"How reliable is the 1997 Ford Windstar?"

"Based on 249 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Ford Windstar has a median complaint mileage of 88890 miles. The most common issue is SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Ford Windstar?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Ford Windstar is SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 249 total complaints filed."

1997 Ford Windstar: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 249 complaints

249

Total Complaints

88,890mi

Median Mileage

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

75,172 25th Percentile

88,890 Median Mileage

114,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL

WHEELS:RIM

SUSPENSION:FRONT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED 3 TIMES."

"SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT."

"WHEN IN CRUISE CONTROL, STEPPED ON ACCELERATOR TO ENGAGE PASSING GEAR, THE PASSING GEAR WOULD NOT DISENGAGE, DRIVER WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD SAFELY IN NEUTRAL. *AK"

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