1995 Ford Windstar LX from North America - Comments

1. Sliding door reinforcement bracket recall (warranty).

2. Sliding door electrical contacts (warranty).

3. Radio negative volume control (warranty).

4. Starter motor cable assembly coroded (warranty).

5. Head gasket leakage tested under recall (no work required).

6. Head Gasket replaced under Ford extended recall. Symptoms were intermittent heat in vehicle and fluctuating engine temperature.

7. Rear brake cylinders leak. Replaced at my cost.

8. ABS light on prematurely

9. Hand brake light intermittent due to ABS light being on.

Although Ford has stood behind its' product up to this point it seems, I am generally worried and disappointed at the types of problems I have seen. It is my first Ford vehicle and it is very likely to be my last. It boggles the mind that Ford could possibly screw-up the design of an engine or a transmission. This has to be pretty straight forward stuff these days. The only options left are that they either don't attract the best engineers or they do it intentionally. Is the service business this good? Somewhere, somebody at Ford has a business case with a very positive net present value that is based on some number of vehicles being defective. These problems are not manufacturing problems, they are design problems. After I get my Windstar back from the shop this Wednesday, I'm selling it and either buying a Japanese mini-van or a sedan. You drive this off the lot, change the oil, and do nothing else for at least 5-6 years.

I'm also considering selling my Ford Windstar and buying a Toyota or Honda. I really had high hopes of getting a reliable car with my Ford but it's falling apart mechanically at 98,000 miles. I hate to get rid of it because it is so comfortable, but I can't afford to sink a lot of money into repair bills. Is this car really that bad or is it that satisfied customers don't write to websites to praise their Windstars?

Why don't you buy a Chevy Venture or an Astro. These are good vans.