Comments: 1-15, 16-17
Everything is wrong with this car so I took it back to the cheap Ford dealer. I'd rather keep my Toyota Previa, it is almost 9 years old and working like new, not like the Ford Windstar.
My advice - never buy a Ford.
I bought a Windstar and love it. The gas mileage is wonderful, the room is so much nicer than a car. I had a Dynasty and loved it until I got my van. I would never go back to a car.
I can't believe what I've read about these Windstars. It seems every year I looked at, there were way more negative comments then positive ones. We have a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport and we love it. I know the Honda and the Toyota are much better vehicles, but they are way more expensive too.
Just bought a 2001 Windstar and the wife just loves it. She has driven Caravans the last five years and she likes the Windstar the best of all. We have the SE model that has a lot of goodies. She likes the adjustable pedals and power seats. Good power and nice looks. Two early to check fuel mileage. So far so good...
When you see reviews this low with hatred, kind of makes you wonder if the reviewer is slightly biased. We know how it goes huge explictives for a Ford, and Toyota has seemless quality that can never ever fail.
If any vehicle was as bad as you say the Windstar is and as good as the Previa, how come everyone doesn't save money for a 9 year old Previa, perhaps you just have too much rage boiling in you.
Ford has been in business over 99 years, they are the 2nd biggest auto maker in the world, they can't be that successful if the rubbish you say about them was true.
I bought a new 2000 Windstar and have been very pleased with it. Only problems have been cosmetic with the paint and the window came off the track.
It is by far the best looking minivan (OK, ours is all black and has the spoiler) in my opinion.
I have a 1995 Windstar. It is the worst car I have ever had. There have been major problems from the very beginning.
We have a new transmission, a brand new engine, have had to have the rotors cut twice, have replaced the brakes twice, have had oil leaks, constant stalling, the list goes on and on, not to mention the 6 recalls on the vehicle.
The problems started immediately, and because we bought it, we were stuck with it. I'm with the commentator of the Toyota Previa remark... we have a '91 Acura Integra. That car has given us no problems. We change the oil and maintain it and that's it. I don't have to worry about where I will be with 3 children the next time a light goes off or the car just dies. That's what a good car should do for you. I've probably spent more than 30 working days sitting in the service center. Never again.
We purchased a 2000 Windstar SEL and have had some troubling problems with the car. It seems that when we left the rear passenger doors or the rear hatch open for an extended length of time (less than 1 hour) the battery would drain and the car would not start. It took several trips to the Ford dealer to find the source of the problem, which has finally been fixed. We have heard of other Windstar owners having similar problems.
We have a 1995 Windstar LX. From the very beginning we have had problems.
We had the head-gaskets replaced and I had to fight to get that paid for even though there had been a recall.
Since we bought it used, we have received no recall information and I had to rely on a friend to tell me when there were any. The only one he told me about was the head gaskets. Now I find out there was more and maybe I could have gotten other things paid for too.
We had to get a new transmission and new water pump. It has been sitting in my driveway for over a week now.
I had windows stick down on me, brake problems, air bag light comes on and off, light saying my door is open goes on and off, but stays on most of the time.
Side door was stuck, rear view mirror fell off.
Now the cooling fans have gotten stuck again and the air conditioning and heater doesn't come through the back vents and on the roof.
I absolutely love my van (when it works). I've gotten a lot of use out of it since it does have 155,000 miles on it. As far as comfort goes, it's the most comfortable van I know of. We just drove to New York City with it two months ago. The trip was 8 hours long. I'm just glad it decided wait till we got home to break down.
I love the van and I can put up with all the little things that have gone wrong. Obviously I trust it enough to drive it that far with that amount of miles. I think the thing I'm most mad at is Ford for not letting us know about the recalls when they came along. I was just watching the news last night and I happened to catch that there was another recall! Did anyone hear about it and if you did, would you let me know what it was about?
Go to a dealership for your vehicle. Give the vin # and you will get a list of recalls.
Bought a new 2001 Windstar in early spring 2002. Have two major problems. When we get any sort of breeze the car is very difficult to control. It is all over the road. Had a 1998 Windstar previously and was very predictable, As the wind increased there was a corresponding degree of steering input required to keep it centered on the road. With this 2001,the minute the wind picks up you are pushed 3 to 4 feet off line before you can react. Very dangerous on single lane roads! Second problem is rumbling sound at 97 to 106 km/hr and also when car is in 4th. gear at around 1400 rpm. Have bought 4 new tires as didn't like thread design on original tires, but has not solved problem. Any one out there have any answers to above problems?
We own a 2001 Windstar SEL, purchased new. Problems have been ongoing from the start. It was delivered with the interior roof paneling 2 inches short at the front.
Just a few months later the interior cabin lights would not turn off. This was repaired under warranty by the dealer - a faulty contact we were told.
A year later the engine repair warning light turned on mysteriously and required the replacement of the computer "mother board".
Two weeks ago the oil pressure light turned on and before I could even bring the van to a full stop it stalled. The oil had completely spilled on the spot and the engine seized.
The van has been parked at the dealers now for 2 weeks. The faulty parts have apparently been sent to Ford for examination. The process is expected to take weeks and in the meantime we are without transportation. The dealer has told us that the repairs will be in excess of $2000 and may not be covered by the warranty because we had exceeded the time/mileage for our next oil change by 2 months or 2000 Km, or possibly because I had not immediately shut the engine once the oil pressure light had come on.
We have had this vehicle for 2 years and the mileage is under 47,000 Km.. We use it strictly for personal local travel and our annual trip To Cape Cod. I can't imagine that in this day and age, missing an oil change by 2000 Km would cause a catastrophic engine failure. I also can't imagine that Ford, or any other car manufacturer, would build vehicles with so low mechanical thresholds. If that is indeed the case then "BUYER BEWARE" takes on a whole new dimension.
My wife and I bought our used 2001 Windstar SEL two weeks ago and couldn't be happier! It has just about every option available for the SEL and even most of what comes on the Limited, Including the Video entertainment system, which has already paid for it self in keeping the peace in the back seat!
My wife drives it most the time, taking our kids to school and running local errands. I have driven it to work a few times, 62 miles round trip, the van drove steady with lots of power, no wind pushing, or drifting. I love the power side doors, I wish the back door was power like the Grand Caravan ES that we looked at before buying the Ford.
Other things I like about the Windstar, all the interior lights, from front to back there are reading lights that come on all at ones or one at a time, the overhead console has a convex mirror to keep an eye on the kids, a place to put the sunglasses, two buttons for operating the power side doors and another light! The front seats are extremely comfortable with power up, down, back, forth, and tilt, also a nice adjustable lumbar support in both passenger and driver seats. The center seats are also buckets with nice arm rests, also very comfortable. The back bench will hold 3 people, but is much more comfortable with two. The leather interior is top notch, very soft and durable. When you open up the driver or passenger doors there are MORE lights! There is a red warning light on the lower half of each front door visible from behind the van, it also illuminates the ground a bit for better footing. When the power side doors are opened the rearview mirror on the side that the door is opening flashes, warning passers by that a person/kid could be stepping/jumping out. One last thing I like (I could actually go on and on, but I won't bore you) is the two tone paint, we got the Tropical Green over Gold, its just beautiful.
Now the things I don't like, when you step into the gas from a stop you can really hear the engine rumble.
OK that's it! that's all I don't like.
All-in-All id buy this van again.
I have a 2001 Windstar with about 53k miles on it. At 40k the transmission had to be replaced as did the water pump. The work done on the transmission was unsatisfactory and at 53k I had to take it back as there were loose and missing bolts; this is a matter of record. The mantra by the service advisor was that the 12,000 mile warranty had expired and I should have brought it back earlier. She said I was being unreasonable when I told her it hadn't been done right in the first place. After a long speech from me we parted the best of friends, not. She called back a few hours later, said a missing bolt had been replaced, and that the work was free and I could pick up the car. Oh yes, the emission light was on and I asked her to check that too. She said the emission work that was necessary was not covered by the warranty. Hmmm, it says right in my manual that virtually every emission device on the car is covered for 80,000 miles. Have I missed something?
I have openly mindedly read all the pros and cons of the Ford Windstar and respect all of them.
We have recently purchased a 2001 Ford Windstar SEL with
all the options. Our previous van was a 1995 Mercury Villager, which is a twin of the Nisson Quest.
We purchased the Villager in Nov.1997 with 59,000 miles on it, it had been on a two year lease. Even tho at 134,000 miles on it we traded it in because of the work it would need...a steering box (morning sickness in winter), tires, tune-up and other routine maintenance for the mileage. We were afraid the computer would go out or the transmission.
All and all this was the best, most comfortable, performing vehicle we had ever owned.
I am keeping an optimistic view that the Windstar will perform at least respectable to other makes.
With all the options, I will expect some problems, hopefully not major.
I have noticed more road noise than our 1995 Villager, but every vehicle is different.
My wife and I recently bought a 2001 Windstar LX. I honestly think this is going to be a van we can rely on. We have had a Dodge Caravan and it ran for well over 365,000 km.I'm not partial to Ford, Dodge, Chevy or any of the others. I think if you take care of it then you should have no problems.
I have read several comments in the 2001 Windstar section that refer to 1995's and such. Maybe it's just me, but I think if some people have problems with one vehicle then they attribute it to all the vehicles in that class and year.
My Windstar LX runs smooth, it's quiet, and no, the slightest wind doesn't throw me off course. So far I would recommend this vehicle to friends and family.
Thank you.