do you like your Windstar?

Hi!
I was wondering if I could hear some anecdotal experience with windstar vans. The info online about safety/crashtesting is great - but the mechanical reviews are very very negative? I'd like somewhat of a balance since both contribute to safety!!!

What has been your experience (could you tell me your year, km/miles, any issues)?
Thanks!!
Cindy

I had a '99 Windstar and loved it! It had about 130,000 miles on it and was about 7-8 years old, when I got rid of it because of a bad transmission (had to be totally replace at a cost of $3200 and was worth about that).

I would get another one if the price was right and the 'mechanical issues' were already taken care of. (I have talk to a couple other people who own/owned Windstars, who have also had transmission problems.)

Don't know what other kind of information you want. Just let me know.

I have a 2000. It has a 167,000 miles on it. Gonna get rid of it. The mechanic says it has too many issues. I do like them though.

I had an '03 with 45,000 miles with electrical problems as a result of water leaks. My grandfather graciously left it to me when he passed and it has allowed us to get into a Sienna.

My issue with the van safety based on the handling and maneuverability. I trust that my driving combined with good crash test ratings and technology make for a safer vehicle than just crash test ratings alone.

I would suggest driving many vans of different model years to see which would have the best handling, acceleration, deceleration, and crash test ratings, and what fits your lifestyle the best. Mechanical costs should also be taken into consideration. Every van has it's quirks.

Check for recalls and TSB's on the vans. Consumer Guide Auto is a great resource to find out which mechanical things tend to go wrong on different models. There is no perfect van- either you pay a lot of money for the van with no major breakdowns, or you get a great deal on a van that will eventually need expensive maintenance.

I hope you find a car you love, Windstar or otherwise.

Hmmm, I have an '03 Windstar, and although not my dream van (want an honda), it works, and works well. We have almost 120,000 and we got it second hand in '05. So far we haven't had any huge issues with it *knock on wood*, but there is some clunking going on in the front end, but DH says thats bushings or the sway bar or something (he's a mechanic....so I donno). We do however have the odd problem with the lights, and the back hatch, but nothing to really worry about. The lights inside the van sometimes randomly come on, but jiggling the keys in the ignition turns them back off (not sure why those are connected...lol), and the back hatch sometimes does not register as close, but thats more of a pain when trying to lock the van and it beeps twice, which with our van means a door or a light is left on....lol.

This is the exact problem we encountered with ours.

I was convinced it was posessed

I had an '02 I think it was. The airbag light would come on, the first time it was over $300 to fix, and it was a connection in the back of the drivers seat (we had seat mounted side airbags). My cousin (a mechanic, but not nearby unfortunately) suspects the kids were kicking it from the second row and knocking the connection loose, and said it was a stupid place to put the connection in a family vehicle.

It did also act possessed, just dying in the middle of me backing out of the driveway, doors not acting right, etc. It was a higher end model (not the fanciest, the one below) with lots of power gizmos and I ended up being told that the battery from the factory really wasn't big enough to handle all the power stuff, that it all drew tiny bits of power even when shut off. I don't remember if the battery had ever been run down, but we replaced it because I couldn't have it dying in the middle of road somewhere and once the bigger battery was in, no more possessed van.

No major mechanical problems that I can recall. We got rid of it because of the recurring airbag light issue (paying out of pocket for that once was enough) and dh was leaving for Korea for a year and felt better with me in a brand new vehicle with a full factory warranty. Plus the Mazda5 fits right in over here! We got rid of the Windstar in '06.

I had LATCH in both middle row captains chairs and outboard 3rd row. Tether anchors everywhere but driver and front passenger seat (because they were power seats, regular manual passenger seat has a tether anchor as well). It was great for car seats!

I LOVED my 99 Windstar. No major problems (I think an EGR valve issue, that was cheap to fix), we only owned it for about 18 months though, and had to trade it (for a Focus) due to the cost of gas.

I have a 2003 Windstar.

It has 75,000 miles on it. We just replaced the entire transmission to the tune of $1700. A few months ago, we had to fix the door locks and something else mechanical that escapes my mind, but it cost $600. We replaced the front brakes last weekend and will need to replace the back brakes very soon. My cruise control stopped working. There's something funky going on with my heat. It makes a constant, annoying, loud clicking sound when the temperature slider for AC/Heat is slid all the way to heat (luckily we live in FL and it's only that cold a few days out of the year). We were told in an unofficial over the phone "quote" that it may cost upwards of $300 to fix it.

The one main issue that I have with it is the seat belts on the captain's chairs. They're rigid and stick up about 3" off the seat. This makes it impossible to get a good installation on some seats. Since Kira is nearing the 48 lb LATCH limit, we had to get her a True Fit to replace the Regent since the seat belt comes up so far off the seat that the buckle is INSIDE the Regent's belt path.

Aside from it's mechanical issues, it's draining effect on my wallet, and the seat belt (with the now useless Regent since I can't use it my DH's Explorer either due to lack of a tether anchor), I like it. But I can't wait until we can afford to replace it. It gets about 300 miles to one tank of gas (I never paid attention to how much gas it holds, probably 25-30 gallons).

ITA that the Regent is incompatible with the short belt path in the middle row captain's chairs on the Windstars with the long, rigid buckle stalks. :thumbsdown: We could get an acceptable install in the third row, though.

Ok you guys are making me nervous.

I have a 01 with 129,000. No major issues. We've done some maintenance of course but the worse was CV joints husband and bil did that so that was not bad. I would replace it with another Windstar in a heartbeat. I love all the tether anchors although yes the Regent has to go in the third row.

Hi,
I might be late in chiming in but we have a 2000 Windstar and HATE IT!!!! It has one problem after another, the most recent being the transmission went.

If you google 1998 - 2001 Windstars you will never buy one. They have loads of mechanical problems. So much so, that people are fighting with Ford for not issuing recalls.

They are heaps of sh1t. Run..don't walk away from these...seriously.

Maybe newer models are ok, but stay away from those years. I keep leaving mine running outside hoping someone will steal it.

I love all the tether anchors! I also find it very comfortable, and easy to maneuver (easier, I think, than my sister's caravan). Mine's a 99, and we, too, had to do some major transmission work (though not a full replacement), but that's the only problem. We're looking at replacing it now, while we can still get a little something for it in trade, but not because of any problems. I've also had the thing where the liftgate doesn't register as closed, which is a pain, but not a major issue.