Roomy

handles rough

Bought this 98 Windstar LX used with 21,000 miles on it. It has been in the shop more than the Dodge Caravan we traded in with 190,000 miles on it. We started having problems with the transmission not shifting out correctly at low speeds and "clunking" when it changes gears. This happens at a low speed such as city driving, stopping and starting. The dealer we purchased it from, Performance Ford in Nashville said to bring it back but we would have to rent our own rental car. We live about 40 miles away so we took it to our local Ford Dealer. We have had the van in the shop 5 times now for the same problem. The last time (a month ago) they rebuilt the transmission. It is now in the shop and they are telling me I do not drive in normal driving conditions, that the vehicles aren't built for bumper to bumper traffic and this is "normal" for the Windstars. I would tell anyone who is even thinking about buying a Ford to think twice. They are the biggest piece of junk I have ever driven. Every loaner car they give me to drive is the same. I would have bought another Dodge Caravan but my husband insisted that Fords were the best, my reply now is they are just what I have always heard--Found on the road dead!!! We have also had the brakes replaced, the power steering unit and the electric door lock switches replaced.

Similar Products Used:

Dodge Caravan-about same size, gas milage

Roomy van, comfortable

Power steering pump is shot, transmission going. after ten miles of driving the transmission starts slipping, won't go very well between 20 to 335 mph. runs rough, noisy

poorest rating you can give is what i would give this product, it's an embarrassment to the mini van industry

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never had anything this bad, doesn't compare

Can't think of any

Reliability, repair costs

This is the worst vehicle we have ever owned. It spends almost as much time in the shop as it does in our driveway. We've had a new engine, head gaskets (twice) transmission, brakes, oxygen sensor, fuel sensor, emissions sensor, sway bar, and two starters. Others who have written reviews with the same problems are right, Ford is absolutely no help whatsover. The first time the head gasket went we were without the van for over a month and Ford refused to give us a loaner and basically couldn't care less about our problems. I will never buy another Ford and will never recommend a Ford product to anyone. For those who have bought new Windstars and are happy with them, my only advice is to get rid of it before your warranty runs out. We are trying to get rid of it, and the first dealership we went to only wanted to give us $1200 on the trade in. This car has cost us thousands more than the $13,000 we originally paid for it.

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None

smooth ride on the highway,automatic door opener,good space inside,extra ports for the phone of coolers.

loud engine,lack of quality finish on the inside,ford continues to cut corners with the interior. floors mats are paper thin. had problems with several rattles on the inside,still in the process of eliminating them all.

personally i'm not that pleased with the product and i will be trying to sell the car soon, i owned a 95 and had the famous head gasket problem. the only reason i purchased a ford again was because they gave me rebate towards apurchase of a new vehicle.

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None

Roomy, controls for radio and air in back for passengers are nice. Runs quietly.

Transmission problems over and over again. Electrical problems. Blow fuses every time I sneeze. Windshield wipers just stopped working while driving in a major rain storm over the 7 mile bridge with no where to pull over!!!! My van wants to kill me, I'm sure of it!!!

I will never buy another Ford vehicle. Period. I have never had good experiences with Ford. And, I am one to tell this to everyone I know.

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At one time I owned a Ford Mustang. Problems, problems...from paint to pumps to tranny.... In between Ford vehicles I owned a Toyota 4 Runner....wonderful!!! (Why did I sell???) and a Pontiac Firebird...great car! Ford vehicles just dont compare in reliability like my others...

I think Noah could of built a better product then this. What a POS. STAY AWAY FROM FORD PRODUCTS--I owned a Ford F150 4x4 before and thought maybe I just had a lemon. Well guess what, I now have another lemon Ford product. And Ford wonders why GM is always ahead of them--Like DA!
There are absolutely no strengths for the Ford Windstar or most Ford products unless of course you want to call having more then one color choice a strength--Like Da!

I guess I better plan on replacing my tranny after reading everybody elses stories here-cross my fingers. It's in the shop as we speak for front end noise, tranny shifting and nearly throwing me out the windshield, door hatch light won't go off even though all doors are shut, windshield wiper fluid won't dispense(I've nearly shoved the damn blinker switch through the steering column trying to get it to work when I need it the most--DA FORD)--Let's see, what else, fuel pump went out 5000 miles ago($500.00 job--nice engineering-DA!)--3.8 litre engine can't even pull my rear bagger for my riding lawn mower--now it's starting to hesitate(better work some OT again to pay some more BS bills on this POS van-----STAY AWAY FROM FORD, STAY AWAY FROM FORD, STAY AWAY FROM FORD, STAY AWAY FROM FORD

I'm serious people--for those of you who haven't owned a lot of different vehicles to compare quality with, STAY AWAY FROM FORD. I have owned Ford, Chevy, Nissan, Toyota, Jeep, Honda, Fiat, Chrysler and you name it. If you total up all the hassles and repairs on all the vehicles and compare it to Ford, I'm better off emotionally and financially if I NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN WHICH I NEVER WILL!

Save your money--you would be better off investing your money into swamp land in Florida or send it to me-I'll hold it for a year making no interest and mail it back to you(you'll be way ahead that way compared to buying a FORD product.) Go CHEVY or Foreign--do yourself a favor! FORD SUCKS AND HONESTLY--They don't give a rats ass about your problems once you have purchased the vehicle--if you don't believe me, just buy a Ford and try getting anywhere when you have a problem--go ahead, I dare you!

Similar Products Used:

John Deer Riding Lawn Mower--has better pick up then the Windstar
My childs ten speed bike--also has better pick up then the Windstar

The minivan itself actually looks nice which is why I bought it.

Unsafe rear seats. Horrible Gas Mileage.

This minivan is a piece of crap. First I will tell you that I am not at all impressed with the way I was treated at the dealership, I don't know why I didn't cancel the deal then. I wish I had. First off, the salesman lied to me about a number of things. He told me that this thing has a 5 star safety rating. No. At least not in the configuration I have it. He told me they were second generation airbags. *bzzt* Wrong there. Apparently these are only on the 1997 or later models, but I'm not a car guy so I didn't know. He also told me it got about 24 miles to the gallon on the highway and 20 in town. Wrong again, try 20 on the highway and 12-16 in town.

I bought it with 46000 miles on it and now 3 months later with 48000 I am ready to shoot it. First the radio went nuts, it starts randomly changing stations and not working at all after the car has been on a while. Then it started chugging half the time. Then the electrics seem to screw up, and today to top everything off, the transmission is dying, it won't shift into overdrive anymore.

But the worst part was the Ford dealership lying to me and then not offering to do anything to make up for it. This is the last Ford I will ever buy because of that. I can stand to be burned on a product, but I won't stand to be burned on service. Never lie to your customers.

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Chevy Lumina APV

This is a followup to my submission of July 2000

In addition to the problems described previously, the timing belt gasket failed ($800) and the 2 front springs broke. The van has 87,000 Kilometers.

This van is a lemon but what is worse is that Ford won`t acknowledge they have any problems. I saw a newspaper article regarding the front springs - they are being investigated in the US pertaining to this. I called Ford of Canada- they denied they had received any complaints regarding this.I asked if there was coverage should a head gasket fail- they advised the vehicle is out of warranty-there weren`t any noted problems however Ford would consider some sort of compensation should this happen. A friend has a `95 Windstar and he received a letter from Ford advising they would cover any headgasket problems to 160,000 km.Has anyone in Ontario considered taking them to Small Claims Court?

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None

Rock solid reliable, lots of room

Steering feels 'weighted', seats weigh as much as a cast-iron engine block

This was my company car, and I put over 1000 miles a week on it, until it had 79,000 miles on it, then I gave it to my wife. I've went through oil changes, and tires, and didn't put brakes on it until 82,000 miles, and spark plugs at 94,000 miles. The biggest pain, was the speedometer going haywire at 99,000 miles. Ford wanted over $300.00 for one, so I took it out myself, and sent it to speedometer plus, and they rebuilt it for $89.95. I expect to drive it until probably 200,000 miles. I've always used synthetic oil, and changed the coolant once a year, and the transmission at 40,000 & 80,000 got new fluid/filter.

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Dodge caravan

Roomy
Safety ratings

unreliable
Repetitive problems

I purchased my 1998 Windstar in August 2000 with 25,000 miles on it. I bought an extended warranty for which I am very thankful. The noises from the front end, especially when you turn, were very alarming as well as the shaking of the front end as you apply the brakes. After being in for service 3 times it seems to be running a little better. The first time the tie rod ends were repaired. After I received the van back it continued with the same problems I originally took it in for. After waiting for another few weeks for an appointment I took it back in for service. They originally told me the rack and pinnion needed to be replaced. But when I picked it up after 3 days they only replaced both upper strut plates. They told me it wasn't the rack and pinnion. After I received it back the van continued to shake. I took it to our mechanic because the breaks are not warranty items. The mechanic replaced all the pads and rotors. He also stated that the rotors became warped due to the front end problems and it should have been covered because it was due to a manufacturers defect and not normal wear and tear.
The van is also noisy, wind noise on passenger side, power steering pump.
The gas gauge goes on when you still have a 1/4 of a tank, (most of the time) I learned after running out of gas that you can't rely on what you think you have, because there's no way to tell until you fill up again.
I can honestly say that I will be trading this vehicle in before my extended warranty expires.

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cavalier (130,000 miles)still runs good
my first mini van experience