safety rating

noisier than Grand Caravan and less amenities

I experienced brake problems on three seperate occasions within a 12 hour period with my 22,000 mile 2000 Windstar. I smelled a burning plastic smell for approx 10 seconds and thought nothing of it. I then had difficulty during a normal stop when the disc brakes seemed to be experiencing ABS activity. The brake pedal wasn't fluttering like a normal ABS stop nor was their any moisture on the road. This happened again 10 minutes later. The next day as I was taking it to the shop I made a complete stop and a couple of seconds later the car started moving forward. My full pressure was on the brakes and it wouldn't stop. I used the emergency brake to stop. There was no fluid missing from the brake master cylinder. The brake pedal didn't move deeper as I pressed the brake. The tach didn't increase RPM. The shop checked the ABS system and found nothing. There were no computer diagnostic codes found. They drove it 200 miles and couldn't replicate it

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Enjoyed my Grand Caravan much more

The van is huge! There is tons of room and my kids love it. The V-6 engine has lots of get up and go...

Brakes seem squeaky and steering a bit stiff but for the size and weight of the van all comprable.

I would recommend this van to other families, but after reading some of the other summaries, I would caution potential buyers to really check out the vehicle.

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size, highway fuel economy, a/c

seats are heavy , engine noise when you accelerate hard, reliability concerns

i bought this van in aug of 98 w/ 29000 miles on it. it used to be a rent car. i have now put 60000 total miles on it w/ only minor problems, alignment and window regulator. van is awsome on long trips. getting 26+mpg at 80 to 85 mph w/ both a/c's on. plenty of room for family of five. drove van this summer at 80+ mph in 100 + degree heat for over 3hrs and the temp gauge never moved. i have been very blessed w/ this van as far as maintenance problems. added marvel mystery oil to fuel and it significantly reduced engine noise at idle. the engine does burn about 1qt of oil every 1500 miles. not good considering i had a 84 honda accord w/ 135000 mile that burned no oil and was diven extremely hard. over all i am very satisfied w/ the windstar. if you buy one get one with the 3.0 less problems w/ the engine and tranny from the exstensive reaserch i've done . also if you need speed this van will do approxamitly 105mph w/ the 3.0 hope you get a van as mechanically sound as mine. good luck

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Lots of room and comfortable seating. Excellent temperature control. Nice green color.

Extremly noisey vehicle. Shifting into drive from park results in a loud bang. (Nothing wrong with the vehicle according to Ford). The computer failed at 2K. Sliding door hinges failed at 12K. Transmission failed a 36K. Drivers side power window failed at 40K. Exterior rear door latch failed at 50K.

I could never recommend a Ford product to anyone. It's not just because of the component failures mentioned above. When the transmission failed it was replaced by Ford when it was 1,000 miles out of warranty. I took me 3 months of arguing with them before they picked up half the tab. Six months later while having the oil changed the mechanic notice two bolts connecting the tranny to the engine were missing. I took it to Ford immediately and they wanted to charge me to replace them. According to them it was impossible that their mechanic forgot to put them back. Arrogant SOB's.

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Roomy interior. Engine is powerfull. I got the reverse sensor and I swear by it. I back in to areas without looking back to see if I am close enough. I have driven other vehicles and totally miss the sensor. The interior upholstery is great.

The interior is very noisy. You hear all exterior noises when driving. You also get a lot of wind noise. The brakes really suck. I have had very noisy brakes and the dealer would say that all vehicles have this problem. I can say that this is not true. I know other Windstar owners who do not have this problem. The transmission does not work well. I have found when driving though traffic, the gears would "slam" during grear down. The engine also pings during acceleration (passing other vehicles or changing lanes) and climbing inclines.

The vehicle performs good but there are what I consider defects. The dealers are not very helpful and at times of no use. After the vehicle has been services, the problem return. I would recommend the vehicle but the service departments have a lot fo work ahead. I have read a statement that says the salesperson would sell you your first car but the service department would sell you your next. Well based on this, I would never buy another Ford if this is the service I get.

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I drove a 1997 Caravan for approx. 1 year and this was a company van. This was banged around a bit and it worked really good. Brakes, transmission worked really good and the noise level was lower. The upholstery was lacking.

We've had our van for 1-1/2 years and have almost 30,000 miles on it. It's great for hauling kids- both little and teens. Really like the sliding doors. Our kids are very busy and active and the van is easy for them to get in and out of. Holds lots of their friends, too. The van has rear air/heat controls and controllable vents, a nice plus! Lots of cup holders, too.
Drives really nice. Like how you can sit up off of the ground (unlike with some cars you feel like you're riding the ground). It's big, but not tooo big. (We even let our teenager learn how to drive with it.)

Wish the back had an electric lock button. Reason is because when getting items out of the back I always have to dig the remote out of my purse to lock it, or go up front and lock it. (Had an Explorer before the van which had this feature. It was great.) Wish gas mileage was better. Also wish the layed down flat.
I will say that we know of someone else that has the same year van, only in the SE. They've had nothing but trouble with it. A couple of transmissions, new ceiling, batteries, etc. They are anxious to get rid of it. Even though it is under warranty, it's been a headache for them.

We like our Van well enough that we have a new one ordered! Should be here anytime. Only difference in the two is that the new one will have the Family Entertainment Package. We had an Explorer and really enjoyed it. It was tough getting rid of it. But all in all, the van rides much better and has the extra room.
Strongly recommend this vehicle for anyone who needs/wants the extra room and a smooth ride.
FYI- We've had so called "headaches" in our time too. Everyone's bound to go through that sometime in their life. Whether the vehicle is older or brand new. Not everything is perfect. Doesn't matter if it's a Ford, Buick, Dodge, Chev, GMC, etc.
From our experience in the Ford Windstar though, we would strongly recommend one. Love it!

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Ford Aerostar- It was nice but was really big and didn't have the 4th door.

Handles very well for a large vehicle. Lots of room. Heats and cools large interior very quickly.

My model did not come with headrests on second and third orw benches. Seat backs are way to low for my kids comfort and safety. I consider this a major safety oversight for a car that is supposedly sold on its safety features! I am concerned about the possibility of whiplash because my kids heads tower above the bench.
Have had some mechanical problems, but nothing major. All were handled properly under warranty.
Also, these vans need a driver side sliding door.

I bought this vehicle used in 1998. We are very happy with its roominess and the way it drives. I am considering trading it in because we want the driver side door and the bench seats are uncomfortable for long trips and I am concerned about the possibility of whiplash because of the lack of headrests.

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First minivan. I drive a 1992 Ford Taurus and love it.

looks good, good paint, lots of inside room comfotable for all the kids, even when ful grown, carrying golf bags, hockey gear or buidling materials
like that extra driver's side door and four bucket seats good looking bu scoop

fuel comsumption much higher than my 1995 Windstar
noisey running. Failed steering box at 22000 km. took 31 days to repair, no parts although 45 miles from Oakville Ontario factory. I leased this car in 1999 to replace my 95 windstar, when I was told that the engine on the '95 would fail due to mixing of oil and anti-freeze, and I had missed the warranty date by 100 kms, but I liked the older vehicle for driver comfort and convenience, and I assumed they has fixed the head gasket problem. And Ford took the old one on a trade in. The new steering wheel and driver's seat make long trips unbearable. A front tire failed, and Ford refused to fix it, although there was no evidence of any trauma, although the tire puncture was in the side wall. Soon thereafter the power steering started to leak, and it failed, within a day, despite the addition of needed fluid, As noted it took the dealership 29 days to get the parts, and another two days to put them in. We had a rental of a Taurus while it was being repaired, paid for by Ford Canada, but it is a lot less car. Saved me 2400 KMs on my lease!, however. I am pretty well on the never another Ford kick at this point. I have owned two Ford Windstar's, two Ford Pinto's, A Ford (Lincoln) Towncar, and non Ford include a Lada (1980) two Buick Lesabres 1977 and 1984 and a 89 Mercury Topaz (which I loved, standard and fun, ran it 11 years until some fool hit it hard. )

paid the trade in and a one payment lease in Canadain Dollars, so hard to relate exactly. Have a 60,000 km 36 month lease, and definetly will not keep it an extra day!

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1995 Windstar - more effecient, and more comfortable, one less door, and a potentially faulty engine. It needed that extra door.

So far, with 3,000 miles, a wonderful vehicle. We've owned a Chevrolet Astro and a Plymouth Caravan. By far, this is the best riding, most powerful, lushly equipped van we've owned. The interior is comfortable and ergonomic. The climate control system is powerful, especially the rear system. The sound system is great. And, the family entertainment center is wonderful on trips with the kids. It is a gorgeous looking vehicle, especially with the two-tone emerald green/harvest gold paint scheme. The engine is powerful, but a little noisy. We haven't had any problems towing our camping trailer.

The interior feels a little smaller than our Plymouth Caravan. There's a little too much plastic, especially considering we purchased the upscale SEL model. Overall, however, there is plenty of room for me, my wife, and 3 older kids.

We purchased the Windstar primarily because of it's safety ratings and because of the great financing we got at Ford. After a month with the new van we were happier than ever that we bought the Ford. It's roomy, comfortable, powerful...a great long distance family hauler. But, we've only had it for 3 months. I'm anxious to see how it's holding up 3 years from now.
Based on my initial impressions, I recommend this van to anyone. It's a good value, a great ride, and you get the comfort of knowing you're riding in a five star rated van.

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1987 Chevrolet Astro, 1993 Plymouth Grand Caravan. Our new Windstar is much more refined, comfortable, and powerful than either of our previous minivans. I only hope the Windstar is as reliable as the Chevy and Plymouth were...they were solid, reliable vehicles.

Same as previous posting of last month.

This is a followup to my last month's posting regarding an unresolved knocking noise in the harsh 3.8 litre engine.
It finally died and seized at 36,000 Kilometers! It took a week to have a replacement engine located and installed with no loaner from Ford. The "new" engine has the identical characteristics as the old one ( except the knock) ie Harsh, vibrates floor and gas pedal at 2000 RPM, roars if driven agressively etc. I also notice that the 'new" engine appears to have a low end rumble clearly audible if you listen near the steering wheel. The "new" engine is obviously a rebuilt that has previously blown up on some other poor owner. The original barcode sticker has been peeled off and spray painted over without removing the old adhesive.

After 2 engines and driving several other 1999 and 2000 Windstars I just can't see how anyone would buy a new one of these. The engine noise is just awful in this van. I still have my 1995 which is smooth and quiet.

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I had to rent a 3.4 Litre 2001 Montana and what a difference in the smoothness of the powertrain. This van had a silky smooth engine and gearshifts are undetectable. Compared to it the Windstar sounds like a piece of farm equipment. However the Montana's seats are very small and the radio whistled and squealed from some sort of ignition module noise.