1998 Ford Windstar review from North America

...Mr. Ford is probably turning in his grave.

I'm writing this from a motel room somewhere in North Carolina, on Interstate 95, this piece of crap '98 Windstar, is sitting on the parking lot without 3rd and 4th gear... and without ALL interior lights, they just do not shut off anymore, like the door ajar... so I yanked all of them out, to prevent a battery drainage...

We are from New York... where is the CEO of Ford? If I knew where he is, I'd run him over doing 30mph, nice and slow and hopefully painful, that's all it can do before I blow something (I already heard belt slipping)...

Rack n pinion is shot, steering wheel is not turning smooth, power steering fluid is nice and metallic in colour, turned real fast after a recent power steering fluid drain, the closest to the interior pulley is sitting crooked, looks like the serpentine belt will slide off eventually, and it's not loose!!!, Already one groove off.

When braking lightly at slow speeds, it sounds like the brake pads are grinding, but they are fine.

I tried to look into to the brake fluid reservoir... what have the designers and engineers of Ford been smoking?!?!?!? HOW THE HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSE TO SEE THE FLUID LEVEL, NEVER MIND ADDING SOME???

Passenger window doesn't go all the way up, even with help of four hands! Rear window works every other time.

I already know about the possibility to be hit over my head by the overhead console, due to the bad clip... damn this might as well be the box I'll be buried in!

This is NOT everything!!! I have a cracked spring holder (forgot the name) covered by additional 10 year warranty (a major recall due to corrosion). The dealership refused to fix it saying the vin number does not indicate my 89' Windstar has a problem or a recall!!!

By the way there is a recall for a rack n pinion on these "cars" too and MANY others, look it up.

Then I realized... a BANKRUPT corporation is only sucking more money from the state (by chapter 11 or 13, not sure which, don't even care) YOURS AND MY TAX $$$$!!! This is racketeering by "QUOTING" parts, they make parts to last some 30-40k miles!!! Not more..

HELLO BOYCOT FORD (FORD=FROD)

instead go for Toyota Siena/Previa, Honda Odyssey, Mazda MPV. They like every other automobile has their faults, none are perfect, but do not compare Japanese style of capitalism (instead of one big fat CEO, there are several groups of people controlling and overseing each other... the shareholder is the CEO!!!).. to american GREEDALISM, with which everyone here is familiar with...

PLEASE PASS THIS ON, if you can, it's midnight and I have to think how to get my family home from a vacation from hell, to which we never got anyways, we were on the way to Florida!!!

Pardon my spelling, I'm Ukrainian and exhausted. Please post this, after a 15 hour stretch with 3 females 9, 17 and 28 yo, the last hour and a half I'd like to forget forever.

If you have any info on some fixes that I can do please: Borisugo@hotmail.com

Also, from what I've found out, to other "happy customers" with overdrive suddenly kicking in, or "loosing" 3rd and /or 4 gear, there is some kind of an electronic sensor/device on top of the gearbox, that should be replaced, I'll find out tomorrow, already today. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Bobby.