Problems with 2001 Ford Windstar SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

There have been a number of complaints about the ford 2001 windstar brake (pressure deactivation) switch leaking and causing loss of primary braking on www.carstats.com/safetystation.asp. see odi case numbers 10247281, 10246739, 10245833, 10245178, 10245147, 10243519. as time progresses there seems to be more and more complaints about this braking system. have you looked into this? potential problem? i myself have encountered unanticipated momentary loss of braking with my 2001 ford windstar. i have had one of my wheel cylinder actuators replaced. *tr

While driving the van and approaching a stop, the brakes pedal went to the floor and the vehicle would not stop (had to use the emergency brake). we filled the master cylinder back up with fluid, and it worked for 1 day, until the fluid leaked out. then the same issue occurred, but because we were aware of some sort of brake problem, we drove much more cautiously and hesitantly. we stopped the van and drove it home very slowly. the master cylinder has developed a leak where it connects into what i believe is the power booster. in my short research, i have found that this is common, but typically results in fire or faulty dashboard lights. at this point, i have not fixed the vehicle, but will be fixing it today. the failure has not been fixed as of yet. *tr

Abs and brake light came on while driving. when the car was turned off and restarted the warning lights would go off. this occurred intermittently for about 3 months. after a long driving trip in which the warning lights came on the cruise control would no longer function. i searched the web and found a web site stating possible problems if this was not addressed. i took my van to a ford dealer and they replaced the cruise control deactivation switch as well as the ecu and abs sensor. these were all mentioned in the article on the web. *tr

1. electrical short in engine bay of 2001 ford windstar lx caused blown fuse #10, loss of speedometer, cruise control, abs and brake warning lights, odometer, a/c and temperature controls. replaced fuse, blew again. 2. replaced fuse twice, same results. 3. searched online, found many posts and instructions on repair. purchased a "brake repair kit" from local ford dealer, replaced the brake pressure switch under the "nose" of the brake master cylinder; cleaned brake fluid off the wires and re-connected the old connector to the new wire connector. replaced #10 fuse. *tr

I noticed a few months ago that my brake fluid was low. there was no visible leak. just recently my 2001 ford windstar had to be taken to the dealer. during an inspection it was noted that the brake switch was leaking brake fluid. i was told that this needed to be fixed immediately as it could lead to a fire. however, the dealer did not have the part in stock. i was advised not to drive the vehicle till the part could be fixed. it will be fixed this weekend and i plan to keep the old part. this is extremely concerning considering that the reason most people get this type of vehicle is because they have children. knowing that a vehicle could start on fire while children are being transported is extremely concerning to me. it is obvious from what i have found that this is a common problem that ford is aware of. *tr

I took my vehicle in to have it checked because my abs indicator and brake light would not go out. i was informed that my brakes were okay but the brake switch was leaking brake fluid. about once a month i have to add brake fluid, then the lights go out. i purchase a brake repair kit but has not had it installed yet. *tr

For months my 2001 ford windstar has been showing my abs and brake light indicators. the first time it happened, i took it to the dealer because the manual indicated imminent brake failure. they told me it was my tire pressure and that my tires were worn and i needed 4 new ones. did that. lights still came on - they said there was nothing wrong with it. lights still kept coming on. they told me that i needed new pads and rotors - even though there was no sound of grinding brakes - but i did that too. and still my indicator lights kept coming on. they told me it was something about the panel that could be fixed for $700 if i wanted but it was probably not worth it and not to bother. and then, 2 days ago, my brakes failed. i was lucky. i was going slowly down a hill and i stopped the vehicle by slowing applying my emergency brake. they are now telling me that they still can't find anything wrong with it. i do not believe them. and i cannot safely drive this car anymore. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. while driving 5 mph, the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood. he pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. the smoke flow gradually lessened and became controlled. he called roadside assistance and they unplugged the master cylinder switch, which seemed to be the cause of the failure. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the manufacturer stated that there were no recalls pertaining to this failure. the current and failure mileages were approximately 91,000.

2001 ford windstar -brake light indicator, abs light indicator, odometer inop, squealing brake noise during turns, air conditioning just stopped working. *tr

Brake pressure deactivation switch is leaking brake fluid, which causes a short and blows the fuse controlling abs, cruise control, speedometer, etc. this is in our 2001 windstar mini van. *tr

My 2001 windstar was giving off intermittent brake light warning. after about 1 week of this going on and i couldn't find out why this was occurring, my van had the abs light, brake light on constant. my overdrive light was flashing continuously. my speedometer, odometer and air conditioning stopped all at once. blown #10 15a fuse. i looked into see what has gone wrong and noticed that the brake pressure relief switch that is connected to the bottom of the brake master cylinder was defective and leaking brake fluid onto the transmission range sensor and into the wiring harness that contains the wires for the brake pressure switch. this accumulation of fluid into the wiring harness has caused a short. i caught this fairly early for if i had not, this surely would have caused a fire. i have replaced the brake pressure relief switch and have not traced the short as of yet. *tr

2001 ford windstar abs light comes on intermittently code 1185 internal power relay sticking. sensor on master cylinder leaking. brake fluid goes down wires to controller, shorting it out. *tr

C1185 code. abs and brake light on intermittently. sometimes right away. sometimes after a long time driving. *tr

The brakes on my 2001 ford windstar mini-van failed on a highway. i was in the right hand lane and was able to exit the highway into a weigh station (that was fortunately on an incline) and by using the emergency brake and placing the car in neutral i came to a stop at which point i was able to turn the engine off and exit the vehicle with my 9 year old son. if any of the cars in front off me had slowed and/or tried to exit at the same time as me, i would have had to drive off the road or i would have been in an accident. *tr

After filing a serious complaint about an abs brake failure earlier this evening, i continued to research 'complaints on 2001 ford windstars on your website and was shocked at the number of complaints involving the abs system. the false warning lights tied to an 'electrical' problem that are referred to throughout the complaint section are identical to an ongoing problem that we have tried to address with our local dealership for the past two years! on august 26th, the abs failure that occurred in my vehicle while traveling on a highway could have resulted in a fatal accident for myself and my 9 year old son if it had occurred just seconds later. i would have passed the weigh station that allowed the vehicle to decelerate on an incline with the car in neutral and the emergency brake deployed. *tr

My abs & brake lights come at random at any speed. i had them to check it on the computer it said that the abs module was bad. i found that the fluid level was low. then i seen that the brake fluid was on the wires below the switch. i had the xw7z*9f924*ba kit switch replaced. there said that it start a fire. *tr

Cruise control deactivation switch leaking and causing brake lights to stay on. *tr

2001 ford windstar abs/brake dashboard lights come on while driving and stay on. when car is turned off, brake lights remain on. brake pedal needs to be pumped and pulled for lights to turn off. problem started approximately two years ago, was intermittent, but is now, as of 4 months ago, happening every time the car is driven. a friend's windstar is doing the same thing, and when researching on the internet, it appears to be a fairly common defect that should be subject to a recall by ford. *tr

Braking distance suddenly increased. 2001 ford windstar brake light and abs brake light intermittently on. happens more often in summer time than winter. usually happens more often in city driving after applying brakes several times. will usually not come on right at startup, but after driving a few miles. at the time the light is on, abs system will not work resulting in increase in braking distance on slippery pavement. ford will not replace ecm module to fix problem which has been diagnosed as the cause. *tr

My 2001 ford winstar speedometer, odometer,a/c, o/d light flashing, cruise control does not work all at once. i was told it is a defictive brake switch. *tr

Abs and brake dash warning lights are lit indicating failure of the ecm that controls the anti-lock braking system. multiple requests for ford to investigate and repair resulted in no assignable causes. additionally, cruise control and overdrive functions have also now quit. *tt

I have a brake problem with the van. i did a search on the internet to see if anyone could help only to find the exact problem. lucky for my family i found the sight. it concerns the ford windstar 1999-2003 brake and abs problems. i am afraid to haul my family around in this van until it is fixed. the site is www.fordwindstarrecall.info. *tr

Brake light and abs come on simultaneously. *tr

The vehicle is a 2001 ford windstar sel. while driving on wet / slippery roads, the stopping distance is increased due to a failure of the abs system. the failure of the abs system is indicated by illumination of the abs and brake dashboard lights. the frequency of occurrence is any time the vehicle is running during warm / summer weather and less frequently, but still almost daily, during cool / winter weather. the brakes have been fully inspected and worn or suspect parts replaced. at the last service visit (to a different mechanic than previous visits) the mechanic stated that the computer code indicated that the abs control module needed to be replaced. he also stated that this is a common problem with ford windstar vehicles. the failure has not been fixed due to the expense. *tr

Scary issue: abs brakes started twice without any need and without warning causing the vehicle to roll forward while brakes were firmly applied. once at an intersection while stopped and once when stopping for a stop sign at normal speeds/conditions. additionally abs and brake lights come on simultaneously and intermittently mostly when warm out and more consistently when both warm out and vehicle is stopped after reaching full operating temperature and then restarted shortly after (i.e. stop at a store and then return to vehicle after a few minutes or while driving slowly on highway because of traffic after driving at highway normal speeds. stopping seems to allow more heat to collect to cause the problem as air does not cool the parts which may be the cause. suspect exactly what is described in http://www.fordwindstarrecall.info/ problem # 2. my cruise control also stopped working over a year ago and the repair was to change the switch in problem #1. i did not incur a fire but the switch did fail. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. while driving various speeds, the traction control, abs, and service warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the traction and abs became inoperative. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that water entered the computer module and they reset the codes. immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. he took the vehicle to the dealer again and had the front wheel speed sensor replaced. after the repair, the failure codes appeared again and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. the technician replaced the abs power relay. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer again in reference to the failure and they stated that he needed to repair the abs module at the cost of $800. the vehicle has not been repaired again. the failure mileage was 115,000 and current mileage was 119,000.

Abs brake light comes on and disables the abs brake feature. *ln

My abs brake light just started coming on it goes off but after a while of driving it comes back on. i took it to the shop and they couldn't find anything wrong they said the brakes looks good,they reset the abs brake light then 1 week later it came back on and has been on since i took it back to the shop and they still couldn't find anything wrong they put it on a machine that read no failed signal.*tr

I own a 2001 ford windstar van. it is used by my wife. last weekend, she came home from a local shopping trip and told me the a/c was not blowing cold anymore and the abs and brake light was illuminated. also the odometer and speedometer were not working. also the o/d light was blinking on and off. later in the evening i went and checked my fuses on the van and found the #10 fuse (15amp was burnt). i replaced the fuse with a new one and started the van. the a/c was now blowing very cold and the abs and brake light now was off. after leaving the van running for about 2 minutes, i noticed heavy smoke coming from the engine. i immediately turned off the engine and got a flashlight to see what was burning. i noticed near the master cylinder, a group of wires that had burned near the deactivation switch. i then came inside and searched the internet for this issue and came across a few blogs that stated the same problem. i then brought my vehicle in the next day to an authorized ford dealership that confirmed the problem as a faulty deactivation switch. i am very lucky that my van did not catch on fire while my wife has been using the van to bring my children to many different places. this is totally an unsafe matter and ford should be looking into a recall. what more can i do to make this happen?? *tr

Abs & brake light senors continuously remain lit on instrument panel of vehicle. *tr

The abs and brake lights are on in my 2001 ford windstar. this occurs because of a faulty abs module. *tr

Braking distance suddenly increased in ford 2001 windstar after repair of leaking master cylinder. abs light is on non-stop. *tr

My 2001 ford windstar abs and brake warning lights have come intermittent on and my cruise control is intermittent. searching the internet revealed that there is a problem with the "speed control deactivation switch" that is mounted on the front of the master cylinder. i have inspected my switch and it does have a fluid leak that is running down the wires. this has not caused any other problems yet. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. while driving at various speeds, the vehicle sporadically loss excessive brake fluid. the dealer stated that the wiring harness that was connected to the vehicle speed cruise control failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $86.67. secondly, the technician stated that there was a recall and her vin was excluded from the vin range. the contact was in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 101,000 and current mileage was 103,032. updated 09/16/08 *bf the was a leak in the brake master cylinder. updated 09/22/08. *jb

Intermittent c1185 abs code is being caused by heat in the abs (anti-lock brake system) ecm (electronic control module) (2c219) module causing expansion of a large aluminum plate (heat sink) in the ecm which is attached to the ecm main circuit board at all points. the expansion occurs when the unit gets warm especially in the summer months and causes intermittent electrical connection in the unit because the fragile board is being stretched and malformed. this causes an intermittent abs light due to the failure of the abs relay. this is a manufacturing defect that has serious safety ramifications, and should be replaced by ford under warranty. *tr

A few months after i bought the car (may 2008) the abs and brake light started to come on, intermittently, every couple of days. it would come on when i went around a sharp curve or hit a pothole. i took the car to 3 different mechanics, when the lights were not on (no error codes) and when the lights were on (every abs error code came up). i was told by all 3 mechanics that the abs sensor board needed to be replaced. the part was going to cost over $300 plus labor to repair. they also told me that the car was ok to drive but that when the lights came on my abs was not working and that i should be careful when driving in rain or when road conditions were slick because i would need extra time to prepare for a full stop. i have researched on the internet for the same problem and found that there were many others who were experiencing the same problem and have tried many different fixes with no resolution, including the replacement of the abs sensor board. what do i need to do to ensure that my abs brakes will work correctly? *tr

Cruise control stopped working, and noticed intermittent abs/brake light. after researching, found that the brake pressure switch was leaking brake fluid through the connector. fluid had wicked into the cruise control module as well. even though this switch is the subject of failures and recalls on numerous models, the dealer refused to replace or apply the company designed fix to the vehicle. i am concerned that this issue has led to numerous vehicle fires, and that the company is not responding to this issue by replacing the switch, but only installing a fuse. repair charges were $210.00. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. the contact noticed a loss of brake fluid in the vehicle. the contact would add fluid one week, and the following week, it would almost be empty. the dealer stated that the master brake cylinder and accessories needed to be replaced. the current mileage was 101,000 and failure mileage was 99,000.

Abs light and brake light comes on. had it in the shop 3 times since april 2008 most recent was oct 15,2008. light was coming as soon as brakes were applied after starting engine. sensors have been cleaned. new brakes put on and some parts replaced. *tr

The abs, brake, traction control lights come on and whenever it is warm out and the abs and traction control do not work! this is a serious safety issue effecting stopping and steering control and should be a ford safety recall. a faulty computer board expands and contracts causing malfunctions in the system. *tr

Car produced a stong sulfer smell and immediately the abs light and brake light illuminated, the "o/d off" light began flashing, the speedometer died and the odometer cleared. *tr

2001 ford windstar - recurring abs & e-brake lights on while driving in 2001 ford windstar. lights come on intermittently and stay on until vehicle is turned off. after restarting, lights will come on again once driving has started. mechanic unable to determine problem. possible fire damage. *tr

I have a 2001 windstar, purchased at fines ford bolton on, for the past year the brake light and the abs brake light tend to be activated after the car warms up ( 5 min) during the summer. however during the winter months the problem seems to disappear. the colder the outdoor temperature the less likely the light seem to go on. the van has only 95 000 km , and drives approximately 10-15 km on a daily total commute. during the past year we ( my wife and i) have noticed that a burning smell seems to emanate from the van immediately when parked. since we park the van in a garage the smell is more noticeable then. this past july we brought the van in to service the recall to fix the scds sensor. although for a week the abs and brake lights were not activated, the problem has resurfaced thereafter. it seems this recall only served to possibly protect a fire but not solve the real problem with the abs lights. *tr

Periodic illumination of the dashboard warning lights for the abs and the brakes, especially during summer months, but down here in the south, also during warmer winter days. according to the ford manual, this indicates a problem with the abs control module. in looking further, i found that the master cylinder is leaking into the brake pressure differential deactivation switch. the wires are wet with fluid, leading all the way down to the abs control module. the approximate incident date is the first occurance, but i have had the lights come on ever since buying the van, used, in the spring of last year. *tr

My 2001 ford windstar developed a brake fluid leak from the speed control deactivation switch mounted on the master cylinder. this appears to have caused the speedometer and odometer to stop working. i plan to make repairs tonight, but i noticed that many other ford products are under a recall for this same problem, and i wanted to include the information that this problem has occurred on my windstar. it appears to be a potential fire hazard. *tr

Ford windstar 2001 brake and abs light come on after a short distance of driving and remain on. checked with mechanic who said it's a known problem with ford windstars. this causes me great concern because it means braking distances are increased in an emergency braking or slippery conditions. *tr

Vehicle makes a grinding noise on the front passenger side. while turning as well as a hissing noise/clicking noise. also my abs light and emergency brake light are always on and they never turn off. *tr

Around march of 2008 the brake warning light and the abs warning light started coming on intermittently then about 2 months later they came on permanently and have not gone out. the antilock brakes do not work any more. a ford dealer diagnosed the problems as being a bad abs control module and a leaking speed control deactivation switch. symptoms are as follows. loss of brake fluid leaking brake deactivation switch brake light on dashboard trouble indicator brake light (red) dashboard trouble indicator abs brake light (yellow) speedometer shows 1/2 vehicle speed cruise control will not activate ford trouble code c1185 and others an on line search using key words 2000 ford windstar speedometer problems or 2001 ford windstar abs problems has found more descriptions of this failure then i could count. this web site ?http://www.fordwindstarrecall.info/? list 12 symptoms of the problem, i have 8 of them. they also make a reference to the nhtsa concerning this problem. nhtsa id #636312, march 01 2002 related investigations tying the leaking speed control deactivation switch and the failed abs control module http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm?action_number=ea08021&searchtype=quicksearch&summary=true nhtsa action number : ea08021 http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm?action_number=pe08035&searchtype=quicksearch&summary=true nhtsa action number : pe08035. *tr

The yellow abs light and the red brake light come on at same time and stay on till vehicle is turned off. this is a constant problem. *tr

I own a 2001 ford windstar and the abs light keeps coming on and disabling the abs system and the parking brake light comes on. is there a recall on this? *tr