1996 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L
Summary:
Well designed, but, poorly manufactured
Faults:
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.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 19th October, 2002
15th Apr 2004, 18:25
I have a 2000 Windstar and the transmission gave out on me yesterday in traffic. It has only 55,000 miles. Did you ever get anywhere with Ford? I am furious! I guess my father was right about what FORD stands for!