Problems with 1999 Ford Windstar STRUCTURE

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford windstar. while driving 35 mph, the subframe failed and forced the vehicle off the road. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the subframe and mount needed to be replaced. a ford dealer made repairs. the current and failure mileages were 72,000. updated 01/02/08.*lj updated 12/12/07

Front sub frame broke. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was driven 30 mph, there was a popping noise, and the steering shifted pulling the vehicle to the right. the vehicle was driven to the residence, where the contact inspected the steering and found the steering was turned to the left. when the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, the vehicle was put onto a lift. the subframe was found to be rusted out and had a fracture. the front left tie rod was bent due to the frame failure on the opposite side. the sub frame section supporting the engine and transmission and the left outer tie rod were replaced. the manufacturer was notified.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the engine stalled and the vehicle went into a skid. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer, who determined that the subframe that held the engine and transmission fractured in half. updated 11/30/06. *jb

The subframe on the right front side is cracked and appears to have rusted through. we were noticing a clunk sound when turning and stopping so i pulled the wheel to check and noticed the crack right away. it could cause the trans and engine to shift and could possibly cause an accident as the subframe is cracked all the way through. we never hit anything while driving so this is very unusual. *jb

I recently noticed that my steering wheel had aligned itself to the left, and the van would not center itself well, while on the road. i took the van to raj auto center at somerset,nj. after checking the van the auto center said that there was a serious safety issue because the vans k-frame had rotted out and could have potentially endangered the driver and passengers because the engine and transmission could have dis-associated anytime from the frame. he added that he has not seen the k-frame rotting in 20 years of his experience. *jb

Engine subframe failure at 78k miles, about 6 inches of the engine subframe on the right rear has totally rusted away, rest of subframe is pristine, right rear engine mount was not supported, noticed clunking sound and wheel shift to 6 o'clock position that initiated investigation never impacted, original owner, transmission pan has no nicks (lower than frame) car was undercoated when new ford says it's a normal problem, actually said replacement frame is backorder for 3 weeks, was able to find 1 replacement at another dealer, all mechanics i talked with at the dealer said they had never see n this problem before and we're talking guys with 20+ years of ford experience potential total loss of vehicle control, accident, crash, etc. 6 months out of extended warranty ~$1350 to fix pictures and old part available. *nm

1999 windstar,. paint peeling on front hood, replaced the following: transmission (4 times), inner and outer tie rods (2 times) power steering system, intake manifold gaskets and system(twice), interior lights that flicker intermittently and stay on for periods of time for no reason.*ak

On january 10,2006 my wife [xxx] was leaving work that evening. when she started to drive she heard sum noises from underneath her car. it is a ford windstar van 1999 70,000 miles vin [xxx]. we are the original owners. she noticed her steering wheel had to be turned down to 6 o'clock to keep her wheels straight. she thought it was the power steering. when she got it to car-x in westmont,il they told her it was the cross member frame. this helps supports the transmission. the cross member had rusted away on one side and on the other side showed a crack where the other bushing hole was. we could not go to ford dealer because of the cost factor. it has been fixed and seems to be driving just fine. i did contact ford on january 23 and we did not get any restitution for our cost. but we also wanted ford to investigate the possible hazard. if my wife was driving on the highway when this item borke she would had been killed. even the mechanic thought the metal frame seemed to show metal fatigue. i still have the part that was replaced for examination. i also took pictures if you are interested. i am very concerned. thank you. *jb updated 07/17/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Consumer was driving through an intersection and while making a left turn passenger's side front wheel came off, pulling the axle out of the transmission. vehicle has front wheel drive. consumer contacted the dealer, and was told that the sub frame had to be replaced. *ak......according to a few dealerships the subframe has ha dnumerous problems causing the manufacturer to alter the manner in which the tie rod is mounted on the windstar subframe when the tie rod failed rusting completely off . vehicle was pulling out from a stop sign making aleft turn when the wheel shifted and brought vehicle to a complete stop. if it happened earlier it would have happened at 55 which would have been much worse. cost by ford was $1155.00. *ak

Consumer states that when driving the sliding doors pop completely open. also, the doors do the same thing when vehicle is parked. consumer has to physically get out of the vehicle and shut the doors close. consumer took vehicle to the dealer many times, but when the dealers has the vehicle, the problem will not manifest itself. *ak

I took the van to the car wash on sat. 14th of feb. as i started to wash the van starting with the roof, the paint started flaking off above the driver's side door.*ak

While driving my 1999 winstar the overdrive light came on, so i looked in my rearview mirror and saw smoke comming from under the vehicle. so, i pull over to the side of the road and stop, transmission fluid was leaking out. my winstar van broke down out side of nashville, tn with 70,401 miles on it. the costs at john barker's two rivers ford in nashville was $2017.81.*ak

* vehicle leans since purchased sept 13, 2003. * allignment problems. * transmission does not properly change gears. * low treads on tires. * a frame problems. * suspension steering makes a clunking noise. * brakes must be pumped to stop, and make a ticking noise when applied. * vehicle has overheated. * power steering fluid leaked. * gears do not shift properly. * primer scotch guard on seats wearing after coat applied.

After entering our driveway, the connecting piece between the rear wheels broke causing damage to the tires. with only 52,000 miles this should not be happening. if this were to occur out on the highway, major injuries and possible deaths could result. *akeveryone, please inspect your 1999 windstar.*ak

While driving at an undetermined speed passenger's sliding door opened up without warning. *ak

We purchased a 1999 ford windstar in september of 2002. the dash lights, especially the odometer and radio blink. they will dim and brighten, dim and brighten. there is no specific pattern. it is a random thing. it's almost like there is a short in the wiring or something. the incident date below is today, but this has been happening for months. i have been checking recalls religiously to see if this was one of them. also there is rust under the driver's seat. the carfax report did not show any water damage to this vehicle. it almost appears like this piece did not get painted. *jb

On numerous occasions, the sliding door failed to close properly.*jb

Water leaks into the seal of the rear hatchback causing damage and mold to build up in the interior of the vehicle. dealer notified.

Paint is peeling off of top of 99 windstar. primer is still intact but the paint will peel off in big "hunks" and now there is a area of approx 12"x4" that is just primer. the rain gutter paint is cracked and will peel off soon. ford hotline refers to dealer, dealer says it is out of warranty. (of course it happens right out of warranty.)

1/.windshield wiper is not completely wiping off water on the windshield when it travels at 65 mph only 1/3 upper part of windshield is wiped of. it is very dangerous for driving on the freeway on rainy day. 2/ paint is bubbling and peeling of from the hood. 3/ the car is humbling and make noise when it is at stop and a/c on (may be the pressure from the power steering pulling). *jb

The paint is peeling off the roof of the van. we feel on a vehicle that is only three years old this kind of thing should not haappen, the primer is showing through. in october i took the van too get it looked at and at that time the gentleman i talked to said the ford rep. had to see it to give us an estamate.when the rep. came too town he would not even look at the roof. all we were hoping for was some help repairing the damage.my husband also talked to the person who left the message and all we are being told is that the warrenty is up. i was wandering how many other people have this same problem, and have not discovered it yet, the only way we saw the paint problem was we looked out of my inlaws window and saw that the paint was peelling off. that was in october2002 and ford never let us know until jan.2003 that it was out of warrenty and the rep.wasin town that day and never lookedat the problem.

While driving vehicle began to make a loud grinding sound that became worse as consumer was driving, consumer was informed by a mechanic that the steering could have been lost, however the steering did go out briefly in dec and may, also the steering column was worked on nov 16, but consumer was informed that the 2 problems were not related, also there was a popping noise around the windshield, which was determined to be pillar molding warped.*jb

Power operated sliding door made a very loud grinding noise, then unexpectedly opened, cause is unknown.*ak *jb

The auto locking system on the driver's door only works intemintanly. in short you can not locvk the driver's door with the lock button. if you do it only pops back up . the haeter malfunctioned toady. the heater in the drivers compartment only blows outside air. no heat, however the rear heater works perfectly.*ak

Door has continually malfunctioned including opening while i am driving for 11 months. *ak

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

The front passenger door would not close without slamming it. it felt like something was caught in the door. a few days later the door popped open while i was driving on the highway. the door was locked. it did not open all of the way. i drove straight to the dealership to have it repaired. no problems since then.

Automatic sliding doors malfunction on a regular basis. they do not shut on the first attempt and one of the rear doors (passenger side) will open and shut while the van is moving (in reverse). sometimes it will take up to 10 attempts to get the drivers side sliding door to shut, my kids call it the "open and shut" game. very annoying in bad weather and also a safety concern with the door that will open and shut while the vehicle is moving.*ak

No summary listed for abov ev3ehicle. *ak

Starting over a year ago my passenger rear electric door started popping open whiie i was driving (several inches). i have now had this in for service ten times and the door continues to pop open while i am driving. 'ford' so far is unwilling to take my vehicle back or let me out of lease. i will be applying for arbitration this month, november, 2001.

Power sliding door would intermittently open while driving, or will not open when needed; vehicle been in the dealer shop on six occasions, and problem still occurring.. *ak consumer also states back seat collasped backwards, also battery dead from shorts in the wiring, light in the inside is on when it should be off , and also doors that may or maynot operate while vehicle is in motion, also getting false signals on instrument panel.*jb

Intermittently automatic slide door will malfunctioned and opened on its own. dealer has inspected vehicle three times.*ak

While turning into parking lot passenger's side door opened, and passenger fell out. consumer felt that locks on the door did not stay locked when power locks have been applied. if pulling on the latch and automatic lock was on, door will open. consumer felt this was very unsafe. *ak

Transmission problem - problem began with some"rough" shifts, noticeable at 20 and 40 mph. when went to merge onto tollway, car was unable to go above 40 mph, until as i was about to pull over, car jerked and began to accelerate. i knew something was seriously wrong with car then, so made appointment at dealership. it has been at dealer for 2 weeks waiting for a new transmission. driver sliding door doesn't always want to close. try to close, and it either clicks, or closes a couple of inches and then reopens. shake car, and eventually it will close. it is at dealership for the 4th time, in hopes of a repair. what happens if can't close door at all? can't drive car full of little kids with door open. fuel pump wouldn't work, car had to be towed from a parking lot. no prior warning to this problem, what if this happened while driving?

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

Passenger power door unlatches while driving, specifically around corners. slow speeds-pulling out of parking lots. door is also not shutting. must be physically closed. interior lights flash on an off while in a parked position with key in ignition. clicking sound from turn signal comes on sporadically even though turn signal is not engaged.*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

No summary

Slide door reopens when closed with key or interior controls. slide door not operable with interior controls ( will not close at all).

Safety problem: passenger side rear powered sliding door. drive cable cover becomes loose and jams in guide hole preventing door from opening presenting safety problem to rear seat passengers. took over two weeks for servicing dealer to get parts and in meantime rear sears were unusable for passengers. *ak

Consumer states that water gets under the hood of vehicle in rainy conditions causing serpintine belt to come off. resulting in loss of brakes, power steering, etc. please provide any further information. ts

Consumer had problem with transmission twice. transmission wouldn't shift due to a cable being loose, and dealer replaced transmission twice. also, dealership replaced a cable on the sliding door, and instrument panel performs erratically. *ak

The internally mounted latch lost all (3) screws which fasten it to the door causing the passenger sliding door to fail. *yc

Less than two months after purchasing our van we had to jump start it and lost the cable on the power sliding door. since then the car's engine was worked on but still stalls out sometimes.the transmission still jerks in park.(they couldn't find a problem.) for the power sliding door, after a new cable,numerous adjustings,alighnments and two control modules put in. it still works eraticley and the dealership refuses to see a problem. the door will not open, when it finally opens it will not shut. when it is closed it does not latch and the interior and door ajar lights stay on. it constantley makes a racket and popping noise. on occasion the door opens while driving. i have three small children and this is a saftey hazard!! working with a ford rep he states there is nothing they can do but to bring it in "again" for repairs. but they really can't see a problem. he did state that they would give me 1,500 rebate towards another van or trade in. i told him i wanted this unsafe vehicle mashed no further owners. he said that would not happen. after looking at your report on 1999 and 2000 windstars and the same repeated problems with engines and sliding doors.then comparing to other makes of mini vans and there few problems. i would not want to own another ford!! i will be submitting this problem to the dispute settlement board. i'ts to bad ford does not stand behind there products.*ak

Both rear sliding doors have failed, dealer requested we drive vehicle to shop with rear doors opened

1999 windstar,front subframe broke off due to excessive corrosion. *tr

Rear dome lamp failed. nlm

Power slide door after being locked doesn't stay locked, opens while driving, while in driveway and in public places. *ak *mj

Location of cup holder on floor attached to middle seat causes people to trip & fall out of van. manager of dealership informed owner no problem with cup holder. manufacturer has been contacted at least 4 times. *ak