Ford Windstar Minivans | Wagons

Ford Windstar Minivans | Wagons 

DESCRIPTION

The Windstar is powered by a 150-hp 3.0-liter V-6 or a 200-hp 3.8-liter V-6. Both come with a 4-speed automatic transmission. It sits up to 7 passengers and ABS comes standard.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 81-90 of 336  
[Mar 17, 2003]
jmmilton

The transmission went out at 57K mi. Need I say more? The dealer rep admitted there is an inherent flaw and they cut the price in half to get the repair job, but I will never buy another one. Do yourself a favor and don't buy it! The motor in the sliding doors starts going out after 3 yrs. and they are $1000 to replace!!!

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Mar 05, 2003]
Jim
Model Reviewed: ford windstar LX

Strength:

Good ride on highway, plenty of power Comfortable roomy interior Good - looking van Handles well in city traffic, good visibility. Pretty good gas mileage - I got @28 m/gal on the highway, and @ 20 in the city.

Weakness:

Terrible depreciation record - never buy one new, it's like throwing money away. If you buy one used, you might get a good deal, but have it checked very carefully, there will probably be some problems. If you get one, make sure to follow all maintenance carefully.

We bought this new in 1999, attracted largely by the comfort, size, safety rating, and 0% financing offered by ford at the time. Put 92,000 K on it, and just sold it. We liked the ride and comfort, and did not experience many of the reliability problems that I read about here from other owners. There were 4 recalls, all handled well by Merlin. A few minor problems to repair, but nothing to complain about. It pulled our snowmobile trailer with no problems, and was great on the highway. BUT, when I sold it, I was only able to eke out $12,500.00 for it - a depreciation of $20,000.00 in just over 3 years. In short, these vehicles have such a poor reliability record, that even the good ones are hard to get rid of when it comes time to sell!

Similar Products Used:

93 Mazda MPV - cargo area too small, otherwise not bad. 90 4 - Runner - too expensive now Now have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee, and it has been a great buy (so far!)

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Feb 22, 2003]
Jeff Ordner

Strength:

Safety

Weakness:

Power Steering Electrical Brakes Interior trim Transmission shifting

I will never purchase another Ford product again. Van has had numerous problems. Brakes at 15k. Lower intake gasket at 37k, Steering column repair at 20k, Power steering pump 47k. Van has numerous bad connections in the electrical system. Side door speakers inop. Heater works sometimes and sometimes it doesnt. Interior is slower disintegrating with many plastic trim pieces cracked or broken. Dealer has been good but I am really disappointed with the vehicle.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Feb 21, 2003]
lucy tsai
Model Reviewed: /se

Weakness:

Electrical system Brake system Steering system Transmission system Rear bench seat orientation (cramped for at least one row)

Save yourself the headache, don't buy Ford. I have nothing good to say about my Ford Windstar, the dealership who always says they don't know what is wrong and when they do find something, they don't know how to fix it. Ford Motor Comany has been fully aware of all of the problems and have never sent anyone out to help with the problems.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Feb 12, 2003]
Nicholas
Model Reviewed: Windstar Limited

Strength:

Wet weather traction Many creature comforts Tv system works great.

Weakness:

Nothing!

I love it! It is amazing! It has heated leather seats, power everything! The rear tv system works great. It has everything possible. The MSRP was over $35,000 and I paid an amazing 28,000 for it. I got a great deal on it! (That's American Money)

Similar Products Used:

96 Windstar (lemon) 98 Windstar w/70,000 trouble free miles.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 07, 2003]
John
Model Reviewed: Ford Windstar

Strength:

NONE

Weakness:

Transmission Power Steering Mold odors Chemical odors Passenger door failure The mechanics in the dealerships don't know how to fix the problems, Ford doesn't know how to fix the problems. They told me to take it to an outside source. This defeats any warranty. Please don't buy Ford...

Save yourself the headache, don't buy Ford. I have nothing good to say about my Ford Windstar, the dealership who always says they don't know what is wrong and when they do find something, they don't know how to fix it. Ford Motor Comany has been fully aware of all of the problems and have never sent anyone out to help with the problems. Yesterday, my wife got chemical pneonitis after the car gave off some chemical and she is on strong steriods. The dealership didn't know what it was and couldn't get the car to do it again, so they sent it home. Ford Motor Company asked what we wanted them to do, how can you bring someone's health back. They should have done something when they were first notified this car had odors from the start. We were told to just continue to spray in deoderizers. Are hands are tied, we don't want to sell or trade in the car in fear it will harm someone else. She won't drive the car after yesterday when it burned her throat and lungs. The only thing we can do is tell our story and encourage people not to buy Ford. I would never want anyone to go through what we have been through with a new car. In my opinion, Ford will continue to deny any of their problems if they are not stopped from making cars that are unsafe for people to drive.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Feb 03, 2003]
Renee Knox
Model Reviewed: Windstar LX

Strength:

Nice outside appearence. Sliding side doors on both sides. Middle and last row of seats will slide forward and back. They can also be removed easily.

Weakness:

Plastic covers for bolts break easily. Last row seat, too difficult to get to.

I am very displeased!!! It had 17000miles on it when we bought it. From our salesman I was assured it passed Ford's certified used car 150point(+or-) checklist. The very day after we bought it, on a 20 mile trip we heard some sort of light "thud-thud" under the dash. After inspection, no problem was found. But then six months later the a.c. stopped working. I had that checked, turns out compressor went out and contamanated several other parts. Which was quoted by the dealership to cost between $1500 or $1600. That was all at around 26000 miles on the car. There is some type of short in the electrical system. Power locks stopped working, for all doors. When, fuse was replaced door locks began working again. Except for the front left door. Although, occationally it will lock. Front heater fails to blow warm air. As for the "roomy" inside, I think the front row is good. Middle is fair+, but back row is just plain ridiculous. My children are all under nine and small for their ages too, but even for their tiny little bodies-they still have a hard time trying to get into the last row. The middle seat and outside (on both sides of van) shoulder straps make it difficult to get in and out of the third row. Another problem I've had is the plastic covers for the seat belts and bolt covers.They simply break to easily. Especially the plastic side cover for the metal seat frame on the middle seat. When getting in and out of back row it is in the way of your feet.

Similar Products Used:

This van was my first and only Ford. Previous van was a Custom Chevy van.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 23, 2003]
Carl Bracklein
Model Reviewed: Windstar LX

Strength:

Safety rating

Weakness:

Tansmission repairs, power door lock actuators fail

Very dissapointed! We bought the van with 17,000 miles on it. We now have 55,000 miles and just had to rebuild the transmission due to premature failure!! Ford customer service just passed the buck to to local dealer (Ford of Slidell) who "submitted it" to the local rep. The rep said - if you had come to us we might have been able to reimburse you, but since you went to a tranny shop we won't help you. By the way, the service manager at Slidell Ford said the same thing when I submitted the paperwork. I replied that it failed prematurely (54,000 miles) no matter who fixed it - it was defective! they said tuff luck!!! I will never buy another Ford as long as I live!! They so not stand behind their product!! Even KIA has a 100,000 mile warranty!!!!!!!

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 20, 2003]
ScottHanson
Model Reviewed: /Ford Windstar

Strength:

Attractive body design Roomy inside Good power (when functioning properly)

Weakness:

Electrical system Brake system Steering system Transmission system Rear bench seat orientation (cramped for at least one row)

We bought our Windstar LX in February 2000. It was a one-year lease return (from a rental agency). We encountered some slight problems early, but wrote them off to the fact that it was probably not driven well by those renting it (cigarette burns in some seats and carpet contributed to this assumption). We now have about 70K miles and are starting to see some real problems. Over the last 6-8 months, we have spent in excess of $2K to address several problems, including transmission, oxygen sensors, and head gasket replacements. My concern is that we have had an electrical problem for some time (actually, almost from the time we first purchased it, but it is getting worse). It appears to be a short in the system somewhere that gets better or worse depending on how hard you close the passenger-side sliding door. The problem affects the rear speakers, the right-rear window, the floor lights, and the power locks. Of course, it is possible that these are separate problems, but I don't want to think about that. My question for any other 99 Windstar owners is this: If you have had this problem, was the dealer able to repair it? Or did they say that they couldn't find a problem? Or, even worse, did they repair it and it returned? I would really appreciate any information that you could provide. We are taking it in tomorrow to have the "check engine" light evaluated. We just got it back from service for this issue; they replaced the O2 sensors -- the light was off for all of 15 hours, 14 of which were spent with the van parked in the driveway. If you have any information or experience in this area, please e-mail me to let me know what happened in your situation. Thanks.

Similar Products Used:

Ford Ranger Ford Contour Ford Taurus

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 17, 2003]
Jay Brown

Strength:

Very roomy

Weakness:

Heating and airconditioning weak and very loud. Too may recalls Brakes too early Road noise is high

Hate it! It has been nothing but a lemon. I have had 5 recalls on it since purchasing it new in 2000 plus it currently only has 35,000kms! It recently needed brakes (at 32,000kms) and the interior rattle and squeak with the side sliding door during a rainy day is enough to want to drive off the road to end it all!

Similar Products Used:

1998 Ford Winstar

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
Showing 81-90 of 336  

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