1995 Ford Windstar Suspension Problems

Which parts fail

• Front › Springs › Coil springs
  62
• Front
  30
• Rear
  10
• Front › Macpherson strut
  9
• Front › Wheel bearing
  6
• Front › Stabilizer bar
  5

Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  00%
• 25k–50k
  15%
• 50k–75k
  15%
• 75k–100k
  211%
• 100k–150k
  1158%
• 150k+
  421%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1995 Ford Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I asked the seller at Ford to completely service the van before I would buy it. He said his mechanic would. I checked the van out two weeks later, low on oil, no brake fluid, trans fluid very low, no water hardly at all in receiver, then the starter went out, replaced it no good, replaced switch, no good, brakes gone out, can't keep fluid in systems, engine light came on, emission problems, mechanic stalls for the hour amount, and still can't fix/test ii code. Inside lights dim when extra. Lights come on. It's a [redacted] piece of junk and they sold us a lemon. I paid over $4,000.00 cash for it, and all they wanted to so was sell it for money. What can I do? It has 72,000 etc mile and now has 82,000. We are both disabled with two kids. We have been screwed. I can get the Ford info on the Ford Windstar 95 3.8 it rattles, water runs out of the exhaust pipe and the converter. …

1995 Windstar purchased new on July 14, 1994, I am the original owner. The vehicle has approximately 100930 miles on it. The tires have less than 600 miles on them. Have had all maintenance on the vehicle done at the dealership where purchased. Also, have had all recalls that I was made aware of fixed at this dealership. Driver's side spring fractured, puncturing tire with a hole approximately 4" long by 1" high as it was being backed out of the driveway. The vehicle is currently at the dealership where purchased to be repaired. Cost to be well over $700.00, not including the cost of a new front tires. Contacted Ford customer service and, after explaining problem I was told that Ford would only cover this for a 10 year period from the original date of warranty, because this was not a safety problem and therefore Ford would not cover the repairs. …

I own a 1995 Ford Windstar the paint is blistering off in huge pieces. Ford says it is not their problem , paint should not peal from a car like this it is blistering off in sheets . I have read that Ford is paying for painting only if the customers are really loud about complaints. I have also read that many complaints have already been sent here. This automobile has been a nightmare with defects and recalls. Anyone in the automotive business laughs when they here what kind of car I own. 10 years to pay it off, 3 head gaskets later rebuilt trans engine heads warped from factory coils springs breaking electrical malfunctions , paint lifting off the vertical sides, brake problems....the list goes on and now Ford no longer lists the Windstar on their site. They have changed the name to free star I wonder why?

ABS locks and vehicle does not stop. Have spent over $2000 trying to fix braking issue. Tone rings, struts, suspension, front brakes, rear brakes, bearings, cv joints, master cylinder, among other replacements. Over bumps, small hills, straight roads, anytime coming to a stop, vehicle intermittently fails to stop completely. Have pumped brakes and found that brake pedal gets hard and loud, still does not help to stop vehicle. Steering wheel feels loose at when this happens. Brake pedal also kicks back, sometimes with excessive force, makes a load grinding noise. Controlling the car becomes difficult as loss of brake pressure and steering wheel rocking (on decent of small hill) combined make for a deadly combination. I am being forced to purchase a better vehicle, not ever Ford again.

Tl contact owns a 1995 Ford Windstar. While driving 55 MPH over a bumpy road, the contact heard a loud explosion coming from the vehicle. She pulled the vehicle over and noticed that the tire was shredded. She placed a spare on the vehicle and drove to a service station. The mechanic stated that the front passenger side coil spring failed and punctured the tire. The vehicle has not been repaired. Her insurance company emailed her a list of recalls that May have applied to her vehicle. Ford stated that there were no recalls for her vehicle. The email stated that Ford would offer a warranty for 10 years for the repair of the coil springs for her vehicle. Ford stated that they could not assist. The failure mileage was 150,000 and current mileage was 157,000.

Dt: the consumer states on her 1995 Ford Windstar, there was NHTSA recall 01i007000 on the front coil springs. The spring on the passenger front broke when turning and caused the tire to blow out. The vehicle was towed at that time to a mechanic, and they informed the consumer about the recall. When she called Ford, they told her it was too late, that because the vehicle was originally bought in 1994 the warranty ran out. When she purchased the vehicle, in 2003, she received no notice there was a recall. Ford did not even have her as the current owner of the vehicle. The mechanic did find that the driver's side coil was broke. The tire was damaged, and there were no injuries. The consumer stated she has been having problems with the ABS since 2003.

Tl contact owns a 1995 Ford Windstar. On July 24, 2007, the vehicle was taken to have the transmission serviced. At that time, the contact learned that the coil springs were cracked and failing. He searched the internet and found the NHTSA website. He discovered safety recall number 01i007000 (suspension: front:springs:coil springs). The service representative stated that his vehicle was included in the recall, but the ten-year free period expired. The contact informed the representative that he had never received a safety recall notice. The representative stated that it was NHTSA's responsibility to mail out the recall notices. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 235,000.

1995 Ford Windstar - without warning the front end of van dropped slightly. Heard scraping and grinding sounds from front right. Removed tire and found broken coil spring with sharp point about 1 inch above tire tread. Mounted spare tire, drove to dealership. They replaced both front springs under Ford "safety improvement campaign". There was no recall in efect for these dangerous defective parts. Dealer kept old part. Ford is aware of defective springs and notified owners in 2001 about "safety improvement campaign". They should recall and replace all of these dangerous springs regardless of mileage and length of service on the vehicles.

1)my van was pulling to the right and the tires were worn. 2) I took my 1995 Ford Windstar to Firestone to have new tires put on and an alignment done. They installed the tires and told me they could not do the alignment because the sway bar was broken in two. They also stated it was bad craftsmanship because the bar is a hollow metal tube instead of a solid piece. They also said I needed both inner tie rod ends replaced because the lack of control from the sway bar put stress on them and damaged them. 3) tires were replaced and I was given an estimate of $400 for the sway bar and $300 for the tie rod ends and alignment.

Numerous problems with my 1995 Ford Windstar. It is the worst car I have ever purchased! As soon as one repair is completed (two transmissions, head gasket, electrical problems, brakes, suspension), then another one occurs. Now, as in every christmas, the "engine light" is on and the car is running so poorly that you can't even pull the car out of the driveway without it choking and spitting, lots of smoke, and the car is actually shaking!!! I know it is another head gasket and I just can't pay anymore money into this piece of garbage. I have been looking for a new car and it certainly will not be a Ford!

NHTSA investigations

Suspension complaints in other Windstar years