It has an electrical problem. Needs wiring harness, needs front and real axle replacement. Dangerous. Alarm goes off at random. Won't hold charge. Steering wheel bearings are shot.
2003 Ford Windstar electrical problems
280 complaints (19% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 99,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 280
- of this car's complaints
- 19%
- typical mileage
- 99,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Instrument cluster/panel9
- Wiring: fuses and circuit breakers4
- 12v/24v/48v battery3
- Wiring: interior/under dash2
- Wiring2
- Alternator/generator/regulator2
- Ignition: anti-theft: control module1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford Windstar electrical problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Ford Windstar electrical
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Engine compartment fires
Ea08-021 is closed with ford's actions in recall 09v‑399 recalling approximately 4.5 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).with this recall ford has now recalled all of the approximate 16 million ford model vehicles that were manufactured from my 1992 through 2003 with a texas instruments scds.the federal safety agency will continue to monitor the recalled vehicles to ensure remedies installed by ford tomitigate the potential for scds related fires are effective.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached closing report for further details.
EA08021
Engine compartment fires
Odi has received 134 consumer complaints, 285 manufacturer complaints, and 137 manufacturer warranty claims alleging incidents of engine compartment fire in model year (my) 1995 thru 2003 ford windstar vehicles.two of the odi complaints allege the fires caused structural damage to the complainant's home.of the 134 odi complaints, 36 allege the fire occurred while the vehicle was parked, 72 allege the fire occurred while the vehicle was running and 26 of the complaints do not specify if the vehicle was running or not.further review of the odi complaints shows that 72 allege that the speed control deactivation switch (scds) caused the fire and 10 allege that the scds leaked brake fluid on to the ABS module resulting in the fire.there were 52 that did not identify a cause or that identified miscellaneous other causes.odi has also received 89 complaints ( not counted in this resume) alleging that the scds developed a brake fluid leak.thirteen of these complaints say that the leak at the scds resulted in braked fluid reaching the ABS module.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea) to further evaluate the cause of the fires and assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequences of the alleged defect.
PE08035
What 2003 Ford Windstar owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Started having wiper issues (intermittent did not work) randomly for a couple weeks, then headlights went out on highway at night with no other cars, first for a couple seconds off then on then off for good after a few more seconds. After another 10 min or so they went back on and stayed on. Also wipers did not work, or radio, windows and door locks. Another time during heavy rain in daytime the system failed again, wipers went off. This was on busy highway. Luckily they went on again after 10s and I was able to see and pull over. Very scary. Happened off and on again. Turned out forward control module was bad. Dealer replaced one I got from junkyard, no more problem.
While highway driving, the speedometer, gas gauge, temperature gauge and instrument lighting became erratic and failed. A short time later the situation normalized. Several months prior the tachometer malfunctioned and became inoperable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. While inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the subframe had rusted and a hole was present located behind the front driver side wheel. The hole was approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. Also, the instrument cluster would randomly stop operating. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer (dick brantmeier ford in sheboycan, wi) was notified along with the manufacturer, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000.
While driving at night on the interstate or any other road, the headlights suddenly went off for about 10 seconds. I heard a clicking sound under the left side of the dash like the sound of a relay engaging. This happened several times. I had the battery replaced and it was ok for about 2-3 weeks then started again. Driving during the day w/no lights on the A/C blower motor suddenly stopped working and then re-started. This also happened several times. I heard the clicking under the dash at that time too. I took the van to the ford dealer. They kept it for 5 days and found nothing. I was at church and came out to leave. I started the van and the wipers came on by themselves on intermittent and would not shut off no matter what I did. I turned the van off when I got home and the next time I started it the wipers were off. I was driving down the road with the A/C on and the blower motor suddenly stopped working again and also the radio, power windows, and power locks. Again I heard the relay clicking sound. It stayed off for about 10 minutes and came on long enough to open the windows (it was 92 degrees outside). A couple of minutes later it went off again and stayed off for the rest of the day and most of the next. When I noticed a storm coming, I went out and started the van. Thank god the A/C, radio, windows, and locks were working at that time so that I could shut the windows. I drove it to work the next day and all was working. I left the van with my boss (he's a mechanic) so that he can take a look at it. My rear axle was replaced under recall about 16 months ago. I'm frustrated with this problem. I bought the van used in july of 2015. It has meticulous service records and has been great up until this year. Ford really needs to do something about this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the ABS, engine, and brake warning indicators illuminated. The failures recurred numerous times. The dealer diagnosed that the ABS failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Abs light. Took my 2003 windstar with only 74,000 miles on it to an auto parts store to get codes as to explain the redundant ABS light. There were at least 12 codes all pointing back to the ABS module. This issue with the ABS has been on going for 2+ years.
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.
The speed meter gauges goes crazy
My ABS and brake lights on the dashboard come on and off at different times. Sometimes they stay for a while (days) and then go off for (days). Also, I have been having problems with the gauge arms on the dashboard all of sudden will go back and forth in a quick motion. Then sometimes stick in one position and then back to normal and then sometimes not move at all for a while.
Questions about the 2003 Ford Windstar electrical
Does the 2003 Ford Windstar have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 280 complaints about the electrical of the 2003 Ford Windstar, 19% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Windstar electrical problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 99,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Ford Windstar electrical?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford Windstar have the most electrical problems?
The Ford Windstar model years with the most electrical complaints are 2003 (280 complaints), 2002 (261 complaints) and 2001 (223 complaints).
Other 2003 Ford Windstar problems
Brakes 655Suspension 254Transmission 225Body 127Acceleration 85Engine 69Lights 54Steering 40Driver assistance 33Locks 33Airbags 30Wheels 20Visibility 19Tires 10Fuel system 8Seat belts 7Seats 7
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