2003 Ford Windstar Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,057 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Ford Windstar, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 42/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2003 sits among all Windstar years
What owners report
“Brake light and abs light come on intermittently while driving has codes c1185,c1198,c1194,c1254,c1246,c1250,c1242,c1214,c1210 these was pulled from associate from advance auto”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Windstar
“Abs and brake light come on intermittently, abs system does not work when light is on.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Windstar
“Wife driving down street when she hit a bump in the road and the rear axle broke.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Windstar
“Rear axle broke in half while driving,( backing up in driveway) my 2003 ford windstar”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Windstar
“Driving home from work when my rear axle cracked. Almost lost control of the vehicle but was able to pull over.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Windstar
“Rear axle broke under bracket that was put on by ford for the axle recall. I was pulling out of a parking lot with my husband and 4 kids in the van when all of a sudden there was a load noise and the tire was rubbing the wheel well. I immediately pulled over, looked under the rear end and could see…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Windstar
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,698 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 99,895 miles. Half of those reports fall between 70,000 and 130,220 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
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, 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 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 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.
CERTAIN MINIVANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEM." DURING TESTING, A THIRD ROW BENCH FLOOR-TO-SEAT LATCH RELEASED BEFORE THE STRENGTH REQUIREMENT WAS MET. IDENTICAL…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT-TO-FLOOR LATCHES ON THE SECOND AND THIRD ROW OF SEATS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 21, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
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
68 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 2003 Ford Windstar. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 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 2003 Ford Windstar reliable?
The 2003 Ford Windstar drew 2,057 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 42/100, scored against the model's worst year (1995).
What are the most common 2003 Ford Windstar problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Ford Windstar are brakes & stability (620 complaints), electrical (344), and suspension (257).
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Windstar problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Ford Windstar problems around 99,895 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 70,000 and 130,220 miles.
Does the 2003 Ford Windstar have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 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.