Ford windstar 2000 - transmission failed at 110,000 and rumor is that ford knew these were weak but installed them anyway. Power steering pump failed three times between 60,000 and 100,000. Power steering pistons each failed around 80,000. Heater/air conditioning air flapper failed - replacement was $1500 installed. Sliding door release stuck at 80,000. The car is a junkstar. I'll never buy another ford - they build with plastic and lightweight junk and they just fail - fail - fail.
2000 Ford Windstar transmission complaints
Page 3 of 10: complaints 41 to 70 of 271, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2000 ford windstar, the control arm front passenger side detached from the frame while my wife was driving to work on 11/19/10. Luckily there were no other cars coming or she would have hit them head on. All vehicle controls were lost; no steering , no transmission drive train. The vehicle swerved out of control until luckily, the vehicle stopped partly on the side of the road. The vehicle had to be towed. I also noticed a hole in the rear axle which there is a recall for. The vehicle obviously cannot be driven and I am unsure if the transmission is damaged due to the drive axle being pulled out of it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped moving forward. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that a gear in the transmission needed to be replaced; the part had been re-engineered as it was defective. The vehicle was repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 72,000. The cruise control module and wheel bearings had to be replaced. Updated 05/23/11
I was traveling on the chicago interstate I-290 at around 3:30 am when my rear axel snapped on my 2000 ford windstar minivan. The incident occurred on the morning of september 27th, 2010 on a clear day with ideal road conditions but in a long term construction zone. I was traveling about 45 miles per hour and in light traffic when the axel snapped on the passengers side causing me to jerk violently to the right and through construction barriers into an open lane and onto the shoulder a short distance later. Any other time, this could have been tragic but given the early hour of my travel to work and the reduced speeds due to ongoing construction I was able to control the violent movement to the right without injury or mishap. The car was towed a short time later to a local repair shop and I searched for information on broken axles and windstars I found the information on the ford recall. A local dealer paid for towing to their lot, and arranged for a long-term loaner vehicle and for vehicle rental insurance. The car was maintained in a regular fashion but was 10 years old and had 184 thousand real miles on the odometer. It remains at the ford dealer in elmhurst, illinois awaiting word from ford motor company on any repair or replacement discussions. No offers of correction, repair, or replacement have been made to this time, october 20th, 2010 best regards,
While driving a 2000 ford windstar that had been regularly maintained and brought to the dealership for every checkup, the transmission decided to go out. I had parked the car and when I went to go forward, nothing happened. The car had been running great up until this point and there were no warning signs of the transmission being ready to give. I had to get the car towed to get a rebuilt transmission. I do not have the old part, but have heard it is a rather common problem among '99-'03 windstars.
My 2000 ford windstar just died as I was pulling into the driveway today 9/26/2010. The car wont move forward in drive, but goes backwards in reverse. For the last few years its been jerking and racing and I called ford and told them about it. They said the jerking when you shift is normal. I took the vehicle to the dale jarret ford in charlotte nc to service another recall and I mentioned about the jerking when you shift and the needles flipping out. He said that his wife's car had similar issues and it was the alternator. The salesman shifted the gear up and down and said it was definetely the alternator and it would cost $350 to fix. I took it to another place that said the alternator was fine, it was the cluster that made the needles flip out. Nice goin' ford guy!! The overdrive light had been flickering since saturday morning and by sunday afternoon, the transmission looks like it is fried. Please let me know if there is a recall or any other options. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would shift in and out gear and then began to shift much extreme force. The radio also came on and by itself. The dealer had not been contacted and the failure was not diagnosed. Prior to the failure the vehicle was in the transmission shop to replace the gear shift box and a seal was added to assist with the transmission leak. The failure mileage was 120000 and the current mileage was 140000.
I was @ a stop sign with my 2 kids in the back. When I started to cross the busy intersection I heard a loud pop & the van lurched forward & stopped part way in the intersection. I could not drive forward. My kids were just screaming. Luckily I was able to only drive in reverse (no one was behind me) & get the van out of traffic. My father is a mechanic & said he sees this all the time with windstars, especially the 2000. It took a couple of weeks to actually find a salvaged transmission (I was not going to pay for it to be rebuilt). Apparently that transmission was only made for that one year because ford knew it was bad. But that made it that much harder to replace.
Intermittent failure of the ABS and traction control system. When the engine heats up a little the ABS and traction control lights come on indicating that they are no longer working. In the morning when the car is first started the light are off for awhile until the engine has had time to heat up.
2000 ford windstar returning from trip to virginia from baltimore; o/d light starts flashing and then fluid and smoke pour from under car at 55 MPH, found mechanic right off freeway exit, mechanic finds that transmission self-destructed. Replacement with good warranty is $3500. Looked online and there are many, many same situations but no recall from ford. This could have been very dangerous on the washington beltway.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle is very hard to shift. He hears a loud banging noise when shifting and the vehicle also looses power. The failure is more pronounced on an incline. Ford motor company has not been contacted nor has the dealer. The vehicle has not been repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were approximately 130,000.
Rear axle snapped at about 30 MPH. Destroyed both rear shocks and driver's side rear wheel.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, she heard a clanking noise and the vehicle would no longer move forward. After inspecting it, she noticed that the passenger front tire was pointing outward. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop where the contact was informed that a bracket that held the front axle had corroded. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that a piece of the frame needed to be replaced at the contacts expense. The current mileage was approximately 150,000. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
My 2000 ford windstar had transmission problems that started in late 2008. Automatic transmission lever was hard too shift into any gear. A few months later the transmission started leaking. As the months went by the leaking got worse. In may of 2009 there was now quite a bit of transmission fluid leaking from the transmission, causing the need for fluid to be added in order for the transmission to work. Problem fixed in july of 2009. Transmission oil seal was defective on the van, even though it only had 75,000 miles on it. Head gasket needed replaced as well. Total price: $1700.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact was accelerating from a traffic stop at 5 MPH when the rear axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the dealer confirmed that the axle would need replacing. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving in reverse 2 MPH, the contact suddenly noticed a loud bang coming from outside of the vehicle. The contact discovered that the rear axle was fractured in two. A mechanic was sent from the dealer to diagnose the vehicle and informed the contact that the rear axle would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and there were no prior warnings of the failure. The current and failure mileage was 86,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar sel. The contact was driving approximately 25 MPH when both rear tires suddenly slanted. The contact discovered that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The current and failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving 30 MPH, the contact heard an unusual noise from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear axle had fractured. The dealer advised replacing the axle yet the part needed was not readily available. The dealer ordered the part and the contact was awaiting repairs. The failure mileage was 146,950 and the current mileage was 146.972.
At 82,000 miles car was running bumpy and o/d off light was flashing. I took it to ford and they told me that the transmission is nearly broken and should be replaced for $3300. I got it rebuilt at aamco for $2300.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle began jerking extremely hard. The contact was able to drive to her residence where she discovered a leak in the automatic transmission. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility where she was advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 119,000. Updated 11/16/10.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact was traveling 30 MPH when the vehicle began to drive as if there was flat tire. The contact later discovered that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired or inspected. The failure and current mileage was 95,000.
I own a 2000 ford windstar lx, my problem is that my wife, daughter and her two children, and one older adult was minutes away form getting into a serious highway accident due to the fact they were less than 1,000ft ft of getting onto the expressway when the rear axle of the van snapped almost into two pieces for no reason at all. After getting the van towed to my residence which was a 1/4 mile. After further inspection the rear axle seamed to have rotted from the inside out, there is no rust on the outer surface of this hollow axle that would of shown signs of breaking. I contacted a couple of used auto parts dealers and they had stated that they have my same model van but all of the axles on them are gone due to being sold to other people that had needed them. I am asking has there been other reports of this happening to this or later model years. My family could of been seriously injured or killed, and I have just recently done a trip to waukegan illinois and back to toledo ohio which was 950 miles of toll roads with speeds of 65-75 MPH if this had let go at these speeds I will probably not be sending in this report. Is there a recall for these style axles on this vehicle. Thank you. *tr the consumer stated the axle broke for the second time. Updated 02/04/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving 20 MPH, there was a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the rear axle was fractured and would need replacing. The vehicle was not under recall and the manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, she noticed a burning odor. The contact located the failure at the rear wheels, which were protruding inward. She took the vehicle into a local repair facility where they advised that the rear axle had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 125,000.
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.
Tl-the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving in reverse at a very low speed, the contact heard an unusual cracking sound from the rear of the vehicle. The failure would recur whenever the contact was reversing. When driving over speed or road bumps, the vehicle would abnormally fishtail and momentarily lose control. The contact discovered that the rear axle was fractured in two separate locations. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs. The failure mileage was 126,000 and the current mileage was 127,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While the contact was driving approximately 30-35 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle began to fishtail when driving over a bump or any rough road surface. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The rear driver side axle exhibited a crack. The technician welded the axle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on a separate occasion with the identical failure pertaining to the rear passenger axle beam. The technician informed the contact that the rear passenger side axle would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000.
I was turning the car around in a parking lot. The car abruptly stopped and made a boom. I got out and looked underneath the car and the rear axle had broken in half. Nothing has been done to fix the axle since so many ford windstars are having the same problem, I am concerned that the same thing will happen as has been documented on the internet. The old part is still on the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, she hard an abnormal crack. The contact was unable to locate the origin of the noise. On a later date, while driving at 25 MPH there was a loud, unusual squeal. She discovered the rear driver side tire was slanted at an angle and the rear axle was fractured in half. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where she was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were approximately 170,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that there was a clanking noise in the rear of the vehicle and started feeling as if it was not stable. The contact looked underneath the rear end of the vehicle and stated that the rear axle was nearly split in half. The contact stated that only an inch and a half of the axle was not damaged. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was not inspected when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 133000. The current mileage was 134231.
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