1995 Ford Windstar complaints

THE HEAD GASKET BLEW AND WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE THAT FORD WOULD COVER UP TO 5 YRS. OR 60,000 MILES, IF THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT, HOW CAN THEY PUT A CAP ON THIS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY VANS FROM 95 WE WERE LUCKY WE WERE NOT ON THE HI

WHILE DRIVING OWNER COULD HEAR A CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE CV JOINTS. DEALER SAID INNER CV JOINT ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACEMENT. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE 65MPH ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED AND BLEWOUT. HAD CONTROL OF VEHICLE. HAD IT TOWED TO A GARAGE. INFORMED BY MECHANIC IT WAS NOT A CRACKED ENGINE B LOCK. HAD NO PRIOR WARNING. *AK

WIDESPREAD FAILURE OF 1995 WINDSTAR 3.8L ENGINE HEAD GASKET... ME THIS TIME.

FUEL TANK DEVELOPED CRACKS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM OF USING A PLASTIC TANK. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS FIRE & SAFETY ISSUE.

PREMATURE HEAD GASKET FAILURE DUE TO FACTORY DEFECTIVE GASKETS (FORD SERVICE PROGRAM # 98M01)

HEADGASKET BLEW AND CAUSED MOTOR TO BE RUN WITH ANTIFREEZE IN THE #1 CYLINDER. MOTOR GONE...

HEAD GASKET FAILED, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER, ROUGH RUNNING, WHITE SMOKE OUT EXHAUST, AND STRONG COOLANT SMELL INSIDE OF VEHICLE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE, AND ENGINE.*AK

THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING DUE TO A FAULTY ENGINE HEAD GASKET. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN.

WILL IT TAKE A FATALITY BEFORE FORD IS MADE TO RECALL THIS TRANSMISSION? YOU SAY YOU DO NOT NEED A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS TO FORCE A MANUFACTER RECALL . WHY ISNT SOMETHING BEING DONE? CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS AT FORD DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND, I WAS TOLD BY A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP NAMED NICK THAT "FORD MUST HAVE ITS OWN REASONS WHY THEY HAVE NOT RECALLED THE TRANSMISSION" WELL OF COURSE MONEY!! I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS IN MY VAN. IT DECIDES TO NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE AND WILL SLIP OUT OF GEAR. I HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT AROUND 2GRAND. WHY HAS NOTHING BEEN DONE? THIS IS A REOCCURING PROBLEM! WHEN SOMEONE IS KILLED IT WILL BE TO LATE!! PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM. I WEAR MY SEATBELT, I DONT DRINK AND DRIVE BUT IM IN DANGER EVERYTIME I DRIVE THIS VAN. I JUST PRAY I DONT KILL MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. THE AMOUNT OF THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD IS STAGGERING. ANYONE ONE OF THEM COULD HAVE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT ANY TIME. SO NEXT TIME YOU SEE ONE KEEP YOUR DISTANCE! ONE MORE QUESTION , WOULD YOU LET YOUR FAMILY RIDE AROUND IN A DEATH TRAP? I THINK NOT. PLEASE MAKE FORD DO WHAT IS RIGHT. THEY SAVED A FEW BUCKS BY INSTALLING AN ALUMINUM PISTON, BUT THEY PUT A LOT OF LIVES IN DANGER.

ENGINE OVERHEATED. AT 82,904 MILES, DEALER REPLACED THERMOSTAT AND HEAD GASKET ON 8/7/99. ON 10/29/99 WITH 86,411 MILES IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, THE ENGINE JUST STALLED ON US75 N. DEALER NOW STATES THAT ENGINE IS BLOWN AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

OUR MINI-VAN BLEW A HEAD GASKET AND HEAD WAS CRACKED. THESE DEFECTS WERE KNOWN TO FORD WHO REAPIRED THEM THRU DECEMBER 1998 HOW CAN FORD LIMIT REPAIR OF A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT?

THE HEAD GASKET FAILED CAUSING THE ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON & OTHER COMPONENTS TO MALFUNCTION. *YC

WE HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT MANY OWNERS OF 95 WINDSTARS COMPLAIN ABOUT - BLOWN HEAD GASKETS AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE OUR VAN IN THE SHOP AND WILL BE PAYING ABOUT $5,000 IN REPAIRS FOR BOTH PROBLEMS. FORD BRUSHED US OFF SINCE OUR CAR IS OVER THE 60,000 MILE POINT.

TRANSMISSION FAILED, BURNT FLUID, SHUDDERING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, HARSH ENGAGEMENT WHEN STARTING OUT - REQUIRED A TRANSMISSION REBUILD - FORD CONTACTED BUT PROVIDED NO COMPENSATION

AS THE OWNER OF A 95 FORD WINDSTAR WITH THE 3.8L MOTOR, I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM FORD EXTENDING WARRANTY COVERAGE DUE TO PREMATURE HEAD GASKET FAILURE. AT 59,482 MILES I HAD THE 95 WINDSTAR SERVICED AT BATTLEFIELD FORD, SPECIFICALLY ASKING THEM ABOUT THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM TO MAKE SURE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF PROBLEMS. THE DEALER PERFORMED THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE AND GAVE MY VEHICLE A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH. ON 28 OCT 99, AT 1030 PM ON A DARK ROAD, THE HEAD GASKET BLEW ON MY VEHICLE WITH NO WARNING. FORD HAS REFUSED TO FIX MY VEHICLE. EVERY DEALER I HAVE SPOKEN WITH WILL NOT REPAIR THE HEAD GASKET ON WINDSTAR'S, THEY WILL ONLY REPLACE THE MOTOR AT A COST OF $6,000.00 DOLLARS. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CYLINDER HEADS IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CASTING NUMBERS WERE FOR A FORD TAURUS, NOT A WINDSTAR. I HAVE ALSO FOUND OVER 40 PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIANCED THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM OVER THE PAST 3 MONTHS WITH THEIR 95 WINDSTAR. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE 3.8L MOTORS HAVE FAILED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. SINCERELY, SCOTT A. HEFFNER

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ENGINE OVERHEATED AND VAPORS FROM THE COOLANT CAME INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. ALSO, VEHICLE'S ENGINE STARTED STUTTERING. THIS WAS DUE TO BLOWN ENGINE HEAD GASKET. DEALER HAS VEHICLE NOW. *AK

CAR WILL NOT CRANK DUE TO BLOWN HEAD GASKET. FORD HAS RECOGNIZED PROBLEMS WITH HEAD GASKETS ON 1995 3.8L ENGINES BUT STATE THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS FAILURE SINCE THE CAR HAS OVER 60,000 MILES. $1000 REPAIR BILL IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FOR A KNOWN DEFECT IN FORD'S PRODUCT. BOTH DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE STATE MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED BY THE CAMPAIGN FORD HAD CONCERNING THEIR HEAD GASKET PROBLEM.

I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS SMALL PROBLEMS WITH MY WINDSTAR. LARGE PROBLEMS BEGIN WITH THE TRANSMISSION GOING OUT IN AUGUST OF 1998. NOVEMBER 2, 1999 WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 35 MPH MY TEMPERATURE GUAGE READ HOT. I STOPPED IMMEDIATELY TO ALLOW THE ENGINE TO COOL DOWN. WHEN THE GUAGE SHOWED WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE, I TURNED THE CAR ON AND IT SHOOK AND WHITE BILLOWING SMOKE ROLLED FROM THE VEHICLE. I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH WATER BEING RETAINED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT, THE DOORLOCK MOTOR, THE DRIVER WINDOW STICKING AND NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL SMALL PROBLEMS.

WE HAVE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION TWICE. THE FIRST TIME AT 72,000 MILES AND THEN AGAIN AT 94,000 MILES. THE BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, TIE RODS, REAR WHELL CYLINDERS, FRONT DRIVE AXLE HAVE ALSO BEEN REPLACED. THE PADS 4 TIMES AND THE ROTORS TWICE, GROUND DOWN IN BETWEEN. NOW THE HEAD GASKET HAS BLOWN AND POSSIBLE CAUSED ENOUGH DAMAGE TO WARRANT REPLACING THE WHOLE ENGINE.

OUR ENGINE BEGAN OVERHEATING DURING THE LAST WEEK ON DEC. '98. DUE TO THE HOLIDAYS, WE WERE UNABLE TO GET IT INTO OUR PERSONAL MECHANIC UNTIL 1/9/99, AT WHICH TIME HE DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE AS HEAD GASKET FAILURE. WE CONTACTED OUR LOCAL DEALER, WHO SAID TH

I UNDERSTAND THAT A VERY HIGH % OF THESE ENGINES HAVE A HEAD GASKET FAILURE. THE FORD COMPANY HAS MADE A REPLACEMENT GASKET TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIS REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED ON MY VEHICLE (I PAID FOR THE REPAIR) BUT A FRIEND OF MINE HAD THE SAME REPAIR DONE THIS PAST APRIL WITH 52000 MILES ON AND FORD COVERED HIS REPAIR UNDER A RECALL LETTER. WITH THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS PROBLEM, FORD SHOULD COVER ALL COST.

ON FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 29, 1999 MY 1995 FORD WINDSTAR BLEW IT'S 3.8 LITER V-6 ENGINE HEAD GASKET. AS I DROVE THE CAR IT BEGAN TO EMIT CLOUDS OF STEAM FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM THAT HAD A VERY HEAVY CHEMICAL VAPOR SMELL. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MY ENGINE VIBRATING AND RUNNING VERY ROUGHLY. UPON CHECKING UNDER THE HOOD I NOTICED THAT THE COOLANT OVERFLOW CONTAINER WAS DRY. I CHECKED MY OIL AND FOUND THAT IT HAD ANTIFREEZE IN IT. THESE ARE THE CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF A BLOWN ENGINE HEAD GASKET.

WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN. HEARD A FUNNY SOUND, RESTARTED VEHICLE AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WENT HIGH. TOWED TO DEALER, AND DEALER DETERMINED THAT HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT AND NEEDED TO HAVE THE ENGINE FLUSHED. CONTACTED DEALER, AND REPLACED HEAD GASKET. OIL LIGHT WAS COMING ON. DEALER SAID THAT VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS. STEPPED ON GAS PEDAL AND VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE WHEN STOPPING, THEN SHUT OFF. *AK

WAS DRIVING WHEN THE DOOR CAME AJAR AND LIGHT CAME ON. THEN FLASHED OFF & ON. WHEN TURNING, WOULD HEAR A CLICKING NOISE IN FRONT WHEELS. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON & THE BRAKES MADE NOISES, AS IF THEY WERE CATCHING OR GRABBING, TO STOP AFTER BEING APPLIED. VEHICLE WOULD JERK WHEN ACCELERATING ON INCLINE. BEEN TO DEALERSHIP AT LEAST 9 TIMES FOR PROBLEMS. MECHANIC HAS NOT REPAIRED PROBLEM DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO DUPLICATE. *AK

HEAD GASKET FAILED. NLM

DRIVING CAR TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHEN CHECK ENGINE LITE COMES ON. VEHICLE STARTS ROUGH IDLE AND WIFE NOTICES WHITE SMOKE FUMING OUT OF EXHAUST PIPE. KNOWING THAT 95 WINDSTAR 3.8L HAS A REPUTATION FOR BLOWN HEAD GASKETS SUSPECTED THAT WAS WHAT OCCURED. COMPLEATED TURN AND GOT CAR SAFETLY OFF THE ROADWAY, CALLED FOR TOW TO NEAREST FORD DEALER. DIAGNOSIS, BLOWN HEAD GASKET, CAUSING HYDRO-LOCK DURING DIAGNOSTIC TEST . SOLUTION . REPLACE ENGINE WITH LONGBLOCK DUE TO COOLANT DAMAGE TO CRANKSHAFT AND CYLINDERS AND BLOCK. NO WARNING AND THIS CAR HAS BEEN PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED. OIL AND COOLANT WERE CHECKED THE DAY BEFORE AND WERE AT PROPER LEVELS. COOLANT CHANGED 07/99. SOLUTION ENGINE REPLACED AT OWNERS EXPENSE. NO PROPERLY MAINTAINED CAR SHOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF FAILURE,ESPECIALLY DURING FIRST 100,000 MILES. AM PURSUING THIS WITH FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE HOT-LINE WITH LITTLE SUCESS. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

HEAD GASKET FAILED. HAD TRIED TO GET PROBLEM LOOKED AT DURING WARRANTY PERIOD, WAS INFORMED BY DEALER THAT REPAIR WOULD NOT BE MADE UNTIL PART FAILED. WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER REPAIR , WHEN FAILURE OCCURED.

NO SUMMARY

HEADGASKET FAILED. DEALER SAID RECALL EXPIRED DEC.1998. ESTIMATED $900 REPAIRS. UNDERSTAND PROBLEM WAS AND IS RECURRING

BLOWN HEAD GASKET. EXISTING FORD SERVICE BULLITEN 98M01.

WHILE TRAVELING NOTICED FUMES FROM THE TAIL PIPE. ALSO THERE WAS A SMELL. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. ALSO, VEHICLE WAS PULSATING. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATON. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH THE ENGINE HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT. STEAM WAS COMING FROM VEHICLE. TEMPERTURE GAUGE WENT UP TO HOT LEVEL, AND ALL THE WATER CAME OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ABOUT 30-40MPH ON VACATION VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEAR, ANDE WAS ENGULFED WITH SMOKE. PULLED OVER AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. CONTACTED DEALER, AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BUT IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION WOULD COME OUT OF GEAR AND CAUSE VEHICLE TO STOP OPERATING UNTIL GEAR KICKED BACK IN. THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE COLLISION. TRANSMISSION WAS INSPECTED AND REBUILT BY A INDEPENDENT REPAIRS SHOP. *AK *ML

FAILED HEAD GASKET, WHICH HAS BEEN ON GOING PROBLEM. DEALER STATES SINCE I AM OVER THE MILEAGE WOULD NOT HELP PAY BILL ON A PRO-RATED OFFER. IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE PROBLEM, I COULD HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT OR TRADED THE VEHICLE.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT HEAD GASKETS ARE DAMAGE OR BLOWN IN LESS THAN 16 MONTHS DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT FIX PROBLEM MORE THAN ONCE EVEN WHEN THEY KNOW TAHT PROBLEM WILL HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE

WHEN TIMING COVER GASKET IS REPLACED, LOWER ENGINE KNOCK OCCURS,BEARINGS GET WASHED OUT, AND ENGINE NEEDS REPLACING. FORD ACKNOWLEDGES THIS PROBLEM, DOES NOT KNOW WHY IT HAPPENS, BUT IS NOT WILLING TO COMPENSATE CUSTOMERS FOR THE COST OF ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THIS IS ON 3.8 V6 ENGINES IN 1995 WINDSTARS, TAURUS AND SABLES.

TRANSMISSION FAILED. MJS

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION AT A IMPACT OF APPROX. 40-45 MPH AT THE FRONT CORNER OF DRIVER SIDE. THE DEPLOYMENT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG, CAUSED INJURIES TO LEFT EAR. DEALER / MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK

VEHICLE PARKED. LEFT FOR WORK. CO-WORKER NOTIFIED OWNER VEHICLE ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVEDND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WAS NO WARNING. HAD BEEN LISTENING TO RADIO PRIOR TO FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

VEHICLE BEGAN TO RUN SLUGGISH AND SPORADIC . OVERHEATING AND ECCESSIVE LOSS OF COOLANT. DEALER RECOMMENDED TUNE-UP. TUNE-UP COMPLETED AND PROBLEM REMAINED UNTIL THE GASKET BLEW. I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE OWNERS WITH SIMILIAR PROBLEMS. IS THERE A RECALL (MANUFACTURER OR CONSUMER DRIVEN) FOR THIS MODEL/YEAR? IF SO I NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION.

WHILE VEHICLE WAS AT A STAND STILL IT WAS REAR ENDED.THERE WAS A CHILD SITTING ON THE SECOND ROW OF SEATS RESTRAINED PROPERLY IN THE SEAT BELT.BUT WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED, THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT LOCK, THROWING THE CHILD INTO THE BACK OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT AND THEN SHE BOUNCED BACK INTO HER SEAT.PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FUTHER INFORMATION. *AK

ODOMETER FAILED. MJS

HEAD GASKET FAILURE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ESTIMATED THAT IT LEAKED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME PRIOR TO COMPLETE FAILURE. COOLANT IN THE OIL HAS RESULTED IN THE DETERIORATION OF THE MAIN BEARINGS. THIS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE MOTOR.

WE HAVE HAD THE SAME DEFECTS/REPAIRS THAT MOST OF THE OTHER WINDSTAR OWNERS HAVE HAD. FORD MOTOR COMPANY WILL NOT ASSIST IN HELPING TO PAY FOR THESE REPAIRS. WE FEEL THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY KNOWS THAT THESE PROBLEMS ARE BECAUSE OF THEIR DESIGN FLAWS, BUT THEY ARE NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. OUR MOST EXPENSIVE REPAIR HAS BEEN THE ENGINE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. PER THE FORD DEALERS, AND OTHER SOURCES, THIS IS DUE TO ENGINE COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE ENGINES, AND HAS BEEN OCCURRING APPROX. 10,000- 20,000 MILES AFTER THE HEAD GASKETS HAVE BEEN REPLACED.

A HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED ON THE CAR AT 69,000 MILES CAUSING ADDITIONAL REPAIRS, I.E: PLUGS, AIR FILTER, COOLANT ETC. THE SERVICE MANAGER ADVISED ME THAT THIS DEFECT HAS BEEN APPARENT ON THE 3.8 LITER ENGINE ON THE WINDSTAR, TAURUS AND SABLE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAS PERFORMED SERVICE ON THIS PROBLEM AT THE RATE OF 2 AUTOMOBILES PER WEEK SINCE LAST YEAR, AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME MILEAGE. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY WAS REPLACING THE HEAD GASKET ON THOSE VEHICLES UNDER 75K MILES AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER UP UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 1998. BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE REOCCURRING PROBLEM ON THESE VEHICLES AND HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL RECALL, WE HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY WITH THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION. THE COMPLAINT IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN APPARENT DEFECT WITH THE 3.8 LITER ENGINE INVOLVING THE SAME HEAD GASKET, AND THAT A REDESIGNED GASKET IS NOW BEING USED.. MY WINDSTAR WAS SERVICED ON JUNE 24, 1999 FOR A 65K MILE MAINTENANCE CHECK AT A COST OF $255 SHOWING NO APPARENT ENGINE DIFFICULTIES AND THEN I HAD TO INVEST ANOTHER $1,140 AT THE TIME OF THIS REPAIR 3 MONTHS LATER.

NO SUMMARY

NO SUMMARY

ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO FAILED CAM SHAFT BEARING. HEAD GASKET HAD BEEN REPLACED 6 MONTH PRIOR DUE TO LEAKAGE. FORD DEALERSHIP MAKING REPAIR COULD NOT OBTAIN THE CAM SHART REPLACEMENT KIT BECAUSE "DEMAND HAD EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS". WE HAD TO BUY A SHORT BLOCK. OTHER PROBLEMS: BRAKES PUMPING - NEED NEW ROTORS SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER GETTING NEW PADS. ANOTHER PROBLEM - INTERIOR LIGHTS THAT WILL NOT GO OFF HAVE REQUIRED REPAIR TWO TIME.