99 Windstar Transmission Failure

I have a 99 Windstar SEL 3.8L V6 with 76,000 Miles and the transmission just failed without warning. I've read several threads where people were describing transmission related problems, but my transmission did not exhibit any problems up to the point it failed. As I was pulling forward I heard a thud and then the vehicle felt like it was in neutral. I tried all the forward gears and no response. But reverse was still working normally.

I took it to a transmission shop and the guy said that the the electronic diagnostics found no transmission error codes. When he pulled the pan, he found that the fluid was very discolored indicating there was severe mechanical damage. He recommended replacing the transmission.

What could have happened to cause such a catastrophic failure without any noticeable symptoms? 76,000 miles (mostly highway miles) is not that much and I don't do any towing.

The TRS (Transmission Range Sensor) Also called Neutral safety switch is a high failure item.....worth looking into. The TRS is located on TOP of the transmission. The shifter on the steering column moves mechanical linkage....which moves the switch..... The switch tells the electronics what position the shifter is in...... So a failure here will keep the transmission from knowing what gear you have selected.....and will then not work. The switch is easy to replace....and a whole lot cheaper than even looking at the transmission.

Yes, the tranny can still be bad. But I would look into the switch first. It is normal to have a lot of black / grey sludge in the transmission pan....particularly around the magnet. The fluid should be changed at least every 30K miles.
You would use Mercon V rated fluid.

You can try doing a search in this forum on "reverse" and see what failures others have had.

The TRS (Transmission Range Sensor) Also called Neutral safety switch is a high failure item.....worth looking into. The TRS is located on TOP of the transmission. The shifter on the steering column moves mechanical linkage....which moves the switch..... The switch tells the electronics what position the shifter is in...... So a failure here will keep the transmission from knowing what gear you have selected.....and will then not work. The switch is easy to replace....and a whole lot cheaper than even looking at the transmission.

Yes, the tranny can still be bad. But I would look into the switch first. It is normal to have a lot of black / grey sludge in the transmission pan....particularly around the magnet. The fluid should be changed at least every 30K miles.
You would use Mercon V rated fluid.

You can try doing a search in this forum on "reverse" and see what failures others have had.


Thanks for the reply, it turned out to be a mechanical failure. Over the weekend I had the vehicle towed to another transmission shop. They took the transmission apart and found that the sungear had sheared off the weld point to (and I do not know the name of this part) the round stamped pan.

Does anyone know the name of this part and what it does? It looks like a round pan with a hole in the center and the sungear (which is about 4" dia.) is welded to it. The weld line looks really flimsy and it is hard to believe you can drive a vehicle with all that torque loaded onto that joint.