NHTSA Complaint #719645 — 1995 FORD WINDSTAR

INITIALLY TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER NOV. '99 FOR FOLLOW-UP CHECK ON HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT FROM SEPT.'99 BECAUSE OF CHUGGING AND WHAT FELT LIKE ENGINE HESITATION. I SUSPECTED COMPLICATIONS FROM REPAIR WORK PERFORMED ON ENGINE. DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO VERIFY COMPLAINT. NOW KNOW THIS WAS AN INITIAL INDICATION OF A PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IT DISENGAGES AT STOPS WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP ENGINE REVS AND VEHICLE MOVES VERY SLOWLY, OR NOT AT ALL. WHEN THIS FIRST OCCURRED, HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE THE VEHICLE MOVED SLOWLY INTO SPEEDING TRAFFIC WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ONTO ROAD FROM A STOP. VEHICLE WOULD NOT FULLY ACCELERATE BECAUSE TRANS WOULD NOT ENGAGE (ENGINE RACING) AND A COLLISION WAS BARELY AVOIDED BECAUSE OF THIS. MY FAMILY WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGH SPEED INTERSECTION WITH ONCOMING VEHICLES HAVING TO SWERVE OR STOP TO AVOID HITTING US. TRANS EVENTUALLY ENGAGED. HOWEVER, A VERY CLOSE CALL. WE NOW KNOW NOT TO PULL OUT INTO FAST MOVING TRAFFIC UNLESS THERE ARE NO VEHICLES IN SIGHT, OR WE KNOW THEY HAVE AMPLE TIME TO SLOW DOWN IF THE VEHICLE GETS STUCK IN FRONT OF THEM. DEALER NOW ACKNOWLEDGES PROBLEM IS DUE TO FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON FAILURE AND TRANSMISSION REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. *AK