| Ford Windstar |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT FORD WINDSTAR | |
| ford vehicles | |
| windstar | |
| minivans | |
| front wheel drive vehicles | |
| 1990s automobiles | |
| 2000s automobiles | |
| goods manufactured in canada | |
The Ford Windstar was a Minivan produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company from March 1994 (for the 1995 model year) to 2003. The new Front-wheel Drive Minivan would eventually replace Ford's aging Rear-wheel Drive Aerostar Mid-size Van . The two ran concurrently for three model years until the Aerostar's demise in 1997. For the 2004 model year, it was replaced by the Freestar . All Windstars were built in Oakville, Ontario , Canada . It was available with 3.0 L and 3.8 L V6 Engine s. The smaller 3.0 L engine was discontinued with the 2000 model year. When the Windstar premiered in 1995, the only available engine was the Taurus/Sable's 3.8 L V6 which produced just 155 hp (116 kW) but 220 lb-ft of torque. The engine was susceptible to head gasket failures, like in the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable ; however, the Windstar's problem was exacerbated by an even tighter Engine bay and higher loads, the van being 700 pounds heavier. Only a base model was available for the first year, but a more luxurious model followed for 1996. This year, the 3.0 L 150 hp (112 kW) Vulcan V6 was made the base engine, with the 3.8 L engine upgraded to 200 hp (149 kW). The engine also received better head gaskets. Unfortunately Windstars suffered from very poor transmissions, which often failed. There was originally a design problem with an internal part which broke, and supposedly the later replacement part was corrected. However, many owners have reported multiple transmission failures on vehicles with only normal use. The Windstar automatic transmission has a very unusual shift characteristic which is difficult for many drivers to become accustomed to, and it constantly hunts between drive and overdrive at normal traffic speeds around 40 MPH. Undoubtedly this flaw contributes to the failure of the transmission. During its years on the market, the Windstar received two major design alterations. The last model year of its first generation, 1998, featured a slightly altered grill and headlights along with the rear blue oval "Ford" badge moved to the center of the tailgate above the license plate, rather than the opposite side of the ''Windstar'' badge. In 1999, the vehicle was redesigned, making it look more modern and sporty. The grille was also changed into a grid array and the B-pillars were hidden. In 2001, Ford refreshed the Windstar once again by changing the grille, using a tighter array of smaller rectangles. |
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