Problems with 1999 Ford Windstar VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Traveling at 55 mph going down a steep hill with cruise control on, i needed to brake asap to prevent an accident. the cruise would not shut off, i tapped on my brakes and nothing happened the on off switch did nothing either, since i was going down a steep hill i slammed on my brakes until they started burning before i rear ended the dump truck in front of me. i was able to put the van in neutral with the engine still racing and pull over and shut it off. when i restarted the van the idle was normal. i continued on my way but abs brake light came on and stayed on. from that day on the abs system kept causing problems until my mechanic pulled the fuse. the dealer could not replicate the problem. as of today i have no abs the cruise just hunts for position when on and the overdrive lights keeps flashing. i hope this will help you. *tr

We noticed a leak of an oil product and took our van in to be checked. the repair person said there was a leak of brake fluid where the speed control deactivation switch connects to the brake fluid reservoir. they said they thought there was a recall on this and to take the van to a ford dealer. we haven't done anything because our windstar (1999) is not part of the just announced recall, but this is a problem, we need to keep adding brake fluid. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford winnebago brave. the model of the vehicle was not listed in the drop down menu at the time of this complaint. the contact stated that the cruise control does not work. after using the component, he cannot get the device to set again. he stated that there is a recall on this component, but is unaware if the recall applies to his particular vehicle. the engine size and a valid vin were unknown. the current mileage is 40,000 and failure mileage was 35,000.

Cruise control disengages on it's own then does not restart when i try to reset it

Upon depressing the brake pedal to make a stop vehicle accelerated, resulting in unwanted and unexpected acceleration

While driving down the interstate, moving at a speed of 65 mph, the fuse (10)controlling the speed control module, abs module, brake shift interlock solenoid, powertrain control module, etc. etc. blew. instantly, i had no speedometer, abs light came on and my rear a/c began blowing on its own. i have since replaced #10 fuse and it has blown repeatedly. since this past friday, i have also learned that my cruise control is no longer functioning. i have done the research and have found from my fellow ford lemon owners, that this is not an uncommon occurance. i will be replacing the cruise control switch and/or brake pressure switch (which is located by the master cyclinder; which commonly seems to have a short in the circuit due to the wonderful job ford did designing their vehicles. *ak

1999 ford windstar cruise control system caught on fire.*mr

When trying to stop the vehicle on the highway pedal went to the floor, and the vehicle accelerated to 80 mph. consumer had to press the brakes very hard to stop, causing damage to the brake pedal. vehicle was towed, and throttle cable was discovered to be defective. consumer contacted manufacturer, and was told the vehicle was too old and had too many miles.*ak the throttle stuck, causing severely damaged to brakes. consumer was advised that ford did recall on 932 of its 1999 and 2000 model for this problem. *bf *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. the contact stated that the vehicle was abnormally pulling to the right in would sporadically become stuck in park. on a separate occasion the contact was driving 30 mph when the check engine and overdrive warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where unknown repairs were performed yet the failure persisted after the repairs. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times where several unknown repairs were made but to no avail. in addition, the contact stated that the battery was replaced five times and the she was recently made aware of two open recalls on the vehicle; nhtsa campaign id numbers: 10v385000 (suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly) and 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). neither recall repair had yet been performed on the vehicle. the failure mileage was 127,445 and the approximate current mileage was 150,000.

Engine revs unexplainable, causing unexpected and difficult to control sudden acceleration of vehicle. extreme brake application needed to stop vehicle during incidents. has occurred in excess of 20 times so far during the life of the vehicle, nearly causing accident on several occasions. ford dealer unable to identify the problem.*jb

While driving and when removing feet from gas pedal vehicle will cut off and lose power steering. resulting in loss of control. *ak

when vehicle is stopped at a light engine revs and vehicle lunges forward. please provide any further information.*ak

While driving at highway speeds, consumer took foot off accelerator, the vehicles dash lights illuminated and the engine died. took vehicle to dealer who replaced the valve throttle assembly. *ak consumer also states that the valve cover was replaced. *slc

Consumer applied accelerator at intersection engine revved, but vehicle would not move. dealer rebuilt transmission. in july 2002, transmission would not shift into gear at start up, again transmission was rebuilt.*ak

When putting vehicle into gear, vehicle accelerated by itself. vehicle accelerated to the point where brakes would not stop vehicle. also, vehicle went several hundred feet before stopping and consumer stated not sure how vehicle stopped. contacted dealer and dealer stated had never had any problems with this model vehicle.*ak *yh

While driving cruise control would not work.airbag light came on an off once every three weeks. also, locks started to lock and unlock by themselves. headlights were flickering off and on. finally, then horn failed. consumer replaced horn, and horn still did not work. consumer felt problems may have been related to clock spring. please provide any further information.*ak consumer wrote in saying the name and address belongs to her, however the vehicle is not hers, nor is any of the information along with it. *slc

Failure of transmission at highway speed; fluid spilled onto road caught fire under engine compartment; complained to dealer about hard shifting from 1-2; and van surging forward when coming to a stop; dealer claimed no problem performed b51 service update prior to problem; overdrive slips in and out on incline; requires remanufactured transmission. *ak

My wife called me at work stating that there was a grinding sound coming from the van as she parked it in the garage. i went home and popped the hood and did a visual inspection and discovered nothing. i was going to stand in front of the van and listen while she started it to see if i could pinpoint the sound. she was concerned that i should not be near it in case "something blew up". i agreed and decided to start it myself and see how it sounded. as i started the van it surged forward (while in park), made a terrible grinding sound, and i had to slam on the brakes to stop it. it just touched the chest freezer in front of it in the garage. i immediately shut it off. started it again and there was no sound and the engine run smoothly. tried all the gears and got nothing. had it towed to the dealer who tore it down and stated the planatery gear had seized. had i stood in front of the van to listen as my wife started it i would have been smashed as it surged forward. seems very dangerous for the vehicle to surge like that, even if the transmission fails.*ak

Upon approaching a state highway from a side street at less than 15 mph, the brake pedal on this van was pushed but did not respond. the brake pedal went all the way to the floor but the van would not stop. i pushed it down 2 times and neither time did the brakes work, though i did hear a "rattling" noise that sounded like the abs system was trying to kick in. i looked up quickly and since no one was coming from either direction, i just went through the intersection without stopping. could have been deadly if another vehicle was coming! we contacted a local ford dealer and they checked it out, but said they could find no problem with the van's braking system, so no repairs were made. they also said they could find nothing on ford's computer records of this ever happening before in a ford windstar. but in checking your website, we found that it has happened to others! we're afraid to drive it until it is fixed---could happen again anytime (who knows??) and the results could be tragic the next time.

When stopping at a light vehicle revs as if foot is on gas pedal. *ak

When putting gear in reverse vehicle went forward. consumer had to put gear back into park to reshift. consumer stated that gears operated roughly. *ak

We have experienced 5 incidents when going from park-reverse, park- drive and when corning the engine rpm's will go to maximum for approximately 5 seconds. it was returned to the dealer after these incidents and was reviewed by a local ford representative. however, they said they could not duplicate the incident and therefore could not determine the problem. however, in reviewing your database i have seen numerous case where this problem has been reported. its only a maner of time before serious accidents occur. please help us to get this problem corrected. thank you. *ak

The van begins to surge (rpms jump from 500 to 1200) and the battery light comes on then the van dies. this occurs approximately once or twice a week. on a more routine basis, the van does a mild surge and then when you step on the accelerator to go it acts like it is going to die and then lurches forward. these problems only occur when the van is completely warmed up and idling for more than a brief moment (such as at a traffic light or a stop sign that takes a minute to be able to go.) this may not sound like a serious problem but as the driver i would not agree with that. we have presented our case to the ford dispute board and they found it not to be a "safety" problem (i don't understand that). we have tried to deal with both corning ford and red bluff ford with no success. i can't believe that the consumer can be railroaded and ignored when they try to go through the system that is suppose to be set up to avoid such messes as these. all i want is out of this vehicle before i get in an accident because my van decided not to go and some other driver didn't know i have a lemon and hits me. *ak

Consumer was traveling 30mph stepped on gas pedal and it went down to the floor board and got stuck. consumer hit the curb, no injuries. vehicle has been to dealer 6 times. they are ordering a new gas pedal. *ak *ml

Upon turning on the ignition switch vehicle jumped out of gear and suddenly accelerated, causing vehicle to run into a neighbor's home. driver received minor injuries. dealer was notified. *ak

When vehicle comes to a total stop at a stop sign or at traffic light, vehicle roars up, and pulls though the intersection. *ak

Upon depressing the brake pedal to make a stop vehicle accelerated, resulting in unwanted and unexpected acceleration. also, speedometer and odometer malfunction intermitently. owner believes a computer problem exists. consumer has contacted the dealer. *ak.et.

When accelerator pedal is applied vehicle hesitates. after a few seconds, it will surge forward. the dealer has repaired the vehicle. manufacturer has been notified. *ak. the defecet has reoccured again within 6 weeks of the repair. now dlr states cannot find cause.*et

Engine runaway acceleration problem has been detected three (3) more times since origional report to ford dealer (total 4 as of 09/15/99). problem has happened three (3) times with transmission in drive and one (1) time in reverse position.

Vehicle experiences sudden acceleration on its own up to 15-20 mph. the accelerator pedal does not have to be applied. on occasion transmission appears to be between gears.. *ak

Intermittently van surges at low speed while in drive or reverse. van has been taken 8 times to two different dealerships. neither dealership was able to correct the problem. *ak

While at stop light the rpm idled high then idled low and retruned to normal. dealer has been contacted.*ak.et.

Intermittently while vehicle slowed down or stopped consumer applying the brakes, and vehicle accelerated unexpectedly up to 4 feet, which could have caused a rear end collision. dealer could not determine the cause of the problem. please provide further information.*ak

While taking vehicle out of "park position" to drive position the vehicle revved, and lunged forward which may have caused a crash. *ak

When applying brakes to slow down, transmission would make a loud sound. and vehicle would accelerate. then transmission would make again the same noise & then it would jerk. been to dealer & mechanic could not locate cause of noise. *ak