Problems with 2000 Ford Windstar STRUCTURE

2000 ford windstar sel. discovered a crack in rear axle. it was located near the center of span between rear wheels. the crack ran from top to bottom of the axle about 3" and was spread apart approximately 1/8" on bottom. there was only 50% of the axle remaining. fortunately i discovered it just prior to a vacation trip with our family of 5. there has been no known event to explain the cause. *tr

Every time we get heavy rains my front windshield leaks. while checking recalls i have come across this problem which my mechanic explained to me exactly as the recall reads. ford will not fix the problem because there is no recall on their site. i was told it could be because the recall was too old or it was already taken care of but they don't know which. this vehicle was purchased from a ford dealer almost a year ago. i was told in event of an accident my windshield may come loose because of the bonding and could result in injury or death. *tr

Catastrophic failure of the right lower control arm mounts at the subframe occurred with no warning or prior symptoms. the vehicle is a 2000 ford windstar with approximately 95k miles. at the time of the failure the driver was pulling away from a curb when the control arm mounts broke causing the wheel to swing away from the vehicle and the drive axle to pull out of the transmission. the vehicle was towed to a local service station where it was examined. the dealer was contacted who in turn instructed me to contact ford motor company directly. under the direction of ford motor company the vehicle was towed to the dealer to determine the cause of failure. the dealer determined that the sub-frame was rusted out in the area around the passenger side control arm mounts. ford has refused to offer any assistance in fixing the problem. a search of the nhtsa complaint database revealed 12 other complaints of similar failures with 1998-2001 windstars. (odi #s: 10152076, 10103097, 10152712, 10138539, 10183135, 10171784, 10173473, 10153590, 10200106, 10005872, 761511, 10172459) there appears to be a trend related to excessive corrosion leading to premature failure of the rear portion of the subframe on the passenger side. one possible factor could be the placement of the air conditioner system and the tendency for condensation to drip on this portion of the frame whenever the system is in cooling or defrost mode causing accelerated corrosion. this is a severe failure that is premature, not easily detectable, potentially fatal, and will likely occur more frequently as these vehicles age. i strongly urge the nhtsa to conduct an engineering investigation regarding this failure. *tr

Drivers side doors show corrosion from water seeping down windows on drivers side of the 2000 ford windstar. *kb

1- there was not any symptom leading up to failure. 2- the failure was on the front passenger wheel. the weld on one of the control arms actually broke off the frame. as a result the wheel was allowed move in a different direction then the driver side wheel. this forced the vehicle off the opposite side of the road in a very immediate uncontrolled manner. 3- there was nothing done to correct this problem as of yet. dealer doesn't have any interest in fixing the vehicle unless we pay for it. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph on normal road conditions, and avoiding to hit a deer, the sub frame of the engine manifold fell out. the vehicle had to be towed to an independent body shop, who determined that the sub frame rusted completely and needed to be replaced. the dealer was contacted, who determined that the vin # did not fit under any recall. the vehicle was currently at the body shop waiting for repairs. the ball joints and brakes were replaced as well. updated 12/01/06. *jb

About 2 weeks ago i noticed creaking noises from the rear of my windstar minivan. i took it to my mechanic who discovered a severe crack in the rear cross beam (frame); there is only about 2 inches of metal remaining holding the rear frame together. the crack has rust around it. there is a second crack at the same location on the opposite side of the cross beam, also with a line of rust that wraps around the cross beam. the component is apparently near the failure point, as the rear wheels started to spread apart (like wings) during the drive to the mechanic. if this part had failed while i was driving on the highway, it could have lead to a fatality. i plan to have the part replaced. *jb

Passenger side rear door has failed three times since i purchased the car in 2000. ford fixed it once while it was under warranty...no cost. they also fixed it after the warranty expired...no charge. this time...april 2006...they refused to cover the repair since i am out of the warranty period....even though this repair goes back to when i had the warranty. they say they only cover their repair for 12 mos. all 3 times the electric passenger rear door locks up and cannot be opened....either manually or via the electric button. cannot lift door lock...and is not safe to drive. this problem has been happened just about every other year. i feel they should be responsible for the repair since it goes back to when the car was under warranty. *jb

The main recurring problem with my windstar has been a leak in the right rear of the cargo area, resulting in damage to the headliner and a body control module that wiped out the lights, turn lights, brake lights, and dome light in the rear of the vehicle. i purchased it in october of 2002 and had issues with this immediately. the dealer i bought the van from replaced the carpet and attempted to seal the liftgate hinge and electrical connector. there was still a leak and i took it back, their response was that i shouldn't take this van to a car wash. i took it to a mercury dealer and they "fixed" a recall that was supposed to take car of the problem. despite the effort, it has been leaking for three years and i didn't find out until my wife told me the lights went out. the headliner and carpet were soaked. i also found corrosion on the casing of the body control module, a part that ford was going to charge me almost $400 for. not including labor. to make a long story short, i ended up taking it to an independant body shop. it's going to cost us $350 to remove the liftgate and repair the damage to the integrity of the body and correct the leak. i was "lucky" enough to find a body control module for $150 that i'll install myself. $500 is a lot ot spend on something that ford should have taken care of on the assembly line, especially since this was the subject of recall. there could have been a fire and my wife is disabled. i've owned three ford products and all have had water leaks. all of these were new or newer vehicles. all of the competing brands i've owned including fiat, gm, datsun and chrysler have never had this problem. the owner of the body shop we took it to pointed out the repairs made by the mercury dealer had also failed. he also commented that the van might have been in an accident, something that was never disclosed to me at sale. *nm

Passenger side power sliding door will not close. have to close it manually and door resists closing so person has to pull very hard on door to close. could cause injury to person having to close the door due to force needed to close.

While exiting the vehicle, the passenger side sliding door slid forward without warning. this caused the consumer's son to sustain an injury and he was taken to the hospital. the vehicle was taken to be taken to the dealer for inspection, however ford stated that they needed more information. the cause has not been determined at this time. *nm *sc

Passenger's side sliding door doesn't close fully. the door comes a-jarred if the vehicle drives over the slightest imperfection in the road. a re designed hinge was manufactured to correct the problem at a cost to the consumer.*ak

In 2004/2005 the paint on my 2000 ford windstar began flaking off. it started on the hood, then the liftgate and the roof. at this point if we have a wind storm i find chips of paint all over my drive way. ford says "paint doesn't last forever" and basically the problem is all mine. *tr

Sliding door was replaced with only 13,013 miles at the time of service. (nar) *la *cb

Consumer states that vehicle's sliding door won't open with the power door lock, but while driving door slides open. dealer notified. please provide additional information. *ts

The vehicle did not come equipped with a door sensor and as a result a child was almost pinned by the sliding door. *nlm

The automatic opening door on the passenger side has no sensors to detect a person in the way of the door. the door closed on myself without automatically releasing. if a child was there it could have been a serious injury. *nlm

Automatic sliding doors intermittently malfunction. they will sometimes fail to close or open when activated. the passenger side door sometimes fails to close completely and the open door light on the dash remains on. the passenger side door sometimes makes a rattling sound and does not appear to have a tight seal. *jb

We have had problems with the automatic sliding doors on our minivan since the original date of purchase. when using the remote or interior buttons to close doors, they frequently malfunction. when trying to close the doors, sometimes there is just a clicking noise and the door does not close at all. other times, the door closes and then immediately pops right back open. often when trying to close the doors manually, the doors fail to latch. other times, the doors get stuck in an open position and we are unable to close them, either manually or electronically. we have taken the van to the dealership on two different occasions and they have not been able to duplicate the problem, or they simply state that there is not a problem. this past summer the "motor" which operates the door closing system was replaced. the most recent event occured on 2/3/03. this time the sliding door came open while the vehicle was in motion. we immediately took the vehicle to the dealership. they once again claimed that they can't find anything wrong. this is a very serious vehicle defect that could result in injury or death.

2000 ford windstar with power sliding doors has been having problems where the drivers side sliding door will reopen after it has closed. ford has looked into the problem, changed parts, sent an engineer, etc. it still happens. continuosly called ford customer service after my dealer heard nothing from regional (which was where the problem is now directed) customer service says they can't do anything, because regional is over their heads. my dealer told ford and i have told ford that this is a serious safety issue, as it has happened while the car was in gear and moving in reverse. cannot get any help. where can i go? also, the first time i reported this problem and had it taken to the dealer was over a year ago.

Pop/loud hitting sound in front end when turning slow and hitting a bump or dip in hi-way. took to ford dealership in nevada, mo. and they said that is it made that way a stop if you hit something that it will not tear up something else...i really don't believe that. also, dust, coming in all over inside the 2000 windstar and you litteraly have to roll down the windows to breathe. the automatic sliding doors for passengers in back opens very slow and sometimes wont open without force. ts

Without warning the passenger's side and driver's side sliding doors come ajar intermittently. consumer contacted dealership on nine separate occasions, but the problem still occurs. *ak

Transmission will downshift very roughly, driver gets thrown forward. dealer cannot find cause.*ak the transmission was down shifting with a terrible jolt at low speed. the vehicle was difficult to start when cold and damp, also when the ignition was switched off and then back to start the engine fires and runs. the vehicle stalling was determined to be fuel pump failure. the gas mileage dropped from 23 mpg to 16 mpg and the vehicle burns more oil. the lights flicker when driving at night and a/c is on, also the vehicle shakes while idling with the a/c on. the driver?s seat cut and slashed the consumer?s clothing. there was a weak green light from the battery. vehicle vibrates at high speed. the driver?s door was difficult to shut. *yh

Bumper was loose. ford states this is common in these cars and a result of normal use, but charged to fix it. if we hadn't detected this problem it could have caused a major injury accident if the bumper came off during operation of the car. how can a loose bumper be considered normal? ford doesn't think this is odd at all, but has no information for owners to refer to in terms of maintenance and repair of this "normal" problem. it should at least be listed in the owners manual if it's "normal"*ak

sliding doors open for no reason while driving. currently it is the left door, has had problems with both doors. ts. *ak

Right side power sliding door opened (uncommanded) when automatic transmission was movd from park to drive and vehicle speed reach approximately 5 mph.

While driving the electric sliding door. automatically becomes ajar. sometimes the vehicle can be parked, and the door becomes ajar. consumer states he has taken the vehicle in about 8 to 12 times over a period of 4 years.*ak the vehicle was taken in to be fixed but after several months the problem comes back. the consumer stated that he has to close the door a couple of times before it latches securely. the door came open while the consumer was driving. *tc

Two rear sliding door locks may remain locked intermittently. consumer cannot even do it manually preventing rear passengers from exiting vehicle. contacted dealer. *ak *tt

While vehicle was left running in park, consumer got out of vehicle, and shut door, immediately vehicle started to roll down a hill. consumer heard automatic door locks lock when vehicle started to move. children were trapped inside. vehicle rolled into a tree, and airbags deployed. please provide any further information. *ak

Right rear power sliding door automatically re-opens after being closed. contacts on door closure have been checked and re-checked, yet power sliding door still continues to re-open after being closed. this is dangerous since i have a 2 year old child and i don't want her accidentally getting caught in the door or being distracted by it re-opening. also, sometimes i think i have locked the vehicle only to discover that the power sliding door has re-opened. manufacturer claims they cannot duplicate problem and that "there is no error code on the computer, so they can't verify problem exists." .*ak

When parked on an incline manual-sliding door closes easy with slightst touch. door does not have a locking latch mechanism to keep it opened. dealer has been notified. please provide more information.*ak

Power sliding door fails to remain closed and will open automatically. dealership has examined vehicle three times,and has failed to effectively remedy the problem. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

The problem occurred when the vehicle was in motion, traveling about 25 mph. the right power sliding door opened while the car was in motion. nobody in the vehicle pressed any button or remote control or did anything to cause the door to open. when i pushed the overhead button to make the door close, it closed almost all the way but then sprung open again. this happened about 5 times before i was able to pull over and stop the vehicle. i got out of the car and closed the door manually. after that the door would not open at all, either manually or with the remote control. i did report the incident to ford, and the person i spoke with said that she could not find any record of this problem ever happening with any ford minivan.*ak

While glass window is down and arm out at time of starting engine, doors locks will lock automatically, and at that time will pinch consumer's arm, leaving bruises. *ak

The door developed a squeaky/twisting metal sound...as if the hinges were all out of whack... the other side is beginning to make similar but not as loud noises.*ak

The 2000 ford windstar had been having some handling issues such that if there was water or sand on the road we would fishtail and feel like driving on black ice. i was always able to recover control of the vehicle without incident. it got to a point the vehicle couldn't be driven safely in wet or snowy conditions. the vehicle was pretty much driven in small town conditions. the problem was identified when the rear passenger wheel top was angled into the vehicle (i.e. camber off by 2-3 inches). mechanic inspected the suspension and found a cracked rear axle with no signs of rust or damage nearby. the axle will have to be replaced. *tr

Electric sliding door opens while driving and while car is parked & off. dealer will not fix because they "cannot duplicate the problem". this is a major safety concern that i don't want to duplicate!! there are 4 other complaints i have found that correlate to this issue. they are 866315, 871988, 730676, 871684. i hope that someone in your office will investigate this. i am very persistent and will likely get ford to do the right thing and fix my door. i will even follow up and make sure they are investigation the situation for the root cause. but i don't think i alone can fight this. i need your organization to help ford investigate this issue in a timely maner before someone gets seriously hurt. if this door keeps coming open when i a driving, what will happen at impact??? this is worse than the dodge back door issue because children are sitting right next to this door. *ak

When i first purchased my vehicle, the battery was dead and had to be jump-started. after that, on a regular basis, my battery would lose its charge. on 12/15/00 the battery was replaced. since i purchased the vehicle the airbag light has been coming on intermittently. sometimes it flashes, other times it stays on, i can be driving and it will come on all of a sudden and later it will go off. the sliding doors sometimes pop back open when i close them. the driver's side door doesn't always open when i push the button. the passenger side door sometimes sounds like its not completely closed. it looks like it's closed on the outside, but rattles going over bumps or around corners. this problem particularly scares me because i have a child sitting in the seat next to that door. i am also afraid that the airbag is going to deploy while i am driving the car. i have brought my van in to the dealership on 3 different occasions and each time they said that they could not duplicate the concern. the last time they had my van for 4 days.*ak

On the day consumer bought vehicle and drove it home there was some noise coming from steering column. contacted dealer, and the dealer said that they did not find anything wrong.*ak consumer states bells go off randomly for no reason, at any given time and when it rains both sliding doors leak inside, passenger side door is loose and shakes and rattles, will open by itself. *jb

While consumer is driving passenger's side door can come open without any assitence. consumer's child almost fell out of door. this happend while consumer was on highway. contacted dealer, and dealer said there was nothing wrong with door.*ak the cause for the sliding door opening while driving was determined to be detent switch failure. the humming noise while cruising was caused by vapor management valve failure. *yh

When opening door it hits roof of van, causing causing damages.*ak

At 632 miles we had a cracked seal replaced, along with the rear electric sliding door which was adjusted, on 04/00 we still had problems with the door and another door as well an electrical problem was found.on 09/00 transmition needed to be replaced and door was still inop, along with the other door. this vehicle is an unsafe lemon. the service repair facility made many attempts to repair the problems with the doors, among many other many major defects.we demand our rights under the ca. state lemon law to replace this vehicle.

When opening either driver's or passenger's sliding door using the remote, doors would not fail to stop sliding open. continued the cycle until done. can not be stopped by hand on door handle. no emergency stop button for sliding door. wrist was broken trying to prevent door from opening. took to dealer & informed that door works the way it was designed to do.*ak

While driving driver's and passenger's sliding doors popped open which may cause personal injury if someone was not strapped in, may fall out. also, driver sliding door cannot be opened from outside. wont have access to get in driver's side sliding door. dealer had the vehicle, but could not determine the cause. but, dealer could only adjust the doors. *ak

While van was parked on a sight incline sliding door on the passenger's side released by themselves and came crashing down, pinning child between door and frame. child received minor injuries to his legs. problem was reported to ford customer's service. the van will be checked by the dealership. *ak dealer said the door was designed only to stay open on level surfaces. *yh

right rear door will open by itself after it's closed and latched. this happens intermittently. dealer contacted. *ak

While driving at any speed on the road sliding door will start making noises, as if it is loose. that has been happening since purchase of vehicle. *ak

Suspension wallows on this thing. 1998 windstar i traded in had 82,000 miles and rode more controlled than this and still had all original components. you have to hold on to the armrests to keep in control in your seat. wife and kids get seasick riding in it. dealer states it is normal and all of them are that way.*ak

While driving could feel wind coming from hood area where, at a time, windows were closed ,and vehicle was filled with mosquitos. *ak

Sliding door on driver's side would fail to remain close after being shut. vehicle would be parked at the time. taken vehicle to dealer once before to have it repaired. informed by mechanic that door switch was defective & needed to be replaced. part iwas on back order.*ak