Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Ford Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I went to go to the store May 26th, 2010 6:30 - 7:00 pm, I got in my vehicle with my two year old daughter and I proceeded to go down my driveway which its a long driveway and I started to smell a faint smell of plastic burning and I got to the road and I started to go and I decided I should maybe pull over to see if I could see anything on the outside of vehicle causing smell then when got back in car saw the steam coming from hood and I decided to turn around and have my boyfriend take a look before I left. When got to house saw little steam but nothing big, turned off van and got my daughter from car seat and walked inside home not but 5 minutes later my other daughter ran screaming out her room, mom the vans on fire. …
My 1996 Ford Windstar caught fire in the engine compartment while driving and burned up within 10 minutes. I did not know about the fire danger recall until I heard about it on the new a few days after the event. The only accessory that was on was the airconditioning which was working properly. I noticed a smell followed by smoke from under the hood. I pulled over to investigate and the smoke intensified followed by flames. By the time the fire department arrived (5 minutes) flames were pouring out from under the hood and thick black smoke had filled the passenger compartment. The fire had completely destroyed the engine and had begun to burn into the passenger compartment. The dashboard has melted along with parts of the roof as far back as the middle seats. Up to the event the car had been running normally with no problems. …
Tl contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar. While stopped at a traffic light, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood. The contact turned off the vehicle and the smoke ceased; however, the hood caught fire when the vehicle was started again. The contact extinguished the fire and there were no injuries. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 135,000.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar gl (na). The contact stated that while waiting a stop sign, the vehicle suddenly died and the engine engulfed into flames. There were no injuries. The police and fire departments were called but no police report was filed. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
This incident started when I had noticed a small amount of radiator fluid on the garage floor, and a slight smell of radiator fluid when I ran the heater. In addition, the check engine light had come on again in November 2002. I took the van to the Apple valley Ford dealer and after diagnosing it, I was told the number 4 spark plug is stuck and the gasket needs to be replaced on the timing cover on the engine (this was the source of the radiator fluid leak). The dealers professional opinion was the head gasket is also bad, the head for the #4 plug would need replacing, and combined with the need to replace the timing cover gasket, they recommended a complete engine replacement at $4,400. …
This incident started when I had noticed a small amount of radiator fluid on the garage floor, and a slight smell of radiator fluid when I ran the heater. In addition, the check engine light had come on again in November 2002. I took the van to the Apple valley Ford dealer and after diagnosing it, I was told the number 4 spark plug is stuck and the gasket needs to be replaced on the timing cover on the engine (this was the source of the radiator fluid leak). The dealers professional opinion was the head gasket is also bad, the head for the #4 plug would need replacing, and combined with the need to replace the timing cover gasket, they recommended a complete engine replacement at $4,400. …
I have several service issues that fall under the technical service bulletins for my 1996 Windstar. Most recently I took the van to mike shad Ford in jacksonville, fl because they had replaced the plugs and wires earlier this year. The engine continues to sputter and after diagnosis, I am told that it needs the following: 02 sensors - pcv tube- EGR ports intake gaskets. Since the reason I took it to Ford in the first place was because of the sputtering and my service advisor tom summers when I told him I wanted a tune-up asked me what I wanted done as if I was the mechanic and knew what was wrong never bothered to have the van checked out. As the advisor, I would expect him to inform me as to the problem. He said that they just do what the customer asks of them. I asked that the plugs and wires be changed as that is all I knew to tell him. …
I purchased a 1996 Ford Windstar van 3.0 l in June 2010. I have had numerous issues with this vehicle from day 1 to current most dangerous is the blowing spark plug which has blown out 2 times forcing me to drive it to a place where it could be parked for repair first time blow out was 7 days after purchase repaired by a mechanic now 2000 miles later again blew out Ford should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring such a huge hazard this could seriously ignite fuel fumes and cause a major fire, explosion while some one is driving with there children to find a repair shop unaware of the danger and damage this could cause, second issue is a failing shifting module or tranny and this has happened alot driving and all of a sudden the vans transmission shifts to a 1st or 2nd gear causing extreme change in speed and in heavy traffic we have almost been rearended several times due to this …
I have a '96 Ford Windstar with a 3.8 liter v6 engine. This is the 2nd head gasket failure I've had with it. The first was in November of 2003. I paid about $2500 to have the head gaskets replaced then. This time I was driving to work when after a short time I noticed my car heater wasn't working, just blowing cold air. A short time later, I noticed my temperature gauge was going up, and after about 10 minutes, it was in the red zone. A few minutes after that, my engine began making terrible clunking and rattling noises and I had to pull over. As soon as I did, the engine died and wouldn't restart after about 15 minutes of cooling down. I had to be towed to my mechanic's garage which cost me $127, and my mechanic told me that I needed a new engine. The car's been at his garage for the past few days while I decide what I should do. …
I brought my 1996 Ford Windstar in for an oil change, and was told tie rods failed and needed to be replaced. , then, next day, they phoned and advised me that transmission was defective because the pan was full of shavings, also, power steering rack was leaking, and intake gasket needed replacement. , a total of $5000 to fix this vehicle. I bought it at 118,000 miles, and this happened shortly after owning it for one year. Currently, it has 134,000 miles, and cannot be driven. I parked vehicle then started it after being parked for a week. Heard a noise from front, and then white smoke came out of the tail pipe. I do believe that paul cornies, the dealer that I purchased vehicle knew that they were selling me a lemon. It has caused me a lot of hardship as I no longer work due to health reasons. …
Engine complaints in other Windstar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1996 Ford Windstar?
NHTSA has 472 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1996 Ford Windstar, 34% of the model year's 1,386 complaints. The component named most often is engine (311 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Ford Windstar engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1996 Ford Windstar, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Windstar engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.