2000 Ford Windstar SEL from North America

Summary:

A frustrating experience so far

Faults:

We have had several problems with our van since we purchased it used from a large, national used car dealer.

Some are things that I believe were fixed/replaced in an attempt to correct an ongoing problem with a shimmy/vibration when the vehicle reaches 60 mph and greater:

Replaced left front bearing and axle.

Replaced rear shocks.

Replaced a bent wheel.

Rotated and balanced tires several times (to no avail)

Front wheel alignment.

Replaced all four tires (most recently)

Brake repair (shoes/pads/resurfaced rotors)

General Comments:

This hasn't cost us anything besides time and convenience (we do not have our own van to drive on the average of 2-3 per month since Oct.'03). The used car dealer has provided us with loaners.

However, the shimmy/vibration/tremor is still there! Nothing has helped and it is now beyond frustrating. It seems to be coming from the rear of the van - passengers in the back definitely feel it and when no one is in the third bench seat, you can see the headrests shaking as if someone were throttling them with their hands.

Has anyone else experienced this? It is now being sent to a Ford service dept. and I have a nagging suspicion we will be told that it is "normal," when, in fact, it simply isn't.

I love the extras with the van (leather seats, power sliding doors, lots of room, DVD player) but I am beginning to regret this purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 15th January, 2004

13th Feb 2004, 21:50

Something is definitely wrong with your Wind-star. Though I think quality is questionable in many areas, the one thing that excels in the 2000 Wind-star that I drive is the ride. It's the most comfortable van I've ever driven.

18th Mar 2004, 18:33

I noticed that you didn't mention replacing the stabilizer bar bushings, ball joints or tie-rod ends, these are the main causes for the problem you described. I want to suggest that you check the steering gear mounting bushings as well. I own a 2000 Windstar XL and it's a great vehicle.

27th Apr 2004, 19:18

Beware of the 2000 Windstar. Our SEL was a smooth ride, and needed only minor repairs at first. I was initially very happy. At 47,000 miles the check engine light went on. At 55,000 mies, the transmission went. After two weeks in the shop, they tell us the computer is malfunctioning and they haven't been able to fix it yet. Not knowing the reputation of the car and having driven all of our former vehicles (Toyota, Nissan, Chevy) over 140,000 miles each with no major problems, we did not buy the extended warranty. Poor decision, as we will be out close to $4000.

28th Jun 2004, 10:12

Your vibration/shimmy may be the result of the auto transmission shifting. There is history with these transmissions that give a shudder or vibration as the lock-up engages. My 2000 Windstar is doing the same thing. Needs filter and fluid change to fix. Also these transmissions don't last. Lots of web info to that effect. Hope this helps you out.

2000 Ford Windstar SE 2.8L V6 from North America

Summary:

A good looking van that is cheaply made, BEWARE!

Faults:

There have been so many annoying problems with this van!

Let's start with the door locks. Sometimes they work sometimes they don't! The passenger sliding door does not activate the overhead light to come on, nor does it unlock on the first try.

The driver side door doesn't lock, or unlock with key-less entry. However, it only costs $179 to fix this problem!

The air intake gaskets have been replaced twice at $330 each time.

Finally, this week the transmission light and engine light came on simultaneously to reveal that the torque converter in the transmission is not building enough pressure. This repair is made by replacing the transmission at 88K miles. A $2300 repair.

We've also had a clicking noise when we don't use "premium" gas. This problem was fixed by adjusting the electronic timing, but was annoying and expensive.

We are, over all, dissatisfied with this van. We still owe $6000 on it and are sad to say it's the first car we've bought that had major problems before it was paid off.

General Comments:

We are not pleased with the quality of this model.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th January, 2004

30th Jul 2004, 16:58

We also have a 2000 windstar. I agree the door locks suck. But we are too cheap to get it fixed. We also have a 95 windstar, and it doesn't have keyless entry anyway, so we are used to it. I must say though, this is a major step up from our 1990 Plymouth Voyager.