2000 Ford Windstar: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Dec 30, 2017 · Suspension · 113,000 miles · MI

Rear axle of vehicle broke while driving. Rear axle had been 'patched' with reinforcement brackets under ford safety recall 10s13 and inspected under ford safety recall 15s27, but axle still broke. First symptoms were poor steering response (like tire pressure is low) at highway and city speeds, and then tire burning smell as the tire canted/tilted and rubbed against body. Reinforcement brackets prevented sudden separation of the axle, but still resulted in un-drivable vehicle. Ford indicates failure is not covered by recall warranty. Pictures attached.

Filed Jun 23, 2014 · Transmission, Wheels · 125,000 miles · NJ

I was driving home from work at about 915 pm june 22 2014, when I hear my back tires sound like they were catching a flat. I slowed down and pulled over into a restaurant parking lot. When I pulled in I hear a loud scratch sound and I smelled burning rubber really bad. My cousin came on the scene to pick me up and he looked under the van and took a picture. The axle cracked in half and the back tires looked pushed in at the top and protruding out at the bottom..if I had been going the speed limit of 50 MPH I would have had an accident. I have 5 children waiting at home for me when I get off work. Im just thankful I didn't have an accident. But now I don't know how I can continue working without my van.

Filed Jun 9, 2014 · Acceleration, Brakes · 115,146 miles · AL

The brake pressure differential deactivation switch (scds) (2b264) located under the master cylinder (behind the air filter) over time develops a leak. This causes a short and a fuse trip, fuse #10 if the engine is on. This leak also causes brake fluid to wick down two wires to the ABS brake module (2c219). The fluid accumulates on the (always on) power connectors for the ABS brake system which are powered by fuses 101 and 102 and are both 40 amp. The fluid attracts moisture, road salt and leads to a fire when the fluid and moisture act as conductor between the hot leads and ground. This switch has been the subject of other ford recalls, just not my windstar van yet. My wiring harness when inspected was wet with brake fluid, including the connections and the inline fuses, which basically permits electricity to jump past the inline fuses and continue to heat up the wiring harness. The fuses bodies crumbled when inspected. Since most double side door vans are predominantly driven by large families, the possibility of multiple fatalities per vehicle due to a horrific death from being burnt alive is a valid point to consider. Most vehicle fires spread so fast that unstrapping multiple small children from restraint seats would take an inordinate amount of time, especially with smoke inhalation and the heat of flames to prohibit rescue. Thank you for investigating this.

Filed May 9, 2014 · Acceleration · 200,000 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle had been parked for an hour when he discovered that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire and there were no injuries. The contact called the dealer and was advised that the cruise control deactivation switch was replaced due to a recall in 2011, which could have been associated with the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Filed Apr 12, 2013 · Brakes · 121,000 miles · MI

I purchased a 2000 ford windstar. N 4/6/13, I was going 20 MPH and the brakes were failing, I pulled into lentz. They repaired everything I could think of. After having my brakes completely repaired the brakes failed again. Bring it back to lentz, with thousands of apologies and promises to fix it right. They repaired even more of the brake system.. The brakes ABS system light still comes on, brakes seem to not work ok. So I bring to ford to have the recalls checked. They said that my master cylinder was leaking again and explained to me that this was a recall from before, and that they already installed a jumper and fuse for it so it wont fail or leak. But apparently it's still leaking and faulting out. So I asked them to fix it, they would not. I called corporate, and they will not budge. Ford will not fix it because they claim it has already been worked on that particular recall and they said they don't "redo" recall work. So that being said they told me, I would be safe driving it like this. That it's no biggie and it wont hurt anything if brake fluid is leaking a little tiny bit by the switch. I am a single mom with kids. I bought it then I put over 2650 dollars so far into this stupid van. Everything has gone wrong. From front axle to brakes, to no heat, electrical crazy stuff going on. Of course they never find it or it apparently don't act up when they test it all. I'm terrified to drive this van. Absolutely terrified of it. They even told me to "be careful, as it may catch on fire by the master cylinder" after telling me they don't redo old recalls!! I guess they put a bracket kit on the front subframe as part of recall but now it has more play in the wheel, I feel like I have to really steer to keep it in between the lines. They should fix my cylinder ABS problem no matter what its their manufacturing defect.! Tons of other safety problems with this van too.

Filed Jun 16, 2012 · Visibility · 60,000 miles · MA · fire

I have had to replace the wiper motor in this vehicle twice so far and now it has malfunctioned again and I will now need to replaced it again. That makes four wiper motors in one car. Ford disavows any responsibility for this in my windstar, even though it has recalled this motor in other 2000 windstar's. I don't understand why they won't be responsible for mine. It does all the things listed in the recall of 2001, loses intermittent, fails to work at all, turns on when I have it is on "off," and once, it even caught on fire when it was turned off and not in use. Needing 4 new wiper motors in one vehicle is clearly a design or manufacturing problem. This vehicle clearly should have been included in the 2001 recall for this very problem. How can I make ford take responsibility and fix this repeated problem once and for all? Thank you.

Filed Jan 4, 2012 · Visibility · 142,000 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and smoke began to emit from under the hood. The contact did not see flames, but poured water under the hood to put out the smoke. The windshield wiper motor stopped functioning after the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a diagnostic test and the technician stated that water entered the wiper motor and started a fire. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number 01v261000 (visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor), that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000. Updated 02/22/12

Filed Aug 18, 2011 · Electrical · 150,000 miles · TX · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle emitted a boom sound and caught on fire. As a result, the vehicle was destroyed. The fire marshall appeared on the scene and stated that the fire was caused by the alternator. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileages were 150.000. The VIN was unknown.

Filed Nov 22, 2010 · Seats · 139,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl- the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the vehicle had caught on fire from the coal heater under the driver side seat. The contact continued to see smoke, which caused her to disconnect the battery. The dealer had been contacted, but offered no assistance. The manufacturer had been contacted, who stated that they would repair the damages if they were related to a recall. The contact was not sure what the diagnosis was. No repairs had been made at this time. The current and failure mileage was 139,000.

Filed Oct 4, 2010 · Electrical · 185,000 miles · AR · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact started the vehicle and went back into her house while the vehicle engine continued running. The contact stated that she heard a loud, revving noise and proceeded to turn the vehicle off. She then noticed smoke emitting from under the hood. The fire department was called and in a matter of seconds, the front end of the vehicle was destroyed from the flames. The entire vehicle was in flames and by the time the fire department arrived, the vehicle was destroyed. A fire report was available. The contact stated that there was slight damage to her residential garage and the vent and rubber seals were melted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 185,000.

Filed Aug 3, 2010 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · IN · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving at approximately 45 MPH, the rear of the vehicle began to sway abnormally. The contact momentarily lost control of the vehicle. He noticed there was smoke coming from the rear. The contact was able to stop the vehicle and discovered that the rear axle had fractured. The vehicle was towed to a residence and was not further examined for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 70,000. Updated 11/03/10.

Filed Jul 15, 2010 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving at 35 MPH, the contract drove over a manhole causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to control. The contact smelled burning rubber and moved the vehicle off the roadway. He found that the rear wheels were tilted abnormally. The vehicle was towed to an automotive facility for diagnosis. The mechanic advised that the high beam axle was fractured. The dealer was contacted who advised there was not a recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 80,000.