2003 Ford Windstar Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems
Owners have filed 282 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2003 Ford Windstar, 19% 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: “abs brake” (47% of reports).
- 282service brakes, hydraulic complaints
- 80,000median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,400typical repair cost reported by owners
- 30%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.
- ABS brake: mentioned in 132 of 282 complaints (47%)
- Braking distance suddenly: mentioned in 19 of 282 complaints (7%)
- Come intermittently: mentioned in 16 of 282 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical service brakes, hydraulic repair on the 2003 Ford Windstar at $1,400, and half of them between $1,000 and $2,050.
Based on 22 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2007–2013), 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 service brakes, hydraulic problems happen?
Based on 232 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 282 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 4 a fire.
Ford Windstar service brakes, hydraulic complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Windstar | 2 | 8% | 83,000 |
| 2003 Windstar | 282 | 19% | 80,000 |
| 2002 Windstar | 324 | 24% | 89,340 |
| 2001 Windstar | 292 | 17% | 90,000 |
| 2000 Windstar | 204 | 12% | 93,960 |
| 1999 Windstar | 130 | 9% | 103,000 |
| 1998 Windstar | 177 | 12% | 89,875 |
| 1997 Windstar | 24 | 13% | 88,890 |
| 1996 Windstar | 218 | 16% | 85,000 |
| 1995 Windstar | 484 | 15% | 104,832 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes, hydraulic for the 2003 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated that the abs warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 193,000.
The abs light is on all the time, the brake light is on most of the time. Also the instrument cluster jumps erratically and the right brake light does not work. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford windstar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle exhibited an abnormal noise. The contact noticed that the rear drivers side wheel was abnormally tilted inward. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the axle…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Ford Windstars have service brakes, hydraulic problems?
No. NHTSA has 282 owner complaints about service brakes, hydraulic for the 2003 Ford Windstar (19% of the 1,510 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 2003 Ford Windstar service brakes, hydraulic?
No recall currently lists service brakes, hydraulic for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic 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 service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2003 Ford Windstar?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,400 (half paid between $1,000 and $2,050), from 22 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2003 Ford Windstar?
The most frequent phrase is “abs brake”, in 132 of 282 complaints, followed by “braking distance suddenly” (19).
Other 2003 Ford Windstar problems
See all 2003 Ford Windstar problems or service brakes, hydraulic problems across all Windstar years.