NHTSA Complaint #10069811 — 1996 FORD WINDSTAR

12-15-97 AT 21,145 MILES I REPORTED NOTICING THE COOLANT LEVEL ALWAYS BEING LOW. NO LEAK WAS FOUND AND I WAS TOLD THERE MUST BE A LEAK SOMEWHERE IN THE RADIATOR. 12-27-99 AT 56,526 MILES I BEGAN HAVING A "COLD START" PROBLEM. IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS NOT GETTING FUEL. 12-1200 AT 74,306 MILES I HAD THE SAME "COLD START" PROBLEM AND THE FUEL FILTER WAS REPACED. 12-22-00 AT 74,930 A NEW THERMOSTAT & GASKET. 12-29-00 AT 75,113 A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR. 03-02-01 AT 77,569 MILES A NEW FUEL PUMP RELAY(CCRM), FUEL PUMP AND PVC VALVE. 09-11-01 AT 87,907 MILES A MULT-FUNCTION SWITCH. 01-31-02 AT 95,069 MILES A SECOND CCRM RELAY. 03-06-02 AT 99,348 MILES ON AN 80 DEGREE DAY "NO START" SAME SYMPTOMS AS "COLD START" PROBLEM. INSTEAD OF NOT GETTING FUEL IT IS SUSPECTED IT IS FLOODING. 4-23-02 AT 99,348 MILES COLD START PROBLEM, FUEL INJECTORS CLEANED. 05-30-02 AT 101,330 MILES WOULDN'T START, NO FUEL PRESSURE-INTERMITTENT. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. 6-7-02 AT 101,388 MILES "NO START" PROBLEM. NEW FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP AND SENDER O-RING. 12-01-2-01 109,530 MILES VAN STARTED STEAMING - APPEARED TO BE A COOLANT LEAK OR BROKEN HOSE. ADDED COOLANT DIRECT IN RADIATOR. I HAVE CARRIED OWN COOLANT AND ADDED FREQUENLTY SINCE 1997, WHEN I WAS TOLD THERE MUST BE A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR. I COULD NOT FIND ANY TRACE OF SUCH A LEAK BY PUTTING CARDBOARD UNDER VAN. SUSPECTED THE PLASTIC COOLANT CONTAINER HAD A LEAK. NO COOLANT LEAKS WHERE EVER FOUND DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGES. 12-04-02 109,568 M,ILES FOUND LEAKING FRONT TIMING COVER GASKET. REPLACED HEADGASKET AND ALL ELSE THAT GOES WITH IT. COST OF REPAIR $1,915.21. I BELIEVE THE HEADGASKET DEFECT HAS BEEN THE PROBLEM ALL A LONG, COSTING ME A SMALL FORTUNE.