1996 Ford Windstar Vehicle speed control Problems

“I have a 1996 Ford Windstar van that caught fire while I was driving. The cruise control was on. The vehicle lost power, then a boom and there were flames around the firewall. The master cylinder, wiring harness, hoses etc. Were destroyed. The fire was located more on the driver's side of the vehicle. This vehicle has been more than properly maintained, and my mechanic can attest to this. This vehicle has not yet been repaired. I was not injured. This occurred prior to the current recall.”

“Ford recall letter dated december 2011 recall number 09 s 09 speed control system modification. I recently took my Ford Windstar on janurary 3, 2013 for a recall. About a month later I drove over railroad tracks and now the vehicle is slow and won't pick up speed it makes a put put sound and has almost no power. I called the dealer to report the issue and they want $90.00 just to look at it even though it was just in the shop for the recall. I called Ford customer complaint and all they say is they are not responsible for the Ford dealer actions or inactions. …”

“My van was in great shape and great condition. I was driving to work on may 6th 2012 about 45-50 MPH entered the I-215 collector, started to smell a burned rubber smell, I looked at the temp gauge and it was normal, the van started to sputter like running out of gas, the van was not out of gas almost full, the service engine light started to flash on and off, I pulled over to the shoulder and came to a complete stop, looked at the temp gauge again and it still was normal, the burned rubber smell got worse and I noticed then a black smoke coming from under the hood. …”

“Our 1996 Ford Windstar gl, which we purchased new, has 118000. We have experienced a broken (bouncing) speedometer, dome light malfunctioned, ABS and brake light malfunctioned, and more recently, leaking coolant which is linked to a blown head gasket and check engine warnings. The cost has been astronomical. According to many other consumers, all of these issues are common with the 96 model. Please investigate whether Ford intends to make any recalls regarding these issues.”

“I smelled some type of plastic burning while waiting at a stop light. After turning into the store I discovered the smell stayed with my car. After parking, I noticed smoke pouring from under the hood. I lifted the hood and discovered a connector was overheating and melting. I pulled the connector with a wet paper towel and the smoke cleared. I later learned it was the speed control switch located on the bottom of the master cylinder shorted and caused an overheating problem causing the connector to start smoking and melting. …”