NHTSA Complaint #763914 — 2001 FORD WINDSTAR

BRAKES FAILED ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS (REPAIR DATES: 3/22/02, 4/1/02 AND 4/15/02). FIRST, MY WIFE NOTED THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BEFORE THERE WAS ANY RESPONSE. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED THAT THIS WAS NORMAL. WE INSISTED THAT IT WASN'T, UNTIL THERE LEAD TECHNICIAN FOUND AND REPLACED A FAULTY HCU. THE SECOND FAILURE CAME WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY WIFE AND 6 MONTH OLD BABY FROM MO TO VA. WHILE ON THE WEST VIRGINIA TURN PIKE, THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED AGAIN AND EVENTUALLY THE BRAKEING SYSTEM FAILED ALL TOGOETHER BY THE TIME WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION OF SUFFOLK VIRGINIA. BARTON FORD, IN SUFFOLK VA, REPLACED THE HCU AND THE ECU AND REPAIRED A BRAKE FLUID LEAK. THE THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING BACK TO MO. ONCE AGAIN THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND NORMALLY. ONCE BACK IN O'FALLON, MO. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND A AIR BUBBLE IN THE BRAKE LINE AND THEY REPROGRAMMED THE ABS MODULE. EACH BRAKE FAILURE ALSO AFFECTED THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM AND THE SPEEDOMETER. WE HAVE ALSO HAD TO HAVE ONE WINDOW REPLACED, THE DRIVERS SIDE SLIDING DOOR ADJUSTED, A SEAL INSERTED IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO A RECALL ITEM, AND BOLTS TIGHTENED AT THE ENGINE CRADLE MOUNTS. RECENTLY, THE FUEL CAP INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED FOR A PERIOD OF 5 DAYS FOR UNKNOWN REASONS AND WE ARE CURRENTLY UNABLE TO FILL THE GAS TANK TO ITS NORMAL CAPACITY. THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE AND HARDLY WORTH THE $27,220 THAT WE ARE PAYING FOR IT.