2000 Ford Windstar Acceleration Problems

Which parts fail

• Cruise control
  28
• Accelerator pedal
  3
• Linkages
  2
• Cables
  2

Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  44%
• 25k–50k
  22%
• 50k–75k
  1213%
• 75k–100k
  2528%
• 100k–150k
  3842%
• 150k+
  910%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

My wife was driving our 2000 Ford Windstar van home when she noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Soon after seeing the smoke, she saw fire. She quickly pulled the vehicle into a parking lot, got our 2 kids ( age 5 and 7 ) out of the vehicle. She then asked for assistance from a business . They proceeded to put the fire out. I had the car towed to a local Ford dealer. It was there that the service manager informed us that the fire was caused by the same faulty part that is currently under recall in the f-150's and other Ford products. I was told it is the same replacement part and the repair procedure for the burnt wiring is a Ford authorized repair. I have contacted Ford and they informed me there is not cause for alarm or concern with the Windstar. They also informed me that only the NHTSA can issue a recall. …

Back in 2008 I was involved in a fender bender (about $6,000 in damages) when my ABS failed causing me to slide into another car. At first I thought it was minor issue, but have since been told it's a major issue with many owners. I've found that the recall (09s09) does not address all the underlying issues and the Ford dealer will not fix all of the issues. Additionally I was told by my local Ford dealer that there were no open items on my van for ABS. When I inquired what that meant, they said that there was nothing on recall for ABS on my vehicle. I had never had anything done to the ABS, so it was not because it was already fixed. A week ago, I was almost involved in an accident because of the failure of the ABS system; I was only going 40 MPH. I constantly have my brakes checked because I have to press them hard to work. …

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 5 MPH, smoke was observed coming from underneath the hood and driver side wheel. There were no warning signals prior to the incident. Upon inspection, the smoke originated from the driver's side under the hood. The engine was turned off immediately and the smoke seized. After two hours, the vehicle was restarted and the smoke started immediately erupting from the same area. The vehicle was towed to the service dealer who determined that the speed control deactivation switch started to burn and the brake wire jumper kit was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and the information was forwarded to the consumer relations department.

Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. While the contact, a mechanic, was repairing his vehicle, he had to replace the fuse because the antilock brake light was not working. As soon as he replaced the fuse, he smelled brake fluid burning and noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. He disconnected the vehicle speed control and noticed that the cruise deactivation switch was leaking and the brake fluid shorted out the wiring. The contact believed that the Ford windstars should be included in the recall. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 104,000.

Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. While driving 50 MPH with the cruise control activated, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. He pulled off the road and small flames were present. The fire was extinguished with a rag. The underhood of the vehicle was burned. A worker at a local dealer arrived at the scene and disconnected the deactivation switch. The manufacturer stated that the year, make, and model was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 07V336000 (vehicle speed control). The current and failure mileages were 97,000. Updated 02-13-08

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, black smoke emanated from under the hood. Upon stopping the vehicle; the air conditioner, odometer, and speedometer failed simultaneously. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, where, while the mechanic was replacing a fuse, the cruise control switch caught fire and burned. The mechanic determined the cruise control switch was faulty, and replaced it. There was a NHTSA recall # 05V388000 pertaining to the vehicle speed control. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle had been parked for an hour when he discovered that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire and there were no injuries. The contact called the dealer and was advised that the cruise control deactivation switch was replaced due to a recall in 2011, which could have been associated with the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. Also, the contact mentioned that the vehicle would continue to accelerate after engaging the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 200,000 and the current mileage was 200,140.

On 5-22-09 my Ford Windstar caught fire sitting in the driveway and had not been driven since wed. Night around 9:00 pm. It was burning under the master cyl. I called ken stopel Ford in kerrville tx. And they said mine was not covered under the recall. It's the same switch that is recalled on other vehicles but not mine. He said I was on my on with the repair. That just does not seem right.

Put new engine in the van mechanic left the brake deactivation switch connected. My gauges went out on the ride home from mechanic checked to see if switch was hooked up and it was took pictures of the switch and assembly looks like the switch melted as a result of a fire. Please contact me for the pictures of the switch through via e-mail call for any questions regarding the van.

Related recalls

Acceleration complaints in other Windstar years