1995 Ford Windstar Speed Control & Cruise Problems

WHILE DRIVING BACK FROM ROME GA TO CARTERSVILLE GA MY VAN MADE A FUNNY NOISE AND MY SPEED DROPPED FROM 60 TO 50 AND THEN MY BACK TIRES FELT FUNNY LIKE I HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING BUT I KNOW I HAD NOT HIT ANY THING SO AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE EXIT THEN MY ABS LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER I STOPPED AT A STATION I CHECKED MY BRAKE FLUID BUT IT WAS FULL, I CHECKED MY TIRES THEY WHERE GOOD BECAUSE THEY ARE NEW. WHEN I GOT HOME I HAD MY BREAKS & PLUGS CHECKED AND THEY ARE GOOD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. THE ABS LIGHT IS STILL ON, WHILE DRIVING MY VAN STILL LOSE SPEED ON HILLS AND LEVEL GROUND. HELP ME PLEASE THIS IS MY ONLY WAY TO GET WHERE I NEED TO GO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 FORD WINDSTAR. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH IN THE DRIVEWAY. A SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE GARAGE. THERE WAS NO PERSONAL INJURY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED FOR THE INCIDENT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 50,000.

AFTER NORMAL DRIVING FOR ABOUT 5 MILES, COMING TO A STOP AND STARTING AGAIN THE ACCELERATOR ON MY 1995 FORD WINDSTAR WENT TO FULL ON. FORTUNATELY THE AREA IN FRONT WAS CLEAR AND I MANAGED TO STOP THE VEHICLE WITH THE BRAKES. HAD THERE BEEN A CAR IN FRONT OR ANOTHER OBSTACLE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A COLLISION. *JB

* CRUISE CONTROL QUIT WORKING OVER 24 MONTHS AGO. * CONSISTENT LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID OVER TIME. * FIRE DISCOVERED UNDER HOOD WHEN RETURNING HOME. FIRE LOCATED UNDER BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. FIRE WAS PUT OUT WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, AND THEY SAID THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCHES. OTHER VEHICLE MODELS WITH THE SAME SWITCH HAVE BEEN RECALLED. SEE HTTP://WWW.SAFETYFORUM.COM/FORDCRUISECONTROL/ *DEALERSHIP IS ORDERING PARTS TO REPAIR VEHICLE. *AK

DT: WHILE DRIVING A MONTH AGO THE CONSUMER NOTICED A LARGE AMOUNT OF WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF THE HOOD. THE CONSUMER PULLED VEHICLE OVER, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, AND INSPECTED UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONSUMER SMELLED PLASTIC AND ELECTRICAL BURNING. THE CONSUMER RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND NOTICED THERE WAS A PLUG NEAR THE MASTER CYLINDER, AND THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THAT PLUG ALONG THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. THE CONSUMER CALLED HIS BROTHER AND CONSULTED AN AUTOMOBILE REPAIR MANUAL AND DISCOVERED THIS WAS PART OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM. DETERMINED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL COULD BE DISCONNECTED AND THEY DID SO. THE CONSUMER LEFT THE VEHICLE SITTING ABOUT SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS BEFORE DISCONNECTING THE SWITCH AND DRIVING HOME. THE CONSUMER NOTED THAT CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH QUIT WORKING A FEW MONTHS PRIOR. SINCE DISCONNECTING THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH THE VEHICLE LOST A LOT OF BRAKE FLUID. THE CONSUMER HEARD ABOUT THE FORD RECALL, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL BECAUSE IT WAS A 1995 FORD WINDSTAR. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER, AND THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE THE SAME CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED FORD AT THIS TIME. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE BODY DAMAGE, THERE WERE NO FLAMES, BUT ONLY SMOKE, AND NO FIRE.*AK

WHEN VEHICLE WAS AT AN IDLE, CONSUMER PUT INTO GEAR AND WITH FEET STILL ON THE BRAKES VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED.*AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS, PARTICULARLY IN HOT WEATHER. *SLC

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL START TO SHAKE AND REV. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM.*AK

VEHICLE INCREASED SPEED WITHOUT THE DRIVER ACCELERATING. BRAKE PEDAL WAS INOPERABLE, AND RPMS WERE INCREASING. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE GEAR TO NEUTRAL POSITION TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN AND THEN ENGAGE GEAR TO PARK POSITION TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. BRAKES WERE REPLACED THE FIRST WEEK IN MARCH AND TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED JULY 2001, AFTER THE FIRST SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED.*AK

INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE STALLS OUT/ HESITATES AND DIES WHEN ACCELERATING. VEHICLE STARTS UP IMMEDIATELY AFTER STALLING. DEALER HAS REPAIRED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES; HOWEVER, PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED.*AK

CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS IN THE "PARK " POSITION, WITH 3 SMALL CHILDREN INSIDE THUS CRASHING INTO OUR NEIGHBORS MOTORHOME. POLICE WERE CONTACTED AND OFFICER NOTED PROBLEM IN POLICE REPORT. *AK

AT 90,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING I CAME TO A STOP ON A HILL. WHEN I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE TO GIVE THE VAN GAS IT BEGAN TO ROLL BACKWARDS!! ALMOST HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME. I REVVED THE ENGINE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND EVENTUALLY THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED WITH A THUD. IT WAS IF THE ENGINE HAD GONE INTO NEUTRAL. WENT TO AAMCO TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION CHECK AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS THE ALUMINUM FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON THAT WAS CRACKED AND THAT FORD WAS REPLACING THEM WITH NEW STEEL FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON. APPARENTLY THIS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD WINDSTAR MINIVANS. I ASKED FORD IF THIS WAS A RECALL ISSUE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS ONLY A SERVICE BULLETIN. I WOULD CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY PROBLEM IF YOU ARE ON A HILL WITH OTHER VEHICLE BEHIND YOU.*AK

VEHICLE ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN WHEN BACKING UP OR AT STOP LIGHTS. ENGINE REVVES, AND VEHICLE TAKES OFF. *AK

WHEN DRIVING ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH AND UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO COME TO A GRADUAL STOP, ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS STICKING, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. *AK THROTTLE RETURN SPRING CAME OFF POST ON THE THROTTLE LINKAGE. *YH

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A ROAD ALL OF SUDDEN VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED THE TROTTLE BODY TOP. IT HAPPENED AGAIN. *AK

CRUISE CONTROL CABLE WOULD STICK. HAS HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE. HAD SET CRUISE CONTROL ON 62MPH GOING UPHILL, AUTO SHIFTED DOWN. WAS GOING DOWNHILL AND PRESSED ON BRAKES TO RELEASE CRUISE CONTROL. VEHICLE PICKED UP SPEED. CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE. PUT ON BRAKES AND TURNED VEHICLE OFF TO DISENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL.*AK THE DEALER SENT A HAZARDOUS CONDITION REPORT TO THE MANUFACTURER UPON CONSUMER'S REQUEST. *YH

CRUISE CONTROL FAILED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. *AK

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROX 35MPH, UNDE RDRY CONDITION AND APPROACHING A STOP SIGN TO MAKE A COMPLETE STOP, STARTED TO PROCEED AND THE VEHICLE LEAPED FORWARD. CONTACT DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. *AK

WHILE APPROACHING A STOP VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV UP TO 3000 RPM. THE DEALER IS INSPECTING THE VEHICLE. *AK

WHEN DRIVING AT 40 MPH THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER, WHEN APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR VEHICLE WON'T PICK UP SPEED. *AK

WHEN SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT OR JUST STOPPING, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. *AK