99 windstar P.O.S!!!

There is allways something wrong with this van. I just took the van into the shop b/c of a bad balljoint. They replaced both lower arms and some other stuff i cant remember. Now every time i start or stop there is a pop from the front of the car. What could this be? Also, how can you over-ride error codes? The Abs light wont go off even though the brakes have been replaced. Is there any way i cant turn it off? And the steering wheel, has anybody else had there steering wheel melt? the covering has melted off in 3 places. Its on a 99 an we live in ohio so i have never had this prob before. Seats, the covers for the side off the seats have fallen off and the tabs that keep them on are gone. This car is just a lemon. I bought it new and eversince there has been a prob. I can go on and on with all these things and i am wondering if anybody else have had these problems. We had a 92 Aerostar and i loved that van. Why doesnt ford make extended minivans n/e more? Im gonna stop here before i got off on my piece of s**t (P.O.S) van.

I have a 96 windstar with 150k miles and it mostly has been fine. I have maintained it well along the way.

Hi,
I have just replaced the CV axle with spindle (did it myself) on my 98 and have that sound too. Sure you can take it back to the shop.
If the law in OH allows, you can have Autozone turn off the code errors with their code reader (if you do not have the reader yourself). It is OK to do so here in AL, but not in the neighbor GA (the bad cars can turn off the errors to pass the emission tests!).

I have read posts about the "subframe bushings" working very slightly loose....causing the clunking sound. Also....if you look below the oil filter....from the front of the car....you will see a suspension bar that connects to the subframe...with a bushing. The bushing can break loose from the subframe....requiring rewelding. Both problems are an anoying sound....that will not leave you along the road in the short term. The movement from both is very slight. I would want to get it checked/fixed eventualy though.

Also.....an inspection of the front springs might be worth doing......to make sure that one has not broken.....look over the whole spring.

How many miles have you gotten out of your soon to be 7yr old windstar special addition POS model?
G/luck
Joel

There is allways something wrong with this van. I just took the van into the shop b/c of a bad balljoint. They replaced both lower arms and some other stuff i cant remember. Now every time i start or stop there is a pop from the front of the car. What could this be? Also, how can you over-ride error codes? The Abs light wont go off even though the brakes have been replaced. Is there any way i cant turn it off? And the steering wheel, has anybody else had there steering wheel melt? the covering has melted off in 3 places. Its on a 99 an we live in ohio so i have never had this prob before. Seats, the covers for the side off the seats have fallen off and the tabs that keep them on are gone. This car is just a lemon. I bought it new and eversince there has been a prob. I can go on and on with all these things and i am wondering if anybody else have had these problems. We had a 92 Aerostar and i loved that van. Why doesnt ford make extended minivans n/e more? Im gonna stop here before i got off on my piece of s**t (P.O.S) van.

Repalcing your brakes (I assume you mean pads and shoes) will not necessarilly correct a malfunctioning ABS system. You need to actually correct the fault in your ABS system (which could be many things).

I too have a 99 and although I have had some issues:
DPFE
Isolator Bolt problem
Door Ajar
ABS light
Driver door lock intermitant problem (new one)

I still can't really complain about it. My Wife has a 99 Venture and it has its share of troubles too. I am confident that Ford (or anyone else) could design and build a vehicle that does not break down or one that they will fix for free for 10 years or so but not many of us would be able to afford them.

When i did brakes i i did pads, rotors, shoes and replaced the sensor the computer said was bad. The van has been babied and just flipped to 40,000 and has had regular service. those are just the current problems. I dunno if this van was made on a monday but it is just falling apart. The rear air controls and rear dome light have both just fallen out, The latch for the compartment under the radio is gone, it keeps going through headlight bulbs for some reason. I cant get rid of it because i just paid it off. I loved the aerostar that we had before this, it was a 92 and it was extended which was really nice. The only prob we had with that van was the air flow sensor had a spider web in it and the van wouldnt start. Im not tring to down the windstar but mine is a real piece.

By the way the wagon is my old car that i still have with 260,000 miles on her, still running strong.

When i did brakes i i did pads, rotors, shoes and replaced the sensor the computer said was bad. .

The computer will not tell you a sensor is bad. It will however, tell you that it is not getting a good reading from a particular sensor but that will only point you to that part of the circuit to do the actually troubleshooting. It COULD be the sensor, however, it could be the wiring to the sensor, it could be that the sensor reads incorrectly due to a bad part of the toothed ring, the distance from the sensor to the toothed ring could be off. You could have worn bearings on that particular wheel......... or any combination.

... The van has been babied and just flipped to 40,000 and has had regular service. those are just the current problems. I dunno if this van was made on a monday but it is just falling apart..

That is really low mileage! The only thing I could think of for all the interior & switchgear issues is maybe yours was the first run of the 1999 re-design? One definate positive I've had with FMC vehicles over the years is their interiors seemed to hold up best over other makes I've had. If I could only keep the bodies and transmissions together :banghead: .
G/luck
Joel

There are lots of VERY specific codes for the wheel sensors...that will tell you which wheel, no signal, open circuit, missing tooth, etc. You will need to get the codes read to find out more.

There are lots of VERY specific codes for the wheel sensors...that will tell you which wheel, no signal, open circuit, missing tooth, etc. You will need to get the codes read to find out more.
Ihave had it serviced about 3 times and t keeps comming back. I even went to the dealership the third time!