Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the rear driver side tire was crooked. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear axle cracked and needed to be replaced. In addition, the dealer informed the contact that the axle was replaced from a previous recall, the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v1930000 (power train); however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 194,000. The VIN was not available.
2001 Ford Windstar transmission complaints
Page 2 of 6: complaints 11 to 40 of 145, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving the vehicle at highway speeds, I heard a crunching sound in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle then began to sway on the road. I had to slow my speeds and pull over at a safe spot, which was a parking lot to inspect what the issue was. After inspection, I noted the passenger rear tire was at an angle with the top of the tire inward touching the frame. I took the vehicle to the closest repair shop where I found from their inspection that the axle was broke and the vehicle was not driveable. My vehicle was part of the ford windstar axle recall, which was serviced by the local ford dealer in 2012. This vehicle had the reinforcements added to the axle in 2012. The axle broke between the reinforced plates welded to the axle during the recall check. Now after towing the vehicle back to the local ford dealer for inspection, I find out that ford will not stand behind the issue and not repair or replace the axle due to the length of time from the recall. I feel lucky that I was able to maintain control of the vehicle when the axle broke.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the rear of the vehicle failed to stay in position. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the rear driver side tire tilted inwards. In addition, the contact stated that while attempting to reverse after inspecting the vehicle, the axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was aware of the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v193000 (power train ) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,361.
Rear axle broke in half while driving causing a roll over accident.
The front right axel broke, I didn't have an accident nor did I run it into a ditch. The frame has cracked, its where the axle and the frame meet. It's a 2001 and yes, it's an old vehicle, but its the only transportation I can afford right now. If I can take it to a ford dealership to be repaired I would. Some how, I believe their is a god.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle decelerated and failed to pick up speed. The contact merged to the side of the road and turned it off. The vehicle was restarted, but the speed would not increase past 5 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the transmission had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate mileage was 136,000.
Tl* the contact owns 2001 ford windstar. The contacted stated while driving at an unknown speed making a right turn, the rear wheels seized causing the vehicle to slide side to side erratically. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the traction sensor and rear axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was made aware that the vehicle was included in recall the federal safety agency campaign number: 10v385000 (suspension).the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 162,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that while making a left turn at approximately 10 MPH, the contact heard a thumping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. It was discovered that the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 155,011.
Had the 2011 rear axle recall performed by ford in 2011. They inspected the rear axle and installed the support brackets. Now my rear axle is cracked. I contacted the dealership where I had the recall performed who confirmed they had performed the recall but denied any further responsibility and told me to contact ford. I have contacted ford and spoke with both a customer service rep and her supervisor who both advised ford is only responsible for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles since the recall was performed. I feel the repair was not sufficient to prevent additional cracking of the axle and they should fix/replace the axle.
My daughter was driving the windstar at approximately 20 MPH when she heard a noise and felt something break and she was unable to steer the vehicle and she was able to get the vehicle stopped. She exited the vehicle to see if she could see what the problem was. She noticed both front wheels were pointing in different directions. This vehicle was recalled in 2011 to have brackets placed to support the subframe. The vehicle was towed to a local garage. Upon inspection it was determined that the passengers side lower control arm had pulled out of the subframe.
Cpsc#i1360214a. 2001 ford windstar. Consumer stated she took her car in for a recall on the axle and was told everything was fine. Three weeks later she was driving and the car started sounding odd. Consumer pulled over an her tire was leaning in, because the axle had snapped. *ln the dealer informed the consumer they would not repair the vehicle under the recall, because they placed on brackets on the axle, two years prior. The dealer stated they had complied with the recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v193000 (power train). The contact was advised that there was additional rust on the transmission mount and the front driver's side corner of the under carriage. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The current and failure mileage was 96,000.
Had recall work done10/30/11 preventative repairs failed. Rear axle split while driving.
This 2001 ford windstar minivan was towed to a garage for unrelated malfunction (overheating). Mechanic told us that the rear axle had a hole in it and was unsafe to drive. This minivan had been serviced at a ford dealership for a recall for a possible crack in the rear axle and rechecked shortly before this incident. Obviously the recall did not fix the problem this was the second minivan to which we had this happen. The other was a 1998 ford windstar. We were told in january 2013 that this rear axle was cracked and undriveable. This vehicle too had been recalled and taken in. We had the 2001 minivan checked in january because of the problem with the 1998 and it was still found to be cracked in march.
Stopped at a stop sign, pressed the gas and nothing happened as if the van had been put in neutral. The transmission has failed. None of the gears will engage. Through my own research I've found numerous complaints with the ford windstar transmission and still no recall. The company should be held accountable. They will fix a small inexpensive censor but not the transmission.
Stopped to get my oil changed, they showed me where the entire right front subframe has rusted away making my windstar unsafe to drive. I looked online and found this is an ongoing problem with this model with of these having the same problem with the passenger side right front. This can cause you to loose steering control or in an extreme the engine to fall out going down the highway, ford recalled the same problem on the rear axel,,why not fix the front also. I live in arkansan but bought the windstorm from a person in missouri where I see ford list as a state with a rust problem but doing nothing to fix it.
Me and my family were on our way to new york for vacation. Maybe about an hour into driving me and my husband started to smell something burning so I pulled off the high way and little do we know mg van was up in smoke we checked our oil that was good but I told my husband to check the transmission. Fluid and it was empty but before we left we had the right amount of transmission fluid in the van. We had to add about 5 or 6 quarts of fluid in order for the van to switch from reverse to drive we were able to make to sn auto part store they tested the van on there computer everything passed except the torque converter.
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
On sunday july 8th, 2012 I was driving my 2001 ford windstar I stopped at a light and as the light changed I began driving and then heard a loud noise, my wheels began to squeel and pull all over and my van came to a complete stop in the road and would not move.. The front passenger side wheel was turned outward but my wheel was straight. Thank god I was not on an expressway or highway with all my kids in the vehicle.. I called a tow truck the driver inspected it and said something underneath the front frame had snapped off.. So today I had it towed into a ford dealer to find out it is a new recall how can these windstar vans have so many frame and axle issues and be safe to drive exspecially with all these brackets they are having to put on them for the recalls.. If I was on an expressway me and my son would of been hurt badly if not killed.. Not to mention if I would of hit someone else I could of injured others too..I will never trust another windstar with my family this is crazy.. It is the subframe front lower control arm rear attaching flages completely broke/snapped off while I was driving down a basic 40 MPH road..when it broke it messed up the underneath of my vehicle it ripped the drive shaft right out of the transmission.. And who knows what else is damaged now.. People need to know about this now before someone is seriously hurt..
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.
When driving van in hot weather or going up steep hills or grades the transmission will start leaking out transmission fluid. Enough will be coming out to create a visible cloud of smoke behind the vehicle as it is hitting the exhaust system. Had new trans axle seal installed but the problem still is there. If you park the van for about 45 minutes it quits leaking and you can proceed. For some reason the fluid gets so hot it is basically boiling out of the transmission.
Ford windstar seems to be a good vehicle at first. With age numerous problems continue to happen. Service shops regard problems as common for a ford windstar.I think ford ignores the problems. My husband and I are loyal ford owners, I don't know how much longer we will continue. Currently the ABS& brake lights are on. Transmission leaked out all of the fluid while driving, had to rebuild trans. Speedometer doesn't work properly when brake lights are on. Engine light is on, numerous codes for this problem.
Transmission.
Was riding on the highway when my car just stopped and seen transmission oil everywhere on the floor an now van wont move but turn on.
There was a problem with the transmission which required the vehicle to be pulled to the side of the road and towed to a dealer for service. The van only has 105,000 miles on it and has had regularly scheduled maintenance. After having a couple transmission places look at it, the problem was determined to be internal and the transmission needed to be replaced. At the same time that I had my van into the transmission shop there were 3 or 4 other ford windstars in for similar problems.
I bought this car used 1 yr and 8 months ago .. Haven't had any major problems with it. We received the recall for the rear axle, they checked it out was fine, we never received this last recall in 2011 but it may have helped if we did. On dec 2 I was pulling out of a school, was at a complete stop then started pulling out to take a right only going about 5 MPH we heard a bang (something fell in the front end) then the car just took over, there was no steering, the throttle stuck took us from 5 MPH to about 30 MPH in like 3 seconds crossing 4 lanes of traffic and just missing 2 vehicles, I crashed into a sign, 2 fences and a tree which made us stop, there was this awful sound that was getting faster and faster, we jumped out of the car because we thought it was going to blow up!!! Everything that is in the front end is laying on the ground!! This is very dangerous and I am outraged that something like this could happen. If my husband and I hadn't gone anywhere that night, I would have had my 3 small children in it the next morning!! I am so thankful that we were not hurt (except for emotionally) and that we also didn't hurt anyone else .. If those cars were 1 second earlier we would have smashed into those cars that were going about 50 MPH .. Wouldn't have a been a very good outcome!!! Now waiting to see what will happen with the van, if it is fixed I will not get in it ever again!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact smelled a burning odor. The contact stopped the vehicle and after exiting and inspecting under the hood, the contact noticed that the smell was coming from the transmission fluid. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.
We took a 300 mile trip to chicago in our windstar that we just purchased less than 2 months previously. While we were out of town, the van started acting up. When we would take off from a stop, the van would jerk and bounce like maybe the brakes were locked. We stopped driving it while we were up there until we had to leave. On our drive home, we were about 100 miles from home the o/d light came on. Then a little later, I noticed some type of liquid coming out the back. We tried to get home but at 90 miles from home the van totally quit moving. We were able to coast to the side of the road. Under the van was a large puddle of transmission fluid. After having it towed home ($240) we took it to a transmission shop. They had to replace a front seal and torque converter ($950). I'm filing this complaint because I have seen on the internet where the transmission seems to be a problem with the windstar. Now the brake light and ABS light come on occasionally and won't go off until it's turned off and restarted. This also seems to a big problem with the windstars. I haven't taken it in for that yet but dreading it. This is a very nice vehicle and I am rather disappointed in it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. The contact stated that the constant-velocity joints on the passenger side were repeatedly replaced and the speedometer did not work. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that there were no recalls addressing the failures. The manufacturer was notified and offered no other assistance. The failure mileage was 139,000. Error codes po 174 and po 171 - misfire, fuel comp, cat lyst, evap 02 sensor, 02 htr, egr. Updated 10/03/2011 *ln
2001 ford windstar. I took it to the dealership to have some safety recalls done. A few days later I was driving along and smoke started boiling out from under the hood so I pulled over and by the time I got stopped and got the kids out safely it quit smoking. I raised the hood and could see some burned wiring under the brake master cylinder. We got back in and drove on then the transmission started shifting wrong and the brake pedal didn't feel right,it felt spongy. I took it to my mechanic who is ase master and ford senior master certified. He replaced the trans range sensor and told me that the fire was caused by a defective cruise control deactivation switch leaking brake fluid.he replaced the switch and advised me to take it back to the dealer and have them do the recall which is what they were supposed to have done in the first place. He said that it also had a damaged ABS module and wiring and that was part of the recall.I called them and they said they only did the rear axle recall that was on the letter I got from ford. My mechanic said that they were required by law to complete all safety recalls while it was in their possession. I am going to take it back but I'm afraid to drive it cause it hardly has any brakes. My mechanics said it was because all the brake fluid leaked out of the switch and got air in the lines.
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