Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start, and the rear glass was out of the frame by about three-quarters of an inch. Additionally, the front driver's and passenger's side windows failed to go up or roll down and were inoperable. The contact also stated that the instrument panel and anti-theft system were inoperable. The service engine, anti-theft, overdrive, speedometer, ABS system, and door ajar warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 00V351000 (Electrical System) and 00V020000 (Visibility). The contact called the dealer and was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
On Friday, June 23rd, the 2000 Ford Windstar was parked in the lot of meijers at 8650 west grand river ave, brighton, mi 48116 for approximately a duration of 40 minutes. Upon returning to the vehicle, it was discovered that there was fire from inside my van that appeared. By standards contacted 911 and fire dept and police had responded. The fire was distinguished and reports were made out. The fire inspector indicated that it was an electrical short that was the accelerate ignition point. This is a very serious matter that presented a safety issue for my 9-year-old daughter and me. Ford motor company needs to take full responsibility for this incident. Please advise. Sincerely, [redacted]
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. …
I was driving my vehicle and the gauges in my instrument panel cluster started to go all over the place. The RPM indicator broke off against my gear selector indicator. Replaced instrument panel cluster and had to buy a new key(only had once key from previous owner) and reprogram both keys to new anti-theft device built into said instrument panel cluster. There was no problems with any of the wiring coming to the instrument panel cluster either. When I asked my mechanic what had happened he said it was a common problem with this year, make and model and happened a lot. Also when I replaced the part another error came up that I was unaware of because of the defective instrument panel cluster. So this whole time I was driving the vehicle I had no real idea of the state of my vehicle because of this common defect. Very scary!!!! …
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. …
The instrument cluster gauges start dancing back and forth, then the tack gauge maxed out and stuck under the shift indicator. I went to a Ford dealer in fort wayne in. And they removed the cluster and broke off part of the tack needle so it can't become stuck again. Still to this day (a year later) the gauges start dancing and sometimes freeze in a position. Once it showed I was doing 80 MPH while stopped at a stop light. Some days they work then other times they dont. I recently found out this is a common problem with Ford windstars. Look up dancing gauges Windstar on you-tube and see all the issues people show. If this is such a big issue why isnt something being done about it? Respectfully, [redacted] ?
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for NHTSA campaign number: 15V608000 (suspension) and the remedy for the repair did not work. The contact stated that the dealer also inspected and serviced the transmission, but a failure occurred after the dealer's repair. Upon leaving the dealer, the suspension was unstable and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer for further inspection and diagnostic testing. The contact was still waiting on the dealer to provide a permanent remedy for the condition of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 129,405.
Dt: 2000, Ford, Windstar Mini van. The consumer parked the van on the street at 8 pm and sometime around 2:30 am the van burned. Someone that was on the second floor of the building called the fire department and they came and put out the fire. The consumer was unaware of this fire until the next morning. The fire was mostly in and around the dashboard area. The front window was burned and the drivers window was broken. The van was towed to the Ford dealership; they kept it for three weeks. The dealer could not tell the consumer how or why the fire started. The consumer spoke with the manufacturer, and they were unwilling to offer any information on why the van could have burned like this. A fire report was taken. Updated 11/15/2005.
Going down the road traction control will go off and on . It will make the steering very hard. Then when you turn the engine off. It is very hard to start up . Some times you have to wait for about two or three hours then it will start right up. The electric system is very bad. Sometimes when the traction control starts to have a problem the van is very hard to even keep it in control I'm disabled and can't afford to get a better van. I've tried to take it back to Ford but they don't know what to do with it. All they tale me is to get anew one .but I can't. The power on the door locks are bad the locks will go locked and unlock as you drive it down the road. Been doing this for about. 3 years. Or more. Had it in to Ford many times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Windstar. The contact started the vehicle and went back into her house while the vehicle engine continued running. The contact stated that she heard a loud, revving noise and proceeded to turn the vehicle off. She then noticed smoke emitting from under the hood. The fire department was called and in a matter of seconds, the front end of the vehicle was destroyed from the flames. The entire vehicle was in flames and by the time the fire department arrived, the vehicle was destroyed. A fire report was available. The contact stated that there was slight damage to her residential garage and the vent and rubber seals were melted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 185,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
Vehicle description: minivans built with instrument clusters without the message center, fail to comply with the requirements of standard no. 118, "power-operated window, partition, and roof panel systems." the power windows May be operable after the ignition has been turned to the "off" position and the front doors are opened.
Remedy: Dealers will reconfigure the vehicle front end electronic module.
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fires
Odi has received 134 consumer complaints, 285 manufacturer complaints, and 137 manufacturer warranty claims alleging incidents of engine compartment fire in model year (my) 1995 thru 2003 Ford windstar vehicles.two of the odi complaints allege the fires caused structural damage to the complainant's home.of the 134 odi complaints, 36 allege the fire occurred while the vehicle was parked, 72 allege the fire occurred…
Engine compartment fires
Ea08-021 is closed with Ford's actions in recall 09v-399 recalling approximately 4.5 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).with this recall Ford has now recalled all of the approximate 16 million Ford model vehicles that were manufactured from my 1992 through 2003 with a texas instruments scds.NHTSA will continue to monitor the recalled vehicles to ensure…
Electrical complaints in other Windstar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2000 Ford Windstar?
NHTSA has 222 complaints about the electrical system of the 2000 Ford Windstar, 13% of the model year's 1,675 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Windstar electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 00V-351 (interior/under dash, Oct 30, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Windstar electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 111,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 15 fires and 1 injury to electrical system 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.