Problems with 2000 Ford Windstar ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Abs light would come on and stay on minutes after getting into car. approx 6mo. to a year the cruise control went out. now the speedometer quit working and the odometer went out. the air cond blows but no cold air. looked on the internet for solutions and found that alot of people were having the same problem. some incidents the brake fluid was dripping down and causing a fire. hopefully there will be a recall. i will probably try to get the abs sensor on the master cylinder replaced. *tr

Cruise control deactivation switch is leaking brake fluid, which caused a fuse to blow resulting in lose of some speedometer, mileage, and heating/cooling system. this has been checked out, evaluated, and documented by a certified mechanic. the mechanic has since disconnected the cruise control. *tr

I have a 2001 ford windstar and the fuse #10 kept blowing and the a/c, speedometer, odometer, etc.. stopped working. after researching on internet i found the culprit was a leaky brake pressure deactivation switch, which once i disconnected it the fuse stopped tripping and the ac and dashboard worked. i found that the brake pressure deactivation switch has leaked and also corroded and started to melt the cruise control wires, which hasn't worked in a while, and the abs light has been on and off for a while. this is a known fire hazard by ford and there is not yet a recall though it is very dangerous. i had to remove fuses 101 and 102 to prevent a fire and will need to replace the brake pressure deactivation switch at my own expense. *tr

Odometer stopped working. speedometer stopped working. abs light constantly on. vents (hot\cold) not working. *tr

The abs and speedometer stops working, due to a blown fuse, caused by brake fluid leaking from a pressure switch at the front of the brake master cylinder. *tr

We are having problems with the odometer, speedodometer (not working), abs brake lights staying on and #10 fuses keeps blowing. *tr

Brake fluid leaking out of the connector at the bottom of the brake cylinder and caused an electrical short (started smoking), now the abs light is staying on and fuse # 10 keeps blowing. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that the speedometer and odometer were dysfunctional and the abs light illuminated when the vehicle was started. brake fluid also leaks underneath the master cylinder. the vehicle has not been serviced by a dealer. the powertrain and mileages were unknown.

Diagnostic codes p0171/p0174. *tr

We have been experiencing various electrical problems with our windstar and upon research through the internet found that others have had the same problems. the cruise control has stopped working for the last two years. the abs and brake lights have periodically come on and then went off. the speedometer will be working fine and then drop to only 20 mph even though we are exceeding that speed. it will then jump back to the proper speed and this process will continue for a period of time.

I have a 2000 ford windstar lx which has an electrical problem that causes the abs system, the odometer, and the cruise control to stop functioning. i am told that this is due to a manufacturers defect in the brake pressure differential deactivation switch which leaks fluid onto the abs system and can result in an electrical fire. ford apparently is aware that this defect exists in 1999 through 2003 windstars but to date has not initiated a recall to repair this potentially deadly problem. please look into this for all of us windstar owners. *tr

There were no events leading up to the failure. it just started happening. fuse #10 in our van blows constantly. that turns on the abs light, and turns off the odometer and other things on that fuse. and there are a lot of things on that one little fuse. i read this website: www.fordwindstarrecall.info and it sounds just like the problems we are having. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the cruise control and the abs light were flashing. the dealer stated that the fuse that controls the abs light and the cruise control were faulty as well as a leak in the master cylinder. a year after the fuse was replaced, the abs light began flashing again and the gas gauge was not working properly. the transmission also began to fail. the vehicle is currently at the dealer. the contact is aware of the safety risk since the failure could potentially cause a crash. the current mileage was 124,545 and the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that the brake warning light illuminated. he added brake fluid to the vehicle and drove it for approximately one week before the failure recurred. the dealer inspected the vehicle and found nothing wrong. three weeks later, the contact located a brake fluid leak at the end of the master cylinder. the brake fluid destroyed the wiring for the electrical system, causing the instrument panel to fail. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current mileage was 150,000 and failure mileage was 140,000.

Abs light is on, # 10 fuse keeps blowing, cruise control, speedometer, and odometer do not work. new fuse in works fine then the fuse blows again. *tr

Fire under hood. wire damage, abs and cruse control systems also affected. *jb

We own a 2000 ford windstar van. this van has had intermittent problems with the abs light coming on and staying on during the duration of driving the van. the van has also had problems with rough idling and problems with valve seals that are around the injectors going bad (twice). recently when driving the vehicle, the warning err*f came on and then a warning of "fuel computer data error" and "oil life data error" remained on. i also lost a/c power, odometer reading, and speedometer reading. the power steering and braking systems seemed to be out. when restarting the van, the idle was very rough. the van did run with the tachometer operational. i hope the fuel gauge, and temperature gauge were working. after research, we determined the #10 fuse was blown. when i tried to replace it, there was smoke coming from the back of the air filter area. there is a connector under the master cylinder that has corrosion, brake fluid and appears to be burnt on the inside. when i disconnected the connector, and restarted the van, the problems have appeared to be gone. i am afraid that this will only lead to more problems and more costly ones in the future. *tr

I slowly went over railroad tracks and the car just died as i was driving. i had to coast to the side of the road. put in park, started up again, until i got to the red light, and it died again. this happened about 5 more times - i was finally able to get out of the road and into a parking lot.*ak

Abs light yellow and stays on. *tr

My wife was driving our 2000 ford windstar van home when she noticed smoke coming from under the hood. soon after seeing the smoke, she saw fire. she quickly pulled the vehicle into a parking lot, got our 2 kids ( age 5 and 7 ) out of the vehicle. she then asked for assistance from a business . they proceeded to put the fire out. i had the car towed to a local ford dealer. it was there that the service manager informed us that the fire was caused by the same faulty part that is currently under recall in the f-150's and other ford products. i was told it is the same replacement part and the repair procedure for the burnt wiring is a ford authorized repair. i have contacted ford and they informed me there is not cause for alarm or concern with the windstar. they also informed me that only the nhtsa can issue a recall. ford did not offer any help with our expenses that we incurred due to this faulty cruise control cutoff switch located on the master cylinder. we are very lucky that no one was hurt in this incident. i just hope and pray that no one else has to go through this terrifying ordeal. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford windstar. the contact stated that the electrical system in the vehicle has failed. the air conditioning, speedometer, abs, and cruise control have all been affected due to the failure. there is no recall for the failure and the contact cannot afford to pay for the repair. he feels that this is a safety issue because the abs could cause a crash. the current and failure mileages were 120,000.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph on the highway at night, there was a loss of all vehicle power without warning. the contact maneuvered the vehicle to the side of road, and was towed to a dealer, who determined the alternator and battery needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was alerted.

These cars are not reliable and totally unsafe after 1 year of buying my ford windstar 2000 my brake lights when out completely then all my lights went out even the interior lights. the abs and the emergency brake lights stays on all the time i'm afraid get ford to fix these problems. *tr

Ford windstar - brake pressure switch failure - switch has failed - leaked brake fluid into the elctrical connector and causes intermittent short circuit. this short circuit blows fuse #10 10amp. when fuse blows, driver is unable to control climate control system. lack of defrost function & loss of temperature control has caused severe fogging of windshield while operating vehicle during past two weeks. *nm

Dt: 2000, ford, windstar mini van. the consumer parked the van on the street at 8 pm and sometime around 2:30 am the van burned. someone that was on the second floor of the building called the fire department and they came and put out the fire. the consumer was unaware of this fire until the next morning. the fire was mostly in and around the dashboard area. the front window was burned and the drivers window was broken. the van was towed to the ford dealership; they kept it for three weeks. the dealer could not tell the consumer how or why the fire started. the consumer spoke with the manufacturer, and they were unwilling to offer any information on why the van could have burned like this. a fire report was taken. *ak *jb updated 11/15/2005. *nm

Vehicle caught fire while in park and burnt out.

Fire on my car. *nm

My 2 1/2 year old son put the keys into the ignition,turned it to position 3,grabbed the gear shift and pulled it out of park without pressing the brake. the van rolled out of the driveway accross the street into the woods stopping once it hit a tree. i have checked into this myself and was able to pull the gear shift out of park numerous times without my foot on the brake in position 3. i called ford motor company they will not do anything about it since there is no recall. also talked to a ford dealership and in order for them to look at it we will have to pay. we cannot afford this and feel they should check it out in case this is a start of a recall.

Contact states: contact says that the vehicle made a crackling noise one time for like one minute and that is when the failure started.. the speed odometer, temperature gauge, gas gauge, and tachometer failed. use to have a theft light and seat belt light, none of these features on the vehicle come on anymore. this problem took place on sunday may 1st. consumer's husband went out to start the van and it would not start that is when it made the noise. he got out of the van, shut the door, and opened the vehicle again and then nothing on the dashboard would work. the van started that time.*ak *jb

Dt: having electrical problems, started out of the blue. driving the road, using cruise control, disengaged the cruise control, and few minutes later engine died. no problems until this incident. have taken vehicle to the dealer and had the electrical system checked. consumer doesn't believe that his vehicle was checked properly. scared to drive vehicle, interior lights won't go off, and heard a crackling sound on the side of the van, on the fuel tank side. so the consumer disconnected the battery because of he was afraid it would catch on fire. went today and reconnected the battery all the lights came on without the van being started. *ak

My 2000 ford windstar has been blowing the number 10 fuse which causes the speedometer, odometer, heat and or air conditioner to not work. a ford mechanic has looked at it a couple of times, but can't find out why and it is very expensive to keep looking. the funny thing is when the fuse blows it does not seam to add mileage to the odometer, mime has read the same mileage for awhile. i have had this problem a few years, i just keep replacing fuses. *jb

O/d off light flashes all the time, vehicle smells like fuel when shut off no one can tell me whey engine light will not go out. oxygen sensor has been changed. van has a short no one can find it putter and cut off all the time its drivable around town that's it runs too long it shuts off if a/c or heat is on too long it makes a groaning noise and will not stop until shut off vehicle then restart. everyone that looks at it say its a ford issue local dealer said nothing is wrong with van. *nm

Dt: the consumer stated 2000 ford windstar was having multiple problems. the fuses blew out, the lights were blinking on and off, and the odometer/speedometer werenot working. the mechanic that looked at the car suggested that it may be an electrical problem. while driving the lights wereblinking on and off. consistently, kept the dashboard not illuminated. they have even tried to leave the air off to see if this would help the fuses not to blow out. there were lights on the dashboard that when lit up wthe fuse blew out. . the abs light came on when the fuse blew out. the rear defroster didn't work nor did the rear air vents. this was not a safety condition for the owner to be traveling with child who has major health issues. the owner has not taken the van to the dealership because she could not afford the cost of labor and service charges. the owner has had a small problem contacting the ford manufacturer, but that was now resolved. she was planning on contacting them today. the driver's side door will not lock or unlock with the remote. the cruise control was not working. *ak

While driving consumer saw smoke coming from the hood. consumer pulled over, and vehicle caught on fire. consumer was able to get out of the vehicle safely. the fire department was called to extinguish the fire, and a police report was issued. vehicle was towed. *ak

Manifold gaskets failed, exhaust sensors failed, fuel injector wires rubbed together causing arc and fuel injector failure, spark plug replaced, spark plug wiring harness failed. van has approx. 48,000 miles. also having problems with electrical; power doors, power locks, front-driver power seat, back-up sensors all have failed at one point or another. van has been serviced for all problems on at least four separate occasions over the period of ownership. we purchased new.*ak

Random abs brake system failure. web search indicates problem related to design defect in computer caused by excessive heat build up in module. my experience seems to confirms this, as failure is much more frequent in warmer weather. *tr

The vehicle kept blowing fuses, and caused the transmission to mallfunction. the manufacturer refused the claim. *ak the heater would make a thump noise inside and would not heat, the third light blew fuses and could not be shifted out of park, there was no out put from the abs relay, there was possibly an intermittent short in the switch, the abs light stayed on, the short was traced to the deactivator switch, leaking fluid into the switch. *sc *jb

Vehicle is experiencing problems with the lights. owner was driving at approximately 55 mph and without warning all the lights, including headlights, dash lights went out. the lights are in the on position but the lights would go out. provide further details. *nm

Since buying my windstar, 2000; used, 57,000 miles i have had one problem after another. within two weeks after purchase my transmission would jump then straighten out and go on. i had it checked by five different places and all stated there was nothing wrong. it stopped completely during a family trip and i had to purchase a new transmission. it had a knock in the engine ever since i bought it but it finally got so bad i thought the prudent thing to do was to get it overhauled. there crank shaft was not smooth and had to be machined and rebuilt. i have had several different issues concerning the electrical system; abs stays on, sliding door lock failure, interior lights come on while driving and will not go off, all instrument dash lights flash on and then seem to recover, now my whole electrical system is acting up. the radio always went off when you cut off the engine and open the door, but now my battery is dead and while charging it the head light came on, (but none of the switches were turned on), oh and about 10 months ago i had to replace the alternator. no warning except right before it died the light started cutting off and on. i cannot afford another purchase at this time. i am sick of this. *tr

Dt: the contact stated in march 2004 the interior lights flickered under all conditions. there were no warning indicators on the dashboard concerning the interior lights flickering. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and dealer changed the alternator and the battery lead wires. this only repaired the problem for two to three days. the vehicle was returned to the dealer and the door switches were changed. this solved the problem for two to three weeks. the problem recurred and vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who replaced the thumb roller for the interior lights and the switch plates on the sliding doors. again the problem recurred after two to three weeks. once again the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who referred the contact to another dealer. the vehicle was taken to a second dealer who was unable to diagnose the source of the problem. the second dealer suggested the problem may be related to a rare electronic module which was replaced by the contact, but this still did not solve the problem. the contact then took the vehicle to a third dealer, who replaced the wiring under the headliner. the problem returned after two to three weeks. yesterday the contact returned the vehicle to the third dealer, and they were unable to diagnose the cause of the problem. *ak

Both sliding doors failed on different occasions, they didn't work automatically or manually. the dealer inspected four times, and problem continued. *ak the radio quit , the directional switch had broken, the power doors/switches failed various times, and the door unlatched while parked and in motion. *scc *jb

The horn button is difficult to locate and push. in emergency situations, may not be able to blow the horn in time to help avoid a bad situation. i selected a date below because it is required. thisis not an actual event date. this is an ongoing problem.

Transmission will downshift very roughly, driver gets thrown forward. dealer cannot find cause.*ak the transmission was down shifting with a terrible jolt at low speed. the vehicle was difficult to start when cold and damp, also when the ignition was switched off and then back to start the engine fires and runs. the vehicle stalling was determined to be fuel pump failure. the gas mileage dropped from 23 mpg to 16 mpg and the vehicle burns more oil. the lights flicker when driving at night and a/c is on, also the vehicle shakes while idling with the a/c on. the driver?s seat cut and slashed the consumer?s clothing. there was a weak green light from the battery. vehicle vibrates at high speed. the driver?s door was difficult to shut. *yh

Ignition switch locked up.*ak

A conversion company installed a solenoid ignition switch to open and close the middle door, which is attachment for the ramp to come down to the ground. the switch will make a buzzing noise, and will open and close intermittently.*ak

Prior to the recall radio, door locks from the remote, and upper switches for door locks were inoperative. consumer received a recall notice, 02s33, from ford (nhtsa campaign id#00v351000) regarding water and other contaminants may enter into the right rear passenger compartment due to a missing body sealer conditions - occurring during the assembly process. if water or other contaminants enter this area a short circuit in the electrical connector may occur. consumer believes that both radio and a lock system problem appears to be due to the recall defect, dealer refused to fix the recall. *yd

Beginning in 2002 the abs light appeared & after several trips to ford and napa mechanics, diagnosis was never determined. then the recall of 2009 to replace the malfunctioned part occurred on 12/9/2009 - the very next day (dec 10, 2009) the abs light again appeared. i contacted the dealership where the recall work was done and they told me to bring the van back and they would 'diagnose' the problem for $120. may 2012 we replaced the affected abs part with our own finances because the ford dealership told us that the affected part was no longer under recall and was not their problem. it solved the abs light from coming on for about a week. to this date the light comes on. we purchased this vehicle based on the reports that it was an excellent family vehicle for safety. i would consider braking an important feature, too. please have ford resolve this matter immediately and not just ignore the matter. i have less than 85,000 miles on the van so it is not due to overuse or neglect. and the vehicle has never been driven in snowy conditions, is parked in a garage when not in use and all maintenance is kept current. please get this issue resolved correctly. thank you for your consideration in this matter. *tr

While driving at 60mph a brake light flashes. consumer is unable to read light, then vehicle shuts down.*ak

The car was driven two miles then parked and turned off. about ten minutes after parking the car, it was noticed that the car was filling with smoke & leaking out of the door cracks. the fire company responded and exstinquished an electrical fire apparently originating with the rear defroster. there was no evidence(smell) of fire while the car was driven.*ak

2000 ford windstar. brake fluid leaking out of the connector at the bottom of the brake cylinder-caused an electrical short (started smoking), now the abs light is staying on and fuse # 10 keeps blowing. when fuse 10 goes so does the operation of the speedometer and cruise control. *tr