Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated that after the vehicle has been driven 1 to 10 miles, the brake and ABS lights illuminate and remain lit until the vehicle is shut off. The dealer has not been notified and the vehicle has not been repaired. The speed was unknown. The current mileage was 46,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 12/12/07 *bf updated 12/12/07
2003 Ford Windstar brakes complaints
Page 23 of 23: complaints 641 to 655 of 655, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Dt*: the contact stated the brake and ABS lights illuminated without incident. An independent repair shop determined there was no problem with the vehicle and reset the codes. The lights illuminated again and the dealership determined the ABS master cylinder needed to be replaced. Also, the door ajar light stayed illuminated, but was not been inspected by a mechanic.
My wife was in the process of parking her 2003 ford windstar in a parking lot. As she went to apply the brakes, the pedal went down to the level of the gas pedal causing her foot to engage both the brake and the accelerator at the same time. The car lurched forward and she hit a post (thankfully not a person). Probably did about a $1000 in damage. The reason I am writing is that this is the second time this has happened. The first time was about a month after we bought the vehicle. The same type of situation in a parking lot. At that time I called the ford dealer where we bought the car and inquired if there had been any bulletins about such a problem. I was told no. Now my wife could have been at fault but I believe there is a real problem with the brake system as I have experienced the same situation myself. When letting off the gas pedal at low speed and then touching the brake pedal, there feels like a loss of brake pressure momentarily. What then happens is that the brake pedal depresses to the level of the accelerator pedal and the driver then engages both brake and accelerator at the same time. Instead of stopping, the car lurches forward because the acceleration overrides the soft (temporary) brake pedal pressure. I'm thinking there is a problem with the brake system pressure at idle when the car is moving. Hence the pedal depresses further than usual and the side of the driver's foot then also pushes the accelerator down in addition to the brake pedal. The fact that this happened when the car was new and still happens today makes me think it is a engineering problem coupled with a design problem. The pedals may also be too close together which increases the likelihood of this problem happening. Note: the car's brakes work fine otherwise and we do normal service on the vehicle.
Advance trac system activates for no reason, this causes the brakes to apply bringing the van to a halt. I have had this vehicle back to the dealer four times. Once they replaced the anti-lock brake module. Although this has occurred numerous times, they cannot find anything wrong. I am able to shut the system off and continue driving. This will happen shortly after I make a right or left turn and it is intermittent.
Dt: the contact stated the traction control and the anti lock brake system worked together. This caused the brakes to be applied for no apparent reason. There was no warning ,and it happened to different wheels at different times. The vehicle has been to the dealership, and they made an adjustment to the system, but this did not repair the problem. The vehicle is being taken back to the dealership tomorrow.
Exhibiting intermittent anti-skid brake system and red brake lamp on at times while driving.
Abs and parking brake light on instrument panel come on sporadically had a ford shop diagnose it as a bad ABS module. Has not been repaired because of the unavailability of the part. This part monitors the pressure to each brake unit to prevent the vehicle from sliding in an emergency. Luckily there have been no accidents, injuries, or death at this time.
Our 2003 ford windstar began experiencing intermittent electrical failures. On may 27, after driving normally, we stopped for about 30 minutes. Then the van stalled several times on a short trip. After another 10 minute stop, it operated normally again. Several times during the next week, although the car did not stall, the power to the steering and brakes went out. We had an appointment with our local ford dealer to service the van on june 7. However, on june 6 the power systems failed, causing the car to crash into a road side mailbox. No personal injuries occured. Nothing was done to correct the failure. At our expense, ford would have had someone look at the vehicle to see if they could determine the exact cause of the accident. We choose to deal with our insurance company instead. The car was totaled and repossessed by state farm insurance.
Brake failure, third time in two month period.
There were problems with the transmission and brake equipment on 2003 ford windstar. *mr the transmission downshifted at a low speed, the vehicle locked up while pulling out of a parking space, loud grinding noises, and the brake pads jumped. *sc
The brake pedal and the gas pedal are too close together. Owner took vehicle to the dealership, who had recognized the problem, but told the owner that there was nothing they could do about it. *ak *ph
The accelerator pedal and brake pedal are too close. When pushing the brake pedal somehow the accelerator is pushed, causing the vehicle to accelerate. Once, caused a collision, where consumer's vehicle hit a parked vehicle in a parking lot.
Consumer noticed left front brakes grab without depressing brakes and while traveling at any speed.
There is a noise in the rear break drums caused by moisture. *mr there was a noise in the rear brake. The dealer stated that the problem was due to moisture and not to worry. The transmission was problematic, and the rear brakes had started to not stop properly. The rear brakes were readjusted, and a new transmission was added. The noise in the brakes had returned. *scc
Consumer feels that brake/gas pedals are located too close together. This resulted in accidental acceleration.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Ford Windstar?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history