Faults:

At 50,000 miles - door slide failure.

At 59,000 miles - hood latch failure.

At 72,000 miles - head gasket failure.

At 90,000 miles - ignition switch failure.

At 98,000 miles - Compressor Failure.

At 110,000 miles - second head gasket failure.

General Comments:

Not fixing the car this time. Going to buy a GM or Chrysler.

Faults:

-Door Ajar light never turns off.

-There is a constant beeping as if the headlights have been left with the engine not running, and only stops beeping if you drive faster than 15mph.

-Transmission "kicks" every time it shifts from first to second gear.

General Comments:

This car's wiring and electrical systems are far too complicated for its own good, making servicing it a nightmare.

If the serpentine belt snaps, it has a tendency to hit several critical engine accessories or belts, thus requiring replacement of many items as opposed to just the belt.

The gas mileage is fair to poor... I get about 16mpg normally, but if there are passengers that number easily can go down to 13-14mpg.

Faults:

The transmission went at 449,990KM. Replaced 2 fuel pumps at about 250,000KM, and at 300,000KM.

General Comments:

Very reliable, handles grate, and very smooth.

Faults:

My rear wing windows quit working shortly after I purchased the van.

I noticed an antifreeze leak shortly after I purchased the van.

I have had continuous problems trying to fix the problem causing the door ajar lights to stay on and run down the battery.

A gasket was replaced recently to fix antifreeze leak.

The water pump was replaced at the same time as the gasket due to needed repair.

Possible head gasket issues were reported due to engine problems reported by other Windstar owners. Replacement of gasket is said to be the first sign of having to repair or replace motor due to head gasket problem.

General Comments:

I come from a long line of Ford lovers and my parents and I are very disappointed in the performance of our Windstars.

My parents Windstar has already had the motor replaced due to gaskets and it has been sold due to other problems with it.

Now I am having the same problems with my van and I am told I will most likely have to repair or replace the motor due to the same gasket problem.

Most repairmen that have worked on our vans have reported the gasket problem to us which makes me disgusted with the fact that Ford has not addressed this issue.

I have also been investigating my Ford Windstar on other information sites and have heard several other Windstar owners report the same gasket problem.

Why has this problem not been addressed by Ford and if it has, why have I not been informed?

Faults:

The front sway bars gave out at about 120,000 miles.

The transmission blew at about 130,000 miles.

The engine finally went out about 3,000 miles later at 133,000 miles.

General Comments:

The Ford Windstar with the 3.8L engine has to be one of the worst cars any manufacturer has ever made or marketed. When the front sway bars went out, I thought "Ok, this is just normal wear and tear", but all of my other vehicles I have owned have never had this problem.

My wife took our Windstar on a trip from the Washington, D.C. area to Port Charlotte, Florida in May of 2002. On her way back through Atlanta, the transmission gave out which cost me $ 1700.00 to be rebuilt.

Three months later the engine finally went. From the sound it was making and the performance and blowing out white smoke, I figured that the head gasket went out.

Instead of getting some money out of it for a trade-in, I had to donate it.

We bought a Chevy Tracker, basically a Suzuki Vitara, to replace it and aside from the only average performance, it has been more reliable and better than all of the Ford Windstars put together in my town.

I will never buy a Ford van again.