The contact owns a 2003 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the ABS and Brake warning lights remained illuminated. Additionally, there was smoke, and a burning odor coming from the engine compartment. The contact also stated that the ABS fluid had leaked from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that fluid had leaked from the Speed Control Deactivations Switch causing damage to the ABS Control Module connector. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V399000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 250,000.
2003 Ford Windstar acceleration problems
85 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 94,472. 6 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 85
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 94,472
- crashes
- 6
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Accelerator pedal9
- Cruise control1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Windstar acceleration problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Ford Windstar acceleration
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). The scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary. Repairs will be completed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 27, 2009. Owners may contact ford at 1‑888‑222‑2751.
Recall number 09V399000 · Recall details
What 2003 Ford Windstar owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Driver was stalking a pedestrian.
Was on the street driving, lights started flashing on dashboard van shut off in the middle of the street battery, alternator, blew out, was driving again van was ilde up really bad and while my feet was on the brakes it started moving on its own and ran into someone else vehicle, and also van was on the road started running bad broke down on a busy street once I was pushed to a safe location all my fluids were on the ground and the van was smoking really bad and lights on dashboard were flashing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. While the vehicle was parked, it idled at an accelerated rate. In addition, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle accelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the tp sensor and multiple other parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to a dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,000.
I was backing down the driveway when my ford windstar 2003 engine started revving and I had to put both feet on the breaks to stop the car from running out of control. After I put both feet on the brakes to release the engine from revving did it stop. It happened again on the same day and it took all my strength to stop the ford windstar 2003 model. It could have done a lot of damage either to another car or a person. It is very dangerous and this problem has to be corrected or put on a recall basis before other people who might have the problem, can either get it fixed or taken off the road.
My speedometer will not work at all, go up and down or get stuck, indicating the wrong speed, while in motion, also at a stop, it will pop up, happens on city street and on highway. I have researched this and there are multiple complaints about issue with ford windstar minivans. To me this is an extreme safety issue as I find it distracting, have no idea how fast I'm going. I was driving through a school zone today and while I was not driving fast, I could not say for certain that I was within the speed limit. I'm continuously looking at my speedometer, taking my foot off the gas to see if it will drop, but I can't trust that the speed reading before was correct. I can be driving and it will pop right up to indicated 100mph, when I'm driving in my neighborhood. I get alerts and signal alarms for "low brake fluid", "check advancetrack", my airbag warning light is on intermittently, and my rear back up sensors don't work either. I have also had problems with the drivers side sliding door not staying shut when parked, I have had this feature disabled for safety reasons. It will start to close, reopen, start again, close partially and then reopen again, even if the door is locked it will do this. These are all ongoing problems, I don't know if they are tied together. I have had the vehicle looked at for problems and have been told that codes come up under diagnostics but when the actual parts they are warning about like the ABS, low brake fluid are fine. I have had the car at a ford dealership multiple times for the door issue and were told they could not figure what was causing the issue.
On may 24 while backing out of the driveway I was a passenger in my sons car when it suddenly accelerated at a tremendous rate of speed and with a loud noise and crashed into the vehicle in front, which was pushed into our shed. I sustained injuries of 6 broken ribs, bruised lung and contusions to my chest. If not for the car and shed in front we would have ended at the bottom of the hill behind our home. The insurance company, 21st century, did not send a claim form and is fighting paying for this accident.
Abs indicator keeps turning on and off randomly at increasing intervals and is now staying on more often. The speedometer's needle in the dashboard also fails to register the speed that the car is going and moves wildly back and forth.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control); however, the recall repairs were not done completely. The dealer fused the wiring harness, but only inspected the ABS control module and did not replace it as listed in the recall notification. As a result, the module was leaking. The manufacturer refused to replace the part under the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 192,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the cruise control failed to disengage when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the contact had to turn off the cruise control manually. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. Updated 6/8/15
Questions about the 2003 Ford Windstar acceleration
Does the 2003 Ford Windstar have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 85 complaints about the acceleration of the 2003 Ford Windstar, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Windstar acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 94,472 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Ford Windstar acceleration?
Yes, 1 recall: 09V399000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Windstar have the most acceleration problems?
The Ford Windstar model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2002 (147 complaints), 2000 (138 complaints) and 2001 (127 complaints).
Other 2003 Ford Windstar problems
Brakes 655Electrical 280Suspension 254Transmission 225Body 127Engine 69Lights 54Steering 40Driver assistance 33Locks 33Airbags 30Wheels 20Visibility 19Tires 10Fuel system 8Seat belts 7Seats 7
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