19th May 2003, 19:13

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?

7th Jun 2005, 20:30

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.

13th May 2009, 15:20

I've owned my 2001 Windstar for 7 years and it has been reliable, dependable, comfortable and for its size, economical. I think people who dislike something/have a bad experience with something tend to be MUCH more vocal than someone who's happy with the same thing - a happy customer has no real reason to even read these lists, much less comment negatively. I'm here to find out if it's worth trading my minivan, and stumbled on this thread, hence my comment.

3rd Jul 2009, 07:33

The biggest problem I see here is how we North Americans cut our own throats. I've done a lot of research with every manufacturer having issues, some more than others. What I don't understand is how we keep complaining about the lack of work/manufacturing in our country, but we keep buying exports. If you think depending on foreign oil is bad, wait until it's technology and etc. We are worth nothing, like our dollar, if we can't buy build anything. Buy domestic, even if it still has some foreign parts in it and some minor headaches.

God bless America because those exports won't!

4th May 2012, 17:34

Aside from the typical Ford electrical issues, I'd rather have a Windstar over a Previa any day. My friend owns a Previa, and parts are almost impossible to find, and if you do manage to come across something, then get ready to dish out hundreds of $$$ for a replacement.