1999 Ford Windstar SEL

Summary:

A horrible van to own, because of the major costs of repairs it takes to keep this van working

Faults:

Poor quality and dependability on the 1999 Ford Windstar SEL.

Transmission went out at approximately 78000 miles, and the "new" transmission is already shifting hard, and it's only at 79300 miles currently.

Driver's side rear power door has never opened with the automatic opener since the van was purchased. Passenger rear power door has gone out, and won't open and stays locked all the time, where you can't manually open it either.

Driver's side door will not lock.

CD player has never worked since owning it.

General Comments:

The van's appearance is good, and it is a roomy family van. However the expenses incurred from poor quality outweigh the price, and mostly the headaches and finances it's going to cost to keep everything repaired. And even with that said, there is no guarantee that it'll work once it is fixed, or it could quite possibly go out again and incur further repairs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th April, 2005

1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8

Faults:

Wow, I wish I had found this site prior to buying my Windstar.The majority of the problems were reported here.Power steering rack. I had the power steering pump replaced. Then a couple thousand miles later the rack developed a leak.

This might seem minor, but, the horn was always a pain to use. You would have to hit all around until it finally sounded.

The check engine light always seemed to be lit. The O2 sensor or some other nonsense.

And finally the tranny started bucking and making noise. I followed the manual on all scheduled items to the mile and this van really had some problems.

The bottom line is big ticket problems with big expenses to go with them. This vehicle was babied and there is no excuse.

General Comments:

It is with heavy heart that I traded this vehicle in and purchased a Honda Odyssey. I never thought I would buy a Japanese vehicle, but I have been burned once too often. The quality and reliability of the Windstar were deplorable.

On top of all this, when I traded this vehicle in, the trade in value was a mere $3400. This vehicle listed $26500 new. You take a beating all the way around.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th April, 2005

1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L V6

Summary:

No, No, No, Two Words. Piece of Crap

Faults:

What things have gone wrong? Everything!

Power Steering (repetitively)

Transmission (" ")

A/C condenser

Excessive wear on front tires.

The van has been in the shop more than on the road.

The Van has only 82000 miles on it and its acting like the wheels are about to fall off.

Very safe when it actually works properly.

General Comments:

There are many Design flaws, plus many mechanical flaws. I am writing this to the general public, Do not try to buy a first year vehicle. Especially when it is a Ford.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th March, 2005

26th Mar 2005, 08:26

Piece of crap!

17th May 2005, 16:50

I have driven other Ford models (mid 90-late 90 Thunderbirds (low miles) and big Bronco) with the transmission clunk...

1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8

Summary:

It rides comply

Faults:

Transmission

Valve Cover Gaskets

Manifold Gaskets blew at 70,000

Timing

A/C

Windows stopped

Mass Air Flow

Replaced O2 Sensor several times.

General Comments:

Now the the check engine light won't go off, and it is surging. can any one help. I have spent too much money on repairs. I love the ran it handles, but it is eating me up on repairs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th March, 2005

19th Mar 2005, 12:53

The engine surging or just coughing and dying is what I had too. The problem came from the connector for the vacuum line. If you open the hood and look at the engine, there is a rubber cap just on the front with a small plastic tube coming out of it. The rubber gets old and soft and then air leaks in or it just pops out like in my car. I taped it back and it lasted a couple of years, but the rubber keeps on softening and the coughing came back. Finally I bought a new one at the dealer for $20. Could not find generic replicas out there.