Problems with 1999 Ford Windstar POWER TRAIN

Sudden transmission failure. *jb

Transmission failure. *jb

The vehicle will not engage into gear, can move lever but vehicle will not move.

Transmission is primary issue has shifting problem at low speed, has over 8 tsb on the issue and has new transmission installed but still have problem the other issues are clearly common for this model as well, but this transmissionand fords lack of support from their service and dealers is unacceptable.

We purchased the 1999 windstar in dec 1998. from the first weeks of ownership, we have complained about the transmission. dealer changed transmission fluid and said nothing was wrong. problems were as follows: loud clunks when shifting from park to reverse, while foot pressing firmly on brake pedal; transmission hesitates when down shifting going around corners; as a passenger i felt as if the whole car was lunging causing dizziness to motion sickness (did not occur while i was driving); hard shifts between first & second; rear window wiper failed; power steering pump replaced which caused the rack & pinion seals to fail, which resulted in a new rack installed; egr valve rubber boot kept popping off until i placed a small hose clamp to hold it in place; check engine light stays on every since 15,000 miles; o/d button never worked; o/d light flashed repeatedly minutes prior to the transmission going out. now the ford dealer said i needed a new upper plenum, egr valve, pfe, valve cover gasket, battery cable and this was found while checking the transmission problem. i told them to forget it! $3k is enough to spend on a five year old car! this is all i can think of at this point.

Purchased used 11/15/02. upon 2nd routine oil change was advised that i had a trans. leak pan gasket. took the van to dealership (nemer ford) where purchased, advised them that the van was not shifting properly in addition to the gasket needing replacement.they advised me that the gasket did need to be replaced and that i should have the transmission flushed and serviced, i agreed to this service. there was still slight shuddering when shifting, but not like it was. upon taking it in for the 3rd routine oil change, i advised them that not only was the shuddering getting worse, but now the o/d light is flashing and the rpm's are jumping around. also told them that when you initially start the vehicle there is a momentary grinding noise. picked up the van and returned it for the exact same issues 19 days later. i have yet to take it back to the dealership as we are still experiencing all of the exact same issues, with the added twists of interior lights coming on when we hit bumps and turning off when we hit the next bump, when using the right hand turn signal, upon straightening out from the turn the left turn signal comes on all by itself, and last but not least there is an odor that can only be compared to raw sewer coming from under my hood, not sulfer, but sewer. to date the solenoid has been replaced, as has the torque converter, (with much resistance from the warranty company) i have a hard time believing that the ford corporation is unaware of these problems, as i am clearly not the only consumer dealing with these issues. thank you for your time, tiffany m. sanchez

1999 ford windstar with approximately 59,000 miles had unexpected transmission failure while driving at low speed. vehicle lurched "like it had hit a box" while accelerating from a stop sign. vehicle was immediately stopped to check for any debris; none found. upon re-entering vehicle, it could not be driven forward in "drive." vehicle could only be driven in "reverse" gear. vehicle towed to ford dealership and it was determined that entire transmission needed to be replaced. preventive maintenance was performed on the transmission by same ford dealership in november 2002. two of our in-laws also own 1999 ford windstars, one of whom is now on it's third transmission, and the other is currently experiencing occasional "slipping" of the transmission during acceleration. *nlm

Vehicle transmission went bad at 42,000 miles, ford windstar- manufacture would not assist in repairs, caused family to be stranded in remote area. had to have a new transmission installed. have had numerous other problems with the windstar. *jb

Transmission fail-forward clutch piston. stopped at stop sign and when i put foot on gas to go it just raced the engine. gears would not engage. no forewarning and only 33,000 miles on a lightly driven car! called ford dealer and corp. and they won't do anything. from what i read this is a very common occurrence and had i pulled into traffic this morning and lost it i would be writing this from a hospital!!! i think this needs to be brought to fords attention! i will be out of almost 2500 when this is over....money in these times that i cannot afford! *nlm

While driving a fire was observed by third party motorist. the fire emitted from under the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to world ford in pembroke pines, florida, for an initial assessment. according to world ford, the vehicle showed heavy transmission fluid leakage, but no obvious sign of fire or fire damage. the manufacturer declined to permit ford to work on the vehicle pending evaluation/inspection by nhtsa investigators to determine cause of fire, which may or may not be related to obvious transmission issues. *nlm *cb *jb

Car went "clunk" then wouldn't engage transmission while i was in the middle of heavy traffic. had van towed to dealer; transmission replaced -- had to extract a broken bolt from the exhaust manifold. *nm

I am having lots of troubles with 1999 ford windstar since the day i bought from dealer (lew webb ford, garden grove). 1. currently my van has manifold leakage. this has occurred immediately after the ford dealer fixed my transmission leakage. the price quoted is $1200 out of which i have to pay $540. i have already spent lots of money in maint & repairs. before this i had to take my van to dealer for following problems: transmission leakage at 37000 miles. front & back brakes at 37000 miles. electrical system failure. couple of recalls. currently it has approximately 50600 miles on odometer and i have been communicating to & fro with dealer. for the current problem dealer has offered me 55% in assistance. but my problem is i am wasting lots of time, money & energy to have all this problems fixed. i would prefer to hand this van back to dealer or atleast get more assistance from dealer or ford company. please advise me of any further action i should take. my phone number is[xxx]. thanks in advance for looking into this matter. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

1999 ford windstar with 63,000 miles transmission failure

Automatic transmission failed @ 71,000 miles, 3 1/2 yr old vehicle. reverse still worked, forward gears acted as though in neutral.

I have mechanical experience and maintain my vehicles religiously as i like to keep them as long as possible. we have a '99 ford windstar and at 30,800 miles the transmission gave out as my wife was driving through a busy intersection. she described it as a loud "bang" and then it would not go any further. after having it towed to the dealership they advised we had worn out the "clutches" and the transmision needed to be replaced. i had just driven the vehicle on a ski trip vacation the week before and the transmission did not slip or have any problems, something inside the transmission broke without any prior warning and left my wife and kids stranded in the middle of a busy intersection. after researching on the web and verifying through some connections i found that this is a consistent problem with these transmissions and it usually occurs between 30k to 50k miles. the dealership tried to make us pay since it was 800 miles over the warranty but after much deliberation they agreed to "let" us purchase an extended warranty and gave us a rebuilt transmision. we had the vehicle in several times previously for transmission recalls and performance issues. we never tow anything with our van and my wife mainly drives around the area to work and transporting our children. where my wife was stranded was on top of a hill in the middle of a 6 lane highway intersection and not only do i feel this is a quality issue perpetuated on ford customers but a safety issue also as was demonstrated at this time.

I pulled out of a restaurant parking lot into a roadway median so i could merge into traffic. we felt a jolt and heard a loud "thunk" sort of sound. the engine revved up high suddenly, but we weren't moving much. i let off the gas. the van rolled for a bit, but once we stopped it wouldn't go any more. no gears at all. dealer advised we need a new transmission. warrenty just expired. only 43,000 miles. i called ford and their response was along the lines of "yeah, that's a real shame."

We just had to replace the transmission in our 1999 ford windstar. it has 107,000 miles on the odometer. when we had 63,000 miles, we had to replace the power steering rack. this is a very expensive vehicle to own - especially with the expensive repairs that it requires.

My van was barely out of warranty when the o/d off light began flashing and the check engine light came on. the ford dealer told me that the check engine light was a result of a broken sensor weld on my intake manifold to the tune of approx. $900. they also stated that the o/d off light meant that the entire transmission needed replaced to the tune of $2,700. all this for being 1 month and 500 miles out of warranty. plus, i see that many people with ford windstars are experiencing the same thing at 35,000 miles and 70,000 (twice) so i see that i will undoubtedly have something to look forward to when the warranty runs out on the transmission... almost like the darned thing is deliberately designed to create a huge repair bill the moment it is out of warranty.

The transmission failed on our 1999 ford windstar while my wife was driving down the road causing her to have to unexpectedly pull over. the van only has 35k miles on it. we have to replace the transmission after so few miles. after perusing the internet, i discovered that this is a common problem on this vehicle.

Transmission went out on my 1999 windstar van ...has 61,300 miles on it....was putting it in drive from a stopped postion and heard a loud noise and almost sounded like explosion of sorts....like a backfire in muffler....does not go in drive at all....speedometer doesnt work when motor is revved ...*ak

Consumer stated that while vehicle was in park the vehicle will jump out of gear into reverse causing an accident and damage to the vehicle. dealer notified. ts

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Transaxles failed only 2 miles after being serviced by dealer, phil long ford invoice #focs570297. service concluded "power-flush", item h. parts invoice lists 14 "units of trans fluid @ $3.28 per unit. the manufacturer's owner manual lists maximum dry capacity as 12.25 quarts. the owner's manual also says "...while overfilling can cause foaming and loss of fluid. either condition will cause transaxle damage." *ph

Consumer states that while driving and no warning the over drive warning light will come on and if will be hard for the consumer to shift gear on the vehicle. dealer will be notified ts

Transmission "lurched" infrequently from day of purchase. i was told this was normal for a windstar. transmission failed suddenly and without warning while in traffic. no accident occured but easily could have. dt

Premature transmission failure with no warning. dt

Automatic transmission gears were reduced to metal dust. dt

1999 ford windstar, transmission experienced a complete failure. 78,000 miles, no warning given. dealer quoted $2500.00 for rebuilt tranny. as i understand, this vehicle has been plaqued with drivetrain problems. i would like to see ford be forced to repair/replace/reimburse owners for repairs that should have never been necessary.*jb

Consumer states vehicle will not go into gear. had vehicle towed. transmission failure. *mr

Overdrive light began flashing on and off. pulled over immediately and checked transmission fluid, which was slightly low. drove 8 miles to automotive store, purchased fluid and refilled. problem alleviated for two days, then overdrive light began flashing again. disconnected battery to reset systems. two weeks later overdrive light began flashing again. noticed rpms were up to 3 at 69 mph. took van to our mechanic, who told us the overdrive was failing. he then referred us to local ford dealer, who confirmed the overdrive was failing and entire transmission would have to be replaced. contacted ford motor company who told us financial assistance would be up to the dealership that inspected the transmission. they offered no financial assistance. price 1,800 for new transmission, not including labor. when driving home from the dealership, engine began stalling at low idle speeds. engine dies during take off or acceleration at low speeds. our mechanic inspected van and could find no engine failure problems. suspects association with transmission failure. van is high milage, but had 66,000 miles when we bought it in 2000. has been well maintained and is only 3 years old. this seems to be a common problems with ford windstar transmissions. in reading some of the other owners' stories, i feel very lucky my transmission went out slowly and gave us warning. does someone have to actually get killed because of these problems before anything is done to make ford correct the problem? considering most minivans are used to transport families, it seems that immediate action would be taken to correct an obviously life-threatening problem. dt

On numerous occasions, both rear doors have failed to open. one time one of the rear doors spontaneously as i was driving down the highway, and had a child in the back seat. problems have been fixed each time by dealer under the warranty but problems reappear every time.*ak

Automatic tranmission failure at 29,131 miles.

When making a left turn vehicle stalls. it is hard for consumer to keep control vehicle. dealer notified.*ak

I was just over my warranty in july/2002 on a 1999 ford windstar with 31,000 miles. my wife was driving with my three kids the van stalled. the transmissions failed?

The transmission on our 1999 windstar has failed prematurely. i have done some research and have found out that this is a common problem with this model vehicle. i am seeking reimbursement for the repairs from ford motor company. i would appreciate any information you can give me regarding complaints filed by other ford customers who have had the same problem. thank you.*ak

I took it to the dealer they said they fixed the problem but he transmission still slips. the last van i had did the same thing it was a 1998 windstar. they told me there was nothing wrong with it and in 3 months i had to have the whole thing rebuilt. *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*768017

While driving 30-40 mph heard a whining noise. dealer determined first and second gears have gone out. transmission needs to be replaced.*ak

Fire under hood: previous electrical problems: interiors lights coming on and staying on, dealers unable to find problem or duplicate. radio turning on and changing stations, components on its own. replaced on 03/06/2000. sliding doors opening while vehicle is moving and refusing to close. dealer unable to find cause. computerizes keys not working in ignition on two occasions. system being reprogram both times. am side of radio not working at night five days before fire. noted that when headlights are turned off, am works, but when turned back on nothing but static. 2) transmission: several occassions it would hardly pull up a hill, others the car would stay at one speed although my foot was not on the accelerator. extra braking was needed to slow vehicle down or stop. 3) computer module replaced several times and still worked erractic through 08/16/2002. 4) speedometer cluster performed erractic until relaced to include mileage doubling for any mileage driven on a given day. 5) suspension problems: spindle connecting rod replaced 03/07/2002, struts and ball joints replaced 05/29/2002, and lower arms and tie rod ends replaced 06/07/2002.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Transmission, sliding door, driver door, rack and pinion, steering pump, intake manifold, front suspension upper link, world's fastest declining vehicle value, world's worst customer service and satisfaction representatives.*ak

Total failure of transmission occurred at 35 months/48,000 miles - ford's response "tough luck"!*ak

Consumer applied accelerator at intersection engine revved, but vehicle would not move. dealer rebuilt transmission. in july 2002, transmission would not shift into gear at start up, again transmission was rebuilt.*ak

I was stopped at a toll booth and began to accelerate when a loud grinding/clanking sound was heard from the front of the vehicle. i then had no forward gears, however reverse still worked. i was towed to the ford dealer who informed me that there was "major internal transmission damage". this should not happen on a vehicle less than 3 years old and 44,000 miles. cost of repairs >$2900.*ak

After reversing from a parking space onto street, the vehicle made a loud noise while the gears where changed to drive. vehicle would no long to forward, we were able to put it in reverse and get out of the way of traffic. the transmission needs to be replaced at 41,000 miles.*ak

There is a "skip" in the transmission that is a hard thud when it happens. i took it to the dealer, after several days and over 100 miles they "found" the problem and fixed it. it started to do it again about 6 months later. i just recently took it in for the console lights flickering when accelerating and told them again about the "thumping". they charged me for the diagnoses of there's nothing wrong, it's the a/c compressor that runs all the time. also the brakes squeak horribly when you first start out with it for the day. they said the brakes rust and there wasn't anything they could do about it, that's just the way it goes. the date i'm using is an estimated date of when things first occurred.*ak

While traveling on highway heard a noise underneath vehicle and transmission locked up. vehicle had to be towed. *ak

Vehicle stops moving while driving at highway speed of 70 mph. this is second transmission failure within 69,000 mile of wear. *ak *tt

While driving vehicle i came to a stop at traffic signal. when signal turned green i had no forward vehicle only made noises from the transmission. this incident occured without prior notification. this incident caused me and my family to be stranded also rendering us without a vehicle for 2 weeks. dt

Consumer noticed condensation in headlights. dealer has been contacted. technician stated that the headlights needed to be replaced. *ak the consumer stated that the entire headlight unit had to be replaced. after the three year warranty expired, the transmisson had to be replaced. the engine light had come on, and was told that it was the sensor. *scc

We know of no incident that could have caused this failure. see photo in email. no safety defect listed. *ak