1996 Ford Windstar Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 470 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1996 Ford Windstar, 34% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 80,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “head gasket” (51% of reports).
- 470engine and engine cooling complaints
- 80,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,100typical repair cost reported by owners
- 49%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Head gasket: mentioned in 238 of 470 complaints (51%)
- Engine check: mentioned in 33 of 470 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 1996 Ford Windstar at $3,100, and half of them between $2,450 and $5,150.
Based on 55 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2000–2007), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 95 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 470 complaints, 4 a fire.
Ford Windstar engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Windstar | 1 | 4% | 86,000 |
| 2003 Windstar | 47 | 3% | 75,000 |
| 2002 Windstar | 27 | 2% | 70,000 |
| 2001 Windstar | 66 | 4% | 83,500 |
| 2000 Windstar | 92 | 5% | 52,147 |
| 1999 Windstar | 129 | 8% | 74,750 |
| 1998 Windstar | 196 | 14% | 84,000 |
| 1997 Windstar | 38 | 20% | 77,000 |
| 1996 Windstar | 470 | 34% | 80,000 |
| 1995 Windstar | 1,610 | 48% | 80,540 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 1996 Ford Windstar. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Blows headgasket every35000 miles. *tr
I purchased a 1996 ford windstar van 3.0 l in june 2010. I have had numerous issues with this vehicle from day 1 to current most dangerous is the blowing spark plug which has blown out 2 times forcing me to drive it to a place where it could be parked for repair first time blow out was 7 days after…
Check engine stays on after tuneup ... Does not lose speed ... Runs rough after accelerating and doesn't not overheat ....what is the problem. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1996 Ford Windstars have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 470 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1996 Ford Windstar (34% of the 1,386 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Ford Windstar engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 80,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 1996 Ford Windstar?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,100 (half paid between $2,450 and $5,150), from 55 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1996 Ford Windstar?
The most frequent phrase is “head gasket”, in 238 of 470 complaints, followed by “engine check” (33).
Other 1996 Ford Windstar problems
See all 1996 Ford Windstar problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Windstar years.