Faults:

Transmission failure at 58,000 miles.

Engine lost oil pressure and required re-build at 81,000 miles.

Engine lost oil pressure again at 116,000 miles.

Several times had battery go completely flat with no warning - finally turned out to be bad alternator.

General Comments:

I traded my Accord for this van because we needed the extra space.

The Windstar has good pickup, comfortable ride, and for the size of the vehicle was not bad on gas, but it has been very unreliable.

When the transmission failed it was under the extended warranty. However I had to pay for the 1st engine failure. When it failed the 2nd time I couldn't be bothered to waste anymore money on it.

I found the dealership service to be technically competent, but they have little regard for the customer.

Got rid of it for a 2005 Odyssey.

I could never consider another Ford product even though my other car is an old 92 Escort which runs flawlessly. In fact it was because of the Escort's reliability why I took a chance on the Windstar.

I think I paid for it twice!!!

Faults:

The speedometers on 1995 & 1996 Ford & Mercury products should have been recalled. The speedometer on my 1995 Ford Wind Star went bad, the speedometer started clicking, and the needle started twitching above 35 mph. It was impossible to tell how fast you were going. So, I traded it for a 1996 Ford Wind Star and bought the extended warranty with electrical coverage. When the speedometer went bad on the 1996 Ford Wind Star, I was told the warranty did not cover it, so I spent over $400 to replace it. When the speedometer went bad again, I traded it for a GM product. Recently, I bought a 1995 Mercury Sable and the same thing has happened to the speedometer, again. I wish I had the power, to make Ford reimburse me for what appears to be a widespead problem with their 1995/1996 speedometers.

General Comments:

Without the speedometer problems, I really enjoyed both the Ford Windstar and the Mercury Sable.

Faults:

Door sensor went at 45,000. ABS system went bad at 100,000. Bad rotors. Transmission started to slip at 100,000 but we never replaces it. It's OK when it's not switching gears.

General Comments:

It has been a good van for us. It’s reliable and it handles well even in the winter storms. There are some little problems, but no major one. The van has 153,000 on it, but still drive like a champ on expressway. The AC works well after all these years. The transmission is slipping when changing gears. The ABS went bad. This van gets a lot of cargo space, but the bench seats are a pain to remove. It’s a lot of car for the 3.0L engine, so the pickup is slow. We bought a 2005 Grand Caravan SXT Stow n’ Go and are still plan to keep this van as cargo van.

Faults:

The door open light stays on, which causes the interior lights to stay on until reaching 15 MPH. This isn't too bad, except backing out at night.

The ABS worked intermittently and now works fine since changing tires.

General Comments:

This is a very comfortable vehicle, especially on long trips.

Faults:

The speedometer failed at 63,000 miles.

The front wheel bearings failed at 70,000 miles.

The head gasket failed at 73,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car has been a significant disappointment compared to our results with Honda Accords. We had two Accords, one that we drove for 12 years, with only the replacement of the water pump and our current one that has 160,000 miles with no work other than routine maintenance. The car was maintained with all service at less than the recommended intervals, yet after 6 ½ years and 63,000 miles we replaced the instrument cluster because the speedometer failed. One year and 10,000 miles later the front wheel bearing failed, with minimal warning. Two months later and 2,000 miles later, the head gasket failed, resulting in a $1,500 head gasket repair and $800 in additional repairs as a result of the head gasket failure. To date, Ford has refused to take any responsibility for these repairs, in spite of the history of problems with the 3.8L V-6.

If American car companies wonder why people buy Japanese cars, their lax attitude toward design and quality shows that they are the root of their own problems.