Problems with 2002 Ford Windstar ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I own a 2002 ford windstar sel. recently had two messages of low brake fluid. abs brake warning lights also come on and off on instrument panel. cruise control stops working from time to time. then on aug 4, the entire instrument panel went haywire, and air conditioner stopped cooling. having it looked at tomorrow, but this sounds like leaking brake fluid from bad switch has caused electrical meltdown. no fire - yet. *tr

I have had a continual brake fluid leak on this vehicle. in addition, while driving the vehicle on 08/06/2009, the abs light and brake light suddenly came on, and the speedometer, odometer, and air conditioning stopped working. my mechanic replaced the #10 fuse, which fixed the problem for one day, then the fuse blew again. the ford trouble code c1185 came up on the diagnostic computer, and my mechanic suggested i replace the abs module. looking at the switch in question, it is covered in brake fluid. i now have no air conditioning, speedometer, odometer, or abs system functionality, along with a chronic brake fluid leak. please investigate this and make ford recall either the defective abs module, the brake deactivation switch, and the leaky master cylinder! hopefully, all three of these items will be included in a recall! *tr

The speedometer sticks when the cruise control is turned on. the dash lights were showing the exclamation mark. i am looking into getting this fixed but it should be taken care of by ford. it is an obvious engineering flaw with the brake pressure deactivation switch. *tr

All at once, brake light and abs light came on, o/d off light flashing. speedometer and odometer ceased to function. cruise control not working. occurs immediately upon starting vehicle. per mechanic, needs new abs module, fuses however none are currently available in my area. they are waiting for the dealer to get a part - estimating 2-3 days. *tr

Purchased a 2002 windstar xl from a dealer feb 2009. all happened in a 12 week period. engine , abs, and brake lights came on as i left the lot from dealer. went to have checked out and i was told i had a misfire in #5 plug and replaced intake manifold gaskets, new plugs, wires, oil changed. had an oil leak 2 days later and went back and plug in oil pan replaced. engine light stayed off 1 week and then started smelling antifreeze through a/c vents. heater core is bad in it too so i had the heater core bypassed as a temporary fix. engine light, abs light & brake light was off for 2 hours then came back on. found the cruise control deactivation switch was unplugged and plugged it in and then it blew a relay fuse in the box next to the battery. replaced and left it unplugged. this controls the gauges on instrument panel, a/c, and cruise control. i replaced the cruise control deactivation switch and it burned the wires when engine was started. overheating of wires caused the melting of wires. i had hood open so stopped engine before wires ignited. *tr

While driving home one night headlights, and signal lights stopped working (lights in back continued to function) odometer stopped illuminating, and message panel displayed inconsistently. abs light came on randomly at times, and eventually, the speedometer stopped working. after several hours of labor tracking down the problem, the g.e.m. module was replaced (at great cost). after replacing the g.e.m. module, it became apparent that the instrument cluster was bad and needs to be replaced. unfortunately, these parts are on backorder and our only car has now been in the shop for more than two weeks and nobody can give us any idea when the part will be available and when the car will be repaired. furthermore, the ford dealership where our car sits in an undrivable state (the repair department told us that there is a risk of fire if we were to drive it) told us that there are three other windstars there waiting for the same part, and agreed with us (off the books) that considering the quantity of problems they are seeing with the instrument cluster there should have been a recall. *tr

My brake pressure deactivation switch has failed and is allowing brake fluid to leak from my master cylinder onto my abs system. my car is a 2002 ford windstar van. i noticed it about 3 weeks ago when i had to add fluid to my master cylinder (the brake light on the dash came on). this fixed the problem for a few days but then the light came on again. i have been adding fluid, but the bad switch allows it to leak out every couple of days. to be safe, i am replacing the switch and the master cylinder. i will have the old switch available. *tr

Abs and brake lights keep coming on. cruise control not working. speedometer, odometer and airconditioning have also stopped working. due to short in the cruise control disable switch aka brake pressure differential deactivation switch located under the master cylinder caused from brake fluid leaking onto it. this in turn blew the #10 fuse. this switch is covered with brake fluid and could start a fire at any time. i have stopped driving it until i can replace the switch and clean off the brake fluid. *tr

We have a 2002 windstar with 165k miles. the abs /brake light has intermittently come off and on for the last 2 years. i noticed that last year my cruise control began to periodically work. on wednesday july 8th i started the van and noticed white smoke pouring from the hood. i immediately shut the vehicle off and traced the smoke to the brake pressure deactivation switch. i didn't know what it was until i read this article www.fordwindstarrecall.info this was extremely helpful and saved me time on estimating the problem. the switch had burned and the plastic switch was dripping the melted fire plastic into my motor! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. the contact noticed that the instrument panel lights and the power locks were failing. he replaced the fuse several times and smelled a burning odor underneath the hood of the vehicle. the contact found fluid leaking from the vehicle, which originated from the cruise control. the wiring harness was damaged. the dealer replaced the cruise control wiring harness, switch, and the speedometer wiring harness at the cost of $888. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control); therefore, they would not assist. the vehicle has been repaired. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 80,000.

2002 ford windstar - after driving for some time, traction control, abs, and brake lights on dash illuminate, along with an audible alarm. lights go off if car is turned off and on again, only to return later unpredictably. analysis to date indicates either and ecm/ecu or abs control module failure.*tr

We own a ford windstar 2002 van. the following are occurring: lost brake fluid, brake light, speedometer and odometer stopped working, abs brake light, check engine light, cruise control will not activate and this is caused by leak in the brake pressure differential deactivation switch. the lights on the dashboard are permanent and i will need to take van in to the ford dealer for repairs. since this is a serious and dangerous matter caused by a defective part, we hope that they will recall this part and cover the costs for the parts and labor. we are disappointed with ford. *tr

Red and yellow brake dash light come on intermittently after it warms up awhile. will remain on until the vehicle is shut down. i have had the recall done # 09s09. *tr

Abs light on, brake light on, check engine light on, no speedometer there is --------, no speedometer, no a/c, no cruise control. *tr

2002 ford windstar: the brake pressure differential deactivation switch (2b264) located under the master cylinder (behind the air filter) over time developed a leak that lead to a fire. the leaky switch at worst causes a fire at the point where it connects to the abs ecm module. the car was off. i was standing nearby when a big pop and a great deal of smoke started coming out from under the car. when i looked under the car, there was a small fire. i used a fire extinguisher to put the fire out. *tr

Started my 2002 ford windstar and abs/brake light/cruise control/ lights will not go out and speedometer does not work. ford dealer wants a possible 300.00 to fix it also their is not air/conditioning, blows hot air. afraid to drive car. *tr

Vehicle became having intermittent abs light and brake light activation while driving. this began in 2007. i had it checked and the dealer advised it was a control module problem not covered under warranty. i checked on line to get a better story, which appears to have been reported many times. over the past 2 months march/april 2009 the problem appeared to become worst. finally cruise control became intermittent and then quit. i checked brake pressure switch found fluid in and around the switch which is one of the reported problems with the windstar. the abs system and cruise control are currently inop. there are no blown fuses. *tr

The brake pressure cruise deactivation switch on my 2002 windstar has leaked brake fluid down onto the wiring below the brake master cylinder. i have purchased the replacement switch from my nearest ford dealer. but now my cruise control does not work, and the horn does not work, and the abs and brake warning lights come on intermittently. *tr

I have a 2002 ford windstar. about 2 months ago the brake light, abs light, and the traction control light came on the dashboard, as well as the speedometer and digital odometer quit working. i took it to a local ford dealer to have it looked at, and they told me that the abs module went bad and would need replaced. they quoted me $1006.17 + tax to fix it! it is my understanding that this year windstar has a recurring problem with this module, and i would like to know if any work is being done on a recall? *tr

Brake pressure switch leaked brake fluid causing failure of cruise control, speedometer, and odometer. red brake light and yellow abs light on constantly. had repair done at local ford dealer. paid $200.00 for analyzer and $700.00 to replace wiring, cruise control module and speedometer module. brake and abs lights are now off. second day out of the shop the abs and brake lights come on intermittently. estimate #700.00 i am hoping the nhtsa rules on this defect as a safety hazard and orders a recall. *tr

We are having trouble with our 2002 windstar van...the brake lights , abs lights, and trac lights are coming on all of the time plus the od light, too!!! our mechanic says that brake fluid has dripped onto the abs module, and that this could cause a fire!!! if you have so many complaints why don't you do something about it???are you going to replace the parts???? *tr

My wife was driving our 2002 ford windstar and noticed smoke coming from under the hood and it smelled electrical. my 19 year old son noticed the smoke coming from the wires under the master cylinder. they called me and i suggested removing the wires from the brake pressure switch. he did but they were extremely hot. i did some online research to find a problem with windstar pressure switches and wiring catching fire. i am glad a fire didn't start, but it could have. i would like to see ford include 2002 windstars in their recall. *tr

Normal driving of van and both brake and abs light came on, then the speedometer and odometer went out, took it to get repaired, repair shop said that the master cyd., cruise control sensor and p-tail needed to be replaced and that fluid was leaking everywhere! ! old parts kept! ! *tr

I have a 2002 ford windstar van, while driving, the van the abs light, traction control light and the emergency brake light all come on at the same time. they remain on until i park the van. if i turn the van back on the lights are off, but once i begin driving again all three warning lights come on. i have had the van. i have read that there is a serious problem with this happening in ford windstar vans and it has resulted in fires. i am terrified to drive the van now, and would like to know when there will be a recall. this has been going on with my van, especially since the weather has gotten warmer. *tr

brake, abs brake, cruise control, and speedometer/odometer electrical problems my dash lights are on and off all the time went to 3 mechanic they all checked my brakes, abs and could not find a problem it goes on whenever it wants stays on for weeks then comes back on while driving this has been doing for over a year. i even put stickers over the lights that i can see while driving. i still think there is a electrical wiring problem it is very annoying. i can not afford to get another vehicle . i see there are a lot of complaint about same problem my niece has one does the same thing and my brother in law in west virginia his is doing it too so i really thing ford needs to check into this before someone's van catches fire or hurt some one. *tr

Abs yellow and red brakes lights come on. just adding my complaint to the list. spent $400 to replace front axle they thought was the problem but is not. happened at around 90,000 miles. *tr

We were driving down the highway at 75 mph i smelled smoke coming from the engine compartment. told the wife and kids i was pulling over and to get ready to bail out of van as soon as i stopped and to stay clear of it. when everyone was out and safe i opened the hood and saw a fire under the master brake cylinder. got water bottles from inside van and a rag and put the fire out. there was brake fluid on the switch below the brake master cylinder on the wires to a switch underneath. later i cleaned the mess cut the wires that had caught fire the ones that went to the switch under the master brake cylinder and wrapped them so they wouldn't ground out.continued on home for another 1 1/2 hrs. when i got home i took the switch that had burned under the master brake cylinder off and put a bolt in it's place.i thru out the switch. i haven't replaced the switch i also lost my cruise control since the fire. i didn't think anything about it until today when i was looking up some info for my van and read that this is a problem .

My 2002 ford windstar had two issues the ecm (electronic control module) is not working correctly. my check engine light is always on i have had it checked by a certified mechanic and he said it is a faulty ecm. my abs & brake light comes on depending on the outside temp. there is a burning odor but when checked the mechanic did not find anything. again says it is the ecm. *tr

Smoke and terrible plastic burning smell inside the cabin of my 2002 ford windstar van. taking my van in to a repair shop in february, i had to have the abs module and cruise control module and all associated wiring replaced, due to some evident fluid leaking of some kind (i believe they said break fluid). my cost was $1,030.98, and the repair shop said this could happen again (????). they thought this issue may warrant a recall. i do have my parts they replaced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. after starting the vehicle one morning, all of the instrument panel lights illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to a dealer on two occasions, but they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. one month later, the speedometer and fuel lights stopped illuminating. the contact was unable to determine how fast he was driving or how much fuel was in the vehicle. he took the vehicle back to the dealer and they replaced the acm module. they also replaced an instrument panel sensor, which repaired most of the failures. the abs light and traction light are still illuminated. through research, the contact found numerous complaints of other consumers with the same vehicle that were experiencing identical failures. he believes that this is a manufacturer defect and a recall should be issued. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 126,000.

Yellow abs and red brake lights come on. o/d light flashes. resets when car is turned off, but the abs and brake light come on shortly after staring to drive. had brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder and had that replaced. brakes work and fluid level is fine. when o/d light is flashing, car jerks on first transmission shift. have to turn off car and restart to get rid of flashing o/d light. *tr

2002 ford windstar blew fuse #10 disabling speedometer, cruise control, abs system, odometer, a/c, defrost control. the fuse failure was due to a leak in the brake master cylinder which shorted the brake deactivation switch terminals. my vehicle fogged up so bad i could hardly see to drive home. i searched the internet for a clue to the problem and later located the wet switch plug. i went to the ford dealership to buy a new switch and asked if there was a recall on it. he said no but, when a fellow parts man went to get one from the bin, he asked the same question, stating that there were 67 repair kits in the bin.....this let me know that they have acknowledged that there is a problem with this and should have issued a recall to all owners of affected vehicles. *tr

My 2002 ford windstar lx instrument cluster has illuminated both the red brakelight and yellow abs lights. this is consistent with nhtsa investigation ea08021. no sign of brake fluid below brake fluid reservoir. lights come on and off. seems to be linked with exterior temperature - on days that are warm, the lights illuminate. on days that are cold, they are less likely to be illuminated.*tr

3/4/2008 cs speedo and odo inop. all dash indicators stay on. od light flashes. replaced deactivation switch & repair wiring 12/4/2008 brake light and abs light won't go out. brake fluid ok. my mechanic discovered abs servo housing melted and wiring burned under vehicle in area of drivers seat. mechanic says it is a manufacturing flaw that should never have happened. he expected there was a recall on this problem but the dealer says no recall for this. ford dealer reported codes set c1096 pum circuit open inspected and found wire harness hcu/ecu melted and burnt/needs replacement/ not recommended vehicle be driven due to safety issues. dealer has never seen this problem and doesn't know what caused the wiring harness to short out and melt the plastic housing. danger of electrical fire. repair cost over $4,000. decision made is vehicle is not worth repairing since owner cannot do himself. car will have to be replace both garages seem to think there was fire at some point that stayed local enough to melt the plastic but not spread to other areas. *tr

My abs lites & brake lights are always coming on . *tr

Abs light and brake light come on after car has warmed up. occurrence is much quicker and more frequent in summer months. *tr

Brakes leaking oil onto wires causing odometer and speedometer to not work. *tr

Ford windstar 2002. cruise control only engages intermittently. when cruise control is on, it will dis-engage abruptly for no reason. yellow abs dash light and red brake warning dash light go on intermittently (simultaneously). after they go on, they stay on until the car is turned off. the abs system appears to still work correctly even when the yellow abs light is on and the red brake light is on (although there is no way for the driver to tell if the abs system and brake system are working correctly or not when the warning lights are on). my local ford dealership diagnosed that the ecm control module needs to be replaced. this is an expensive electronic component with no moving parts, and there is no reason that this board should be failing. this is a common problem with 2002 ford windstar models. i believe ford should be required to offer free diagnosis and repair for any problems related to ecm control modules for this model year. i first noticed the problem around october 2008 as the weather turned colder. this is consistent with a theory that the ecm board is sensitive to temperature changes, which affects the correct working of the cruise control and abs systems. the cruise control mostly did not work during the winter 2008-2009. as warmer temperatures arrived in spring 2009, the cruise control started to work intermittently again. sometimes it engages correctly, sometimes i push the "set" button repeatedly and finally it engages, sometimes i push the "set" button repeatedly and it will not engage. when it is engaged, it will dis-engage abruptly for no reason. i suspect sometimes it dis-engages because the car hit a bump in the road - but frequently it dis-engages with no bump in the road. having the cruise control dis-engage abruptly for no reason is a safety issue and could easily result in an accident. having the abs system not work correctly (due to the ecm module) is a safety issue and could easily result in an accident. *tr

cruise control brake cancellation switch on a 2002 ford windstar smoking and blowing fuse #10. *tr

Abs and brake light coming on and having no speedometer or odometer reading. when vehicle warms up the brake light will come on. replaced fuses and they will blow shortly after replacing. had smoke and burning smell from under van. light on daily and smoke was when fuse was replaced. removed fuse and left out and smoke and smell stopped. consequences if possible fire and not knowing correct speed and cruise control not working. to correct the problem we have tried to replace fuses and see what is causing problem. can't afford to do all replacement of parts to questionably fix problem. the dealership is not sure what is going on because the computer does not properly diagnose what is going on. according to web-site others are having same problem. feel recall is warranted to help keep the ford windstar families safe and prevent someone's death or injury. *tr

2002 ford windstar brake light and abs light on. comes on after short time every time. *tr

Back in 2008 my abs and brake lights would come on while driving to work. i had the problem looked at at my local ford dealership. they diagnosed the problem as the ecu/hcu control box. but because my extended warranty did not want to pay for the 1200.00 bill because they felt that only the electronic side and not the hydraulic side needed to be replaced. so i then went to another ford dealer and they diagnosed and replaced only the electronic side. there were 3 times that i had to pay the $100.00 deductible to have the same problem diagnosed, which was eventually fixed(no more lights) by the second dealer. then in june of 2013,now with 116,563 miles on it,my gauge cluster started to act funny. all of a sudden when i was driving, the gauge needles would move out of control. eventually the tac needle pegged itself all the way to the right and the speedometer quit working. i took it to the ford dealer and they replaced the gauge cluster with a rebuilt one for $789.00. since that time i have not had any more issues with the gauge cluster. i was told by the tech that this is a common problem with the windstars. i also have a 2001 ford windstar that has 105,000 miles on it that i am thinking about selling so i don't have to endure the cost of a gauge cluster in it. also along with having to replace fuel pumps in both vehicles at a cost of around $1000.00 each i am wondering if ford has a good product. thanks for your time. *js

I was driving on a street and the car in front of me came to a sudden stop. i immediately had to brake and then the abs light and main brake light came on and stayed on. i took the vehicle to a dealer and they told me that the abs module was bad and i asked them if the knew why and they told me that they did not know. i then asked if the vehicle was safe to drive and they said yes but i would not have abs brakes. *tr

The abs light came on. first yellow, then red. this was the first time this happened and after doing a google search i found this is a manufacturers problem caused by the expansion of a large aluminum plate in the ecm which is attached to the ecm main circuit at all points. the problem was temporarily resolved by shutting the vehicle off and back on. this is a 2002 ford windstar sel. *tr

The 02 windstar limited was parked in our driveway while we were away on a 4 day vacation we came home to the van burned, contacted fire dept they state the fire started in the fuse box the car has since been totaled by the insurance company i have 2 very young children and i just thank god that we didn't take the van on vacation this car is junk and i am currently looking for another van and i will never buy a ford again! i can't believe they'd allow consumers to drive this car knowing that children could be in the car and it could catch fire! *tr

Poor design, placing electrical connection under master cylinder, filled with brake fluid. caused instrument panel to malfunction, including no speedometer, and left the abs & brakes warning light on steady. the connecter that got wet from the fluid is charred. this is definitely a fire hazard. *tr

While partially parked into the garage, after driving for one hour and sitting for half of an hour, smoke was observed from under van. smoke stopped and noticed "abs" warning light on. brakes worked, but cruise control did not. dealer installed/ replaced: 1) brake kit/ brake pressure deactivation switch, 2) ecm control module, 3) valve asy. 4) two wiring harnesses (one was a used from a ford escape, due to the availability and cost.), 5) two fuses, 6) brake fluid and misc. shop supplies. it was at the dealer for 11 days, cost for repairs was $1831. drove it 5 miles and "check engine" light came on. the dealer stated this was not related to original problem. it was the dpfe sensor: $331 to repair. normally the van is garaged, luckily something was in the way of fully pulling it into the garage and the fire went away quickly. dealer stated it was a "catastrophic failure" and that the deactivation switch had nothing to due with the valve asy. going bad/leaking causing a fire. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. while driving 60 mph, the contact noticed that the abs, parking brake, and traction control indicators were illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle had to be shut off and restarted for the indicators to dim. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. the contact called the manufacturer and was informed that there were no current recalls for the failure; therefore, no compensation would be provided. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 70,200.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. the contact stated that the abs light illuminated intermittently and the abs fail to work. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer for repair. the illumination occurs while driving at any speed. the failure mileage was 126,000. updated 10/14/08. *lj the consumer stated the abs and brake light would come on intermittently. updated 10/16/08. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford windstar. the contact stated that the brake and anti lock braking system lights would constantly illuminate on the instrument panel. the contact also stated that the ignition light and cruise control switch did not function. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure milege was 100,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.