I keep having intermittent problems with dashboard warning lights: yellow ABS light, yellow trac off light, and red brake light. Please note: on approx july 17, 2012 I took my windstar to have this problem checked and have ford recall 09s09 service done. The quick-service manager refused to check the ABS control module connecter even after telling them three times that it is required as part of the recall. I was told by a service advisor trainee, to bring vehicle back if problem persists and take to regular service dept. I took the vehicle back to same ford dealership for resolution of this problem and was told there is a $92.00 diagnostic fee. I agreed to fee to see if the repair they recommend is same as repair which should have been covered under recall, and left van there on august 14, 2012.
2002 Ford Windstar electrical complaints
Page 4 of 10: complaints 71 to 100 of 261, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Right after I had the recall for 3 different recall the front end, brakes, rear axle completed my ABS light, brake light & track off lights all light up on my dash all at the same time & stay on. I have a photo of this. After I turn van off for awhile (it needs to cool down) they go off. I called ford several times about this and they said it had nothing to do with their brake recall or front end recalls if I wanted to pay them to check it out I can bring it in. Amazing that I never had any problems with my van until ford started fixing the recalled items.
About 2 plus years ago, my van started having an electrical malfunction. Shortly after starting the vehicle and sometimes in the middle of driving, the computer would beep and flash the message "check traction control". Along with this, the ABS and e-brake lights would come on, and also the "trac off" light. I could clear the message from the computer by hitting reset, but the warning lights would stay on until I shut the vehicle off. It happens almost daily now, especially when it's humid and hot outside. About 3 weeks ago, the speedometer and tachometer started to "stick" or not move. Sometimes, they go up to 30-40mph, then stop working. Other times, they just don't move at all. The problem also affects the accuracy of the odometer and gas gauge. The vehicle can be traveling at 70mph, but be reading 40mph, and then the odometer is marking miles traveled according to 40mph. So, now my odometer needs to be reset as well. I never know when this is going to happen, and being a mother of two children and pregnant with #3, I need my vehicle to be safe and reliable. I found a website that has recall information, and I'm not the only one experiencing this issue with their windstar. I was already part of the rear axle and subframe recall, and that was scary enough to know my vehicle could have fallen apart while I was driving it. There is a possibility of electrical fire with this, as one of the probable and likely causes of this is the wires are "self-grounding" on some metal part in the engine or behind the dash. If any fluids leaked on these exposed and self-grounding wires, one spark could set it off. Please make sure this problem is addressed in a timely manner, as there are several of these vehicles on our nation's roads.
At times when is col,d the ABS and brake light is off while driving, when it gets hot the ABS and brake light turns on and the ABS fails to work. Code c1185 ABS power relay output circuit failure. I got to a stop sign and the road was wet and the van skidded , the ABS did not work. No one was hurt and I have seen all the complaints that ford owners are having. I don't know if my 2002 ford windstar had all the other recalls done, like the brake pressure differential deactivation switch (scds) and the rear frame welds that are breaking up on the chassis of many ford owners. I would like to verify what has been done to my ford windstar that I bought two months ago. I just had the inner and outer tie rod ends done along with the sway bar links at the front suspension.
I was driving on a street and the car in front of me came to a sudden stop. I immediately had to brake and then the ABS light and main brake light came on and stayed on. I took the vehicle to a dealer and they told me that the ABS module was bad and I asked them if the knew why and they told me that they did not know. I then asked if the vehicle was safe to drive and they said yes but I would not have ABS brakes.
The ABS and brake warning lights go on randomly for no reason, also cruise control will stop working.
At drive-through, radio suddenly quit, and the ABS and brake lights came on. Right turn signal came on, vehicle began to pulsate and surge. Pulled over and shut van off, would not restart, lights and hazards began flashing and would not turn off. Retried ignition, lights and hazards went off, van completely died. Informed to replace battery, had battery tested, it was fine. Replaced battery, followed instructions to reset computer after battery replacement. Had to drive van 10 miles to complete, during which ABS and brake light came on, headlights quit (after dark) then began flashing. Turn signal came on to signal right turn on its own. Just before returning home, headlights quit entirely, and airbag light came on. Parked van, let it idle, and the tachometer surged from 500rpms to 3000rpms. Seems to fit descriptions others are saying about ABS and speed control module underneath master cylinder getting soaked with brake fluid.
Purchased this vehicle in january 2012 and have had nothing but problems with it. According to ford all recalls have been done on this vehicle but here is a list of the issues with the van: ABS light comes on, check engine light comes on, van has no cruise control at all, and last friday I could not put the van in gear. After the ford dealership "repaired" the solenoid for the van now all of a sudden there is currently no rear brake lights. This van is less than safe to be on the road and have seen that some of the recalls would have solved the speed control issue but the ford factory will not answer any of my questions. Take a look online and you will see thousands of people with the same issues we are having and it was brought to the attention of ford that we are having the same issues as thousands of other people so this is beyond a problematic vehicle.the vehicle is currently sitting at the local ford dealer while they try and figure out what is wrong with the light system. This vehicle has been in the shop twice since we have owned it and this is costing us hundreds (so far) to fix issues that everyone with this vehicle is having. The latest issues have LED to us being without a vehicle for almost a week and we have a disabled child in the home and this is unacceptable.
We had our ford windstar brakes done all the way around and my ABS and emergency brake light and traction light come on and off. The cruise control works sometimes. Ford dealer in my town wont check it out without a diagnostic fee even thou a recall is said to be issued for the same complaints.
Inside lights comes on and flashes at times while driving, ABS and brakes light comes on and stays on while driving.
Brake, ABS brake, cruise control, and speedometer/odometer electrical problems my dash lights are on and off all the time went to 3 mechanic they all checked my brakes, ABS and could not find a problem it goes on whenever it wants stays on for weeks then comes back on while driving this has been doing for over a year. I even put stickers over the lights that I can see while driving. I still think there is a electrical wiring problem it is very annoying. I can not afford to get another vehicle . I see there are a lot of complaint about same problem my niece has one does the same thing and my brother in law in west virginia his is doing it too so I really thing ford needs to check into this before someone's van catches fire or hurt some one.
Every since I purchased my '02 windstar, I have had problems with the ABS and brakes. I've had the brakes fixed numerous times and both lights still comes on while I'm driving. I had a brake fluid leak from the rear. My dvd and stereo both short- circuited on a month or two after they were installed. Sometimes if I come to a light to stop for a while, when the light turns green, I'll try to give it some gas but it becomes real hesitant and takes a while to pick up speed. The drivers behind me would start to get frustrated with me holding up traffic. Also, when I cut the AC on it takes power away from my vehicle and it threatens to cut off, so I don't turn it on. I also have to replace two oxygen sensors on it. I believe that my ABS module is bad as well. I feel that I am putting more money into it than it's worth. Please help me.
Brake lights come on randomly and stay on for some time until the brake pedal has been cycled through 5 or 6 times then lights go off for a while then comes back on again. Smell of burning plastic or wires permeates the vehicle when the lights have been on for any length of time.
Abs light, trac active light, alternator, check traction control light.
The ABS light and the brake warning lights come on sometimes and stay on a long time. When the ABS light is on the ABS brakes do not work; it reverts back to regular brakes. I am trying to sell the car but prospects do not buy because the light comes on un-expectedly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. The contact stated that the key could not be turned in the ignition. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised her that the cylinder in the ignition may have fractured and could need replacing. The failure and the current mileages were approximately 90,000.
The ABS and brake lights come on intermittently while driving. They stay on until the engine is shut off.
Speedometer not working accurately (occasionally speedometer will work than stops, which indicates defective part). Ford says speedometer and gear needs to be replaced now. Prior to that they said computer needed to be reprogrammed because of tire size.. Cruise control did not work but was fixed by ford via recall notice due to leaking speed control deactivation switch (scds). As I understand the dealer would also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary. Abs and brake light are on all of the time which is a result ABS control module failure.
Brake light (red) speedometer and odometer stop working cruise control will not activate or deactivates without warning ABS brake light (yellow) ford trouble code c1185 problem codes p0171, p0174, p0401 171,174,401, egr or system too lean issue.
Vehicle was parked and someone noticed that smoke was coming from under the hood. An electrical fire had started from windshield wiper motor assembly and burnt through motor terminal guide. Both parts had to be replaced. If this problem was not caught early extensive fire damage would have occurred.
Abs, and service brake, come on simultaneously. I am afraid that stopping distance shall be increased, thusly causing personal & property damage liability. Fear of braking distance suddenly increased, when driving, on a personal daily basis. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Red brake light came on along with traction control and ABS light stopping distance was further than normal and van skidded on wet road. Need to adjust stopping distance as it was alot further to come to a stop. Light is an intermitant issue along with stopping distance.
The windstar is my only means of transportation and when driving it the speedometer will freak out and ended up breaking the needle on the tacometer and this leads to the theft light popping up when I am driving down the road. This acted up when I was going over and intersection and ended up stalling the vehicle right in the middle and while a car was coming from one way luckly I got the vehicle started and time and got out of there but after taking it to the dealership they couldnt even figure out what could be wrong I dont feel like loosing my life.
The ABS warning light and brake warning light on. Resets after car cools down then lights will illuminate after driving and temperature increases. When lights are illuminated braking distance suddenly increases and brake pedal feels soft. Had the brake system serviced and flushed with new brake fluid and it did not solve the issue of the ABS and brake warning lights coming on, or the increased braking distance. All the brake pads have been checked and are in serviceable condition. Front calipers and rear brake drum clynders have been checked and all are working correctly. Wheel speed senors have been cleaned and checked with a meter and all four are working correctly. The recalls for the brake pressure differential deactivation switch was done in 2010 and there is no evidence of fluid leaking at this time. Suspect problem with ABS electronic control module.
1st incident happened while driving at highway speeds. Abs and brake light illuminated until car was turned off. Lights now come on randomly. I took my vehicle to a ford dealership on aug. 31 2002 for recall on front and rear axles. They installed shackles on suspension and said that everything was fine. After I came home with vehicle, I noticed a clunking sound coming from the r/f wheel area and my overdrive off dash light starts flashing randomly until car is turned off. Concerning the ABS issue, I took my vehicle to an independent garage and they told me I needed to replace the ABS control module, then he told me that they did the exact same repair on another 02' windstar earlier that week and the repair would cost $700-$800 dollars. Coincidence????
While driving at normal speeds the ABS, brake and trac lights come on and stay on. The van was stopped and when restarted, the lights were off. This has repeated almost every day and continues until today. There are no codes and there seams to be no effect on the van (except maybe the anti lock brakes not working).
While driving down my hill, my brake light came on. Now my ABS light comes on with my brake light. Brake fluid is present, brakes are almost a year old. For over a year now, my van after it being turned on and off (errands, shopping etc), it does not want to start. Once it does start, as I turn the wheel while in park, it stalls. Now that my brake and ABS lights come on, as I turn the wheel it wants to stall while driving. When I am turning my vehicle off, I turn the key down very slow and all the way down, that seemed to only help it restart a few times. I had my vehicle at the ford dealer for the recall in 2010 dealing with the cruise control issues. My od light has been off for over a year now as well. While driving my vehicle, when I am stopped, I notice a white colored smoke coming out from under the hood, and no one can find where it is coming from, especially happens when it is damp or raining out, and engine temp is normal.(I can not take my van to an auto car wash due to the fact it starts shaking, smoking and won't run or stay started when the under carriage is being sprayed) fuel pump, starter and ignition coil are fine. Has new plugs and wires.
We were driving down the highway at 75 MPH I smelled smoke coming from the engine compartment. Told the wife and kids I was pulling over and to get ready to bail out of van as soon as I stopped and to stay clear of it. When everyone was out and safe I opened the hood and saw a fire under the master brake cylinder. Got water bottles from inside van and a rag and put the fire out. There was brake fluid on the switch below the brake master cylinder on the wires to a switch underneath. Later I cleaned the mess cut the wires that had caught fire the ones that went to the switch under the master brake cylinder and wrapped them so they wouldn't ground out.continued on home for another 1 1/2 hrs. When I got home I took the switch that had burned under the master brake cylinder off and put a bolt in it's place.I thru out the switch. I haven't replaced the switch I also lost my cruise control since the fire. I didn't think anything about it until today when I was looking up some info for my van and read that this is a problem .
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. The contact stated the steering column made noise whenever the contact was making a left or right turn. The contact stated the fluid level was correct, but the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The contact stated the failure was a manufacturers defect. The contact stated lights on the dashboard and the radio began to flash on and off. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer again and was told that the alternator needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 68,785.
Abs and brake lights coming on for no apparent reason. Had recall service on cruise control and the warning lights for the ABS and brake lights have been coming on intermittently since that service was done. Talked with the local ford service department and they are aware of this problem. Said that the previous recall on the cruise control didn't have anything to do with my warning lights for ABS and brakes (but they have had more issues with this problem than the cruise control recall). If I remember the correctly, the cruise control recall - it had something to do with brake fluid contact and potential for fire, my cruise was shorted out and not working - must have been from brake fluid. I am thinking that this flaw has something to do with electrical components connected from the brake and ABS system to the warning lights being shorted out in a similar way; it is just a guess, I am sure that the real mechanics know what is going on.... This is a safety issue and ford needs to recall this design flaw; the warning device is not working as designed. I am sure that the $1,600 to fix the problem is an issue for ford. Sometimes the lights turn on when I start the vehicle, sometimes I may be driving and they will turn on, at times the warning lights do not come on at all. The brakes are not effected from what I can tell and my fluid levels are normal. I hope that my brakes don't really experience a problem.
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