1998 Ford Windstar Wheels Problems
- Complaints
- 83about this part
- Share
- 6%of 1,433 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 96,430miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 83 complaints about the wheels of the 1998 Ford Windstar, 6% of the 1,433 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 96,430 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My wife was taking my youngest two children to school in our vehicle when smoke started pouring in through the vents of the vehicle and at the same time she lost control of the steering sliding off onto the shoulder of the road. Once my wife made sure everyone was out of the smoke filled vehicle she noticed the tire was completely shredded on the passenger front side of the vehicle. She notified me and we had the van towed to a mechanics shop where we found out that the front passenger spring had busted causing the tire to be shredded. …”
NHTSA complaint #10548468, filed 2013-10, 205,760 miles“We have had to replace the rim on our 1998 Windstar's right front wheel three times due to rim breakage and subsequent tire deflation. Two different tire repair shops reported seeing this problem frequently in Ford windstars. The Ford dealer where the car was purchased denied any problem or responsibility.”
NHTSA complaint #10049549, filed 2003-12, 41,800 miles“This van has all the defects and complaints listed on thegovt. Recalls the NHTSA site and others ihave too much info to put on this site if there is anyone I can send my complaint to please let me know iam putting it back into the shop again ive been thru a nightmare along with trying to assure my 4 kids that they were safe in this van thankyou angela wallace and by the wat the dealer that sold me this van will not cooperate at all”
NHTSA complaint #10070261, filed 2004-01, 37,000 miles“While driving my mini van the right rear wheel (the complete wheel) fell off! Upon safely parking the van, I came to realize the entire rear axel had sheared in half! By a stroke of luck I found out there was a recall for this and also for the cruise control. I am having it replaced/fixed at dealers cost. Since this vehicle was bought used off a used dealers lot, I would like to make the following suggestion...there should be some type of mandatory law that all dealers, new and used, should have access to this website and be legally forced to check each and every vehicle prior to being sold.”
NHTSA complaint #10532370, filed 2013-07, 166,000 miles“On 4/16/06 I was driving the vehicle and felt something strange in the right front wheel. I checked to see if the tire was flat and found nothing noticeable. I continued on my way drove about one more mile when all five lugs of the passenger side front tire broke causing the tire to fall off. The tire damaged the fender and door. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop. The mechanic inspected and replaced the lugs. He could not find any reason for the lugs to break. 1998 Ford Windstar.”
NHTSA complaint #10155623, filed 2006-04, 91,600 milesWheels: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1 | 4% |
| 2003 | 20 | 1% |
| 2002 | 26 | 2% |
| 2001 | 28 | 2% |
| 2000 | 23 | 1% |
| 1999 | 23 | 2% |
| 1998 | 83 | 6% |
| 1997 | 6 | 3% |
| 1996 | 42 | 3% |
| 1995 | 38 | 1% |
Other parts of the 1998 Ford Windstar
332 complaintsSuspension
229 complaintsBrakes
199 complaintsEngine cooling
196 complaintsSteering
143 complaintsElectrical system
111 complaintsBody and structure
81 complaintsVehicle speed control
73 complaintsFuel system
71 complaintsTires
57 complaintsOther or unknown
51 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
44 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Ford Windstar
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology