Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Ford Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
ABS light, brake light came on. The seatbelt unhooks while I'm driving, I was told I had a cracked axle, the wheel bearing was very noisy, I've paid a lot of money to get things fixed. The labor was at a ridiculous amount on $25 parts. I'm wondering if I've paid to have parts fixed that were under recall. I fix one thing and then there's another issue. Oil is leaking under the hood and I'm afraid it will catch fire so I'm scared to drive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While driving 55 MPH with the cruise control activated and attempting to make a turn, the vehicle proceeded to drive forward without warning. The vehicle caught fire and a fire report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
2001 Ford Windstar. I took it to the dealership to have some safety recalls done. A few days later I was driving along and smoke started boiling out from under the hood so I pulled over and by the time I got stopped and got the kids out safely it quit smoking. I raised the hood and could see some burned wiring under the brake master cylinder. We got back in and drove on then the transmission started shifting wrong and the brake pedal didn't feel right,it felt spongy. I took it to my mechanic who is ase master and Ford senior master certified. He replaced the trans range sensor and told me that the fire was caused by a defective cruise control deactivation switch leaking brake fluid.he replaced the switch and advised me to take it back to the dealer and have them do the recall which is what they were supposed to have done in the first place. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while parked and unoccupied, the vehicle engulfed into uncontrollable flames, which moved intensely in the direction of a nearby residence and burned the front structure of the house. The fire department extinguished the excessive flames. The fire was contributed to an electrical issue involving the speed deactivation switch. The vehicle was declared destroyed and towed to a savage facility. The contact discovered a recall after the failure occurred and was displeased to know that she was not previously notified of the recall. The recall was associated with NHTSA campaign id number 09V399000 (vehicle speed control). The contact experienced the identical consequence mentioned in the recall. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that brake fluid was leaking onto the wiring harness and caused a shortage with the vehicle speed control, instrument cluster and the radio. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 09V399000 (vehicle speed control), which the dealer installed a connector to the brake pressure switch but the repair did not correct the failure. The dealer did not include the fused wiring harness in line with the scds. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to his home, he installed a number 10 fuse however, the connector was still faulty and caused smoke to emit from the wiring harness. The dealer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was also notified, who advised that they had performed the required recall repair but could provide no further assistance. The failure mileage was 103,153.
Feb 26th 2010 2001 Ford Windstar perfect condition no problems no lights on dash....feb 27th 2010 car is started and smoke poured out of hood on driver side after being started after that the ABS light emergency brake light and o/d light are on and the computer information center on the display is advising to check transmission and there is a fuel data computer error and the odometer is blank and the speedometer is not functioning the heater on our vehicle has stopped but the fans still blow but only regular air. I've taken it to a Ford dealership today to be repaired under the recall for the vehicle speed control issue and they have done the bare minimum to fix the leaking that has occurred due to the faulty switch leaking brake fluid and starting the small fire I experienced feb 27th 2010 but are unwilling to resolve the remaining issues caused by and listed above.
Customer brought vehicle in for ABS light on, found scds switch to be leaking brake fluid and replaced with a motorcraft updated switch. After service while vehicle was still in shop bay with ignition off, vehicle ABS unit started on fire. We then removed all power from vehicle and found that after removing the ABS module connector brake fluid was found inside of ABS module, and the connector was melted. We then called Ford dealership to see if the were any recalls concerning this vehicle and the ABS module and or switch, and were told that there were none. We have since found many articles online concerning this matter, and yet no recall ? Another half hour and the doors would have been closed for the night, we would have lost our shop, all vehicles inside. Please make them stand behind this clear and evident problem.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact heard a popping sound and noticed smoke coming from her vehicle. The vehicle caught fire. The cruise control switch shorted out and caused brake fluid to leak into the wiring harness. The leak then flowed into the ABS module and created the fire. The contact filed a claim with her insurance company and they found that the vehicle had a defective part from the dealer. The claim was closed. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer. When the contact stated that she notified her insurance company, both the dealer and the manufacturer decided not to pay for the damage. The vehicle sustained $2,197.50 worth of damage. The current and failure mileages were 123,000.
Tl contact's parents own a 2001 Ford Windstar. While the contact's parents were driving 40 MPH, the vehicle completely lost power. They pulled over to the side of the road and noticed flames underneath the hood. After five minutes, the vehicle exploded four times and was destroyed. The fire department was called and a report was filed. The manufacturer has not been notified. The current and failure mileages were approximately 70,000. Updated 11/17/08 the consumer stated he read on the internet that his make and model had problems with the cruise control . Updated 11/18/08.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The vehicle was parked and engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to scene and the fire was extinguished. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The vehicle was towed to a recovery facility. The contact stated that the failure was directly related to the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 09V399000(vehicle speed control). The recall remedy repair was performed on the vehicle prior to the fire. The cause of failure had not been determined at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 155,816.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Vehicle description: minivans equipped with an adjustable pedal option. The driver floor mat could interfere with the accelerator pedal.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both front driver and passenger side floor mats in the vehicle. Owner notification began July 6, 2001.
Acceleration complaints in other Windstar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Ford Windstar?
NHTSA has 127 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Ford Windstar, 8% of the model year's 1,686 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Windstar acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-399 (vehicle speed control, Oct 13, 2009); NHTSA recall 01V-207 (accelerator pedal, Jun 22, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Windstar acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 17 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.