1996 Ford Windstar LX review from North America
"Well designed, but, poorly manufactured"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission Master Cylinder Ring Cracked at 18,000 miles - warrantied.
Popping sound under drivers floor board, dealership could never find it.
02 sensors went out at 40,000 miles.
Head gasket blew at 60,000 miles.
ABS sensor went out on right rear wheel around 60,000 miles.
Power lock switches chatter when pressed, no longer smooth and quiet.
Sliding door came loose from mounting brackets.
Left rear vent motor went out - while opened if you can believe it.
2 of the 3 power points have broken loose from the panels that hold them.
Ignition switch and door sensors are bad, door open alarm sounds a lot of the time.
Ignition problems at 120,000 miles caused by a bad connector. cost $876.00 to find, all labor, $12.75 for the connector.
The trunk lock has let loose from the body. It now turns freely and pops out on occasion. This has occurred in the last few weeks.
General comments?
The car when new was wonderful and under warranty, but it was cheaply built. As evidenced by switch, motor and sensor failures.
It is still comfortable to drive despite all the little problems and in general had been reliable. I have found it too handle very well under emergency conditions, like tire blow outs and black ice.
The Windstar is very hard on brakes. I started to replace them myself do to the frequency of failure. Also, the ware indicators on most of the pads are too little, too late. When they are heard the rotors are trashed.
Recommended reviews
| Squeaky, leaky, bad investment |
| Sell your Windstar before the warranty expires |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 50 miles |
| Most recent distance | 128000 miles |
| Previous car | Mazda Protege |
| Date of Entry | 19th October, 2002 |