Faults:

Head gaskets, again and again. The engine and head gaskets had been replaced when I purchased the used van with 89,000 miles. One year later, they were replaced again at 108,000 miles. Six months later and they need to be replaced again at 115,000 miles. Neither dealer nor Ford are willing to stand behind their work. Needless to say, the van has been traded in on a historically more reliable model.

The windshield wiper control would not always work without turning it on and off several times. The intermittent wiper setting is extremely irregular between cycles. Front wiper fluid took a long time to come out while button was being pressed.

Thermostat fluctuated wildly while the car was stopped at traffic lights, the gauge often reading "H" until the car started moving again. Thermostat would often start out mid-way up the gauge, even after an overnight rest.

General Comments:

This van may be comfortable and powerful, but it is a waste of money.

Faults:

The head gasket blew at 78,000 miles.

The transmission has been slipping for quite a while now.

The motor mounts have had to be replaced.

The air conditioner switch sometimes sticks.

General Comments:

The interior and the comfortable seating is the only good thing I have found with this car.

Faults:

The brakes never seemed to work right. They were noisy and thumped right from the start, but we were told that this was normal. We have never been comfortable that our brakes were OK. We eventually had them fixed twice.

The anti-lock braking system light came on, and we were told that it would be very expensive to fix, but that the brakes would still be OK if we didn't fix the anti-lock braking system.

The electrical system is terrible. Malfunctions seem to be related to humidity, as most malfunctions occurred in the summer. Interior lights stay on all night. The only way to get them to go out was to pull the fuse. Alarm bells go off randomly.

Transmission also never seemed right. It has always been difficult to put into gear after starting up from being parked on a hill. Gave a loud "clunk" when put into gear. Recently (100,000 miles or so) began slipping badly.

The latest failure is the head gasket that blew at 110,000 miles, and will require an engine replacement at a cost of $4000. We were told that there was an "owner notification" sent out about the head gasket in March 2000, but we never received it. Regardless, Ford would only pay to repair the head gasket if it failed within 6 years or 100,000 miles. I still can't figure out the logic of that.

General Comments:

Overall, the car is very comfortable, and has a lot of cargo and passenger room. But the repairs and recalls and annoying electrical bugs are too much. I would not buy another one.