Problems with 2001 Ford Windstar STRUCTURE

Back passenger sliding door opens unintended and does it while the vehicle is on. *jb

roof brackets are loose. this is causing a loud rattling noise. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

We have a 01 ford windstar limited with automatic doors, with safety sensors. the driver_x0019_s side door was working intermittently, not always opening and closing with the buttons. my 3yr old daughter reached in the van to get a toy and the door closed on her arm,(without anyone touching a button to close the door) the door eventually opened. the injury consisted of broken skin and a severe bruise on the outer and the inner side of the arm. the van was still covered by extended warranty and four parts were replaced: 1. contr asy bdy s 2. sensor asy - ac 3. r/contr & lat a 4. actu asy - bdy sd the door is still having problems opening all of the time. the ford dealership cannot find a problem with it.

I own a 2001 ford windstar sel with power sliding doors. i am concerned with the problem i am having because one of the mechanisms used to operate the door is inoperable and the door no longer works electrically. the standard cost for this repair is $1800.00, alot of money for a door repair. my concern is that if the power mechanism is not working these doors should be able to operate safetly manually. that is not the case the door is excessively heavy (heavier than a manual door) and when the vechicle is on an incline the door will not stay open. i have two children (ages 3 and 1) and i am concerned for their safety with this door. i feel there should be some safety precaution to hold the door open when the power fails. the door should require some sort of slight tug or pull to close not just gravity. i think if this issue is not resolved on these power doors someone is going to lose a finger, hand or much worse. otherwise i think that manufacturers should make these repairs more affordable, most families (which is the majority of owners of mini-vans) are on tight budgets and $2000.00, is just outrageous for a door repair! *ak

The liftgate glass shattered without any cause. dealer couldn't determine the cause, but replaced the glass. *ak *mr

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

Bought the used vehicle from a used car dealer. didn't check for paint peeling or rust, thought a 2 year old car wouldn't have any. i washed the car, and as i waxed it, discovered the peeling paint on the roof rib, almost entire lenghth of vehicle, then found rust at the bottom of the front passenger door and rear passenger sliding door. contacted ford, instructed me to go to local dealership, went to gervais ford in ayer ma. service manager looked over the car, made notes, informed me he would contact ford headquarters to see if they will do anything. two weeks later, he contacted me and informed me there was nothing they could do regarding the paint or the doors rusting from the inside out.

The consumers child stuck her finger inside of the a small hole in the console and a saw had to be used to get the child's finger out of the hole. *nlm *cb *jb

Nov 9, 2002, is when we purchased the red windstar van we were told that the dealership had used it as a promotional car for the owners and their wives. february a complaint officer at ford told me they were just putting the car in our name it was listed under enterprise still. i called to asked why we were just getting the recall notice for the seat when i had called them 5 times with the call i made 2-7-07 and why had they not sent a notice for the sliding doors. *nm

When closing passenger sliding door the door would not close. consumer made contact with the dealership. *ak

I have read numerous complaints on edmunds.com (town hall) from other windstar owners. i'm concerned for my family with these doors failing. i am going back to my ford dealer for a second visit to have them fix a problem that is of grave importance to my family and families of windstar owners. ford needs to take this matter more seriously and provide more support to fix these problems with these doors failing to work properly. your attention to this matter is appreciated. *ph *jb **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**770812

Consumer noticed that driver's rear side door did not latch. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and mechanic replaced the door switch. however, the problem recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. *ak

While driving down a 2 lane highway, my driver's side automatic door opened on it's own. i immediately pulled to the side of the road, turned off the automatic setting, and shut the door manually. luckily, i was in the van alone, not with my wife and 3 1/2 year old daughter. i called the dealership and told me to get it to them right away. they could not get it to malfunction while in the service department, but i did inform them that the door, when fully closed, does stick out further than the passenger side. they readjusted the door and said that no other reports of this happening has ever occurred when they talked to ford engineering. but, i see on this site many reports of a similar nature. waiting on dealership for possible exchange of vehicle.*ak

The passenger side power sliding door opens on its own while the car is moving. it happened twice in one day. i was told that ford is "aware of the problem" and that they are working on a new hinge assembly. in the meantime, i am afraid to put my kids in the van. i see other complaints for this same issue (738418, 866315, 871988, 730676, 871684). i also know of two other people who had the same problem. luckily, no one was hurt, but this needs to be addressed.*ak

Sliding door behind driver keeps coming open while driving. dealer has made numerous adjustments and problem keeps occurring. consumer states vehicle is not safe for children or anyone in the rear. please provide any further 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.

Passenger rear slider door will not stay open when vehicle is parked on a hill. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

While driving, the automatic sliding door intermittently opens, dealer has replaced automatic door sensor, but that did not remedy the problem. *ak *yd

power sliding door failed to stay close. while driving along door ajar signal on the dashboard will illumintate to alert that door has popped open. power sliding door cannot be manually forced to close. dealer was notified. please provide more 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

While traveling on the highway, the door will unexpectedly open without prior warning, dealership is aware of problem. *ak. *jb. also the driver seat will not move, dealer replaced the fuse, the cruise control was inoperative. and the door ajar light was on.*jb

I took my 2001 ford windstar se to bull valley ford dealership for rear axle recall and was informed of severe rusting of the front passenger side subframe from one of the service desk representatives after the inspection. after more research i have found several internet postings regarding this same problem on the ford windstars. is there an investigation regarding this inferior product that ford manufacturing has used on these subframes? it is a severe safety issue not only for the vehicle owner/operator but everyone else on the roadways!!! *tr

Sliding door locks malfunctioned, and is unable to unlock. dealer notified. *ak

As my wife backed the van out of the driveway the rear axle broke in half. *tr

The passenger sliding door mechanism sealed completely on my right thumb. it did not sense that there was an obstruction and my thumb was damaged extensively. when thumb was released, it was completely flat (size of a flat quarter) and had extensive crushing damage. had no feeling for 4 months. nail died and took until january 2002 to fall off, causing much discomfort and inability to perform daily tasks for family. currently, nail has not grown back and may not ever. this door mechanism, when tested shut on plastic cups, sticks, and other small objects. this is a family vehicle and should have an infa red sensor that backs up the door whenever its beam is broken. it currently has a mechanical sensor so only if something substantial (ie: an adults whole body) is wedged in door, will it back up. even then, it closes considerably (and frighteningly on victom) before opening. i fear that one of my children will get wrist or hand closed and cause serious damage. i still have shooting pain in joint of thumb and no thumb nail. i need help demonstrating product malfunction before my child or someone else's is seriously crushed!*ak

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

Without warning side electrical door will open and shut without command. also sensor on door is not functioning accurately, dealer has been notified. mechanic has serviced vehicle 8 times, and has not resolved the problem.*ak consumer adds that the passenger side sliding door is the problem. the door will also close or open pathway then change directions. door motion can go on for 5 minutes. sensor also failed. door will push on anything that is in its way. *tt

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

The power sliding door does not always close to the "flush" position. the minivan has been brought back to dealership where purchased on three separate occassions. 1st time: door goes to the closed position then retracts slightly open and stays there. repeated attempts to powerslide where unsuccfessful. brought it to the deal and they mad an "adjustment" (details not available). 2nd time: door retracts slightly after reaching the closed position. will eventually reach the closed position but only with multiple attempts. also, detection of object in the path of sliding door not working well. i needed to stop the door from sliding with the entire force of my body (this ould have seriously injured my 3-year old if she had been standing there at the time). a visit to ford resulting in reprogramming the sensor as they are receiving information from ford on these repairs on a weekly basis. tested the sliding door in ford's parking lot before leaving the dealership and it was working fine. got home, switched around my carseats, again, the door did not close all the way. left it alone for a while, went back outside and the door successfully closed on the first attempt. did not have occassion to use the sliding door for 4 days, open. *ak

Both power sliding doors will not stay closed. vehicle has been taken to dealer 6 times, hinges and motor have been replaced. dealer unable to remedy the problem.*ak

Both sliding doors did not close fully. the doors would shut and pop back open even when locked. the mechanic replaced several components but only provided a temporary fix. the failure still exist. at 50,000 the intake manifold was replaced twice within a year because it contained a leak. *jb