All electrical went whacky.
2001 Ford Windstar electrical complaints
Page 3 of 9: complaints 41 to 70 of 223, newest first, as owners wrote them.
7/21/2011 bought van from private party. Recall completed in march of 2011 regarding back axle. On 7/13/2012 8pm, my 18yr old son, while driving home from lacrosse practice, nearly killed. Upon pulling out onto the main road, he lost all controls, no steering, no brakes and no power. He coasted and prayed it would stop. I arrived, we called aaa. Flatbed to my home driver could not believe his eyes. The engine had fallen out. 7/16/12 called ford in mich and spoke to rep. To be towed 13 miles away to route 23 auto at our expense. Really? Route23 wanted nothing to do with me (they did recall). Went back and forth then per rt23 "it will be a month until we can look at it" getting know where. 7/18-22 borrowed friend car for tournament. 8/1/12 called magarino ford and with great concern had a flatbed that night. This tow truck driver could not believe it. Fluids raced out and double stabilized for engine sliding during transport. 8/2/12 magarino called 9am, pictures sent to ford and awaiting reply. 8/5/12 t/c from m stating ford refuses to buy back and sending a subframe. You mean a recalled one? Magarino caught in middle I questioned whether he would put his children in this van. He softly replied, "no" what am I to do, out of work 2 years, single parent with no car to find work. 8/8/12 I questioned ford why this van ever left rt 23 auto, according to researched paper a part was waiting on. You mean to tell me that upon this fixed axle nobody noticed the subframe was rotted from inside out causing the engine to fall out the next summer nearly killing my son! But they signed it was fine! Really? Now we have case # 1373091992 8/10/12 picked up van. Broke= A/C, r-window, heater engine, airbag, brake light on, runs hot steering= thumps makes noise (full fluid) skip gears, sways, barely can get up a hill. 11yr old scared to drive in it
The issue is caused by heat in the ABS (anti-lock brake system) ECM (electronic control module) (2c219) module causing expansion of a large aluminum plate (heat sink) in the ECM which is attached to the ECM main circuit board at all points. The expansion occurs when the unit gets warm especially in the summer months and causes intermittent electrical connection in the unit because the fragile board is being stretched and malformed. The code most commonly scanned by professional mechanics is code c1185. Seen by us owners as a yellow ABS brake light.
Abs brake light on brake light on the (mostly unserviceable) ecu master relay has a bad soldier joint which fails prematurely and causes the ABS light and dtc c1185. It also causes the enhanced ABS braking system to become inoperable.
My ABS light comes on and my ABS doesn't work! Also my vehicle has an issue with starting. It could happen once a week or once a month. It is so weird, I have replaced the starter, the sensors. Tested everything else and nothing is bad. Don't know what else to replace.
One year ago, both the ABS light and the brake light were turned on. Sometimes they are on and off frequently.
My brakes and ABS light stays on even after repairing brakes my ABS system is not working, one day while raining I try to stop my vehicle and it kept on going.
Abs, brake light and check engine light all on at the same time. Vehicle shakes like it is going to cut off. Despite numerous attempts at repairs, still does it as of today (2012).
My ABS and brake lights come on and go off randomly. I've had my brakes and fluids checked and everything is fine.
These lights stay on even after repairs are done. They go off for a couple days and then come back on. This has been going on for at least 2 years. I also have electrical problem with my speedometer and gauges. I also have been having a problem with my fuel vacuum causing the gas to spill out when pumping and tank is not full.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were no lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was safely maneuvered to the shoulder and towed home. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was also informed that the actuators for the door locks were bad and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Just recently, in the past couple months, the ABS lights go on intermittently on the dashboard, warning that there is a problem. We took it to the ford dealership, and they said it may need a new ecu or computer module, but they said it was safe to use. However, the manual says when the lights are on, the ABS system and traction control are disabled... There seems to be a recall, but no one at the dealership mentioned any issue. It seems strange for a car with 68,000 miles to have this go out - we want to make sure it is not a covered item before paying $ 1,400 for a new part. Thank you.
Abs light, air bag light and brake light keeps coming back on while car is on.
The minivan is equipped with a button on the gear shift. This button enables you to shift out of overdrive when you do not want the vehicle to be in overdrive mode. About this time the fuse in the fuse box would blow. Replaced the fuse a number of times but the problem is still there. The fuse may last for 5 to 10 miles and then it would blow. Tried a larger amp fuse but it would also blow. Transmission will leave the overdrive only if you accelerate going up a hill.
The ABS and the red brake light came on the instrument panel. Had the computer or something reset a couple of times but the lights keep coming on. Been doing this for a number of years.
At approximately 16:45 after driving 6 miles that day, the windstar van was stopped and the ignition key turned off. The delivery driver went inside his destination for about 5 minutes. While loading his cargo, he smelled smoke. Looking up, he noticed flames coming out of the engine compartment between the hood and the windshield wiper plastic shielding. Using an onboard 5 lb fire extinguisher, he attempted to extinguish the flames but to no avail. He dialled 9-1-1 on his phone. Employees at his destination also noticed the fire, and contacted the local fire department as well. The fire department extinguished the flames with severe damage to the rear portion of the engine, the fire wall, brake cylinder and glass windshield. The ambient temperature that day was in the 70 degrees range, windows were down in the van, and the A/C system was not in use.
Brake and ABS light go off and on could smell hot copper wire ....code like 11 brake codes all due to ABS module.
Abs warning light and brake warning light come on intermittently, after send in for the recall on speed control system modification... Until to ABS bulb blew up... But parking brake light remained on... Send it back to dealer... Ask the service advisor "why my both warning light on when I drive... And now my ABS light off and parking brake light remain on" and the service advisor told me your ABS light never light out when turn on the ignition switch mean that "this vehicle without ABS" thank you for the reply given by ford dealer service advisor of he best knowledge....I will not sending my vehicle for any recall in the future..... *js
A few months after I bought the car (may 2008) the ABS and brake light started to come on, intermittently, every couple of days. It would come on when I went around a sharp curve or hit a pothole. I took the car to 3 different mechanics, when the lights were not on (no error codes) and when the lights were on (every ABS error code came up). I was told by all 3 mechanics that the ABS sensor board needed to be replaced. The part was going to cost over $300 plus labor to repair. They also told me that the car was ok to drive but that when the lights came on my ABS was not working and that I should be careful when driving in rain or when road conditions were slick because I would need extra time to prepare for a full stop. I have researched on the internet for the same problem and found that there were many others who were experiencing the same problem and have tried many different fixes with no resolution, including the replacement of the ABS sensor board. What do I need to do to ensure that my ABS brakes will work correctly?
I currently keep getting grunting/popping/moaning noise from the front suspension when turning -braking-starting to move car forward . Already replaced the sway bar links and bushings but the noise still comes and goes. Also my brake-&-ABS lights comes on and off for no reason. And the locks on the doors work when they want too. Just had inspection done again 3 weeks ago but they can not find the problems. Talk with ford about the noise to try to find out if there is any danger of a crash because of this and I keep getting the run around.
Vehicle was purchased in november 2009. I first began having problems with the ABS/brake light coming on, in february 2010. The next incident was the power windows on drivers side and back window would not role down. The next incident was the heater wont work. A recall and repair was done on the rear subframe 11s16 in april of 2010.vehicle repair was not complete now taking in for front under carriage repair on wed 21,2012.
Driving on highway, the brakes slammed on, almost rear ended. When I got home by driving slowly, I noticed moisture and brake fluid was in the ABS pump module, thank god my children were not in our so called"family van".
My ABS and brake lights came on, then all my gauges started going crazy, maxing out back and forth, then my lights would go out and blinkers stopped working. I looked around and went to the ABS control module and saw that it was saturated with brake fluid or water. I remove the connector and found 2 pins were rotted off.
I received a letter from ford about a problem with the wiring on my cruise control and had it repaired ,now on a regular basis my ABS and brake warning lights come on at the dash board with amazing frequency. Took it back to the dealer and they said they did nothing wrong and I would have to pay to have it repaired and they could not give me an estimated price.
Abs, traction control, and brake lights come on shortly after starting the car. Abs, traction control are 'off''. Safety issue when driving in snow. This problem has occurred 3 times now,over last 2 years, each time I am told its a brake sensor, or the ABS sensor. I pay several hundred each time to get it replaced, but problem returns within 6 months. Concern is safety- ABS and traction control critical in northern ohio area in heavy snow area- please look into this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that after having repairs under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control), the vehicle experienced major electrical problems and brake fluid leaking. The fluid leaked on the ABS modules, causing the electronic components to have a short, including the brakes. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 106,000. The VIN was not available.
While driving, the speedometer ,the odometer,the tachometer all stopped working.the ABS light came on,the red brake light came on,and the o/d off light continues to flash. It is extremely difficult to operate this vehicle without at least a speedometer and I hope the brakes do not fail. This all occurred shortly after the brake master cylinder switch was replaced.
I turned in my ford windstar on to the john west ford diler , the ABS, and brake lights came on 3 days before to brought it for been diagnosed. 2 days after they gave me an estimate for $ 2400.00 dollars. That really surprise me and I answer no thanks do not fix my car. They put my van together and since that moment my van I didn't start again is like a death . They said the PCM and ABS module got burned. I think they made a mistake and kill my van PCM but I cant proved. I was reading the ABS recall about and sounds like there is nothing releated wiht the PCM module. Any way they sent my van back home onto a town truck and at this moment a can't find the problem yet. Oh I almost forgot some for sure they charge me $ 200.00 for diagnosis. If you want to confirm my history you can call[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The ABS and brake light began coming on intermittantly a couple of months ago. It seems that the ABS ecu module is the problem as multiple ABS codes were read. Now, two months later my cruise control no longer works. If you do the research online as well as in your complaint section for 2001 winstar it is an all too common problem. It seems to be a problem that was not addressed properly on an earlier recall by ford (09s09) which included a scds wiring harness replacement only caused by brake fluid leaking onto wiring and causing a potential fire hazard. Many owners believe the fluid not only ran down the wiring continuing to run onto the ABS connector causing parts to short out and fail and also onto the cruise control connector causing it to fail. I truly believe this is the reason all these ABS modules are failing...it's amazing how many complaints with my same problem are on your website these are very expensive parts to replace (over $1000) plus labor. The absence of the ABS system does cause braking problems and can cause the brakes to lock up and skid...this happened to me...just missed having a wreck! The connector to the cruise is also being effected causing it to fail as well. I think ford should be required to at least check these vehicle and replace these parts if they are found to be faulty before someone gets in an accident. They may have already.
Brake lights stays on constantly, speedometer hand constantly jumps. Sometimes feels like they are air in the brakes, sometimes no power at all to the van. When going up hill van loose all pressure when air is on. Check and made sure all hoses was connect properly and still doing it. I just can't afford to put anymore money in this vehicle.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 Ford Windstar?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history