2003 Ford Windstar Reviews - Page 5 of 5

6th Feb 2005, 03:51

Since when is transmission problems on a Windstar "rare"? From what I'm reading on here its very common. The tranny on our '98 is doing just fine, from which I've been told NOT having problems is rare!

10th Apr 2005, 18:06

My 2003 Windstar has 16000 miles on it today. The transmission had to be REPLACED when it had 12000 miles on it! Now the transmission is acting up again and the TRAC control comes on for no reason at all!

View 6 more comments

2003 Ford Windstar LX 3.8 from North America

Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2004
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	3.8 Automatic
Performance marks	7 / 10
Reliability marks	9 / 10
Comfort marks	9 / 10
Dealer Service marks	3 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	5 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	6.6 / 10
Distance when acquired	27000 miles
Most recent distance	29000 miles
Previous car	Ford Taurus

Summary:

Hey, it's a Ford

Faults:

Automatic door-locking feature intermittent.

Power window motor noisy.

Remote hood latch adjusted wrong.

Engine "pings" under a load in low gear.

General Comments:

I have not noticed any transmission problems during up-shift or down-shift on this vehicle as other people have reported. (I have owned several Fords, and I know exactly what the problem feels like- my old F-250 and Fairmont did it!). We test drove ALL other minivans, and only the new Ford Freestar and Toyota 2004 minivan compare in comfort and performance. We live in mountainous terrain, and only the Fords and Toyota could not only go uphill, but downhill safely without lugging the engine or overheating the brakes. The Dodge/Plymouth was straight up dangerous on steep grades! The only real significant problem we have had is a re-occuring detonation/pre-ignition problem when under load in first gear. The Ford technicians at our local dealership say that nothing is wrong, which is probably what the OBD computer is telling them, but it still pings. Does anybody have any ideas? I think the timing is running to far advanced, but don't think I can adjust it on this vehicle myself??!

As for performance itself, the car gets about 17 m.p.g., runs fine, but it is not a "performance vehicle" as some people have stated. It doesn't like to take corners fast, and if you can call its acceleration great, then take a ride in our stock 2001 Ford Taurus with the 24 valve V-6! I guess you could call the engine adequate in this minivan, but like all the other minivans we drove, none really felt spirited. We call this vehicle "mom's taxi"~!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th August, 2004

19th Aug 2004, 16:27

Have you tried using a higher octane fuel?

18th Jan 2007, 09:35

To fight the ping you may want to try Lucas Oil Fuel Treatment. It cleans injectors and removes carbon deposits. It made my van run smoother and it's cheap enough. In case your steep inclines are up there in thin air a low resistance air filter (K&N) might help as well. Good luck!

View 7 more comments

2003 Ford Windstar Sport 3.8L 200hp from North America

Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2003
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	3.8L 200hp Automatic
Performance marks	9 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Dealer Service marks	10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	6 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	8.6 / 10
Distance when acquired	75 kilometres
Most recent distance	54000 kilometres
Previous car	Ford Windstar

Summary:

High Performance, Loads of Room

Faults:

Nothing at all. We've had the van going on two years and it runs great.

Like many of the other Windstar owners, I've noticed something wrong with the first to second gear shift under slow acceleration. If the RPM's are up past 3, it's fine.

General Comments:

The Van has been great, the 3.8L v6 is strong, and can squeal away from a stoplight no problem. I've kept up with my buddies Sunfire GT, and Mustang, so it has some balls. Tops out at about 178 km/h, and runs 0-60 in about 9 seconds. Fun to drive, and nobody can believe how quick it is for "a family van".

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th March, 2004

11th Oct 2006, 14:54

You take your van to the task! I am a feather-foot compared to you. I usually don't get above 3000 rpm on acceleration and I am cruising at about 2400rpm. My van rarely shifts hard, but I have added some Lucas Oil Transmission Fix. It does help. I achieve about 16 to 20 miles per gallon which seems low to fair. What is your fuel consumption? Is anyone achieving better results and how?

2003 Ford Windstar 3.8 from North America

Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2003
Most recent year of ownership	2003
Engine and transmission	3.8 Automatic
Performance marks	7 / 10
Reliability marks	2 / 10
Comfort marks	7 / 10
Dealer Service marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	6.2 / 10
Distance when acquired	0 miles
Most recent distance	600 miles
Previous car	Ford Windstar

Summary:

This is my second Windstar and my second piece of junk

Faults:

There is a problem with the transmission when it shifts from first to second gear. Luckily it's under warranty.

General Comments:

The engine has enough power.

The interior is comfortable and roomy.

The cargo area is good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th December, 2003

16th Dec 2003, 09:27

What happened to your first windstar. When you have the car a little bit longer then tell us how it is. If you first windstar was that much of a problem, why did you buy another.

26th Dec 2003, 18:35

Dear sirs;

I own a 2002 ford wind star van. Done replaced 2 power steering pumps replaced strut bearings and strut plates because they were proclaimed froze up at 29,000 miles come on please. Still drives bad hard to steer told to put 35 lbs of air in tires did so, but no avail, went up as high as 40 lbs. of air in tires no avail. Replace headlamp assembly because of condensation in lens. although no breaks or holes in assembly. Colder the weather harder to drive makes some people wonder.