Reliability & cost of ownership
Ford Windstar Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Ford Windstar? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Ford Windstar problems by model year
100 recall entries across 9 model years and 6,249 owner complaints across 11 model years on file, sourced from the federal NHTSA database. We couldn't confirm the NHTSA recall list for the remaining 2 model years — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Windstar | Not confirmed | 1 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2004 Windstar | Not confirmed | 24 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2003 Windstar | 9 | 1,510 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2002 Windstar | 9 | 1,353 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2001 Windstar | 16 | 1,686 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2000 Windstar | 16 | 1,675 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1999 Windstar | 13 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1998 Windstar | 14 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1997 Windstar | 6 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1996 Windstar | 9 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1995 Windstar | 8 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Ford Windstar, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- suspension1,314 complaints
- service brakes, hydraulic1,104 complaints
- electrical system989 complaints
- service brakes847 complaints
- power train743 complaints
- structure736 complaints
- vehicle speed control500 complaints
- service brakes, electric256 complaints