The right front sub frame on my 2003 windstar corroded causing the lower control arm to separate and wheel to pull out. Lost steering. Also axles shaft pulled from transmission and fluid ran out. Fortunately at slow speed so no accident, but what if I were on a freeway running fast?
2003 Ford Windstar body complaints
Page 5 of 5: complaints 101 to 127 of 127, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2003 ford windstar. In april 2010 my rear axle suddenly broke. I paid a small fortune to tow and fix the problem. In july my front axle suddenly broke leaving me with another large towing and repair charge. And now the car just doesn't drive nice and my traction and brake warnings have been lighting up on my dashboard.
Defect identified before an incident occurred. The design/manufacturing defect is as follows: 2003 ford windstar frame/engine cradle rusted through where the front sway bar attaches to the frame on the right side of the vehicle. Initially identified by owner because of a disturbing banging sound of the sway bar when driving; and confirmed by visual inspection by owner and a service mechanic. The frame/engine cradle carries all of the lower suspension and drive train components/loads. If this were not repaired when it was, a catastrophic front end failure would have occurred. If failure occurred at high speeds or in a turn a terrible accident (& deaths) could have occurred. I would consider this defect a huge safety concern.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated the anti-lock braking system (ABS) warning light remained illuminated on the dashboard. The brakes would also sporadically lock while attempting to brake. In addition, the door ajar warning light would also remain illuminated while the vehicle was in motion although all doors were latched closed. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 118,000 and the current mileage was 128,000.
I own a 2003 ford windstar van, for a couple weeks I occasionally heard a creaking noise when I turned a sharp corner. Then one day while driving, thankfully not at a very high speed my van started to go all over the road every time it went over the slightest bump in the road. It felt as if the tires were going to fall off the van. When my husband looked under the van you could see the back axel completely broke in half. We travel a long distance every few months to take my daughter to a children's hospital, god was really watching out for my family and I, that the axel didn't go while we were on those long stretches of highway.
2003 ford windstar lx sport with approx 102000 miles - rear axle snapped while on I-95. Pulled over to side of road because I noticed an issue with the vehicle. Noticed cracked rear axle while on flatbed of tow truck. It appeared to have been rusted through from the inside, as there was no evidence of rusting on the exterior of the rear axle.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated that the frame for the front suspension rotted under the vehicle. While driving at 20mph there was a loud noise and then he could not steer the vehicle. He stopped the vehicle and noticed the driver side front tire was turned to the left and the passenger front tire was turn to the right. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic repair shop where he was told the steering mechanism was torn from the frame and rotted from the body. The contact had to replace the frame at his own expense. The manufacturer was contacted and they stated they have never heard of the failure and offered no assistance. There was no recall or warranty for this failure. The failure and current mileage was 131,000.
Rear axle snapped and broke apart.
2003 ford windstar rear axle/carrier cracked 120,000 miles VIN not available - car in shop being repaired.
I am entering this info on behalf of my brother, daniel cullen of meadville pennsylvania. Dan does not regularly use the internet. His 2003 model year ford windstar has the right front wheel assembly fall off due to rust. The car only had 95,802 miles and was less than 6 years old. The rusted part is called an engine cradle. Other instances can be found on the web going back several years. A ford dealer fixed the car at owner expense. The dealer reported that an air conditioning hose dripped on the rusted part contributing to the failure. I reported the problem to ford corporate hotline and they said they would not help my brother financially or take immediate action to correct this obvious safety defect. My brother was scheduled to drive the car next day 400 miles. If this failure had occurred at highway speed death and injury could easily have resulted. Please see to it that these vehicles are recalled asap. A recall can be achieved at reasonable cost: first inspect cars and if no rust is present at least reroute the A/C drip line. If rust is present, change the engine cradle for a few hundred dollars. Note that the web shows incidents going back several years, yet still these cars are out there turning into ticking time bombs in only 5 years of use!
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated that the sliding door behind the driver's seat would not open from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. There were no child proof locks; however, the door would only open from outside of the vehicle. In addition, the driver's side window also failed to operate correctly. Once the window was opened, it was unable to be closed. The VIN was verified, but was unable to be entered. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 103,000. Updated 03/23/09.
My complaint is for a potential problem. I have a 2003 ford windstar that has a water leak in the roof body seams. I took it to a dealer on 5/19 who had a specialist come in to look at it. They said they couldn't do it and suggested taking it to a body shop. I don't think body seams leaking is normal wear and tear and I'm afraid that if I'm in an accident, there could be deadly consequences due to the structural defect. Ford is not being helpful at all. I'm a single mom with no money, but I guess I have to take it to another dealer that has a body shop and have them tear it up. Help. The car has never been in an accident and I bought it new. It took a while for me to figure it out because the water that comes in goes right into the hatchback/trunk carpet. I kept thinking that my kids spilled something or I left the window cracked, trying to give ford the benefit of the doubt. I don't have time to be bringing my car in. Any other complaints?
Continuing problem with power rear sliding doors. Non-operational on drivers side and opening by itself on the passenger side. Also, does not retract when closing if there is an object in the way as stated in owners manual. Happened after 1 year warranty expired. Feel quality should be better than 1 year especially since the power doors were a big selling point with the vehicle. One door was fixed within the 1st year, but 3 or 4 months after that we had problems with the other door and now we have it with both doors. We will leave the minivan in the mall parking lot and return with one of the doors open. It also opens automatically, at times, when we close one of the front doors.
Dt: contact states the automatic doors are not working properly. The door is taking more resistance before the door backs up. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership twice, and dealership stated the vehicle was fine. The consumer has contacted the manufacturer and the service dealer.
The power sliding doors on my 2003 windstar open spontaneously after closing. This is a concern when there are children or pets in the car. Two different car dealers have attempted multiple times to fix the problem. They have been unsucessful so far. Another issue is the car alarm goes off for absolutely no reason. They have also attemped to fix this problem, with no success.
My ciggarette lighter pops out onto the floor every time it is pushed in. The distraction of a possible fire can cause a wreck.
Consumer arm was pinched while she was resting it on the window ledge of the vehicle. *mr this problem would occur while in the passenger seat. When the lock snapped down, the consumer's arm would be badly pinched.
#2 power slinding door would inadvertently open while in motion. The manufacturer was not notified on june 24, 2004. *ak
Sliding door failed to open and close by remote control. *ak the passenger side door did not open or close properly. *sc
I am writing about our 2003 ford windstar. Our passenger automatic sliding door frequently pops open after it appears to have latched shut. It has opened by itself on three occasions while the van was in drive. Recently my three year old daughter almost fell out of the van headfirst onto concrete because the door popped back open as soon as it "latched" shut. The van has been in to repair this problem seven times without success. We first started having problems with both doors within the first 2 weeks of purchased. The times the door has popped back open are way to numerous to count. The number listed below is a low estimate.
The sliding door would close if the vehicle is parked and inclined. It would be unsafe for the consumer while standing between the doors.
Excessive wind noise in front seat area at 65 MPH or faster. The dealer was unable to repair. Cannot locate problem but recognizes that it exists.
Problem with power doors on both sides. They do not stop closing if a person is in the way. Also, they open back up after they have been closed. I will come back to the van from shopping and one will be open. Also, there was a time a could not get one to close without doing it manually.
We rented a ford windstar from hertz during a recent vacation. While shutting the manual sliding door, I broke my middle finger and badly bruised my ring finger. The door handle inside the vehicle, used for shutting the door, appears to be too close to the door jam. I was distressed to see online that others had complained of the exact same problem as long ago as 1999, stating that if you didn't grip the handle tightly, but instead left your fingers slightly extended, they would be injured and that ford hoped to have this fixed in the 1999 version.(http://www.cartrackers.com/forums/live/ford/25.html) see the 2nd paragraph. Obviously, it's not yet fixed.
The reflection of the dashboard onto the windshield when the sun shined over head caused a glare. The glare drastically reduced visibility through the windshield.
Body seams not sealed resulting in water intrusion into floor seat anchors of passenger compartment.
Nar 03-25-2003. The consumer had to return the vehicle to the vehicle to the dealership on numerous occasions because of a problem with the sliding doors. The first time the vehicle was returned to the dealership, the consumer noticed the driver side rear slider panel was hanging on by a few plastic rivets, the doors would pop back open after the closed button was pushed. The dealer made several attempts to fix the door.
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