Problems with 2003 Ford Windstar EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Started having wiper issues (intermittent did not work) randomly for a couple weeks, then headlights went out on highway at night with no other cars, first for a couple seconds off then on then off for good after a few more seconds. after another 10 min or so they went back on and stayed on. also wipers did not work, or radio, windows and door locks. another time during heavy rain in daytime the system failed again, wipers went off. this was on busy highway. luckily they went on again after 10s and i was able to see and pull over. very scary. happened off and on again. turned out forward control module was bad. dealer replaced one i got from junkyard, no more problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. while driving various speeds and while stationary, the hazard lights flashed and would not turn off. the contact stated that the turn signals could not be used due to the involuntary flashing of the hazard lights. in addition, the abs and brake warning indicators illuminated without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was 90,000.

I was warned by a fellow driver that i had no brake lights. the tail lights work. all bulb filaments are intact. interior fuses #'s 10 & 11 associated with the brake lights according to the owner's manual are intact. i replaced the brake pedal switch. still i have no brake lights. *tr

Abs brake light will turn on and off at random times. also, brake (e-brake) light comes on, interior lights occasionally flash, all running lights and headlights have gone out (really bad when driving down highway at night), and loss of all electrical (radio, lights, heater fan, dash illumination, headlights, running lights, etc... all go out at same time). alternator and several batteries have been replaced. electric windows will occasionally stop working as well. obviously the huge issue here is the fact that the abs system may be disabled, dash warning lights randomly come on and off, and all electrical shuts off, with losing headlights and running lights being the biggest issue! *tr

Abs and brake light stays on and all gauges won't stop going crazy. making by battery die. *js

Battery was dead all of a sudden... jumped it and all the lights started flickering... dome light dash lights... windshield wipers came on and they were turned off... driving down the road everything shut down until the gas was pressed and then it all came back on... called several places and no one can tell me what is wrong.

After going about 4 miles after starting up van, abs light comes on, occasionally the red brake light will come on too, speedometer goes crazy (up and down) and inside lights flicker at random. seems to be some sort of electrical issue and/or brake issues. *tr

The interior lights in this vehicle flicker on and off at random when driving. it does it during the day and at night. at night is the worst. sometimes it won't do it for a long time and there is times where it does it constantly. shutting off the engine and restarting corrects it but only some of the time. i have been seeing complaints on many different web sites about this problem and i have seen no tsb issued from ford about this issue. *tr

Abs and brake light comes on all the time and goes back out all the time. the right rear brake light blows out about every two weeks to two months, have replaced about 20 times since buying vehicle. neighbor has a 2003 windstar with same problem. horn failed, connection problem, works off and on. attempted to get replacement part but was informed not available. *tr

Abs light and brake light stay on. have new brakes. interior lights keep flashing on and off when driving battery light stays on. i have had battery tested. *tr

I was parked outside my home.i went out to my van to go pick up dinner and to my distress, the van wouldn't reverse or go forward. after some investigation from online source and auto mechanics, this is an ongoing problem with ford's transmissions. no warning of a problem.in the past weeks,my interior lights would come on while im driving. this van is a hazard. you really need to investigate this please. *tr

Speedometer lights come on while driving and don't go away. now the car wont start from what was told to me because of electrical problems. rear driver light doesn't work but can signal,left rear passenger lights wont signal. *tr

Abs/brake lights are coming on constantly....losing power....front/passenger side windows will not work, lights go on and off..... *tt

Vehicle passenger headlight would come on in the middle of the night by itself and now passenger headlight would not work on dim. they said there was a problem with the wiring harness. so i had to pay for them to take the same materials again. i'm deciding if i should cut my losses and sell. my husband said we should never have bought a ford. i'm disabled and can't afford to be sticking this kind of money monthly into it. *tr

Interior lights come on randomly and blink while driving. sometimes they stay on after turning off the vehicle draining the battery. the door ajar stays on when the door is closed. all contacts cleaned and it still does this. driving with a flashing light in the vehicle is distracting and could cause an accident, this seems to be a problem in all ford windstars and should be investigated. *tr

Lights turn on and of inside the car. the abs light and the brake light on and off. windows stop working get stuck. *tr

2003 ford windstar's brake light keeps staying on within 2-3 minutes of car heating up. *tr

Abs and brake light came on. brought 2003 ford windstar lx to ford repair shop. 1,825 later, im reading these complaints. very expensive considering i only have 45,000 miles on the van. im very disappointed in the ford company for not addressing these issues. *tr

55000 miles. original owner 09s09 recall. brake switch leaking-repaired before recall.paid 250.00 abs/brake lights intermittent, occasional burning smell, rear tail light remain on. battery dies (on#3) flashing interior lights, radio go out upon braking. dealer performed recall (wire thing) said need new ecu and hcu at cost of 1800.00. have had car in and out of service many times for strange electrical occurrences and warning light problems. always said can not duplicate. have seen hundreds of complaints on message boards www.fordwindstarrecall.info, www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2003/ford/windstar/abs+warning+light, www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2003/ford/windstar/electrical+system. from consumers with similar complaints. feel car is not safe. low miles, always had scheduled maintenance. *tr

The interior lights flickering all the time. i keep the interior lights off so they don't flicker. *tr

With no prior problems to report, i was suddenly unable to put my vehicle in gear after starting it. the gear-shifter felt somewhat loose as if i were parked at an incline without putting the hand brake on. however, i was parked on level ground. after turning the vehicle off, i was finally able to get the vehicle out of park and into neutral where i was able to start it and put it into drive. whenever i placed it in park it was extremely difficult to get it back into any other gear however, it would randomly go into gear as if there was no problem. but once placed back into park it would get stuck again. now there is all kinds of wacky electrical stuff going on...window swithches aren't functioning, no tail lights, fuel gage is not functioning and the remote alarm entry only unlocks the drivers side door. there is a clicking in the left side of the steering column when trying to utilize any of the listed electrical functions. *tr

Abs and red internal brake light intermittently light up due to faulty switch. there is an unrelated recall issued for 1998-2003 windstars but it does not cover this particular problem. since the recalls was issued have seen that this problem is rampant among windstar owners. this causes a safety issue as we are told it is just a switch and not to worry but then if there is a problem we are unaware. *tr

It started with the interior lighting coming on while driving ,then the dash windows nd radio ,battery dying and the outside lighting staying on while keys were out and not working once started. they are all happening constantly even with all the new parts that the ford garage replaced{battery,switches,alternator,light sockets,etc}. *tr

Abs and brake light come on when car is running for a while or heated up. car smells like something is burning. *tr

Right side (passenger) front marker light has a grounding problem. i changed the bulb twice and the problem still occurs. the light stays on for no reason and the onboard computer shows that all lights are fine. if you bang it will go out. *tr

Abs light and brake light always come on in my ford windstar. fire hazard. *tr

I own a ford windstar '03. starting in may 2007, at about 45,600 miles, my brake light and abs light are illuminated. the code read by the mechanic from the computer is c1185. nearly every time i use the car since, the lights come on within a few minutes of turning on the ignition. *tr

Exterior brakes lights stay on as though the brake pedal is depressed, and even come on by themselves when no one is in the car. when you get in the car, there is a hot, overheated smell in the car. several mornings i have gotten in the car to find that the battery is dead, and i have to jump the car to start. *tr

I own a 2003 ford windstar lx for about the last year and a half the abs (orange) light and the brake (red) light come on whenever i driver more than about a mile in the summer time it is almost always on i know that this seams to be a problem because there is a web site dedicated to this. i really believe ford needs to do something about this i have taken my van to the ford house and they say they can do nothing. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. the contact stated that after the vehicle has been driven 1 to 10 miles, the brake and abs lights illuminate and remain lit until the vehicle is shut off. the dealer has not been notified and the vehicle has not been repaired. the speed was unknown. the current mileage was 46,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. updated 12/12/07 *bf updated 12/12/07 *tr

On my 2003 ford windstar the abs system light is almost always on also my brake light is the same i have had my brakes checked many times i went to a ford dealer and they said it would cost $500 dollars so i went to a different contractor and they said my brakes are fine please help. *tr

Brake lights (all three) are lighted when no one is in car. it like the break lights stay lit after parking vehicle. you go to get in car and find the break lights are on as if break pedal is depressed. interior of van smells like electric overheat. *nm

Message: i have a 2003 ford windstar that is getting water into the left headlight. the water is causing the headlight to deteriorate and effectiveness. i can find no cracks or breakage of the product and feel that this is a defect in ford material or workmanship. ford refuses to replace the headlight as a warranty or safety item. so i am asking you to check into this problem with 2003 ford windstars. thanks. *jb

Electrical problems that required the replacement of the main electrical harness 3 times, which were under warranty. the interior lights continue to flash and flicker to this day, both day and night, creating a hazard to safe operation of the vehicle. there are also false aleerts of the tire warning system, and other intermittant electrical problems in the vehicle. there is also a noise coming from the front end, which is in the area of the sub frame assembly.

Consumer stated that brake light worked intermittently. consumer has took vehicle to the dealer and repairs were made. however, problem recurred. the vehicle was hit from the rear because the brake lights failed to come on when applying the brakes. *ak