1996 FORD WINDSTAR Unknown Or Other Problems

HEAD GASKET FAILURE, MISFIRING, 'CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON', LOOSING COMPRESSION, NO REPAIRS ARE COVERED, FORD WINDSTARS PRODUCED UP UNTIL THE END OF 1995 ARE BEING RECALLED FOR THIS SAME DEFECT, MY WINDSTAR (BUILD 1/2/1996!!) IS NOT COVERED. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY (I READ ABOUT THE DANGER OF SUDDENLY LOSING SPEED) AND YES, I AM ANGRY ABOUT BEARING THE COST OF REPAIR. *AK

INTERMITTENTLY ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM.*AK

WHITE SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF TAILPIPE & ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER TOLD CONSUMER THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM. *AK

NO SUMMARY

NO SUMMARY

ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, STAYS ON ENGINE RUNS ROUGH. THIS CONTINUED FORM JANUARY TO JULY WITH VEHICAL GOING IN TO SHOP AS MUCH AS 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY . SAYVILLE FORD ON LAST ARRIVAL SAID HEAD GASKET FALURE AS IN ALL WINDSTARS FROM 1995 AND 96. THEY SAID THIS IN JANUARY AND EVERY VIST AFTER THAT UNTIL THE LAST ONE WHEN WHITE SMOKE CAME OUT OF EXHAUST. THEN THEY SAID REPLACE HEAD GASKETS. AT THIS TIME THEY FOUND THE NUMBER 1 CYLINDER ROD BENT AND I WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. THEY STILL HAVE THE VEHICAL AND WANT ME TO PAY FOR DAMAGES I WILL NOT SEEING THEY SHOULD HAVE FIXED IT IN THE BEGINING. I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THEY WOULD NOT STEP IN SAYING THE DELERSHIP AND THE CAR IS MY PROBLEM. I EVEN ASKED FOR THE FACTORY REP TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM AND WAS...

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT BLINKED ON AND OFF ON THE DASHBOARD. ALSO, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR. COMPUTER CHIP WAS REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM STILL CONTINUED. ANTI-FREEZE WAS LEAKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. IN ADDITION, SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED, AND HEAD GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK COMPUTOR DIAGNOSIS INDICATED THAT CYLINDER #4 MALFUNCTION. THE DEALER SAID THAT DOING TUNE UP WILL SOLVE THIS PROBLEM BUT DID NOT. *YH

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT ENGINE NEEDS REPLACEMENT DUE TO A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

ENGINE CHECKS LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER ON THREE OCCASIONS, AND INFORMED CONSUMER OF A POSSIBLE BLOWN HEAD GASKET. HOWEVER, VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S RECALL DUE TO VIN.*AK

JULY OF 1999 WHILE ON VACATION IN PENNSYLVANIA THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. A FAMILY FRIEND RECOMMENDED THAT WE NOT WORRY ABOUT THE PROBLEM UNLESS THE LIGHT STAYED ON. THE LIGHT WENT OFF BUT THEN CAME BACK ON A COUPLE OF TIMES OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. FINALLY IN APRIL OF 2000 THE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THE FORD DEALERSHIP INFORMED US THAT THE HEAD GASKETS WERE BLOWN. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US THAT THEY WOULD PAY MOST OF THE $1400.00 REPAIR BILL BUT WE STILL ENDED UP WITH $600.00 ON OUR PART. WE HAVE CONTACTED FORD TWICE ABOUT THIS FAILURE AT ONLY 53,000 MILES. WE BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE REIMBURSED OUR $600.00. WE ARE SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MANY 1996 WINDSTARS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. WE HAVE ASKED FORD TO TELL US THE NUMBER OF GASKET FAILURES THEY HAVE SEEN ON THE 1996'S. THEY HAVE...

THIS WAS DONE DURING MANUFACTURING. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED.

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON AND WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE. FOUND OUT IT WAS HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. CONTACTED FORD AFTER A WEEK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THE NEEDED PARTS FOR REPAIR AND WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS NOT ON RECALL LIST. ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THEY ARE UNWILLING TO HELP SINCE VEHICLE NOT UNDER WARRANTY. TOOK 2 WEEKS IN SHOP TO GET FIXED AND REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE ORDERED OUTSIDE OF FORD DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET THE RIGHT PART. IT ENDED UP COSTING $300 ADDITIONAL TO ORIGINAL ESTIMATE. *AK

REPEATED EXPENSIVE REPAIRS TO TURN OFF " ENGINE" CHECK LIGHT ONLY TEMPORAIRLY SUCCESSFUL. LOSS OF COOLANT FOR UNKNOWN REASON. ENGINE NOW NOTICABLY "SMOKING".*AK

ENGINE COOLANT NEEDS FILLING EVERY 2-3 DAYS, TRANSMISSION SKIPS, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ALWAYS ILLUMINATED AND INTERIOR DOOR AJAR LIGHT NEVER GOES OFF. *AK

SPEEDOMETER JUMPS ERRATICALLY AFTER 40 MPH; ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON OFTEN, WITH VARIOUS DIAGNOSES THAT SEEM TO ONLY FIX THE PROBLEM FOR AWHILE; WE HAVE PAID ALMOST $1000 IN REPAIRS SO FAR, NONE OF IT UNDER WARRANTY, PER THE DEALER. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING VEHICLE COMMENCED TO RUN ROUGH AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD COME ON. VEHECLE TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED OF A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT COVER UNDERED EXTENDED WARRANTY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET ANTI-FREEZE HAD LEAKED OUT, AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO HELP. *AK

THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS FAILURES OF SYSTEMS IN MY VAN. THE ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED, THE SPEEDOMETER IS OUT AGAIN. *AK

WHEN FILLING VEHICLE WITH GASOLINE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD COME ON. THIS HAPPENED TWICE LAST YEAR. OWNER'S MANUAL INDICATED THAT AFTER THREE STARTS ENGINE CHECK LIGHT DID NOT GO OFF. THEN BROUGHT VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO BE CHECKED. ENGINE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH. CONTACTED THE DEALER, ADVISED CONSUMER ON 9-MAR-2000 THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKET.

THE 1994 AND 1995 WINDSTARS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW COME THE 1996 WERENT. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED WITHIN SUMMARY. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

THE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED AT 10-15-97. I TOOK IT IN AND THE FORD DEALOR TOLD ME THAT EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON 4 TO 5 TIMES SINCE. NOW THAT THE DEALOR HAS IDENTEFIED THE PROBLEM THEY TELL ME IT WILL BE A 1200.00 FIX. OF COURSE NOW IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK

NO SUMMARY

ROTORS ARE WARPING, I CHANGED THEM AND THEY WARP AGAIN, UNDERSIZED BRAKES. *AK

NO SUMMARY PROVIDED BY CONSUMER

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO DEALER & HAD WIRING REPAIRED. THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT. PROBLEM HAD REOCCURRED. WAS ELECTRICAL SHORT IN WIRES. *AK

NO FAILURE IDENTIFIED.

ELECTRONIC SWITCH FOR HATCH WARNING LIGHT FAILED.

THE ELECTRICAL ABS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ALSO COMES ON. PLEASE DESCRIBE.