1998 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L from North America

Summary:

98 Isn't bad at 99K (knock on wood)!

Faults:

My biggest complaint is the stupid things that should never go wrong - power locks, door chimes and interior lights not shutting off. If the brake light fuse goes out, you cannot put the vehicle in gear! Ford is definitely lacking for both the electrical design and the cheap components!

General Comments:

At 99K, it has been a good vehicle. Be sure to flush the brake fluid at 75K. Change Trans fluid every 30K, and do the filter every other time. It gets black. The van runs great, and the engine uses no oil. It is not as good as my 93 Escort, but has been reliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th June, 2006

27th Jun 2006, 16:14

Whatever you do don't knock on the transmission as it will break...

1998 Ford Windstar from North America

Faults:

The vehicle has been nothing but problems. From the transmission, to the air conditioner, to the front wheel bearings, I have had to repair this vehicle none stop... Don't buy a Ford Wind-star, what a waste of money...

General Comments:

Lots of room on the side, right window motor went out, check engine light at 50,000, all problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 16th May, 2006

17th May 2006, 20:08

We have had a '98 Ford Windstar since it was 39,000 miles old to the 87,000 miles it has now 3 years later. It has been very reliable, with not even a check engine light coming on, and only routine maintenance needed. Ours was built in Canada, and it seems they do a better job up there with quality-control then the USA-built Fords.

1998 Ford Windstar LX 3.8 from North America

Summary:

Absolute and total crap

Faults:

Transmission needed to be replaced.

Air conditioner failed

Electrical system was a disaster.

Brakes were horrid.

Dash lights burned out constantly.

Hideous rattles from gas cap.

Seat belt clip broke.

General Comments:

Why not call it a Turd-star?

Absolute crap. Looked great and was comfortable, but was as reliable as my wife's emotional state just prior to menstruation.

The worst vehicle I have ever owned!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th April, 2006

29th Aug 2006, 08:44

That's funny... i have a 98 with over 170k on it... drives like a dream. I drive it 65 miles 1 way to work every day. only failed me once at 165k when the MAF sensor crapped out on me.

1998 Ford Windstar GL 3.8 from North America

Summary:

My Windstar is awesome!

Faults:

She was hit in the rear and is now undriveable.

General Comments:

What can I say about her?? I bought her in March of 2000 and have had her until last month when she was hit and incapacitated. I drove her for over 100,000 miles with absolutely no problem except for standard maintenance (oil changes, tires, etc.) During the summer of 2005, she started to feel her oats. I took her in for a tuneup and had to have the Intake Manifold Runner Control replaced. That is the only work I had done on her and even now, after the accident, she still starts on the first try. She is now sitting in my brother's driveway awaiting her repairs. If at all possible, I will not get rid of her. She is one of the best vehicles I've ever had in my 20+ years of driving.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th April, 2006

1998 Ford Windstar from North America

Summary:

Ford sucks

Faults:

The transmission quit at 90,000 kilometers. The rack and pinion and power steering pump went out 100,000 kilometres. The hubcaps all fell off around 95000 kilometres. The door ajar sensor went out 90,000 kilometres. The power steering and rack and pinion went out again 130,000 kilometers.

General Comments:

Come and get it and I will pay you to take it away.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th March, 2006

1998 Ford Windstar from North America

Summary:

Handy in a tight situation, watch out for overdrive sensor

Faults:

The overdrive sensor was faulty causing the car to stall when idleing. Front wheels squeeled every time you turned them.

General Comments:

Decent running, spacious, good gas mileage. Not any major problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th December, 2005

1998 Ford Windstar from North America

Faults:

Coolant seems to be going some place, but cannot locate leak. Nothing under the vehicle indicates leak, but overflow empty and coolant is always low?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 1st November, 2005

1998 Ford Windstar Model designation missing on r 3.0L V6 from North America

Summary:

I guess you can polish a piece of excrement!

Faults:

I bought the van in April from a dealer and have owned it for five months. Here is a list of what has gone wrong with it during these five months.

2 weeks after purchase - rear brake rotors started clunking and were diagnosed as warped. The service department turned them rather than replacing them.

The day after the rotor repair I had a huge grinding noise pop up on the right rear wheel. All of the sudden there was a bang then the noise was reduced to a minor squeaking in the wheel. Since then the ABS has been activating on normal roads under normal driving conditions. This was recently diagnosed as a broken wheel speed sensor.

3 weeks after purchase - both front and rear passenger side power lock motors died and were replaced.

4 weeks after purchase - transmission started grinding and shuddering between gears 1 & 2 upon take off requiring a $2700.00 rebuild.

4 weeks after purchase - AC pump stays engaged no matter what the dial is set to causing increased engine stress and decreased mileage.

3 days ago - mass air flow sensor died temporarily killing the van. I had to have my 8 month pregnant wife tow me 13 miles to the dealer with a 30 foot rope tied to the back of our 1997 Eagle Vision 3.5L. (The Eagle has 137,000 miles on it and has been through 3 accidents and runs great!)

General Comments:

The ride is excellent! The quality stinks! Fortunately I bought the extended warranty. They covered almost everything. However I was so displeased with the quality situation that I camped outside the dealer's office. He has offered to give me a 2000 windstar with less miles and more options on it for an even swap. I can't complain since I only paid $6500.00 for it to begin with. Of course the warranty cost another $1500.00. From what I've read I'm not really gaining anything though. The reviews for the 2000 model are just as bad as my 1998. I can say with relative certainty that after this van is paid for I won't be buying a Ford van again. Not unless they make some very public strides in quality and reliability. Of course I should have known better than to buy a Ford. I had an F250 once with serious wiring problems and an escort that lost compression and had to be junked. The most reliable vehicles I've ever had are my Eagle Vision (currently driving it) and my old 1992 Toyota Corolla. In fact my wife once threw the tranny of the Corolla into reverse at 40MPH and it didn't do anything to it. It only stalled when the pins finally engaged at 5MPH. It started back up and drove fine for years. If Toyota and Chrysler can make such dependable cars, why can't Ford? The style and ride are great Ford, just work on the durability!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th September, 2005