There are 24 stored owner reports matching the body & structure leading-label group for the 1996 Ford Windstar in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 24 of 24 matching reports. The list controls page through the loaded reports only.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)THE K FRAME RUSTED OUT WHERE THE CONTROL ARMS MOUNT TO THE FRAME AND THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING BROKE WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MILES PER HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH HOOD SEPARATED FROM THE OUTER PANEL. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER, CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO CONSUMER'S HOME. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY RECALL. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH HOOD SEPARATED FROM THE HINGES AND BROKE THE WINDSHIELD. DRIVER PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE HOOD WAS REPLACED. *AK
1996 FORD WINDSTAR, SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTION. SPEED IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE AS THE NEEDLE FLUCTUATES WILDLY. PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED NOW FOR AT LEAST 50,000 MILES , BUT I JUST LEARNED THAT YOU SHOULD BE NOTIFIED SO THAT FORD CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR POOR QUALITY AND NON SUPPORT. AS I WAS ADVISED THAT REPAIR WOULD BE ABOUT 600.00. AS I HAVE A TACH, I SIMPLY USE THIS TO DETERMINE MY SPEED. I WAS NOT ABOUT TO SPEND THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY ON WHAT I CONSIDER A DESIGN FLAW.*AK
THE DEALERSHIP NOTICED A CRACK IN THE SUB FRAME. WHICH COULD HAD CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FALL OUT, IF THE VEHICLE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK *JB
PAINT FALLING OFF '96 FORD WINDSTAR
CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM LOWER PASSENGER'S SIDE OF VEHICLE. AFTER INSPECTING VEHICLE DEALER DETERMINED SUBFRAME WAS CRACKED. *AK
THE SUB-FRAME BROKE WHERE THE STRUT ARM CONNECTS IN THE FRONT( IN AREA OF THE STRUT ARM BUSHINGS. AT FIRST THOUGHT THAT THE NOISE WAS FROM AT LOOSE HEAT SHIELD. STRUT ARM RATTLES EVERYTIME VAN IECOUNTERS ROUGH PAVEMENT. THE SPEEDOMETER JUST WENT HAYWIRE. NEEDLE BOUNCES ALL OVER THE PLACE. HAVE FOUND OTHER PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET WITH THE SAME SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT BOTH OF THESE FAILURES ARE A SAFTEY ISSUE. FORD MOTOR DOESN'T.*AK
HAD JUST PULLED OUT ONTO THE STREET THEN HEARD A SNAP. CHECKED , AND NOTICED LEFT REAR WHEEL HAD KICKED OUT SIDEWAYS AND WAS HITTING THE MUD FLAP. REAR FRAME HOLDING REAR AXLE HAD BROKEN IN HALF. REAR AXLE NEEDED TO BE STRAPPED UP BEFORE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. *AK
POWER LOCK ON DRIVER SIDE DOESN'T WORK. *AK
TRAILING ARM ATTACHED TO THE BODY OF REAR AXLE FRACTURED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED. NO EVIDENCE OF ANY IMPACT TO THE TRAILING ARM OR BODY OF THE REAR AXLE. DEALER / MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED, AND VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. *AK *ML
VEHICLE IS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE FROM UNDERNEATH HOOD AREA. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
THE ELECTRICAL DOOR LOCK FOR THE BACK TAILGATE , DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN VEHICLE IS PUT INTO DRIVE. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED.
REOCCURRING/ ONGOING PROBLEM WITH AUTOMATIC LOCK LOCKING ALL DOORS WITHOUT SYSTEM BEING ON. DOOR SHOULD ONLY LOCK WHEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, BUT THERE ARE TIMES IT LOCKS ITSELF WITHOUT CAUSE. CAN NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER. *YC
LIGHT FOR DOOR AJAR, COMES ON WHEN DOOR IS CLOSED. WHEN AT STOP LIGHT/SIGN, DOOR CHIMES WOULD SOUND. WHEN SPEEDING UP, CHIMES GO OFF, BUT DOOR AJAR. AND LIGHT STAYS ON. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. BEEN TO DEALER & WAS INFORMED WILL NOT CHECK UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. *AK
A POPPING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT END. FOUR BOLTS AND MOUNTS ATTACHED TO THE FRAME HAD DETERIORATED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. FORD MANUFACTURER STATES THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
DRIVING APPROXIAMTELY 55MPH WHEN THE TOP PART OF THE HOOD JUST FLEW OFF THE VAN. THIS IS A TWO PART HOOD AND THE BOTTOM PART WAS STILL LOCKED. VEHICLE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT WHILE GOING 20-25 MPH. TOOK IN FOR REPAIR, BUT DID NOT GET REPAIRED BECAUSE THEY SAID IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
PINCH POINT ON REAR DOOR UPON OPENING. OWNER HAS TO OPEN WITH PALM AND SQUEEZE UPWARD WITH FOUR FINGERS, STILL PINCHING MOTION. *AK
WHEN DRIVING DOOR LOCKS AUTOMATICALLY LOCK UP. ALSO, DOOR PANEL WAS RINGING NOISE. *AK
THE FRONT FRAME OF THE VEHICLE WAS LOOSE. *NLM
Showing 1-20 of 24 loaded complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.