Problems with 2001 Ford Windstar SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

constant abs and brake light indication after start up of vehicle. *tr

1) none. 2) multiple occasions failure of the brakes occurred after the vehical came to a compete stop. car shutters at 40,50 and 60 mph. several mis-accidents occured. these were diverted as our habits were altered to stop a minimum 10 feet from traffic and travel 10-15 mph less that posted. 3) replacement of the complete break system, pads, cylinders, lines, rotors and all computers to include fuses. all factory parts. *nm

Abs and brake light stay on in my 2001 windstar. i have been on a website that includes information with over 5 thousand people with the same problem. i have had it checked at the dealer before and was told nothing was wrong. *tr

Abs light (and brake light) go on intermittently on our 2001 ford windstar. *jb

Abs light stays on all the time. *jb

I was driving on a snow/ice covered road on my way home from work. the road was not plowed. i lost my brakes and started to slide sideways down a hill. i tried to steer the 2001 ford windstar to the side of the road. i was not going very fast. i was petrified. i finally came to a stop my bumper hit a drain pipe. all axles were bent. smoke was coming from the hood. the windstar was totaled. i received 18 stitches in my mouth. my top teeth bit through my bottom lip. i have a scar. the airbags did not deploy. i filed complaints at several different places and as all these other people are saying i never received an answer. i would like to be included in the class action lawsuit. *tr

We purchased a 2001 ford windstar 04/2005, in 09/2005 while pulling into a parking spot the brakes failed & engine surged. summer of 2006, it happened a number of times with my wife driving, very similar to the first incident. we took it to our local repair shop who replaces a brake sensor. it happened again & they replaced another brake sensor. it happened again this time we took it to dealer in 07/2006 where the said they had to adjust the brake sensors and that everything was safe. it happened again, we took it back to dealer in august 2006 where they had it until 11/2006 telling us there was nothing wrong with the van. not feeling safe with the van took to another dealer who has had it 11/2006 till present 03/2007. i have talked with a number of mechanics out side ford who have seen the same thing including a ford sales woman who had it happen to her vehicle. i have been told it probably is something in the abs system & that it would be over $2000 to replace but no guarantee that this would correct the problem ( i don't have that kind of money to waste) . i also see a lot of similar complaints on this web site. this problem is a life safety issue & should be resolved by ford. we are paying & insuring a vehicle, for 9 months that is not safe to drive. help please!!!!!*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. while parking the vehicle it surged forward when the brake pedal was depressed. the mechanic stated that the abs sensor needed to be replaced and performed the repair. approximately two weeks later the problem recurred. the dealer stated that the abs sensor needed to be adjusted and performed the repair. approximately a week later the failure recurred. the vehicle was towed to two dealers, and both were unable to locate any failure. the current mileage is 90,000 , and failure mileage was unknown. *ak

2001 ford windstar, 80,000 miles. the abs and brake warning lights come on intermittently. the dealer says a technical bulletin has been issued regarding moisture entering and corroding the abs system. $2,845 to repair. this problem has been reported in many windstars; the vehicle should be recalled for this problem and the damage repaired at no cost to the consumer. *nm

I bought a 2001 ford windstar in april 2005. by august, the abs brake came on. i promptly took it to al packer ford and they charged me $545.00 to replace the ba control plus labor. within two years (in august) the light came on again. i researched and found that many families are having a problem. it goes on and off frequently, and i am very concerned about a fire. i can not afford to pay for this piece every two years, especially when it is a defective part. thank you *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. when the contact first purchased the vehicle, it shut off. the rings in the engine had to be replaced. she also heard a rumbling sound when the brake pedal was depressed. an auto repair shop stated that the brakes were operating normally; however, after much complaining, the contact had the front brakes replaced. the windshield wipers stopped working after a new windshield was installed. the vehicle was diagnosed and the motor was found to be the cause of the failure. the motor was replaced. a couple of months later, the vehicle began leaking antifreeze and was towed to a repair shop. the contact was informed that the fuel injection hoses were leaking. the leak was repaired. three weeks later, the vehicle would buck and shut off. she was informed that the catalytic converter was completely destroyed. lastly, the contact noticed an issue with the rear of the vehicle. it would fishtail or wobble while driving various speeds. the dealer stated that the vehicle was no longer included in the factory warranty. the manufacturer has not been notified. the current mileage was 74,056 and failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. while driving 40 mph, the abs and brake lights illuminated simultaneously. a mechanic stated that the abs sensor failed. no repairs were made. the current mileage was 98,000 and failure mileage was 48,000. updated 10/23/07 *tr

My ford 2001 windstar has had the abs/brake warning lights come on for five years now. i have been living with it. is there any recall. *tr

Vehicle show both brake and abs lights intermittently. apparently no failure to either. brakes were serviced in 2005 and 2010 with no apparent fix to the above lights. suspect ecm failure due to heat as shown on http://www.fordwindstarrecall.info/ shown as problem #2 on the website.

While driving my 2001 ford windstar the entire dashboard lit up. then the abs, odometer, and engine light remained on. speedometer stopped working, and the odometer went blank. the van was taken to apple valley ford, where we were told that abs system had been leaking for sometime with no warning indication , and shorted out the entire electrical system. the repair bill was $4500 as the front electrical module was shot due to the leakage. dealer and ford corporation could not explain cause of leak, why warning system did not work, why the extreme damage or why the front electrical module was located so close to the abs system, that allowed this to happen. i questioned if this was a manufacturing or latent defect. repair was being done at this time. *ak

This is a 2001 vehicle. after warrnaty expired we have invested almost $2000 in repairs and things continue to break.*jb

While driving approximately 45 mph brakes failed to operate, resulting in a crash. *ak

Abs and brake lights on dash come and go mostly on all the time. *tr

Vehicle's back end swayed left and right, making it difficult to maintain control. the cause was undetermined. *ak the consumer stated that the rear control arm broke while driving. the bolt was replaced and a rattling noise was heard coming from the rear of the vehicle. the lower rear tight side bolt was no good. the conusmer stated that the engine light was on. tests found vacuum leaking from the intake manifold. lower and upper intake manifold gaskets were replaced. idle speed control was replaced. the brakes squeaked . when taking off from a stop light the vehicle idles high. *tc

While driving dashboard lights illuminated intermittently. the odometer went out. consumer stopped the vehicle to look under the hood. there were little sparks of fire under the hood. the wiring that were connected to the master cylinder melted. there was brake fluid leaking down on the wiring. *ak

Oil leaks leading to the engine $700.00 @60,000 miles abs ---system replaced $1200 @74,500 miles head gaskets replaced and some suspension problem $2,000 @ 7500miles. *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

Anti-lock brake (abs) warning light comes on during warm summer months and abs system is disabled. light goes off starting in the fall and stays mainly off until late spring. *tr

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

I have a 2001 ford windstar with abs, brake, cruise control problems. about 2 years ago i started to get the brake and abs lights illuminating. i took it to a local ford dealership and they said my abs module needed to be replaced. i asked for pricing and they said it would be $450 just for the part. i declined and asked them to disable the abs system. the dealership service representative informed me there was a recall on other ford vehicles with the same abs switch leaking and that there was a recall on those vehicles but not on the windstar. recently the vehicle developed a leak. i have been adding brake fluid on the average of a pint a week. i decided to do some research online to fix the problem and came across www.fordwindstarrecall.info which directed me to this site. i am extremely concerned this problem could start a fire and will be repairing the vehicle soon. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford windstar. while the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, the emissions, abs and rear brakes warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the warning indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the failure would recur whenever the engine was in operation. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was previously notified of the defect. the failure mileage was unknown.

Power steering system failure. traction control failure. anti-lock brake (abs) system failure. tire pressure monitor system failure. *tt

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

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

While sitting at a stop with foot applied to the brake pedal and brake pedal failed and went straight to the floor. vehicle lurched forward with force and entered first lane of traffic on highway. abs light illuminated on the dashboard, and the warning chime went off. several times vehicle has been at dealer to determine problem, but nothing has been found. dealer was notified. please provide more information.*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.

To summarize, we bought a 2001 new ford windstar van on oct. 6 from courtesy ford. the brakes failed on oct. 8, causing an accident with slight damage. the van was towed to a ford dealership in wray, where they were unable to find a problem with the brakes. ford, through their corporate office, offered an extended warranty of 5 years. they also stated that they had sent an engineer from denver to wray who was also unable to find a problem with the brakes. i have a signed document from the service manager in wray stating that no one has come to look at the van. neither my wife nor i feel that this vehicle is safe to drive, especially since ford has lied to us regarding their diagnosis of the problem. we do not feel comfortable putting ourselves and/or our grandchildren at risk when there seems to be no explanation for why the brakes failed initially. i have much documentation and a chronology of the events that brought us to where we are today. the most frustrating part of this whole deal is ford's reluctance to even respond to our calls and letters. we simply want a vehicle that is free from defects. this is the first new vehicle that we have ever owned. your service comes highly recommended to us and we would appreciate any help you can offer. i can be contacted anytime at the above number or on my cell phone (970) 630-3328.*ak

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.

While driving brakes were making a grinding noise. brakes would skip before they stopped vehicle. while coming to an intersection brakes failed, they allowed consumer to slow down. then, consumer had to put car in park. consumer had vehicle towed to dealer. please provide any further information. *ak

When i started my minivan it was an afternoon. i noticed that when i started driving the minivan it was like forcing it self then i would change the speed and it would sound different but it felt like it was heavy, i would change it to n and it still make this sound like if i was driving on a wet highway and engine was still loud. when i would speed more than 30 mph it just wouldn't respond as it did before. i purchased this minivan not to long ago -i would say close to a month-. when taking it for a test drive everything looked good, sounded ok -other than the shocks that needed to be replaced- and no lights were on. but after two days had gone by the previous owner said that the abs light would "sometimes" turn on and would turn off on its own. so, i had a mechanic inspect the minivan for the replacement of the shock wondering if this might take care of the problem, but after the work was done the abs and brake light started to turn on. went back to the mechanic because it came making weird sound on the left side so he told me that brake pads also needed to be replaced, so i thought to myself this would take care of the problem which it didn't happen. now after close to a month of owning this minivan and weather becoming much hotter i noticed this problem. i had a mechanic look at it again today and he suggested that a take it to a ford dealership to have the minivan inspected since he was also aware of a recall done on these types of vehicles. i am just afraid to keep on driving it because i can tell something is just not right and i feel that it's just going to brake down on me anytime soon. and since i have a baby i prefer not to drive or drive a long distance or even on a high speed.

(1) i had various problems with the braking on the van starting about 4 months after i bought it with. nothing really lead up to the failures. (2) brakes would fail for no apparent reason. it was usually after i would hit a slight bump in the road while lightly applying the brakes. i would feel as the antilock brakes would kick on for no reason. the brakes would not recover until they were released and pressed again. several times i would have hit someone if they were in front of me. (3) i sent many complaints to ford, the dealerships, etc. there policy was if they could not reproduce the problem then they couldn't fix it. i could not reproduce the problem either. this would just happen out of the blue. i have had witness in the van when this happened. ford denied two dealers from working on the van (even though it was under warranty) because the dealer could not reproduce the problem. about 6 months ago i replaced the shocks and tires on the van. this problem has not happened since then. i did everything i could think of to have someone help me with this problem. talked to ford, dealers, filled out similar forms on auto safety websites, etc. i am truly disappointed that no one ever looked into this problem. if this is happening on other ford windstar's then there are some very serious safety issues that need to be investigated. *nm

Consumer was traveling 60mph on highway and anti-lock braking system light came on dashboad. consumer applied brakes and it was raining. vehicle skidded and ran into a pole. dealership was aware of problem.*ak