Problems with 2001 Ford Windstar ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Driver side electric window stopped working a couple of weeks ago. at first i was annoyed at having to open the door at toll booths etc, then it occurred to me that its also a big safety problem if i am ever in an accident. i will have it fixed at my next service soon, but if there are similar problems with other owners then perhaps nhtsa and ford should put out a recall notice. *ak

When the windshield wipers are engaged they will either work for a few seconds and quit or not work at all. dealership replaced the wiper motor twice, and the front electronic control module. but problems still exists. recall 01v261000 was issued, but this vehicle was not covered under the recall due to vin. *ak also, clunking on the front driver side at low speed or when turning left. dealership checked the vehicle and later replaced the brake rotor. starter were also replaced. *la

Over thirty separate warranty repairs over two years. faulty electrical door locks (kids couldn't exit), transmission leakage, transmission failure, front-end defects with loud thumping noises and several body problems. most notable body problems are wind noise and water leakage through doors and windows. most recently, the fuel pump failed (@ 37,000 miles). ford has all along refused to acknowledge the problems. now that the vehicle is out of warranty, they have again said they will not doing anything. the vehicle is unreliable and unsafe to operate.*ak

Smoke started coming out from the car. the cable and plug from the cruise control to the abs control module short circuited. the mechanic cut the cables to further prevent any other electrical problem. i having replaced this part due to trouble in finding it. i complained about an electrical problem to the dealer but they never found the problem. a month after the guarantee expired this incident occurred. i tried to claim this to the dealer since it was reported but they said there was nothing they could do. i have a 6 year old boy we were lucky the car didn't caught on fire. maybe ford motors is waiting for a tragic accident to occur before taking any action. *tr

Within five minutes of turning the vehicle off, a fire started under the hood. *ak

Driver side window inoperable, engine light stays on, and interior lights flickers on. motor was replaced in driver's side window, cost: 294.00. made appt. to have diagnostic check - charging $90.00 to do so. *nm

Consumer called complaining about having problems with starter. vehicle was taken into the dealer, and they stated that there was something wrong with the starter, and some interior damage was done. consuemr was involved in a collision, and she felt that it had something to do with the starter. manufacturer was contacted, and they were not responsible for anything because there was no recalls. *ak

An electrical connector seal had to be installed, the seat buckles and rear wiper motor cover were replaced, the abs failed, and right before the engine shut down all the lights on the dash board illuminated, after the vehicle was repaired the intake manifold, speed sensor and brake sensor failed. *ph *jb rq04011.*pco

There was an electrical shortage, which caused the vehicle to have no lights inside the vehicle.*jb

The dash shorted out. causing the heater, fan, and radio to staop working. i had already taken the van in for the earlier recall and the seal was replaced. then it shorted again and this time i had to pay for it.

Interior lights flash on and off including dash lights taken in on numerous occasions but problem still exists to this day. abs and brake lights come on constantly up to and including today. noise that sounds like bones crunching from steering wheel or under foot? and buzzing from right front tire on left turns. took into ford dealer for all complaints, never fixed. *tr

While driving theft light on dash comes on rear wiper comes on by it self and engine turns off leaving vehicle moving with no power, no steering, no brakes. after stopping vehicles ignition is locked out with no power/no crank.*ak

Brakes failed on three different occasions (repair dates: 3/22/02, 4/1/02 and 4/15/02). first, my wife noted the brake pedal was going all the way to the floor before there was any response. the dealership advised that this was normal. we insisted that it wasn't, until there lead technician found and replaced a faulty hcu. the second failure came while i was driving my wife and 6 month old baby from mo to va. while on the west virginia turn pike, the anti-lock brakes failed again and eventually the brakeing system failed all togoether by the time we reached our destination of suffolk virginia. barton ford, in suffolk va, replaced the hcu and the ecu and repaired a brake fluid leak. the third incident occurred while driving back to mo. once again the brakes did not respond normally. once back in o'fallon, mo. the dealership found a air bubble in the brake line and they reprogrammed the abs module. each brake failure also affected the traction control system and the speedometer. we have also had to have one window replaced, the drivers side sliding door adjusted, a seal inserted in the rear of the vehicle due to a recall item, and bolts tightened at the engine cradle mounts. recently, the fuel cap indicator light illuminated for a period of 5 days for unknown reasons and we are currently unable to fill the gas tank to its normal capacity. this vehicle is unsafe and hardly worth the $27,220 that we are paying for it.

This vehicle has died while driving at various speeds, at different times of trips (long and short/hot engine normally). while driving at 55 mph it died one time, causing us to enter the oncoming traffic lanes around a curve. this is not good for a family vehicle when there is an entire family in the vehicle. we have notified the dealer and have taken in for service, but it continues to die. we had the same problem with our 1998 windstar that was totalled in a collision (not problem related). i do not know if it is the ignition system or the fuel system. this vehicle has multiple recalls to date. *ak

Abs switch below master cylinder caught on fire leaking fluid on wires then blew fuse to speedometer and odometer and overdrive dealer says no recall had to buy fuse and take to garage to fix other problems caused fix wiring badly burnt. *tr

Only method of opening vehicle door from outside using a key is through drivers side door or using remote entry system. consumer complaint is that if driver's door is inoperable ,and electrical system is inoperable, there is no way to open vehicle from outside. *ak there should be an option to manually open each of the doors. eliminating this option was just to save a few dollars on the part of the manufacturee. *yh

Dash lights on; engine, abs, brake, overdrive blinks, speedometer and odometer stopped working, cruise control stopped working. this turned into an expensive ecm repair caused aby a leaking brake fluid which shorted out wiring and fuses. *tr

Repeated failure and replacement of various parts of the electrical system including wiper motor, rear wiper motor, fuel pump, fuel pump fuses, alternator, repeated replacement of battery, repeated replacement of brake lights and light sockets and brake light switch, repeated failure and replacement of electric door locks, repeated replacement of coil wire, replacement of egr valve. constant stalling of vehicle in rain or humid weather. vehicle stall when air conditioner is in use. rough idle and stalling when vehicle is stopped and engine is running. all of these complaints have been constant and ongoing despite repeated replacement of electrical components since delivery of the vehicle in december of 2000. *tr

Ford refused to fix a common problem on a 2001 ford windstar with a check engine code indicating the dpfe sensor needed to be replaced, i paid for the diagnosis but ford indicated that this was not a recall. *tr