1998 Ford Windstar Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1998 Ford Windstar, 8% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 82,409 miles. The words owners use most often: “door ajar” (13% of reports).
- 111electrical system complaints
- 82,409median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 33%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.
- Door ajar: mentioned in 14 of 111 complaints (13%)
- Caught fire: mentioned in 8 of 111 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 40 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 111 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 22 a fire.
Ford Windstar electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Windstar | 3 | 13% | 140,500 |
| 2003 Windstar | 280 | 19% | 100,000 |
| 2002 Windstar | 261 | 19% | 100,000 |
| 2001 Windstar | 223 | 13% | 98,000 |
| 2000 Windstar | 222 | 13% | 111,009 |
| 1999 Windstar | 209 | 14% | 101,000 |
| 1998 Windstar | 111 | 8% | 82,409 |
| 1997 Windstar | 7 | 4% | 135,000 |
| 1996 Windstar | 83 | 6% | 91,623 |
| 1995 Windstar | 168 | 5% | 137,145 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 1998 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.
We woke up this morning to the driver's side completely burned and melted. It had been parked sinced Monday. Fire inspector said it was definitely an electrical issue coming from the seat.
My mini van lights would flicker while i'm driving and even after replacing the starter in the car, it still turns off while i'm driving. There's rust coming from under the car, i smell a burnt smell when i'm driving. I'm having electrical issues, my car stops when it wants to in the middle of the…
My mini van lights would flicker while i'm driving and even after replacing the starter in the car, it still turns off while i'm driving. There's rust coming from under the car, i smell a burnt smell when i'm driving. I don't know how my vin number wasn't part of the recall, so many things is wrong…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Ford Windstars have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 111 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1998 Ford Windstar (8% of the 1,433 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 1998 Ford Windstar electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 82,409 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 1998 Ford Windstar?
The most frequent phrase is “door ajar”, in 14 of 111 complaints, followed by “caught fire” (8).
Other 1998 Ford Windstar problems
See all 1998 Ford Windstar problems or electrical system problems across all Windstar years.