Going down the road traction control will go off and on . It will make the steering very hard. Then when you turn the engine off. It is very hard to start up . Some times you have to wait for about two or three hours then it will start right up. The electric system is very bad. Sometimes when the traction control starts to have a problem the van is very hard to even keep it in control I'm disabled and can't afford to get a better van. I've tried to take it back to ford but they don't know what to do with it. All they tale me is to get anew one .but I can't. The power on the door locks are bad the locks will go locked and unlock as you drive it down the road. Been doing this for about. 3 years. Or more. Had it in to ford many times.
Ford Windstar door locks problems
165 of the 14,140 owner complaints about the Ford Windstar describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 165
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $800
- typical mileage
- 72,000
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 39Wipers 12Adaptive cruise 12Transmission failure 8Check engine light 7Stalling 5Fuel pump 5Power windows 4
Trouble codes mentioned
P0316 1P0305 1P0302 1P0174 1P0171 1C1410 1C1404 1C1254 1C1250 1C1246 1
What owners say
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. While the vehicle was undergoing routine service, the dealer diagnosed that the sliding door latch and lock actuator needed replacement. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v643000 (latches/locks/linkages). The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 115,292. Updated 02/03/17
After looking up all of the service reports on this vehicle, I am beginning to recognize that ford has some explaining to do. We have a large amount of service reports on our vehicle alone that our dealership is not reporting. We have paid more for service repairs than we did paying for the vehicle. Our AC/heat just clicks w/o working, power windows front and rear do not work, power door locks, leaking roofs, leaking doors, ABS lights on, engine lights on, traction control light on, engine sputters even after two complete old fashioned tune-ups, cowl broken, front and rear axles severely cracked, sub-frame cracked, rear wiper does not work properly, brakes need constant repairs, electrical shorts everywhere, head lights, fog lights, brake lights all need constant replacements, alternator was replaced 6 times in one day because they were all faulty, brake switch under brake pedal needs constant replacement, constant wheel alignments, wheel sensors missing or broken, power seat broke and the dealership told us that it was petty to have it fixed even with a height difference between drivers, control modules replaced, multiple expensive sensor failures, spark plugs with wires replaced at least twice, starter replaced, parking brake needs to be watched for slippage because it can't hold on hills, interior lights blink in a pattern while driving, can't haul it's own tailgate, battery replaced multiple times by dealership, power mirror switch broke, many more expensive repairs have been done at our cost, p0302, p0305, p0316, c1235, c1185, c1198, c1194, c1254, c1246, c1250, c1242, c1214, c1210, c1103, c1410, c1404, b1318. We were told by many service departments a while back that these codes were not important. They cleared the codes every time. Their response to these codes were to clear them every single time. We only have one vehicle and this is it. I am a mom w/children.
Abs and emergency brake lights come on and off intermittently. Middle seat won't go back up and the door locks don't work half the time.
Power windows and door locks intermittently not working. Unable to unlock electrical or manual sliding door ....it locks up and unable to open door from inside. Passengers can't open door if an emergency. Electronic door locks don't function constantly.
All of the following happened at the same time: ABS and brake lights went on and stay on. O/d light flashing. Odometer and speedometer stop working. The electronic compass, remaining fuel info., automatic electronic diagnostic and electronic temp. Showing errors. Electronic sliding door would not open unless engine is not running. Power windows stopped working 6 months ago, not sure if it is related. I had a mechanic replaced the alternator and checked the brakes. It did not fix the problems and there was nothing wrong with the brakes. I took it to ford dealer and I was told that the ABS module could be the problem because they replaced a lot of them. The ABS module supposedly messing up the whole electronic system. It has less than 65,000 miles and I'm scared to drive it because the electronic system might suddenly cause other problems and cause an accident. The electronic sliding doors already would not open unless the engine is not running. In case of an emergency or a crash, someone might not be able to get out and be trapped inside because the doors and windows would not open. I was told by a ford customer service that there is no recall to fix the problem or look into it even though they admitted they've been having similar problems to a lot of ford vehicles.
The ABS, brake, and trac lights come on while driving down the road. This doesn't happen every time, but has become more frequent. Have not found a reason for it to come on, like hitting bumps or wet whether. The electrical system issues is rear windows won't open all of the time. The door locks don't work all of the time. The lights in and outside the van dim in and out.
Abs light on dash and other warning lights malfunction at different times along with displays that have characters in dash that are un-familiar. Beeps occur that I find no explanation in manual. Have had 2 malfunction in electric door locks and it is impossible to manually unlock passenger side doors from outside doors. Rear door latch cannot be opened except with key in event of certain types of crashes especially if occupants are not conscious.
Abs and brake lights come on intermittently. I applied the brakes heavily and all 4 wheels locked up. The vehicle was uncontrollable while braking. The speedometer is erratic. The battery is dead sometimes after sitting overnight. The hazard lights come on by them selves. The door locks do not work properly. The tire indicator lights come on for no reason.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Ford Windstar door locks
Which Ford Windstar years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (32 complaints), 2003 (31 complaints) and 1999 (23 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the Ford Windstar?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $800 (median of 14 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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