 12 times over a period of 4 years.*ak the vehicle was taken in to be fixed but after several months the problem comes back. The consumer stated that he has to close the door a couple of times before it latches securely. The door came open while the consumer was driving.
While exiting the vehicle, the passenger side sliding door slid forward without warning. This caused the consumer's son to sustain an injury and he was taken to the hospital. The vehicle was taken to be taken to the dealer for inspection, however ford stated that they needed more information. The cause has not been determined at this time. *nm
Passenger's side sliding door doesn't close fully. The door comes a-jarred if the vehicle drives over the slightest imperfection in the road. A re designed hinge was manufactured to correct the problem at a cost to the consumer.
Information pertaining to the use of poor metal on the ford windstar's. *ph
Sliding door was replaced with only 13,013 miles at the time of service. (nar) *la
Without warning the passenger's side and driver's side sliding doors come ajar intermittently. Consumer contacted dealership on nine separate occasions, but the problem still occurs.
The rear sliding doors are intermittent. When closing, the door pops back open. When opening, the door will shut on its own which has caused passengers to get caught in the door. Vehicle has been to the dealer for repairs at least nine times.
The vehicle did not come equipped with a door sensor and as a result a child was almost pinned by the sliding door.
While driving the passenger side sliding door slid. As a result object have fallen out of the vehicle. The consumers states " objects have fallen out as a result.
The automatic opening door on the passenger side has no sensors to detect a person in the way of the door. The door closed on myself without automatically releasing. If a child was there it could have been a serious injury.
Automatic sliding doors intermittently malfunction. They will sometimes fail to close or open when activated. The passenger side door sometimes fails to close completely and the open door light on the dash remains on. The passenger side door sometimes makes a rattling sound and does not appear to have a tight seal.
We have had problems with the automatic sliding doors on our minivan since the original date of purchase. When using the remote or interior buttons to close doors, they frequently malfunction. When trying to close the doors, sometimes there is just a clicking noise and the door does not close at all. Other times, the door closes and then immediately pops right back open. Often when trying to close the doors manually, the doors fail to latch. Other times, the doors get stuck in an open position and we are unable to close them, either manually or electronically. We have taken the van to the dealership on two different occasions and they have not been able to duplicate the problem, or they simply state that there is not a problem. This past summer the "motor" which operates the door closing system was replaced. The most recent event occured on 2/3/03. This time the sliding door came open while the vehicle was in motion. We immediately took the vehicle to the dealership. They once again claimed that they can't find anything wrong. This is a very serious vehicle defect that could result in injury or death.
Pop/loud hitting sound in front end when turning slow and hitting a bump or dip in hi-way. Took to ford dealership in nevada, mo. And they said that is it made that way a stop if you hit something that it will not tear up something else...I really don't believe that. Also, dust, coming in all over inside the 2000 windstar and you litteraly have to roll down the windows to breathe. The automatic sliding doors for passengers in back opens very slow and sometimes wont open without force. Ts
2000 ford windstar with power sliding doors has been having problems where the drivers side sliding door will reopen after it has closed. Ford has looked into the problem, changed parts, sent an engineer, etc. It still happens. Continuosly called ford customer service after my dealer heard nothing from regional (which was where the problem is now directed) customer service says they can't do anything, because regional is over their heads. My dealer told ford and I have told ford that this is a serious safety issue, as it has happened while the car was in gear and moving in reverse. Cannot get any help. Where can I go? Also, the first time I reported this problem and had it taken to the dealer was over a year ago.
Consumer states that vehicle's sliding door won't open with the power door lock, but while driving door slides open. Dealer notified. Please provide additional information.
Sliding doors open for no reason while driving. Currently it is the left door, has had problems with both doors. Ts.
The sliding door did not lock properly. While driving, the door would open and remain open. *nlm the consumer has demanded ford to buy back the vehicle.
Transmission will downshift very roughly, driver gets thrown forward. Dealer cannot find cause.*ak the transmission was down shifting with a terrible jolt at low speed. The vehicle was difficult to start when cold and damp, also when the ignition was switched off and then back to start the engine fires and runs. The vehicle stalling was determined to be fuel pump failure. The gas mileage dropped from 23 mpg to 16 mpg and the vehicle burns more oil. The lights flicker when driving at night and A/C is on, also the vehicle shakes while idling with the A/C on. The driver?s seat cut and slashed the consumer?s clothing. There was a weak green light from the battery. Vehicle vibrates at high speed. The driver?s door was difficult to shut.
When opening door it hits roof of van, causing causing damages.
The passenger side rear door fails to open or close.
Bumper was loose. Ford states this is common in these cars and a result of normal use, but charged to fix it. If we hadn't detected this problem it could have caused a major injury accident if the bumper came off during operation of the car. How can a loose bumper be considered normal? Ford doesn't think this is odd at all, but has no information for owners to refer to in terms of maintenance and repair of this "normal" problem. It should at least be listed in the owners manual if it's "normal"
Consumer stated the rear passenger door will not close/open properly or remain in the lock position, the dealer has tried numerous times to fix the defect but has been unsuccessful.(lawyer, daniel uhlfelder on behalf of client)
Automatic sliding door on passenger's side of vehicle malfunctioned, pinning occupant between door and frame of vehicle. Door should retract if resistance is present. Consumer also pressed release button,and door did not return to normal operation. Please give further details.
Two rear sliding door locks may remain locked intermittently. Consumer cannot even do it manually preventing rear passengers from exiting vehicle. Contacted dealer. *ak
Automatic lock on passenger's side door, after being locked, come unlocked without using the unlock switch. Contacted dealer, dealer had problem fixed 7 times, still same problem occurs. *ak
Right rear door will open by itself after it's closed and latched. This happens intermittently. Dealer contacted.
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