1999 Ford Windstar Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,040 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1999 Ford Windstar, alongside 13 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 45/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 73,000 miles.
Below average
Where 1999 sits among all Windstar years
What owners report
“While slowing down and then accelerating, transmission jumps and jerks into gear.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Windstar
“Slide door reopens when closed with key or interior controls. Slide door not operable with interior controls ( will not close at all).”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Windstar
“The horn is near impossible to activate in an emergency and even not in an emergency.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Windstar
“Consumer stated that while driving a seal blew in the power steering pump which caused the rack and pinion to fail. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Windstar
“Abs brake light on and/of at will, not consistant. Fear of abs not functioning in the event of abs being needed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Windstar
“I just purchased the 1999 ford winstar and. 2 months later i was driving to work and the rear axle beem broke causing me to looae control. I am just now finding out about the recall please advise this i s my only vehicle”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Windstar
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,169 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 102,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 73,000 and 135,172 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (13)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 1998-2003 Windstar vehicles manufactured September 2, 1997, to July 3, 2003. The affected vehicles were previously remedied to safeguard against the rear axle cracking from corrosion, however, the…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brackets to verify their proper installation. If a bracket is found to have been misinstalled, the rear axle will be replaced. These repairs…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1997, THROUGH JULY 3, 2003, AND CURRENTLY REGISTERED OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN VIRGINIA. OVER TIME, CORROSION CAN WEAKEN THE REAR AXLE MAKING IT SUSCEPTIBLE TO…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND INSTALL REAR AXLE REINFORCEMENT BRACKETS, OR REPLACE THE AXLES, AS NECESSARY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1997, THROUGH JULY 3, 2003, REGISTERED IN PUERTO RICO. DUE TO INCREASED STRESSES CAUSED BY HIGH CYCLES OF TORSIONAL LOADING, SPECIFIC TO THIS MARKET, THE REAR…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT BRACKET ON THE REAR AXLE OR REPLACE THE AXLES, AS NECESSARY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA. CORROSION-RELATED FRACTURES OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM REAR ATTACHING BRACKETS AND BODY MOUNT ATTACHMENTS MAY OCCUR.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM REAR ATTACHING BRACKETS AND BOTH BODY MOUNT ATTACHMENTS AT THE REAR OF THE FRONT SUBFRAME AND MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM REAR ATTACHING BRACKETS, AND BOTH BODY MOUNT ATTACHMENTS AT THE REAR OF THE FRONT SUBFRAME, AND MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS FREE OF CHARGE. IF REPAIRS…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1997 THROUGH FEBRUARY 28, 2003 AND CURRENTLY REGISTERED OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY,…
Fix: AS PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE, DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND IF NECESSARY INSTALL THE REAR AXLE REINFORCEMENT BRACKETS FREE OF CHARGE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN…
FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE…
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE…
Fix: UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH AUXILIARY REAR AIR-CONDITIONING. IF THE AUXILIARY AIR-CONDITIONING BLOWER MOTOR STOPS TURNING WHILE IN THE MEDIUM-LOW BLOWER SPEED SETTING, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT THE RESISTOR MAY BECOME HOT AND SMOKE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A JUMPER WIRE THAT WILL ENSURE THAT THE MEDIUM-LOW BLOWER SPEED SETTING IS PROTECTED BY THE THERMAL LIMITER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGSUT 27, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS. CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS WATER, SALT, AND WINDSHIELD WASHER SOLUTION CAN ENTER THE WIPER MOTOR COVER ASSEMBLY THROUGH PINHOLES ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE COVER THAT ARE USED IN THE MOLDING PROCESS. IN ADDITION, ON CERTAIN OF THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW WIPER COVER WITH IMPROVED SEALING AND WATER RESISTANCE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAIN AUGUST 27, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINIVANS BUILT WITH INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS WITHOUT THE MESSAGE CENTER, FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF STANDARD NO. 118, "POWER-OPERATED WINDOW, PARTITION, AND ROOF PANEL SYSTEMS." THE POWER WINDOWS MAY BE OPERABLE AFTER THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL RECONFIGURE THE VEHICLE FRONT END ELECTRONIC MODULE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINIVANS. THE BRAKE FLUID MASTER CYLINDER IS RECESSED AND ORIENTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT SO THAT THE BRAKE FLUID WARNING STATEMENT EMBOSSED ON BOTH THE TOP OF THE FILLER CAP AND THE SIDE OF THE RESERVOIR BODY ARE NOT ENTIRELY…
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH NEW LABELS AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.
THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINIVANS. THE OVERHEAD CONSOLE REAR RETAINING BRACKET CAN DEVELOP CRACKS AND SEPARATE, ALLOWING THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REDESIGNED RETAINING BRACKET IN THE SAME LOCATION AS THE ORIGINAL RETAINING BRACKET.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V030000.
Led to recall campaign 11V030000.
Led to recall campaign 10V385000.
Led to recall campaign 09V399000.
Technical service bulletins
325 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 1999 Ford Windstar. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1999 Windstar TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1999 Ford Windstar reliable?
The 1999 Ford Windstar drew 2,040 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 45/100, scored against the model's worst year (1995).
What are the most common 1999 Ford Windstar problems?
The top reported problems for the 1999 Ford Windstar are transmission & drivetrain (292 complaints), body & structure (281), and electrical (244).
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Windstar problems show up?
Owners most often report 1999 Ford Windstar problems around 102,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 73,000 and 135,172 miles.
Does the 1999 Ford Windstar have recalls?
13 recall campaigns apply to the 1999 Ford Windstar. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.