Used 1999 Ford Windstar Consumer Reviews
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Don't Do It
We purchased this vehicle used, two old, with about 40,000 miles on it. A comfortable ride, decent fuel economy. We had the extended 100,000 mile warranty. The van had numerous recalls. Spent thousands of dollars for repair after warranty ran out. Van seemed to stay in the shop. My mechanic started to feel bad fixing the van, only to have other things go wrong. Had to replace the transmission. Tie rods went bad. Numerous engine problems. Eventually I sold the van to my mechanic for $500. Then the engine blow on him a month later. Ford needs to be ashamed for selling the Windstar. A total piece of junk and very unreliable.
Wouldn't buy another 99 Windstar!
Bought the van from an elderly couple with only 128k. Seemed great at the time. The blinker for some reason whenever you'd turn on the left one would flash a light on the dash like a bulb was out (it wasn't). No mechanics could figure out the problem. The heater fan quit working. Developed some electrical problem with the dome lights so when your driving at night they'd just randomly come on and stay on or sometimes they'd strobe. The back passenger door quit opening from the inside and would only unlock whenever it decided to. When the door wouldn't unlock you could not do it manually so the kids would have to climb through. Then around 140k the head gasket started leaking and between 140k and 150k the tranny just blew. I am a Ford lover all the way but they totally FAILED with this vehicle!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
- LX Passenger MinivanMSRP: $3,995222 mi away
- SEL Passenger MinivanMSRP: $3,995672 mi away
- LX Passenger MinivanMSRP: $3,9951,674 mi away
Garage queen
The van is decent, when it is running. Comfortable interior, good ride, fairly good power. The killer is reliability. Ours now has 79K miles, and we bought it at 55K miles. We have had to put in new alternator, rebuilt transmission ($$$$$). Interior lights won't go off, and dealer says can't be fixed at reasonable price. Power sliding door won't work, quoted $1,100 to fix. Check engine light is on & there seems to be a short in the electrical system somewhere. Symphony of loud rattles and squeaks comesfrom all corners of the van whenever moving. Decent van, when its running.
Done With Fords
I needed a minivan because we were having twins. It was a great vehicle while the kids were infants. Easy to get babies into and out of the vehicle,and was roomy enough for everything. Too many problems were shared between me and another Windstar owner: both had idling problems in the morning; both have a transmission that slips; both have a stuck temp. control switch; and both have a check engine light due to a vacuum leak. It's a safe vehicle that is great on road trips, but it's time for a more reliable vehicle for me.
Fix or repair daily ( ford )
How can a company like this possibly still be in business? Do they really think that after having a bad experience people are going to keep coming back? They build these vehicles to fall apart so that we will pay them to fix them. I took care of this van and things had to be replaced over and over. Transmission at 110,000 km on its way out again at 124,000 km engine light stays on and I cant even insure it because our aircare program wont test vehicles with an illuminated engine light. Tires wear out quickly. Poor gas mileage. I think the only reason it got a 5 star safety rating is because it spends more time in the shop then it does on the road. I will never buy a Ford again!