2001 Ford Windstar Consumer Reviews

Had many Fords before but.....

Written by: Party of 4 on 07/22/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar SEL 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

We bought it used with 71K miles. As we drove off the lot the engine light came on. The dealership we bought it from fixed it-twice. Little things such as sliding door sticking/not unlocking, passenger door lock sticking, & the rubber between the doors come off. Now we took a vacation 700 mies away & on the way back the tranny at 82k miles literally dropped when driving up major mountains in Southern OR. I've always been happy with Ford, but not too happy on this one. Will but will buy again

Favorite Features

Roomy (6'3 hubby & 6'1 14yr old). Seats are comfy & wide range of adjustablilty. Auto sliding doors, removable seats, 4 captain seats. A lot considering I said I'd never drive a mini-van becauase I was too young & fun!

Suggested Improvements

Fix tranny and give more attention to the little things that break & get a good reputation again!!

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Only about average, but still a good buy

Written by: CED on 05/16/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar SE 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Bought this van used and have had it about a year. No mechanical problems yet, always starts and drives fine. 3.8L V6 has plenty of power, but no sports car. Fuel mileage averages 20 mpg. Easy to drive for its size, controls are easily reached and logically laid out. Seats are average or better for comfort and the rear seats are roomy enough. Its hard to get into the rear seat, no lever that lets seats slide/tilt forward easily. Biggest complaint is noise. The engine is always loud. Ride is smooth enough but terribly loud. Wind noise also a problem. Owned a Sienna before that was much more refine as is typical for Toyota. Overall a good buy if used but otherwise performance is only average

Favorite Features

Lots of cool features like power adustable pedals, back-up sensors and "kiddy mirror" that were not readily available on other cars of its day. I don't have the power doors but wish I did, lots of Windstars have them so try an find one that does.

Suggested Improvements

This van would have been a real competitor if it had been more refined. There's a sense of implied quality when a vehicle is smooth and quiet.

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Good for only 90,000

Written by: mike on 05/01/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Do you notice some trends in these reviews. Mine is bad valve blowing oil and coolant everywhere. Expert Tire says it will take $680 to fix and flush refill fluids and clean it all up. Then they say the manifold and also tell me ford doesn't have parts. I will be checking this out. Why fix it? Look at all the review that follow up valve problems with blown transmissions! I have a hard time believing garage didn't see the manifold problem! Look at your price carefully! Consider these vans are great until about 90,000 and then a money pit. Expect tire and ford both rip you off! next time a Honda or Toyota it can't be any worse!

Favorite Features

Great van until 90,000 roomy and comfortable.

Suggested Improvements

How about some reliability!

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Just letting ya know

Written by: Italian Family of 5 on 04/19/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

When we first purchased the car at 80,000 miles we were very happy with it. We've taken it on one long drive from Colo to Calif with me with pnemonia (sp?) and it was confortable anyway. Now that we've owned it for 2 years we've only had to replace the ABS module, and brakes. Something weird is happening with the fuel getting down past 1/4 tank. It won't start as if it's out of gas. We just watch the fuel gage and all seems well. Drives well and we feel really safe during snow storms. Been through a couple of blizzards and only got stuck once. Tire pressure gauge is great letting us know when to get new tires or fill up the tires with air.

Favorite Features

Don't hear any of our boys yelling "he's touching me!" Great space for bringing boys' friends with us.

Suggested Improvements

Probably better gas mileage. It's about 18 mpg with now 114k miles on it.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Second Windstar

Written by: Trimerus on 04/13/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Purchased this Windstar new in 2001. It was our second, the first being a 2000 which we also still have. Now have 140,000 miles and have no issues with either. 23 mpg on the highway. Always starts. No repairs or tune ups have been needed, only 1 set of tires, one set of brake shoes and regular oil changes. I suspect that people who have had bad luck with Windstar have selected poor mechanics.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

The seats are heavy and awkward to remove.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Good vehicle that has a few problems.

Written by: greg7100 on 03/21/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Comfortable, flexible van that serves us very well. We enjoy the mini van experience, but have been dissapointed with some major repair issues. Many brake problems and 2 failures, transmission was replaced at 144000 km, intake gaskets need to be replaced every 90000 km at about $700 per time. No other troubles aside from usual maintenance. The van is great for trips, you just never seem to run out of storage space. Towing my little utility trailer is a dream with the Windstar, you can hardly tell it is behind you.

Favorite Features

Large flexible storage area and convenient controls.

Suggested Improvements

I'm sure the newer self storing seats would look after the troulbe of removing seats to move large items. Improve brakes and intake gasket reliability. Improve base model handling.

7 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Good Car

Written by: Tom on 03/15/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Well, the good thing is we bought the car used, July of last year. Since the car has been around for a while the few problems we have had, we could find the solution easily over the internet. Anyways we got the car for $2,800 and it has paid for itself 10 times over since then. It has a very comfortable ride, and it's safe. This car has given us less problems than the 07 Camry we bought last year.

Favorite Features

Cold air conditioning, great handling, lots of space, feels like an SUV rather than a van.

Suggested Improvements

Better gas mileage

8 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Another Terrible Ford Experience

Written by: joneill on 02/08/2008

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought my Ford new and take great care of it.Several recalls then at 65K miles my rear axel cracked clean in half-rusted from inside and 1K for the fix. 3 months later the transmission died. Radiator also replaced-total 3,800 Now it is at 67K miles and took in today because radio won't turn off killing battery. Needs additional 500K for new fuse box and to patch leak. Will pick it up on Monday and take it as a trade in on a Toyota. Should have learned my lesson as my last Ford had to be towed out of my driveway at 80K. Husband's Ford needed a new engine at 55K miles. Have yet to have a good experience with Ford. I've finally learned my lesson!!

Favorite Features

Color

Suggested Improvements

Build a quality car that outlasts your competition. We would all like to support American companies, but Ford makes it very hard.

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Best non soccer mom van ever!

Written by: Jack on 03/05/2007

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 3dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Powerful, nice looking, easy seat removal, holds resale value, 18-24 mpg was right on, tires wear great versus a lot of vans that wear out front tires. Lot of pick up and very comfortable. Radio iffy so replace with aftermarket. Otherwise a 10!

Favorite Features

Easy access of options, power and pick up, great looking silver color.

Suggested Improvements

Different radio.

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Transmission, O2 sensor, doors, problems

Written by: Mikeeeee on 01/23/2007

Vehicle

2001 Ford Windstar LX 3dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Overall, an attractive, comfortable van. Gas consumption is ok for a van. Some nice options available. Has plenty of power, compared to other small vans.

Favorite Features

Power sliding doors are nice but frequently break down. Dual AC controls are good.

Suggested Improvements

Better build quality. Frequent repairs are needed for leaky intake manifold gaskets, causing "check engine soon" light for O2 sensors. Power sliding door has frequent breakdowns. Transmissions have many breakdowns reported. Repairs are expensive!

7 out 8 people found this review helpful

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