1996 Ford Windstar: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1854 complaints
1854
Total Complaints
85,550mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
71
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

66,178 25th Percentile
85,550 Median Mileage
114,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
311
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
153
POWER TRAIN
138
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
115
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
87
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
79
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
63
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
60
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
50
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
35

Severity Assessment

71
Crashes
53
Fires
62
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"10/20/95 TRUCK WAS LEFT IN PARK WITH THE KEYS REMOVED THE TRUCK ROLLED BACKWARDS 60 FEET AND HIT ANOTHER CAR NO DAMMAGE. DEALER FIXED THE CABLE,TRUCK ROLL AGAIN"
"THE FRONT WINDSHIELD THE BOTTOM PART IN COLD WEATHER AND WINDSHIELD BLADE WOULDN'T DEFROST . TT"
"WHEN IN PARK VEHICLE ROLLS IF ON INCLINE. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28