Ford Windstar Minivans | Wagons
Ford Windstar Minivans | Wagons
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[Feb 16, 2001]
Duncan Aker
Strength:
handled well, rode well, liked interior and exterior looks
Weakness:
two front seats so uncomfortable as to be painful on long trips. Worse than uncomfortable, downright dangerous. Transmission beginning to fail at28000. Air conditioning occasionally failed to cool properly. At 42000 tranny worsening, and van seemed to run rougher and not have power it did at less mileage My wife ended up with therapy on her spine, due to the driver's seat. We had to place cushions on the seats for long trips. The pain and numbness were unbarable. Couple this with the failing A/C and failing transmission, with at least 8 other people who had Windstars I visited with, said they would never have another one. The Windstar van is flawed vehicle in general, created so to maximize corporate profit, with full corporate knowledge of danger to consumer, both physically and financially. Sad indeed that American culture does not deal with such decisively. I was a loyal Ford owner for 27 years. Never again. In my house it is Panasonic and in my driveway it is Nissan. Similar Products Used: We had two previous Aerostars and were quite pleased with them. Though not perfect, they did not seem to be a lemon as Windstars are. |
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[Jul 11, 2000]
John Chapin
Model Reviewed:
Windstar
Strength:
It stars
Weakness:
Replaced speedo for over $700- no help from Ford - Now coolant is disappearing but there are no leaks.Has 76,000 km (less than 50,000 miles) No Similar Products Used: None |
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[Jul 06, 2000]
Brent
Strength:
Roomy and comfortable to drive over the road. Interior held up well.
Weakness:
The usual '95 Windstar problems: transmission broke at about 70K miles and head gasket blew at 85K miles. A Ford dealer tried to "fix" the tranny by replacing a switch and changing the transmission fluid. This cost over $500 and didn't do a thing. The windshield wipers do a poor job of cleaning rain and snow from the huge windshield. Exterior paint chipped off in a few places during the first 24 months. The Windstar has potential and was comfortable to drive for long distances and the seats were firm and supportive. I would not buy another due to the mechanical problems, and Ford has yet to take ownership of the transmission problem. I never did fix the transmission, and the Windstar had enough torque to get by with just 2nd and 3rd gears. I just recently traded it for a 2001 Pathfinder. I bought my daughter a 1990 Maxima last year and was impressed with the quality of the car, even after 115,000 miles. The leather seats looked almost new. Reluctantly, I'm turning to Japanese automobiles. I drove a 1990 Taurus wagon prior to the Windstar and it was also a lemon. Ford needs to wake up. Similar Products Used: None |
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[Jul 03, 2000]
Al Rian
Strength:
The design on the outside looks great. I have an LX in a green colour.
Weakness:
The transmission sucks very bad i have had the transmission changed on ly after 14,000 km and the back two sliding doors squek like crazy. The brakes make whistling noises. the steering wheel when you turn it all the way around starts vibrating the van. The all the panels in the van shake. I have had this van for a year and it has been at the mechanics place for 5 months in total the mechanics keep it for months after months trying to fix it but they never can fix it. Don't buy windstars but honda odessy 32,000 dollars Similar Products Used: nothing is as crapy as a Windstar. I had an Aerostar van before this van and the Aerostar was the best van ever |
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[Jun 27, 2000]
Eugene Lee
Model Reviewed:
Windstar LX
Strength:
- tonnes of room
Weakness:
- std tape deck sucks ... often it won't accept the tape I insert .. other times it'll play the tape 4 a while then shoot it out ... & it won't accept it again ... weird We bought the GE Capital offered extended warranty with this vehicle and it has saved us many many dollars in the last few years ... suggestion is you lease the car for 3 years so that you have warranty coverage. Similar Products Used: First minivan ... definately not last |
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[Jun 27, 2000]
Zeb
Model Reviewed:
GL
Strength:
3.8l motor is very powerful and torquey. I love the cold A/C and the stereo is very good. The styling is somewhat average for minivans.
Weakness:
the motor has to many problems and the air conditioner went out twice once at 20,000 miles and again at 60,000 miles. seats are not the most comfortable. Bad service at Ford dealerships. 2000 windstar is much improved. i paid 16,550 total in cash for this van in 96. i would recomend it to families who go on short trips under 100 miles. because of the reliability. But i dont recommend it to families on a budget. I would recommend a Dodge Caravan due to its reliability and low price. Similar Products Used: Ford Aerostar, Pontiac Montana. the aerostar was much roomier and comfortable than the windstar and the pontiac was very reliable i owned the 93 aerostar since 95 and pontiac since 99. |
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[Jun 23, 2000]
Gary
Model Reviewed:
SEL
Strength:
how the vehicle looks, Although we have only had the van a month it has been a great vehicle. I currently drive an Ford Expedition, and my wife has the mini van, the ride and ease in witch my children can get into and out of doesn't even compare to the larger, gas hog, Expedition.
Weakness:
need to offer Mach stereo and heated leather seats. Z-PLAN PRICE AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYBODY WHO HAS A CHILDREN OR EVEN BABYS. Similar Products Used: first mini van/ doesn't compare to the large SUV. Like it alot better. |
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[Jun 18, 2000]
Tommy
Model Reviewed:
/ 3.8Liter
Strength:
smooth drive, lots of space
Weakness:
Reliability sucks !!! at 65,000 mile the head gasket blew away, at 70,000 the automatic transmission died! the windows won't open every now and then! My first and last Ford... Similar Products Used: None |
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[Jun 03, 2000]
Floyd Sense
Model Reviewed:
Ford Windstar
Strength:
A great travelling vehicle - very comfortable for long trips and good gas mileage on trips (24 MPG). Lots of interior room - can accommodate 8 foot long boards.
Weakness:
With the 3.8L engine, you'll be replacing head gaskets before 80,000 miles and that's very expensive. You'll be replacing the automatic transmission about the same time if it lasts that long. Local transmission experts say the failure rate is 100%. AM radio is useless because of extreme ignition noise due to location of radio antenna very near to the ignition module. Purchased second-hand with only 30K miles. Considered a great bargain until the major problems. Never buy a Ford without testing the AM radio with the engine running. Be prepared for very sorry treatment by Ford Motor Co. when things start to self-destruct. Don't consider buying one of these second hand unless the head gasket and transmission work have already been done. Make sure the head gaskets were replaced with the graphite-coated FelPro gaskets and that new headbolts were used and torqued as described in the latest Ford bulletins. This vehicle is a fine overall design, but the engine and transmission problems neutralize that. Similar Products Used: Dreadful reliability of major subsystems (engine and transmission) when compared to anything else. An American automobile ought to hold up for more than 80,000 miles. |
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[Apr 21, 2000]
Charles Russell
Model Reviewed:
Ford WindStar GL
Strength:
The ride is more comfortable than that of Chrysler products.
Weakness:
At 70,000 miles the nightmare began. The headgasket went. All the damage came to an estimate of $2500. After having gone through Wisconsin Trade and Consumer Affairs, our cost came to $400. We were without the vehicle for a month because the parts were on back order. Well, just last week (10 months and 10,000 miles later)we were told that the head gasket had blown again. As soon as it's fixed, it's going to be traded. We paid about $15,000 for it used (33,000)miles in 1997. Similar Products Used: Plymouth Grand Voyager. We drove that vehicle new-115,000 miles and felt the overall quality was better although it had its own annoying peculiarities. |


