Problems with 1999 Ford Windstar ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Vehicle will stall at any speed/ any time. stalled 8 times in 20 minutes. vehicle at dealer at this time, still trying to find cause. *ak at times the vehicle can not be restarted, this occurs imediately prior to when it stalls, the rpm indicator drops down to zero then within the next 3-5 seconds the car completely dies. nlm

When reaching 20mph vehicle will start to shake soon after it will shut off. consumer has contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

This ford windstar lx has experienced the engine just suddenly quitting while driving on the roadways. the first incident happened the day i purchased the vehicle, whereby i drove it home and even test drove it without incident. however, when i got home my daughter wanted to take it for a spin and got approximately two houses down the street we live on and the engine suddently quit. i attempted to simply drive it around the block to get back home and it quit running two more times. i took it back to the dealer and he called ford and what was done i do not know but one day later i was told it was ready and picked it up. we drove it from the 26th of june until the 29th of june. on the 29th my wife was travelling 40mph down a busy street when the engine suddenly quit again. the dash lights always came on and this time the "check engine" light came on and stayed on. when the engine quits you steere without power sterrin nor power brakes. my wife is 5'1" and 120 lbs and this was very difficult and scarry. i fear if she had been on an interstate and had this occur! subsequently, i took it back to the dealer on the 2nd of july and todate they fixed the "check engine" light problem, but this was not the problem with the engine suddenly quitting. the mini-van has quit running twice more while at the ford dealer and they do not have a clue as to what the problem is. from the 2nd of july to today 7-13-01 i have no cause nor solution to this safety hazard. i would appreciate any information or if this has been previously reported with this particular mini-van, or if i indeed just have a lemon. i have researched the van and it comes out with a clean bill of health each time. i feel this needs to be reported for the possible accident potential and possible loss of life due to the engine just suddenly quitting to run. i will update your office as to any changes in status and/or resolution of this vehicle problem. thank you for time and energy in this matter.*ak

This is the 13 major repair on this minivan. i have had so many problems. no afety defect mentioned. *ak

Engine would make a "pinging" noise while vehicle is being driven at any speed. dealership examined vehicle and determined a valve cover in engine was corroded, and had to be replaced. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak

Have had repeated service visits for light to extreme engine knocking. dealer told me to use premium gas to solve knocking. knocking went away with premium. dealer then tried computer adjustment and going back to regular gas. knocking solved for 2 weeks then returned. dealer said to go back to premium gas. no knocking for a year, then knocking came back. dealer replaced valve cover with new design. no knocking for 4-6 weeks. knocking started lightly, now back to severe knocking and lack of acceleration power. vehicle back at dealer for work. fed up with windstars. this is 2nd lemon windstar in a row! ford bought back '98 windstar from me!*ak

While driving under wet conditions power assisted steering failed. dealer has examined vehicle and determined that cover under the vehicle which protects the engine needed to be replaced. please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak

While driving at highway speed and going uphill, engine started to knock. after numerous attempts to correct the problem, it still exists. mechanic stated to consumer, "some engines just knock". *jg *ak

Insured pulled off the road to stop at a stand and the vehicle caught on fire, fire was found to have resulted from faulty cooling fans/wires, claim 59-v539-348. *jg

There are several problems with out now three year old windstar that have either been corrected temporarily or not corrected at all. the most persistent issues are with the drivetrain in particular the transmission which shifts erratically when going around corner or climbing hills at low spead. the recall was performed at 25k but the transmission continues to operate poorly. ford has offered no solution or warranty extension for these problems. the engine problems to date revolve around the innability to use regular or mid grade fuels as advertised on the vehicles sticker, we have been offered a valve cover replacement for $500 but in speaking with other windstar owners this only fixes the problem temporarily. also it seems to me this is a defect that ford should fix not the owner. the other persistent problem is with the direver side power door, in hot temperatures the door does not close completely and pops open when driveing. the dealer has repaired this several times and while better that in was it continues to be an intermittent problem. we are frustrated with the probelms this vehicle has experienced including the replacement of the entire power steering system, rack, pump and hoses and more frustrating is fords unwillingness to stand behind the vehicle and its fault. our overwhelming concern is that the transmission and engine will both fail before we have received any usefull value for our money. ford needs to be held accountable for the products they develop, i hope you will be able to enforce some type of coverage or warrantee protection for the consumer.*ak

The transmission went out again on 6-21-03 with just under 60000 miles on van. both transmission failures wre sudden without any warning slippage etc. both trans failures left the vehicle with no forward gears, but reverese worked each time. the fluid has been changed properly and the van is well maintained.

Engine knock when any type of load is applied to the engine. most prevalent at highway speeds and hills. *ak

Steering wheel was making noise while turning. also, a clunking noise was coming from the engine. dealer repaired problem under warranty. *ml

I have had more than 4 problems with this car in past two years that have been major problems. i would just like to see if other people have had as much problems with the steering and the van it's self. *ak

Re: sliding doors- will not open reliably since new- trouble intermittent-dealer lakeland ford replaced door switches when i was finally able to demonstrate intermittent condition(not easy)dealer contacted ford who told them that the doors were designed to operate that way to conserve battery!(believe it) ford design engineer said the power to the outside door handles was cut off after 30 minutes of no use to conserve the battery, further, that they had received no other complaints.. this is simply not so. the van can sit for 24 hours and the doors will open , most of the time. re horn button: most people use the palm or heel of the hand to operate the horn. i have had three close calls because i have been unable to sound the horn to alert other drivers. it can only be operated by using the thumb or index finger directly over the horn symbol. this constitutes an area of slightly more than one square inch. re emission control:according to the service manager this noise is caused by one of the emission controls under the hood. it causes a whirring sound when the vehicle is in gear and makes a squack like a duck when the engine is turned off. service manager said they couldn't do anything about it. had identical trouble in '96 windstar, turned out to be computer and transmission related.*ak

While accelerating at speeds of 35 to 40 there is a knocking pinging noise, took to dealer and they replaced a vacuum hose. problem reoccured. consumer states there is oil being consumpt some where in vehicle. please provide any further information. ts

Vehicle stalls without any warning. summer grade gas pressure bills up into the gas tank, causing the vehicle to stall. *ak

Transmission experienced a leak. nlm

The engine light came on after consumer took vehicle in for a recall in which he believes is causing the light to come on, consumer is requesting reimbursemnt that was incurred by the dealer to just examine it.*yh