2004 Ford Windstar problems & reliability
24 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford Windstar. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 9 | 38% |
| Power Train | 7 | 29% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 13% |
| Engine | 3 | 13% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 4% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 4% |
| Structure | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 123,500 miles (middle 50% between 97,001 and 146,500 miles), based on 23 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Intermitten the speedometor does not work at all or does not show the correct speed, over drive light blink constantly, cruise does not work at ll. Happen in city and highway. Hitting a bump sometime correct speedometer or driving on highway this contnues to happen on a daily bases”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Apr 27, 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford windstar. The contact stated that the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Electrical System · filed Oct 18, 2016
“Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford windstar. The contact stated that the engine caught on fire. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the vehicle received routine maintenance where the battery, the water pump, and the engine belt were replaced. The fire department was present. The manufacturer was not…”
Engine · filed Jan 5, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2004 Ford Windstar in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Ford Windstar?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 123,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.