What breaks most · 1990 to 2005 model years
Ford Windstar problems by year
Owners have filed 14,153 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Windstar across model years 1990 to 2005. Three years stand out: 1995 for engine and cooling complaints, 2001 for suspension complaints and 2000 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 1992, 1991 and 1990.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 2001, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1992, 1991, 1990
- Complaints on file
- 141531990 to 2005, all trims
- Worst year
- 19953326 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 517427 fires · 490 injuries · 13 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 101kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 100Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 23 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (8) | |
| 3326 | 137 | 8 | Engine and cooling (1610) | |
| 1386 | 60 | 9 | Engine and cooling (470) | |
| 192 | 6 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (43) | |
| 1433 | 54 | 14 | Powertrain and transmission (332) | |
| 1522 | 50 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (278) | |
| 1675 | 62 | 16 | Suspension (356) | |
| 1686 | 66 | 16 | Suspension (416) | |
| 1353 | 45 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (324) | |
| 1510 | 33 | 9 | Brakes (296) | |
| 24 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (9) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 1995 Ford Windstar
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 48% |
1610 | 10 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1995 Ford Windstar |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 26% |
875 | 21 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1995 Ford Windstar |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 15% |
484 | 43 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1995 Ford Windstar |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
168 | 4 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1995 Ford Windstar |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 4% |
145 | 6 | Shop suspension parts for the 1995 Ford Windstar |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
138 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1995 Ford Windstar |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
131 | 1 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
116 | 7 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Defective 1995 FORD windstar with recurrent mechanical malfunction. *bf the transmission was replaced soon after the vehicle was purchased. The consumer experienced an engine knock for the 3rd time which was due to a mechanical malfunction. *jb
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Rear axle cracked where bracket that was installed during previous recall. Van is not drivable and could have been a bad accident.
-
Went to "credit karma" and was informed that my vehicle was the subject of a FORD NHTSA recall. FORD failed to notify me of recall on my vehicle. Recall id # 233939 dated 10/21/2015. Please help resolve this as i don't want to be driving an unsafe vehicle
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Windstar years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 2001, 2000 carry the most filings on the Ford Windstar. The 1995 alone has 3326 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Ford Windstar problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 1610 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Windstar problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Windstar complaints that include mileage is about 101,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.