Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 24 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Ford Windstar, most frequently naming the suspension, engine and driver assistance categories.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2006 | 1 | 1 |
| Aug 2007 | 1 | 2 |
| Jun 2008 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec 2009 | 2 | 5 |
| Mar 2010 | 1 | 6 |
| Jul 2010 | 2 | 8 |
| Dec 2010 | 1 | 9 |
| Jan 2011 | 1 | 10 |
| Feb 2011 | 1 | 11 |
| Apr 2011 | 1 | 12 |
| Nov 2011 | 1 | 13 |
| Jun 2012 | 2 | 15 |
| Apr 2013 | 1 | 16 |
| Jul 2013 | 2 | 18 |
| Apr 2014 | 1 | 19 |
| Dec 2014 | 1 | 20 |
| May 2015 | 1 | 21 |
| Jan 2016 | 1 | 22 |
| Oct 2016 | 1 | 23 |
| Apr 2019 | 1 | 24 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
INTERMITTEN THE SPEEDOMETOR DOES NOT WORK AT ALL OR DOES NOT SHOW THE CORRECT SPEED, OVER DRIVE LIGHT BLINK CONSTANTLY, CRUISE DOES NOT WORK AT LL. HAPPEN IN CITY AND HIGHWAY. HITTING A BUMP SOMETIME CORRECT SPEEDOMETER OR DRIVING ON HIGHWAY THIS CONTNUES TO HAPPEN ON A DAILY BASES
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER THE VEHICLE RECEIVED ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WHERE THE BATTERY, THE WATER PUMP, AND THE ENGINE BELT WERE REPLACED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS PRESENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT AXLE FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V194000 (SUSPENSION). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 169,784. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT SIDE BY THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE SWAY BAR IN THE FRONT WAS BROKEN AND THE SUBFRAME WAS RUSTED. FORD STATED THEY MET THE RECALL REQUIREMENTS IN 2011 AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR THE CONSUMER. UPDATED 12/23/15.*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30-35 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM REAR DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE AXLE DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER AN UNKNOWN RECALL IN 2007 RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT AND RESUMED NORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVEN SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 138,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, A CRUNCHING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.
RETURNED VAN TO DEALERSHIP, REAR END MAKING NOISE. PREVIOUS RECALL (AUGUST 2012) FIX TO REINFORCE REAR AXLE NOW SHOWS AXLE IS CRACKED. FORD SAYS THEY WILL NOT ENACT A REPAIR, AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE, THE REP STATED THE RECALL DEPARTMENT STATED THE FIX IS PERFORMING AND THE VEHICLE IS SAFE TO DRIVE REGARDING THE REAR AXLE. I ASKED THAT THEY STATE THAT IN WRITING TO ME. LOOKING AT YOUR WEBSITE AND THE FATALITY THAT CAUSED THIS RECALL, I SUSPECT THE CAR IS NOT SAFE. THE DEALERSHIP AGREES. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004Viewing | 24 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 |
| 2003 | 1,510 | 9 | 6 | 59.7 |
| 2002 | 1,353 | 9 | 6 | 62.2 |
| 2001 | 1,686 | 16 | 8 | 62.9 |
| 2000 | 1,675 | 16 | 8 | 62.1 |
| 1999 | 1,522 | 13 | 8 | 62.2 |
| 1998 | 1,433 | 14 | 10 | 63.1 |
| 1997 | 192 | 6 | 6 | 60.8 |
| 1996 | 1,386 | 9 | 13 | 62.8 |
| 1995 | 3,326 | 8 | 14 | 61.6 |
| 1994 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 41.6 |
| 1993 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 38.9 |
| 1992 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.