2001 Ford Windstar SEL
Summary:
A lemon
Faults:
The Transmission had to be totally rehauled at 25,000 miles.
Now 2 weeks later the van transmission has failed again, and they are unsure what is wrong with it.
General Comments:
I am so disappointed with this vehicle. I love my van, but for the transmission to fail twice with less than 25,000 miles? And I have 4 children, 2 in car seats, and they won't give me a loaner vehicle. The first time it was in the shop they kept it for 8 days and had to totally overhaul the transmission. Now less than 2 weeks later, the van has the same problems. They have had again already for 3 days , and they have NO idea what is wrong with it. They have tried 2 different things and nothing has worked! Ford Motor Company told me they would furnish me with a loaner car, and now says its up to the dealership manager. All the other Ford dealerships in my area said they have loaner cars for me, but can't fix it because Ford wont' pay them since its under the original Factory warrenty and I had it fixed originally by another dealership. I am very angry and very upset. I feel they have me at a disadvantage. They know I can't take my car anywhere else, so they don't have to work with me.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 11th July, 2003
28th Dec 2003, 17:13
With transmissions on pre'99 windstars, I have heard that one problem may be the wiring harness that is in the steering column, where the Overdrive button is within the shift lever, had a friend had problems where tranny would not shift, had tranny pulled and overhauled, but yet would not shift properly, he had the Overdrive harness replaced and the problems have gone away... in general, most parts are built to last quite a long time, some will fail due to substandard parts. if the hardware checks out OK, check the wiring also..
My current problem is that I am getting grinding noises when I turn the steering left or right. Alignment is OK, so it can't be a tie rod problem, I can feel that the front shocks are needing replacing, but that is over bumps. the power steering reservoir is full. but yet it grinds and strains at the slightest turn and is getting worse every day of driving. I'm going to have to put it on a lift and pull both the pump and the rack and pinion to see whether 1.) the bearings are going bad on the pump, 2.) the rack and pinion is not meeting specification tolerances. that will take a whole day of my time in the shop, if I take it to the dealer, who knows what problems/ solutions they will come up with.
I like the windstar, plenty of room when you need to take out the third row of seats for cargo. Comfortable on those long trips, IMO it needs a larger fuel tank.