Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Windstar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
ABS light and traction control light illuminates after driving forward 150 yards. Heavily salted chicago streets have caused corrosion under car. Suspect ABS failure due to salt and water corrosion in electrical connectors. High amperage ABS electrical wires could short- out and cause a fire; an environmental, pollution and safety issue.
Traction control & brake warning light comes on, goes off later. Been doing this for a number of years. Seems to be a huge problem with these vehicles if you read about it on the internet. Ford denies that it is a problem for then to fix on a recall. ????????????????????????
I have a 2002 Ford Windstar minivan. I took the van to the local dealership to have my traction control checked because the lights(ABS,brakes,trac off) on the dash come on and stay on. This vehicle does not have any current recall orders and the dealership confirmed that. I had them check my van to find out why the lights are staying on. This is what I was told, they said that my hydraulic control unit (hcu)is leaking fluid onto my ECU (ABS control module computer) shorting the system out. They told me the way to fix this problem is to replace the ECU(ABS control module computer) which cost $2000. How is replacing the computer going to fix the leak? According to records the recall 09s09 (scds) was repaired on this vehicle. This concerns me because their is still fluid(brake) leaking onto a electronic component which poses as a fire hazard. …
Braking distance suddenly increased due to ABS and brake light on all the time. I took Windstar sport 2002 in for a safety recall in dec 2009. They said that they fixed it and for the past 8 months these two lights keep turning on and off about 3 times a week. Now for the last month, the light have been on constantly. I am concerned for vehicle setting on fire at any time due to this last recall and now a new recall of rear axle corrosion. I have a disabled 5 year old and I am very concerned. I would like these items fixed properly. Obviously, the last recall was not. The thought of my van setting on fire with my child in it did not occur to the mechanic maybe. I learned of the last recall not being fixed properly by investigating this new recall. I honestly couldn't figure out why my lights were staying on and Ford said that I needed an oil change maybe. …
I have a 2002 Ford Windstar Mini van. At 56,[redacted] miles I had to replace the transmission. About 6 month after that I started experiencing a blizzard of lights on my dash indicating the following alerts for ABS/brakes, trac off & check traction control. This light blizzard appears each time I drive my van for a short period of time and remains on the dash until I stop the van and restart. Went to the transmission shop and they said it was not related to the tranny replacement. Took the van in to Ford dealership for the 2009 recall jumper and they said the ABS/traction control was not related to the leaking brake cylinder so they wouldn't fix it. A short time ago I started getting a check engine light too. Tried to go thru deq but the van failed emissions test. …
Ford Windstar van, which was already subject to rear axle recall, and the rear axle did break on it in May, and was replaced and I received reimbursement for the replacement from Ford. However, another incident happened in December. My 21 year old son was in an accident driving this van on Thursday, dec. 16. The van lost traction and pulled to the right, pulling him into a ditch and down a steep embankment. The front of the van was ripped off, tires slashed, van almost flipped over, and the airbags never deployed. He hit a dirt embankment head on going about 30-35 MPH. The roads were icy that day, and he was on a curve... The van would not respond to steering to correct the direction the van was going. I experienced something similar last winter; the van seemed to pull to the right, going off the road without allowing the driver to control the vehicle. …
All of the following happened at the same time: ABS and brake lights went on and stay on. O/d light flashing. Odometer and speedometer stop working. The electronic compass, remaining fuel info., automatic electronic diagnostic and electronic temp. Showing errors. Electronic sliding door would not open unless engine is not running. Power windows stopped working 6 months ago, not sure if it is related. I had a mechanic replaced the alternator and checked the brakes. It did not fix the problems and there was nothing wrong with the brakes. I took it to Ford dealer and I was told that the ABS module could be the problem because they replaced a lot of them. The ABS module supposedly messing up the whole electronic system. It has less than 65,000 miles and I'm scared to drive it because the electronic system might suddenly cause other problems and cause an accident. …
Follow-up on odi # 10593430. On May 26, 2014, after Ford dealership in fort walton beach, fl kept my vehicle for a week to fix the cruise control and seat latches recall, I was finally able to pick up my van. They also checked the cause of odometer and speedometer to stopped working, ABS and brake light remained on, sliding doors not working, and o/d light flashing; I was told the cause is a defective ABS module. They charged me $114.27 to diagnosed the problem and quoted me $1,265.00 to replace the ABS module. I showed to Ford service advisor, andrew tompitch, a print-out from NHTSA website stating that part of fixing or remedy to the cruise control recall was to "inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary." "repairs will be completed free of charge." yet Ford charged me for this service and told me that the problems were not the same since my vehicle's scds …
My ABS and brakes lights have been coming on at different times for my 2002 Ford Windstar for a long while, and stay on now that it is summer. I have tried to fix this problem on two occasions and changed the bad ECM with a new one and the problem has returned both times only after a few months. I made a left turn at about 5 MPH with the two lights on and when I applied the brakes at the completion of the turn to stop at a red light the brakes seized and the car continued moving slowly into on coming traffic while making a metal grinding noise. I was able to quickly put the car in park to stop it right under the light. I then turned the car off and back on and the lights went off and the brakes worked normally again. A few blocks later the ABS and brake lights came back on but the brakes didn't seize this time. …
My 2002 Ford Windstar instrument cluster has illuminated the red brakelight yellow ABS lights and the trac off symbol sporadically since last summer this is consistent with information I found in a current NHTSA investigation. I have also read about other Windstar owners with similar issues. Sadly, they have had disastrous outcomes (vehicle fires and structure fires). There is no sign of brake fluid below brake fluid reservoir. Lights come on and do not always reappear right away when the engine is turned back on. Seems to be linked with exterior temperature - on days that are warm, the lights illuminate more frequently. On days that are cold, they are less likely to be illuminated. Did not happen at all during this past winter. As I stated, this has been going on for quite some time (almost a year) first noticed it last summer (2008) with 105,000 miles on the vehicle. …
Traction Control complaints in other Windstar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2002 Ford Windstar?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2002 Ford Windstar, 3% of the model year's 1,353 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Windstar traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2002 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 2002 Ford Windstar traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.