Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Purchased the car used on 5/26/12, drove away from the dealership and the ABS warning light and the break warning lights both came on, indicating issues with ABS. Took it to the repair shop and was told that the ABS module (??) was causing the issues. Car dealership and warranty company refused to cover it because it's an optional system. There appears to have been a recall for this but for some reason my car wasn't included - it was originally purchased in Canada, so I'm not sure if that effects recall information. On 6/12/12 driving in to work the car suddenly lost speed while trying to accelerate on the highway. I was attempting to make it across 4 lanes and the car suddenly wouldn't go over 30mph - thankful there wasn't a lot of traffic but this could have caused an accident. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the interior lights and instrument panel lights would fail intermittently. The sliding doors would also open and shut independently while the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that there was an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. There were no recalls on the failure for the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,000.
Our 2003 Ford Windstar began experiencing intermittent electrical failures. On May 27, after driving normally, we stopped for about 30 minutes. Then the van stalled several times on a short trip. After another 10 minute stop, it operated normally again. Several times during the next week, although the car did not stall, the power to the steering and brakes went out. We had an appointment with our local Ford dealer to service the van on June 7. However, on June 6 the power systems failed, causing the car to crash into a road side mailbox. No personal injuries occured. Nothing was done to correct the failure. At our expense, Ford would have had someone look at the vehicle to see if they could determine the exact cause of the accident. We choose to deal with our insurance company instead. The car was totaled and repossessed by state farm insurance.
ABS and brake light come on intermittently. No rhyme or reason but make us feel unsafe. Have taken in for service several times and they can find nothing wrong with ABS or brakes. Car only has 56000 miles on it now and we can't trade it or sell it because of the problem. Internet research shows thousands of entries with same problem. Found individual on ebay that has business repairing ECU cold solder joints so this is definitely a factory default. ABS and brakes function properly but those lights should not be coming on. It appears to be a cold solder joint which is clearly a manufacturing defect. Since the ECU sits right under master cylinder a brake fluid leak leaking fluid on ECU has and could cause a fire.mmmford should replace the defective unit at no charge to the customer.
The gauges are acting crazy which causes the engine to jerk or the transmission and then it starts making the lights flicker in the interior and the gauges start sticking. It seems to make the overflow on the radiator to empty more because it is causing the sensors in the electrical for the parts to go crazy and run hot. Sometimes it only does it every so often but after getting the reserve hose on the power steering that connects to the reservoir to the coolant the battery was drained. Then going after getting it charged down the highway it caused the interior lights radio and seat and turn signals not to work when coming to a complete stop and it was idling the dashboard and all the lights were coming back on once given a guess it winded up not working again causing the battery to become hot or warm and acid you can smell in the air like rotten eggs. …
Manufacture Recall # 09S09 NHTSA Recall # 09V399000 Instrument cluster has become faulty. Details listed below. Overdrive (O/D) light will randomly start flashing for no reason ABS will randomly engage Parking brake light will randomly turn on Speedometer with become sporadic Transmission has trouble shifting gears due to tachometer becoming sporadic Vehicle will randomly try to die/stall out at a prolonged stop or while coming to a stop, even after all charging components have been replaces i.e. battery, alternator, drive belt, and cables.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. While the vehicle was in motion, an internal fire erupted near the rear auxiliary air conditioning. The controls associated with the wires and the covering were melted. The contact smelled strong plastic fumes in the rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle over and discovered that the cover and wires melted without warning. The contact was not notified of NHTSA campaign number: 15V608000 (suspension), but the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 106,390.
Brakes continually have failed causing accidents. Pedal goes all the way to the floor before and after new brake pads and bring bled.throttle idle sensor causes vehicle to stall while driving. ABS light and brake light and check engine light keeps coming on. Now they just stay on. I need to know what,if any recalls have been repaired or any options that May be available.
Related recalls (3)
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.
Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator
The alternator output wire was not connected tightly to the power distribution box.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the connection. Vehicles with visible damage to the plastic power distribution box housing will have the the underhood harness, including the power distribution box, replaced.
Electrical system › Wiring › Front underhood
The wiring harness insulation can abrade on a brace that runs from the instrument panel to the cowl.
Remedy: Dealers will install a shield on the instrument panel to cowl brace, and installation of a piece of convolute wrap material on one of the adjacent harnesses.
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Windstar years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2003 (280), 2002 (261), 2001 (223), 2000 (222) and 1999 (209) model years. Electrical complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 2003.
Is there a recall for Ford Windstar electrical problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 00V-351 (interior/under dash, Oct 30, 2000); 94V-223 (alternator/generator/regulator, Nov 4, 1994); 94V-222 (front underhood, Nov 4, 1994). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Windstar electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles; 10% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (82 mentions), followed by the wiring › front underhood (61).
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.