Problems with 2001 Ford Windstar POWER TRAIN

Mid-summer vacation trip from west virginia to north carolina. within a few miles of return to west virginia the transmission started to leak and eventually lost approximately 8 quarts of fluid. major slippage started within 6 miles of home. we managed to limp to our driveway before the slippage was so bad we could not move the vehicle forward. i installed 8 quarts of fluid and drove it to repair shop -- no sign of leakage on that 15 mile trip. i subsequently drove the vehicle to a transmission repair shop, another 15 miles with no leakage. the transmission repair shop pulled the transmission, replaced the front seal and replaced the torque converter (slight groove on shaft that repairman said would cause the new seal to fail if the torque converter was not replaced). vehicle had just under 65,000 miles on it when failure occurred. note: the seal failure appears to be related to an overheating condition. this is made obvious by the fact that no leaks occurred during two 15-mile trips subsequent to failure and before repair was conducted. anothe downside to this experience is that after spending $1100.00 for the repair there is no warranty because the transmission repair shop did not disassemble and inspect the transmission, which would have been another major expense. the transmission function appears to be ok but i won't be trusting this vehicle again for long trips out of town. given the 65,000 mile failure and internet history of low-mileage transmission failures without resolutions from ford, this will be the last ford i will own. *tr

I have a ford windstar van with less than 50,000 miles and the transmission has failed. transmission and vehicle have been maintained. noticed other complaints on the internet concerning transmissions in windstars. *nm

On a recent road trip, i noticed the transmission jumping from high gear to low gear. i took it to a ford dealer and was told the transmission needed replacement at a cost of over 1400.00. i bought my windstar new and it only has 32,000 miles on it. i have always owned fords and was looking at a fusion for my next vehicle. however, i think i will see what chevy has to offer. *jb

I was at a busy intersection when my 2001 ford windstar jerked a little and when i gave it the gas to go , it would not hardly move. it took a while to get it to move, very slowly. i had it towed to the transmission repair shop. he has checked it out and says the reverse gears were melted together. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds there was a noise coming from the front end. as the vehicle accelerated the noise increased. upon inspection the dealership found the differential unit needed replaced. the dealership determined the transmission normally does not need preventive maintenance at such a low mileage. the repairs have not been made.

My wife was driving home from picking up the kids when the transmission failed without warning. she was able to put the car in neutral and roll backwards to the side of the road. had the transmission failed 5 minutes earlier, she would have been turning off a busy street and could have been hit by oncoming traffic with two kids in the car. the dealer diagnosed the problem as a failure of the tourque converter and valve body due to excessive wear on the rod leading into the valve body. the van has 51,000 miles on it. the replacement will cost $3,000. i don't believe that the transmission should go at this point in the cars life. *nm

The minivan is equipped with a button on the gear shift. this button enables you to shift out of overdrive when you do not want the vehicle to be in overdrive mode. about this time the fuse in the fuse box would blow. replaced the fuse a number of times but the problem is still there. the fuse may last for 5 to 10 miles and then it would blow. tried a larger amp fuse but it would also blow. transmission will leave the overdrive only if you accelerate going up a hill. *tr

On 9-15-05 my wife made a round trip of 70mi. the next day there was a large pool of transmisssion fluid on the garage floor. i had my auto repair check out the sourse of the leak,looked like a front seal on the transmission, i called sunland ford was told its was out of warranty,this van only has 42,770 mi. the torque converter caused the trans to over heat and , blow the seal, the tranmission shop said this should never happen at this mileage,the trans had been serviced at the required time ,when they pulled the pan it was full of steel shavings,i had to have it rebuilt at a cost of $ 1554 this is real hard when you are retired, i sent ford a letter w/ repair invoice on 9-24-05 they called on a friday about month after i sent the letter said there were no recalls for my problem, and that is the way it stands as of now ! i see on the complaint search this is not the only complaint ,for trans problems and more, they should have to stand buy their claim of "built ford tough" sorry i bought a ford. *nm

I was getting ready to leave work, put my car in reverse and heard a loud bang. my car wouldn't move. the transmission just died. no warning in advance. the car is a 2001 ford windstar with 51,000 miles on it and cost my $ 3000 for a brand new transmission. ford stated " no warranty" over 30,000 miles sorry. should this be happening to a van that is only 4 years old and that cost me $27,000. the garage that installed my transmission stated that the parts melted together and we were lucky it didn't start on fire. *jb

While on vacation this past week,my wife, kids (5), and myself, the transmission went out with warning nor were there any symptoms to indicate that our family vehicle would leave us stranded on our first family vacation. we purchased a 2001 windstar sel from university ford in durham, nc. we purchased the extended warranty for $1500, and just when the vehicle barely surpassed the 'expiration date', the transmission, just suddenly quit. my wife and son were exchanging sandals at the local beach shop, and when she returned to the van, and tried to move it, there was no gear at all.......just park and neutral, (the two 'no' gears). they walked 3 miles in 90 degree weather back to our 'place'. i have called the university ford, and since my warranty was out by less than 2500 miles, i am stuck. the vehicle has less than 78,000 miles on it, and has been serviced from the very first day we have owned it. it was bought 'slightly used', only to be driven before by a top salesman/manager, before we purchased it. i have a fairly decent sized family and am middle class, not rich!! the transmission is supposed to be $1500-$3000 to replace, and i cant afford to replace and really dont feel responsible for a transmission that should have lasted, with normal driving, well into 100,000-150,000 miles. i have a pontiac bonneville that has almost 215,000 miles that has never given one seconds trouble out of the transmission. i have checked online and there are so many unfortunate people as myself, that this has happened to. i would like someone from your dept. to please check into the durability of the windstars transmissions, as ford, have told us (myself and other disgusted windstar owners) there is no such thing as ford making a design flaw in a transmission. thank you for your valuable time in reading this, i am very appreciative. with kindest regards, i am johnnie wilkins

During preparation for an out of state trip, the transmission warning lights came on. the vehicle had 59,000 miles on it and was flushed at 40,000. previously, a whining noise had been evident and was said to be a normal occurrence for that transmission by a ford mechanic. a stop into a local lincoln-mercury dealer popped up codes relating to a solenoid and another part of the transmission. when the vehicle was serviced, the transmission pan had needle bearings and metal shavings evident. this lead to the entire transmission being replaced at a cost of $2800.00 out of pocket. at this time, no recalls have been found for this problem.

Consumer stated the power doors locked on their own. consumer was concerned that in an emergency they will be trapped inside . *ak the transmission was difficult to move from park. once it was pulled out of park it made a loud bang. *nm

While driving 55 mph transmission lost power. consumer managed to pull over, and had the vehicle towed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Our 2001 ford windstar's transmission stopped working in the middle of a road. the warning light came on only moments before and said "check transmission". my concern is two fold. first, their was not adequate time to respond when the "check transmission" light appeared and the vehicle broke down. luckily my wife was just pulling out of a parking lot onto a side street and was going at a low rate of speed. secondly, the van has only 55,000 miles and the transmission malfunctioned. this is not the norm for a vehicle that is regularly maintained. *ak

Transmission failed at 58,000 miles (mostly highway miles). $3000 to replace. i only had windstar for 2 years. purchased in nov. 2002 with 11,000 miles on it. power door locks have failed to lock since purchase. they must be manually pushed down ($300 to fix). *ak

The transmission made a grind noise and engaged and slammed into my garage. while my foot was on the brake. and now the vehicle will not move.*ak

The vehicle jerked forward when the gear was shifted to drive. please provide more information. *jb

While driving 45 mph vehicle lunged forward twice. as a result, transmission failed. *ak the consumer stated that the vehicle gave no warning prior to the incident. the mechanic stated that the transmission gears broke causing the case to crack. *tc

Towards the end of the month of july during a trip to maine my pump seal on my transmission blew and i had to get a new transmission installed in the van. the van was just over 3 yrs old and the mileage was just at 51,000 the mechanic at the repair shop said at this mileage this problem never should have happened, after phone calls to my dealership they said that their was nothing they could do because it was out of warranty. i feel that the van never should have needed a transmission at this time and that i should be reimbursed my $1800.00. *ak

Numerous things have gone wrong since we bought the vehicle. items covered under warranty: electric seat stopped working twice, and transmission wouldn't shift when it was supposed to. items not covered under warranty: brakes replaced at 30,000+ miles-told was normal for them to wear out so quickly; rack and pinion replaced at around 55,000 miles; months after brakes replaced, brakes grind loudly when coming to a stop (brakes checked numerous times, but was told they were ok); abs brake light comes on and stays on after driving (not illuminated on start up, but comes on later); back dome light not secure-falls out; dome lights sometimes come on when braking; check engine light on for months, didn't have it checked, but turned off by itself; sliding door drags-rusted on vechicle frame.*ak

my 2001 ford windstar van had its transmission replaced at 47,400 miles. the reason that it failed was that the torque converter went and the transmission overheated. i spoke to the service manager and transmission technician about this and the technician said that it was a problem common to this model. i called ford and was told that there wasn't anything that they could do for me. transmissions should not go with less than 48.000miles on them. *ak

Golf mill ford dealership induced transmission failure. vehicle taken in for a recall and the dealership recommended a transmission flush, injector flush, throttle body service,power steering flush and fuel filter. on feb.19, 2004 had a transmisson flush and throttle body serviced at golf mill ford. it was never written or verbally told to me that i had any transmission problems prior to this service. after having this service i experienced a number of problems on the way home. the car ran rough, it hesitated will stopping a stop light, there was a mist that came from the front vent, the car started but then quickly cut off, and lastly when i went start the car i could hear a loud whosh sound which scared me. on feb 26, 2004, i took the car back to gold mill ford where i did inform them of all the problems i was having. after inspecting the car they stated nothing was wrong. the car was safe to drive. on march 1, 2004, while on the road i noticed fluid was leaking from the car. i went to a ray skillman ford dealership in grenwood indiana they stated that there was a leak around transmission seal & the pan was not tighted properly. tony at ray skillman ford also stated that golf mill did not place enough transmission fliud in the van. golf mill ford instructed tony to put some liquid transmission sealer in transmission & send us on our way. at the time tony told us he did not feel comfortable with doing so. golf mill felt as though they did nothing wrong. however after waiting eight hours at the dealership tony descided to put the sealer in because he did not want to keep us any longer. after leaving indiana, 4:oo am on march 2, 2004 the car stopped on the highway. the car had to be towed 600 miles at my expense. i have contacted the ford motor customer care and golf mill ford, they feel that because i am not in warranty that there is nothing that they are going to do. it has been two months and i am paying for a car i can not drive. *ak

When reversing vehicle stalled. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the consumer this was normal. *ak

While driving 30 mph consumer heard a loud noise coming from the transmission. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

While driving at 60 mph the engine revved the automatic transmission suddenly failed. the dealer replaced the transmission at the owner's expense. please provide any additional information. *nm

We purchased our 2001 ford windstar with approximately 24,000 miles on it. one week after we purchased the van the indicator light for the air bags would not go off. we took the van to the dealer and they fixed the problem. shortly after that incident the rear heat and a/c would not operate. we took the van to the local dealer again and they repaired the problem under warranty. a few weeks after that the check engine light came on and they tried to fix it but it came back on. they charged us for that visit. the check engine light is still on we now have around 70,000 miles on the van. when the van had accumulated about 35,000 miles the transmission started shuddering. the van would shake all over during driving. recently i had to have the transmission replaced. there is a leak around the passenger door on the left side of the van. there is a clicking noise when i brake that no one seems to know what it is or how to fix it. now there is a loud humming noise coming from the automatic power steering fluid pump. it is so loud that it can be heard even when the radio is turned on. it used to be loud when i turned a corner or onto another street but now it is loud when i am sitting at a stop light. when we first purchased the van there was a foul odor coming from the venting system. i asked the service tech at the local dealership about this but he did not know why this was happening. we still have an odor even after changing the filter twice for the vent system. we are very unhappy with our purchase and would never consider buying another windstar.*ak

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

I have a 2001 ford windstar with 45,000 miles. our transmission failed with a complete rebuild to be done. 2,100.00. my biggest complaint is that ford's dealership was not willing to help us in getting a loaner car and with only 45,000 miles, you would think that these should not be failing so soon.*ak

I purchased a 2001 ford windstar in october 2001. i have had to have the transmission rebuilt in december 2003. i only have 46,640 miles on this vehicle. it has cost me $2158 to have this repaired. the transmission should not have been giving me problems with this few of miles on it. the transmission starting changing really hard and starting making loud clunking noises when shifting. it began to start slipping into neutral while driving down the road. the dealership has not helped me at all and ford motor company has been informed of my problem. the state attorney general has also been notified. i think ford motor should have a recall and pay for the repairs for these vehicles that have failed for those of us who trusted these to be reliable family vehicles. go to www.carsurvey.org and see all the consumer complaints for the ford windstars. the windshield wiper motor had to be replaced just shortly after i purchased this vehicle. floor to seat safety latches have been replaced due to recall in december 2003. windshield has constant crackling noise as i am driving. *la

We have leased a 2001 ford windstar and have had it for approximately 2 years, taking out 15,000 miles per year. several days ago, we could not move the car after we stopped at a light. we finally had to have it towed at our expense and found out that the whole transmission had been "blown." (only after 40,000 miles.) we felt that our safety was at stake, since no warning signs within the van, told us that the problem existed and we were at a major intersection, which could have resulted in some serious injuries.

I feel that these component failures have caused a safety risk for my family and i. i bought a windstar based mainly on it's safety ratings. this disappoints me. *ak

After starting vehicle abs light stayed on and overdrive light was flashing. vehicle not taken to dealer yet.*ak

While at a complete stop vehicle started to accelerate and tried to go forward, but consumer was stepping on brake pedal. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

While driving 65mph vehicle lost power. prior to loss of power overdrive light illuminated. dealer has been notified. please provide additional information.*ak

Consumer states check engine light is on. dealer replace fuel cap and evaporative purge valve, however problem still exist and now the vehicle is stalling causing vehicle to have no braking and power steering power. squeaking noise when setting still. belt tensioner replaced. *tt

Consumer stated arm rest on the passenger side of the vehicle is broken, cause unknown. *ak clunk noise in front end while turning or accelerating from a stop, can also be felt with vibration, passenger side dash area hanging. both sliding door rubber stops missing, driverside sliding door stop replaced. grinding noise in rear when applying brakes. when heat is on vent smells like something is burning. wipers will not clear windshield, washer solvent sprays in one spot. normal operation. *tt

We took a 300 mile trip to chicago in our windstar that we just purchased less than 2 months previously. while we were out of town, the van started acting up. when we would take off from a stop, the van would jerk and bounce like maybe the brakes were locked. we stopped driving it while we were up there until we had to leave. on our drive home, we were about 100 miles from home the o/d light came on. then a little later, i noticed some type of liquid coming out the back. we tried to get home but at 90 miles from home the van totally quit moving. we were able to coast to the side of the road. under the van was a large puddle of transmission fluid. after having it towed home ($240) we took it to a transmission shop. they had to replace a front seal and torque converter ($950). i'm filing this complaint because i have seen on the internet where the transmission seems to be a problem with the windstar. now the brake light and abs light come on occasionally and won't go off until it's turned off and restarted. this also seems to a big problem with the windstars. i haven't taken it in for that yet but dreading it. this is a very nice vehicle and i am rather disappointed in it.