Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
There was no crash. There was no warning what so ever. I was driving a client home from a picnic and pulled into a parking lot to park and smoke started rolling out of the engine compartment. I got my passenger who was in a wheelchair to safety and opened the hood to find flames coming from the top of the transaxles. I put out the fire. The "transaxles range sensor" and plug just forward of the range sensor were the cause of the fire. The wiring harness above coming out of the black box(fuse box) was also burnt. This problem has not been repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Ford Windstar. While at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The service brake warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
1996 Windstar minivan park pawl pin is defective. Gear moved out of park hitting consumer. A recall had been issued regarding the problem. However the consumer was told her vehicle was not included in the recall.
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 …
Since we drove this car off the lot, it has been plagued with electrical problems. As soon as our warranty ran out, the transmission failed at 44,400. Two adults and 4 children were on our way to a 4th of July celebration when the transmission stalled at an intersection. Lucky for us all traffic was stopped and no major accident occurred. We took it to our dealer and asked for assistance since there was a TSB out on the transmission in Ford Windstar's. We were denied assistance. Our problem was the aluminum piston that were reported in the TSB. In May 2001, the check engine light came on and we took it to a Ford dealer. They replaced the irmc value. Cost $1000. Recently, the check engine light came on again and smoke was coming out of the tail pipe. We took it to crossroads Ford, the dealer we bought the car from. They once again denied to help us with the cost. …
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. …
Dt: when the owner bought the car in 1996 he noticed that the gear shifter was hard to remove from park. The gear shifter developed a lot of play. When the car was in drive the gear position indicator showed that the car was in reverse or neutral. When the car was in reverse the gear position indicator showed park. The owner was concerned that the car May roll out of gear becuase it was usually parked on a small hill. The owner took vehicle to the dealership for the first time in 1996.the dealership did not know what was wrong. The transmission was replaced in 1997 while under warranty. The owner was unsure if the transmission was replaced. The owner stated that even after replacement of transmission, the vehicle always had the the gear position indicator problem. …
This is a second call for help Ford corporate will not email me back. Will not verify if PCM has been updated. The van only has under 59,000 miles on it . It should not break this bad this soon makes me tell anyone on social media and our local news media and clark howards team. I do not want to call Ford unless it is agreed the phone will be recorded for court purposes. I even asked is the would let me use the updater. I sure do not want don rich Ford in villa rica ever again. They stripped the screw. That set min clearance on throttle plate. No shifts funny and sputters and terrible noise in oil pan area. Rod s knocking. Internet has tons of complaints of pistons exiting engine oil pan.
The consumer requested an investigation of Ford motor company and their lack of recalls on some serious defects. The vehicle experienced a clunking sound, however the dealer stated the clunking sound was normal and then the transmission failed, the transmission was replaced with another Ford transmission, which failed on a test drive and one other occasion. Coolant leaked into the engine through the intake gasket, which was recalled for the 95 models. The timing chain leaked. There was a recall on the coils in the suspension, which Ford would only replace when they failed. The brake rotors failed at 30000 miles. Scc
Automatic transmission was built with an aluminum cylinder piston that loses forward line pressure and transmission slips into neutral when driving vehicle. Vehicle can slip into neutral at any time. A local dealer informed me that they replace approximately 5 of these transmissions a year. The replacement transmission from Ford is built with a steel cylinder piston to remedy the problem. Vehicle is very dangerous and has the potential for a head on collision if you tried passing another vehicle and transmission slipped into neutral because of defective design of transmission with aluminum piston.
Related recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Gear position indication (PRNDL)
The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Power train › Automatic transmission
The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin May not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced.
NHTSA investigations
Failure of auto trans park lock system
The manufacturer has notified NHTSA that the subject vehicles will be recalled to correct a safety related defect identified under the scope of this investigation.the defect affects certain 1996 model year windstar, Ford taurus, and Mercury sable vehicles equipped with Ford ax4s model automatic transmissions.the safety recall action has been identified as NHTSA no. 96v-086.
Transmission complaints in other Windstar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 1996 Ford Windstar?
NHTSA has 322 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 1996 Ford Windstar, 23% of the model year's 1,386 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (153 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Ford Windstar transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 96V-166 (gear position indication (prndl), Sep 5, 1996); NHTSA recall 96V-086 (automatic transmission, May 14, 1996). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Windstar transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 1 fire and 5 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.