1997 Ford Windstar Powertrain (other) Problems

AT 60000 MILES SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED, AND CONSUMER COULD NO LONGER READ THE SPEED ON VEHICLE. DEALER REPLACED SPEEDOMETER CABLE. *AK *TT

NHTSA ID

8010199

Incident

Jan 1, 2000

CONSUMER STATES THE SPEEDOMETER IS INOPERATIVE.*JB

NHTSA ID

564851

WHILE DRIVING SPEEDOMETER SUDDENLY STARTED TO READ THE WRONG SPEED. CONSUMER STATED IT BOUNCED ALL OVER THE PLACE. AT TIMES CONSUMER DID NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SPEED SHE WAS TRAVELING. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED BUT SHE WAS OVERCHARGED. *YH

NHTSA ID

8004600

Incident

Jan 14, 2002

SPEEDOMETER STARTED TWITCHING VERY LITTLE AT ABOUT 34,000 MILES. THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT BECAUSE IT WAS SO SMALL. AFTER WARRANTY WAS OVER IT WOULD SWING WILDLY FROM 50 TO 110 MPH. ALSO MAKES A GRUMBLING SOUND. UNABLE TO DETERMINE SPEED . DEALER IS REPLACING SPEEDOMETER FOR @$600.00 AT THIS TIME. EDMUNDS AND OTHER CAR SITES HAVE LOTS OF COMPLAINTS JUST LIKE MINE. DEALER SAID THEY KNOW JUST HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT THIS PROBLEM...MUST BE LOTS OF EXPERIENCE. IF THIS IS HOW THEY BUILD THESE AND CHARGE ME A TON TO FIX THE DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT, I WILL BE LLOKING FOR A HONDA OR TOYOTA NEXT. SEEMS LIKE A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING...BEEN USING THE TACH FOR A LONG TIME MYSELF.*AK

NHTSA ID

756155

Incident

Dec 11, 1999

ERRATIC OPERATION OF SPEEDOMETER, COMMENCED TO JUMP BACK AND FORTH WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH OR MORE. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS OUT OF ITS WARRANTY. NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL, AND NOTHING WOULD BE DONE UNLESS COST GO TO CONSUMER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

NHTSA ID

884785

Incident

Mar 29, 2001

SPEEDOMETER BROKE, AND CONSUMER COULD NOT TELL HOW FAST VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A WHILE.*AK

NHTSA ID

884515

Incident

Feb 15, 2001

SPEEDOMETER SPEED INDICATOR JUMPS UP AND DOWN, UNIT BUZZES. *AK

NHTSA ID

741657

Incident

Nov 1, 2000

ERRATIC SPEEDOMETER (EG SPEEDOMETER MOVING TO 80 WHILE VEHICLE PARKED). *AK

NHTSA ID

740981

Incident

Feb 11, 2001

WHILE TRAVELLING AT SPEED OF 55 MPH, SPEEDOMETER STARTED CHATTERING ERRATICALLY AND FLUCTUATING FROM 55-90, THEN STOPPED AND INDICATED CORRECTLY. PROBLEM HAS SINCE SHOWN UP CONSTANTLY AND WILL NOT INDICATE CORRECTLY ABOVE 40 MPH EVERY TIME. CRUISE CONTROL HOLDS AT CONSTANT SPEED (BY TACH RPM). DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF SPEEDOMETER AT COST OF $550 PARTS + LABOR -- OR -- THE SPEEDOMETER CAN BE REFURBISHED, REQUIRING THE VAN TO BE KEPT AT THE DEALER FOR UP TO 2 WEEKS AT A COST OF $260 PARTS + LABOR. *AK

NHTSA ID

739093

Incident

Dec 11, 1999

SPEEDOMETER GOES FROM 15 TO 80 AND STAYS AT A HIGH SPEED. MY MECHANIC HAS STATED THIS IS A EXPENSIVE PART AND FORD IS AWARE THEY ARE HAVING A PROBLEM. HE HIMSELF HAS SENT MANY CUSTOMER BACK TO THE DEALERS TO HAVE THE SPEEDOMETER REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID

737326

Incident

Nov 24, 2000

REPAIR PART COST IN EXCESS OF $450 (WITH LABOR). LOSS OF SPEEDOMETER DEEMED SAFETY RELATED ISSUE AS SPEED COULD NOT BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED.

NHTSA ID

729561

Incident

Aug 10, 2000

INSIDE SLIDE DOOR LOCK IS BROKEN. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK SPEDOMETER HEAD BROKE. *YH

NHTSA ID

866724

Incident

Jul 1, 2000

WHILE DRIVING SPEEDODOMETER FLOATS AND MAKES A CLICKING SOUND, READING 30 MILES HIGHER THAN WHAT THE VEHICLE IS REALLY DOING. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK

NHTSA ID

863966

VAN LOST POWER ON ACCELERATION AND STOPPED. THE FRONT DRIVE WHEELS LOCKED-UP. DEALER DETERMINED PLANETARY GEAR IN TRANSMISSION BLEW. MANUFACTURER PAID FOR THE OUT OF WARRANTY (BY 4 MONTHS) REPAIRS. NOTE FORD HAS HISTORY OF PLANETARY GEAR FAILING (MY 91 TAURUS). *AK

NHTSA ID

722758

Incident

May 6, 2000

SPEEDOMETER BOUNCES AND BUZZES IN DASH EST. REPAIR COST $350. *AK

NHTSA ID

719208

Incident

Jan 1, 1998

TRANSMISSION FAILED. YH

NHTSA ID

550358

Incident

Nov 1, 1999

SPEEDOMETER BOUNCES AND OR REGISTERS INCORRECT SPEED, DEALER SAYS SPEEDOMETER HEAD IS DEFECTIVE, ESTIMATES REPAIRS AT $350. AFTER RESEARCHING NHTSA, I FIND OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. A VEHICLE THIS NEW SHOULD NOT EXPERIANCE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU. *AK

NHTSA ID

717081

Incident

Dec 20, 1999

SPEEDOMETER ASSEMBLY FAILED. MJS

NHTSA ID

550051

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, NOTICED THE INDICATOR GAUGE FOR THE SPEEDOMETER FAILS TO REGISTER SPEED OF VEHICLE. THE INDICATOR NEEDLE KEPT BOUNCING UP & DOWN. WAS NOT STEADY. TAKEN VEHICLE TO MECHANIC FOR NOISE IN DASHBOARD. MJS *SLC

NHTSA ID

848712

Incident

Feb 11, 1999

I NOTICED THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WAS BEHAVING ERRATICALLY AT ABOUT 41000 MILES. I CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO SAID THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $250 IF I WANTED IT FIXED. I SAID THAT I DIDN'T BELIEVE THE SPEEDOMETER SHOULD FAIL AT THAT LOW MILEAGE. THE MANUFACTURER CONTACTED ME ABOUT THIS AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO (FINANCIALLY) TO HELP WITH THE REPLACEMENT. AT ABOUT 50000 MILES I WAS INFORMED THAT THE RIGHT TIE ROD END WAS WORN AND ADVISED IT SHOULD BE REPLACED. AGAIN, I PROTESTED BECAUSE OF THE LOW MILEAGE. I FINALLY HAD THE REPLACEMENT DONE FOR SAFETY REASONS AT MY EXPENSE. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE RIGHT WHEEL BEARING WAS OUT OF TOLERANCE AT A MILEAGE OF APPROX. 40000 MILES. NONE OF THESE DEFECTS WERE MENTIONED AT THE PRE-36000 MILE SERVICING I HAD DONE OF THE VEHICLE. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE DURABILITY OF THE VEHICLE, AND WILL PROBABABLY NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER FORD VEHICLE AGAIN. FORD HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL IN HELPING WITH THE REPAIR COSTS ON THE VEHICLE AT THIS RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE.

NHTSA ID

711667

Incident

Aug 20, 1999

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED THAT SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT WORKING AT THAT TIME, AND HAD NOT WORKED SINCE. *AK

NHTSA ID

834735

Incident

Aug 1, 1998

THE PART IS THE SPEEDOMETER WHICH HAS REPLACEMENT PART F682.17255.CB SUPPLIED BY THE FIRM ELECTRA-SOUND, INC., WEST PALMA, OHIO. ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REPLACEMENT OF THIS PART IS $54.00 DIAGNOSTIC; $166.66 FOR THE REPLACEMENT SPEEDOMETER; $65.00 FOR LABOR. PROBLEM: THE ORIGINAL SPEEDOMETER BEGAN BEING "JITTERY" AT 20,000 MILES. AT 40,000 MILES, THE SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATES WILDLY AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH AND MORE. SO, IF YOU ARE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL SHOW SPEEDS ANYWHERE FROM 40 TO 110 MPH. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT SPEED YOU ARE TRAVELING!!! MECHANICS AROUND HERE HAVE BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING THIS DEFECT IS COMMON IN SPEEDOMETERS USED IN WINDSTAR AND EXPLORER MODELS. THE DEALER THAT PROVIDED MY DIAGNOSTIC WORK SAID THERE IS A TWO-WEEK BACKLOG TO GET THIS PART. THE MECHANICS ALSO SAID THE FAILURE REASON IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO A PLASTIC COMPONENT IN THE SPEEDOMETER. NOTE: THE RPM GUAGE, AND COOLANT TEMPERATURE GUAGE DO NOT SEEM TO BE AFFECTED. I THINK IT IS A FUNDAMENTAL SAFETY DEFECT TO NOT KNOW WHAT SPEED YOU ARE DRIVING AT!!! PLEASE HELP...

NHTSA ID

702494

Incident

Nov 21, 1998

CV JOINTS FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL.*AK

NHTSA ID

534695

Incident

Mar 3, 1998