Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving 40 MPH he heard a clanging noise coming from the vehicle. The next day while driving the rear end of the vehicle started to shimmy. He pulled over to the side of the road after he saw smoke. He towed the vehicle home. Upon vehicle inspection he noticed that brake system was corroded and that the axle had fractured. He was in the process of contacting the service manager. No repairs were made .the failure and current mileages were 117000.
2000 Ford Windstar transmission complaints
Page 5 of 10: complaints 101 to 130 of 271, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The rear axle stabilizer bar has fractured. The dealer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 107,151.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar lx. While driving 60 MPH the axle failed without warning. She had to drive on the shoulder to stop the vehicle from rolling over. The vehicle was towed to her place of residence. The dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted. The failure mileage was 131,985. Updated 01/05/10. *lj the consumer stated when she attempted to switch lanes, a loud pop came from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle began to rock back and forth until the vehicle finally stopped. Updated 01/05/10.
As typical with ford windstars my 2000 ford windstar transmission malfunctioned in the middle of driving on a major roadway almost causing a severe accident that would have injured me and my wife and three kids and the occupants of the other vehicle. There are several complaints about ford windstar transmissions failing and this is not the first transmission to fail in our vehicle. The costly repair for what seems like a problem with numerous windstar vans should be the responsibility of ford this issue could kill someone if a failure was to occur on a major interstate when vehicles are traveling at high rates of speeds and drivers do not have time to react to a sudden transmission blowout. This is a very serious safety issue that occurs without warning and ford should be held responsible especially after they received stimulus money from all of us taxpayers. They should be held responsible for their junk. This will be the second transmission replaced the first one was replaced by a ford rebuild which is the one that failed. With a pricetag of over $2000.00 that's hard on people who live paycheck to paycheck.
Rear axel broke in half while driving over a draw bridge on the belt parkway in brooklyn ny. I kept control of the van even though the rear wheels were not vertical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While entering the driveway from a six hour trip, the rear side of the vehicle malfunctioned. A local mechanic advised her that the rear axle fractured in half. The vehicle was being repaired. . The current and failure mileages were 112,000. Updated 11/12/09 *cn updated 11/16/09
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The cruise control and the ABS light were flashing. The dealer stated that the fuse that controls the ABS light and the cruise control were faulty as well as a leak in the master cylinder. A year after the fuse was replaced, the ABS light began flashing again and the gas gauge was not working properly. The transmission also began to fail. The vehicle is currently at the dealer. The contact is aware of the safety risk since the failure could potentially cause a crash. The current mileage was 124,545 and the failure mileage was unknown.
Transmission failed in the loading zone at the airport. Towed to local transmission repair shop; advised that cost to replace with a used transmission would be $2800. Current blue book for this vehicle is $2125 in fair condition.
Ford windstar 2000, transmission failure in the middle of a busy highway. I am 55 years old and have a bad back and had to risk my life to push this vehicle off the road so I would not get hit by traffic on a rainy evening! Luckily, my aged mother was not in the car at the time. If you look up www.carcomplaints.com and research ford transmission, you will see that this is not an isolated incident. No wonder they can't sell their cars! This transmission was just rebuilt two years ago for the same problem.
Transmission failure, pulling on to roadway from gas station , windstar made it 10 feet, snap, bang then stuck in middle of street, cars around ended up on grass but no accident. Re tried to move nothing car only has reverse, now after searching the web finding out very common problem with ford windstar, someone will get hurt / killed from this problem,and ford knows all about it, now I have to spend 3000.00 on a new transmission, for a 50.00 part deep inside the trans just breaks when it breaks..... That obviously has a factory defect that is being ignored, just like the ( tfi module recall of the late 90's).
Tl*- the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle stabilizer bar fractured without any prior warnings. As a consequence her risk for serious injury and crash were increased. She had the vehicle towed to a local repair shop in which a technician stated that the rear axle needed to be replaced at an expense exceeding $1500.00. As of current date the vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 89,000.
Loud thunk suddenly then car wouldn't go forward,transmission no good had it rebuilt 92000 miles,cigarette lighter /power point fuse constantly blowing,odometer/speedometer fuse blowing twice so far,ABS light intermittently going on.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving various speeds, the rear of the vehicle would make a rumbling sound when driving over potholes. The vehicle was taken in for an oil change and the mechanic noticed that the rear axle was cracked 3/4 of an inch into the wheels on the driver's side. Through online research, the contact discovered that this was a common issue with the windstar. He feels that this is a major safety issue. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 79,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving approximately 25 MPH in the driveway, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and there was no response. The failure occurred without warning when the gear shifter was placed into drive or reverse. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the failure was related to the automatic transmission. A rebuilt transmission was installed in the vehicle. The failure mileage was 42,000 and current mileage was 50,000.
Automatic transmission failure when stopped at intersection went to accelerate and main drive gear failed. Lost all forward drive gears only reverse gear worked. This latest automatic transmission failure occurred at 87,736 miles on 12-11-2008. Automatic transmission failed earlier on same vehicle at 42,130 miles on 12-3-2004. Both times main drive gear separated from drive cup according to my transmission shop. Transmission required a complete re-build both times. Transmission shop indicated this is common design issue with ford windstars and looking at the federal safety agency web site there are a lot more folks suffering from this ford design issue. Have the 3.8 l 6 cylinder engine in this van. Us consumers should file a class lawsuit against ford for their failure to re-call this known design issue. Have drive gear part that failed if the federal safety agency would like to analyze part. I will never by another ford product and advise no one else to buy one. Had talked with ford on 1st occurrence and ford refused to stand by their product since it was outside of the 3yr / 36,000 mile warranty. Know wonder why the american auto companies are becoming history... .
Since buying my windstar, 2000; used, 57,000 miles I have had one problem after another. Within two weeks after purchase my transmission would jump then straighten out and go on. I had it checked by five different places and all stated there was nothing wrong. It stopped completely during a family trip and I had to purchase a new transmission. It had a knock in the engine ever since I bought it but it finally got so bad I thought the prudent thing to do was to get it overhauled. There crank shaft was not smooth and had to be machined and rebuilt. I have had several different issues concerning the electrical system; ABS stays on, sliding door lock failure, interior lights come on while driving and will not go off, all instrument dash lights flash on and then seem to recover, now my whole electrical system is acting up. The radio always went off when you cut off the engine and open the door, but now my battery is dead and while charging it the head light came on, (but none of the switches were turned on), oh and about 10 months ago I had to replace the alternator. No warning except right before it died the light started cutting off and on. I cannot afford another purchase at this time. I am sick of this.
Sending unit under front of brake master cylinder leaks. Corroded wiring harness of transmission causing erratic operation and a warning message about the transmission. Could have caused an engine compartment fire or a locked up transmission while driving.
2000 ford windstar transmission leaking. It started intermittently and then became more serious. Leaving a stream and trail of transmission fluid in my garage, my driveway and the street in front of my house. I have brought it to a reputable transmission repair shop and they tell me I need a complete rebuild. I have received a second opinion which is the same as the first. The lowest repair cost is $2200. After researching for similar issues with the ford windstar, I am amazed that there are several (too many) complaints regarding the same problem. This cannot be coincidence. If the transmission design ford provided in these vehicles is not reliable, ford needs to step up and repair these issues under warranty even though it has long expired. Chrysler realized they had an issue and revised their warranties to 10 years and 100,000 miles. Ford needs to follow suit.
71,000 automatic transmission in need of being rebuilt. Frequent problem according to internet search. Ford should recall.
Our van has 86000 miles on it. The o/d light started flashing and I took it to the ford dealer to have it checked out. Three weeks later while my wife was driving the van, there was a loud noise and the van would not go in reverse, will ease forward in neutral and is jerky in drive.
I have a 2000 ford windstar lx and it has 83,000 miles on it. It was kept up well and the transmission went out of it and will cost about $2000 dollars to replace it. I feel that ford should resolve this problem since it seems to be a recurring problem with the windstars.
Minivan caught fire as result of transmission torque converter failure. Driving on a short excursion (about 50 miles at highway speeds) with girl scouts the driver noticed that the rear window was not clean or clear as normal. As they approached a traffic stop the transmission over-drive light started flashing. When the vehicle pulled away from the stop it was not able accelerate above 45 MPH and approximately half mile from the stop the driver was alerted of fire under the vehicle by passing drivers. The minivan driver immediately pulled over to evacuate passengers and call for help. When the van was stopped and its engine turned off the fire subsided with little damage. The fire department arrived and put absorbent to dry oil dripping from under the vehicle in the area behind the front wheels. The van was towed to a dealer where it was inspected and found that the torque converter had failed. As of 8/13/08 it is there waiting for repairs. The dealer recommends replacing the transmission.
The problem I will be having very soon lots of others have already had. It is with the 2000 ford windstar. My o/d off light on dash is flashing. Upon research this is a huge problem. Ford will not recall it. It is a faulty transmission that they are using. I have only had my windstar for about 2 months. It was running fine till the past week or two. My trans will go out. Lots of people keep replacing the trans just to have it go out again w/o warning for most. I drive on the highway almost everyday. I have 4 kids with me. If my trans goes out and I am on the highway...that could be fatal. Ford does not think it is a safety issue. How could that not be a safety issue? Tons of complaints are being made about the trans they are using on their vehicles. Not just the windstar either. Accidents could happen from this. Do people really have to get into accidents and die before it is considered a safety issue? Why not prevent it from happening in the first place?
My wife was at a stop sign on an incline, pressed the gas pedal to turn and experienced what sounded like a crash. The van would not go forward, only reverse. She coasted backwards down the hill, we got a tow truck and went to a repair shop (after business hours). They called the next day and said that the transmission basically exploded on the inside. One site I have visited has 41 complaints of the same nature, yet ford is doing nothing about the "design flaw" in the 2000 windstar van transmissions.
The intake went at 58,000 miles brought to ford dealer and it was covered under warranty . 1 year later had same problem and van was out of warranty and ford refused to cover had to pay $1,800 dollars. Then last year the transmission went van had 78,000 miles. Ford will not fix they would not repo it. They are now trying to sue me for a defective vehicle.
While at a complete stop in my 2000 windstar I accelerated to cross a busy highway and heard a loud clunk. The transmission failed and left me to drift into cross traffic where I was almost hit by a mack truck. I swerved in an almost u-turn like fashion and was able to pull to the side of the highway next to the road I had originated from. This is the third transmission to fail in this vehicle. The first failed at about 37,000 miles. Luckily I had purchased an extended warranty so the dealership fixed it but they made me produce my original contract to prove I had the extended warranty. The second time was about 15 months ago, after ford's refusal to help I took it to aamco and I paid $2800 to repair. After being referred to this website I was astounded at how many people have had the same experience. I was almost killed this morning, when is enough enough?
I own a 2000 ford windstar purchased brand new from kistler ford in toledo. The vehicle has never been in an accident and has been up to date with the maintenance work according to the manufacturer's recommendations. On march 12, 2008 I was traveling on holland-sylvania road near central avenue in toledo, ohio when my rear axle broke. This is a heavy traffic area and could have resulted in a serious accident. I pulled over and had the vehicle towed to midas muffler. Midas replaced the axle within several days at a total cost of $912.69. Attempts to have this issue remedied with ford and kislter ford were denied for want of warranty. Ford mechanics have informed me that this is clearly a defect which the manufacturer should be responsible for.
I noticed that the rear end of the car was "bouncing" as I went around a corner. I immediately brought the car home and noticed that both rear tires were bowing out at the bottom. I put the car up on a jack to investigate and saw where the rear axle had severed half way through in two different spots. Rust was visible at one location. The worse of the two sever points was on what appears to be on a vertical seam in the metal. I was very fortunate that it happened to me as I was running to the store just prior to my wife taking our three daughters to ballet - for which she would have been driving on a major interstate. I have now seen at least 4 other comments of the same issue on the internet. This is definitely a manufacturer defect and needs to be recalled before there is a fatality.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked and the overdrive light blinked. The mechanic stated that the vehicle needed a rebuilt transmission. As of november 6, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage was 67,000 updated 01-14-08. *kb updated 12/12/07.
On aug. 18, 2007, I was getting off the freeway near my home when my transmission slipped out of gear and would no longer drive. I had it towed to our mechanic who told us it was a transmission problem and had to be taken to a transmission specialist. After inspecting it we were told that the transmission had been leaking fluid from the reservoir into the transmission and had the sensor system worked I would have been able to fix it 8 weeks earlier at a low cost, however the sensor, which was good, was not read by the main system and we had no idea there was a problem. We had no visible leakage because it was within the transmission itself and burned the inside of the transmission. The specialist told us we were lucky we were off the freeway because it would have caused a terrible accident had the transmission gone out while driving. I reported it it to ford who have refused to pay for it so we had to pay for the whole transmission to be rebuilt, a cost of more than $1900 not including towing and rental car. The transmission specialist also said this is a common problem in the 1999-2000 ford windstar, which is the model vehicle I have because it was a manufacturer defect and nothing I did, I would like to know how to be reimbursed for all my out of pocket expenses and I think ford should issue a recall on the sensors that would have ultimately saved me a lot of time and money. It took 2 weeks to fix.
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