1998 Ford Windstar Reviews - Page 26 of 27

First was the transmission, it started having trouble at 55K, but Ford could find nothing wrong. At 62k the transmission failed completely.

At 64k the tie rod ends had to be replaced.

At 65k the front brake calipers left failed eating up the pad and front rotor.

Warning to all potential Ford Wind Star owner and purchasers. Beware that your van will begin to self-destruct when it hits 60,000 miles.

I had warranty on this until 60,000 miles, at which time everything seemed to go wrong. I would not buy another Ford due to lack of customer service I have received.

At 58,000 miles the transmition seemed to have trouble shifting, but it was sporadic. Contacted dealer once to review problem and they could find nothing wrong. At 59,000 miles took to another service tech to see if they could spot problem because I was having trouble still and warranty up at 60,000 miles. Finally at 61,000 miles (with warranty up of course) the service tech told me it was the transmition which could go at any time. I argued this was an ongoing problem and he jumped back with there was nothing he could do since the warranty was up. I received no help what so ever from Ford and have made several complaints.

In addition, I too have had problems with the brake light coming on for no reason. I have had the brakes checked numerous times with no problems found.

The car is comfortable and drives "OK", but I would never buy another due to the reliability and service I received.

Definately do not buy one without extended warranty-eventhough it didn't help me.

Passenger door automatic lock motor.

Side door sensor saying whether or not the door was properly shut.

Has been an excellent vehicle. Taken 2 trips to FL in it from Maine - only complaint is that the front seat isn't all that comfortable for such a long drive. Reliability has been excellent.

Idler bearing for belts.

The van gets a lot of use as you can tell by the miles, and the only thing is in the winter the transmission takes a while to work smooth. Sometimes up to 2 minutes. Once warm the van runs good. Have put virtually no money into it.

You name it, I've had it replaced. From 2 rear window motors to extensive right front wheel work, to steering wheel, struts, bearings, etc. All of this while under warranty.

Now that it is off, I have spent close to $1,000 on repairs that I believe were originally caused by warranty work. The dealer changed owners and they don't care about what was worked on or agreed in the past.

Overall the car is quite comfortable. My major gripe is with the part failures (even new ones have been replaced) and the general mechanics of this auto.

Transmission:

Four have been in the vehicle (Original, 23,000K, 28,000K, 35943K). I was told on tranmission number 3 that the 4-second slippage was "normal operation". Another Ford dealer confirmed the problem and replaced the transmission. So far, no slippage, although the transmission doesn't feel normal (slips in and out of overdrive at around 45-50 MPH on a level road).

Steering:

Rack and pinion assembly has been replaced at 23000, as well as the power steering pump. In 33,543 miles, I've had 3 sets of tires on the front of this car, only to have Ford tell me that the problem was with my tie rods and that the latest set of tires were not covered under the warranty because the Ford dealer "Mahwah Ford, Mahwah N.J." are the "technical diagnosticians" and that they back the decisions of the dealers. The dealer has advised that they have already paid for one set of replacement tires and although the latest set of tires lasted only 9591 miles, and failed as a direct result of factory supplied materials/components (tie rods), and despite the past poor service history, they will not reimburse me. The NJ department of consumer affairs is now looking into fraud and failure to back the warranty.

Oh, did I forget to tell you about the brake failure due to dealer negligence, and the fact that they charged me to replace brakes that didn't need replacement; the underlying brake problem was a leaking brake line that they had replaced approximately four months previously. So, talk about leaving me and the other drivers on the road in an unsafe condition. "The reason your brake light comes on is because you need brakes". After several hundred dollars later, the problem was determined to be a leaking brake line.

What about the front bearings, the door lock actuator, etc. I'm in for the long haul, and I'll be sueing Ford and the Ford dealership.

In 2.5 years, my vehicle was in the shop on 15 different occasions. 68 out of 70 days due to Warranty Related Repairs. Is "Quality is Job 1" still Ford's motto? If so, Ford had better replace it. This certainly is not the case.