Transmission just started slipping out of nowhere , stopped for a red light put in nuetral light turns green and I put it into drive and start to roll the van wouldnt budge looked out the window and leaking alot of transmission fluid . Parked it in nearby parking lot added tranny fluid still not drivable and wont move in any gear.
Ford Windstar slipping problems
144 of the 14,140 owner complaints about the Ford Windstar describe transmission slipping, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 144
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 100,054
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 23Jerking 15Won't shift 8ABS 7Grinding brakes 6Stalling 5Engine failure 5Loss of power 4
What owners say
I was driving down on 896, in the left hand lane, when my 2000 ford windstar lx van stopped running. I was going about 50mph when all of a sudden it just stopped. (I did have some transmission slipping previously but it had stopped.) (I thought that it was because the van hadn't been driven for about 4 months). I immediately put my hazards on and called the delaware state police. If this had happened on the interstate, I would have been killed. As it was. It happened this morning while I was on my way to work. I had people come flying up behind my vehicle and blowing their horn at me. Thankfully it was not rush hour otherwise I would not be here right now, which means my children would be motherless!
I was on a 65 MPH highway and had to stop for a stoplight. When the light turned green, I put my foot on the gas and nothing happened. I put in 2 then 1 and then reverse and nothing happened. I had put my hazard lights on as I was afraid of being at a green light and getting rear ended with the other car going at least 65 MPH. I proceeded to shut the van off, turn it back on and put it in drive and it jerked forward, but I could tell the transmission was slipping and the o/d light started flashing on and off and the check transmission light came on. I had to continue to shut the vehicle off and turn it back on to get it to a safe place where I finally had to be towed home. I had my 14 year old daughter with me and had we been hit from behind, we both could have died.
Transmission started leaking fluids all over the road and started slipping to where I couldn't get home with it.
Driving on highway, my 2003 ford windstar had a 100% transmission failure. The car was running, but would not go forward or reverse. I did previously report transmission issues (slipping) to ford on more than one occation. Ford was unable to locate or identify an issue with my transmission. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
On monday, november 7, 2011, my wife was heading to work. She stopped at a red light. When the traffic signal turned green, she hit the gas and the car would not move. The RPM's would go up and the engine would rev up as if it was in neutral. This was the case in all gears. This could have been potentially dangerous since traffic approaching the signal are driving at 50+ MPH. Luckily, a few passers by helped my wife push the van into a local parking lot. We had it towed to a transmission shop and they are now rebuilding it for about $2,000. Due to the number of complaints about the transmissions on these vans, I believe this should be a recall issued by ford. I believe there should be some reimbursement for these costs I am paying for repairs. There was no indication (I.e.: knocking sounds, slipping, etc.) prior to the transmission failure.
2000 windstar-cruise control slowly stopped working, almost like a loose button or wire was the issue, then completely stopped, ABS light randomly going on and off then finally staying-stopping distances increased, tach, speedometer, and other dash gauge needles swinging wildly while driving- tach stopped working first then speedometer(witnessed by iowa highway patrol), od off light started coming on at random times. Finally stayed on, transmission slipped occasionally when at stop signs. Took it to trans. Shop no codes found, next day the van would not shift into any gear. Van is now a yard ornament. Issues ongoing over the course of about a year.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. The contact stated that the transmission slipped and the check engine light was illuminated. The failure had been occurring since october 2010. The vehicle also stalled when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000 and the current mileage was approximately 126,000.
Spouse was driving her 2003, ford windstar se, going up an on-ramp to a major high way, when the vehicle's engine revered high, slipping out of drive and the vehicle came to a stop afterwards. Drive and or reverse doesn't work on the van. Vehicle has all the power, but once put in drive / reverse hitting the gas, you go know where..
Braking distance suddenly increased : ABS light goes on and off intermittently and when it goes on brakes do not function normally and cause increased braking distance without warning. Twice now including today I have been parking my car (so maybe 5 MPH) and the ABS brakes failed to function properly and the light lit up and if a curb was not between me and the building I was parking at acting as a buffer and helping slow the car to a stop, I possibly could have hit it or crashed. I also almost hit a car in front of me recently , possibly within and inch, when it slowed/stopped somewhat suddenly (but not overly so) and then I had to slow/stop and my ABS light then suddenly came on and my ABS brakes failed to stop me in the usual way and usual distance for the pressure I was applying (which was stopping fast but not slamming on the brakes) and I could feel a sort of "stuttering" or "vibration" of the brakes and "slipping" with my foot on the brake peddle as if it were trying to engage but not successfully engaging. At first this intermittent ABS brake light going on was only occasionally but now it is becoming more and more frequent and putting me and my family in very dangerous situations to where even though the ABS brake light turns off as if it is working fine again, I now know it is not working fine and that the brakes could stop functioning properly at any moment. The light only goes on when I am pressing on the brake peddle (but not every time I brake), it does not light up without that as a pre-requisite. Then it will either stay lit for a few minutes and go away or it will stay lit until I turn my car off and go away the next time I start the car up.
Related recalls
Power train: axle assembly
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 1998-2003 windstar vehicles manufactured from september 1, 1997, through july 3, 2003, and currently registered or originally sold in virginia. Over time, corrosion can weaken the rear axle making it susceptible to torsional stress. Corrosion and stress can lead to cracks which, if undetected, can increase and result in a complete fracture of the axle.
- Risk
- A fractured axle can affect vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and install rear axle reinforcement brackets, or replace the axles, as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on june 19, 2012. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 12V193000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with ax4s automatic transaxles. The low/intermediate servo cover can separate from the transaxle while the vehicle is being driven. If this occurs, transmission fluid will leak contacting the catalytic converter.
- Risk
- The catalytic converter temperature may be hot enough to ignite the transmission fluid and cause a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transmission and replace these servo covers.
Recall number 97V097000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
- Risk
- Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Recall number 96V166000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
- Risk
- This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.
Recall number 96V086000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Windstar slipping
Which Ford Windstar years have transmission slipping problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (75 complaints), 1998 (19 complaints) and 1996 (16 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix transmission slipping on the Ford Windstar?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 15 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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