2003 Ford Windstar Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 296 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2003 Ford Windstar, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 105,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “abs brake” (46% of reports).
- 296service brakes complaints
- 105,000median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 25%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 135 of 296 complaints (46%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical service brakes repair on the 2003 Ford Windstar at $1,600, and half of them between $1,250 and $2,850.
Based on 14 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2012–2017), 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 problems happen?
Based on 258 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 296 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Ford Windstar service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Windstar | 1 | 4% | 152,000 |
| 2003 Windstar | 296 | 20% | 105,000 |
| 2002 Windstar | 233 | 17% | 112,000 |
| 2001 Windstar | 193 | 11% | 120,000 |
| 2000 Windstar | 124 | 7% | 121,000 |
| 1999 Windstar | 72 | 5% | 137,525 |
| 1998 Windstar | 7 | 0% | 136,514 |
| 1996 Windstar | 1 | 0% | 152,000 |
| 1995 Windstar | 2 | 0% | 248,313 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes 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.
When driving my muffler broke loose and was dragging on the ground. My axel creaks when I stop or sit idle at a light. When several miles from home my ignition cylinder came out. I couldn't start or turn the ignition on nor operate the steering. I'm now afraid to drive my vehicle. Since acquiring…
When traveling 15 mph on brick road i pressed brakes to stop then loud noise and car still rolled forward - scary and unsafe. This has happened twice under different conditions - the abs light is on in my vehicle
The park and brake light keeps coming on, looked up and it said the abs system is not working like it should. This happens when i'm driving in city , highways, not moving.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Ford Windstars have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 296 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2003 Ford Windstar (20% 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?
No recall currently lists service brakes for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 105,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes problems on the 2003 Ford Windstar?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,600 (half paid between $1,250 and $2,850), from 14 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2003 Ford Windstar?
The most frequent phrase is “abs brake”, in 135 of 296 complaints.
Other 2003 Ford Windstar problems
See all 2003 Ford Windstar problems or service brakes problems across all Windstar years.