2003 Ford Windstar Exterior lighting Problems
- Complaints
- 35about this part
- Share
- 2%of 1,510 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 83,986miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 35 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2003 Ford Windstar, 2% of the 1,510 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 83,986 miles. 1 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.
“I was warned by a fellow driver that I had no brake lights. The tail lights work. All bulb filaments are intact. Interior fuses #'s 10 & 11 associated with the brake lights according to the owner's manual are intact. I replaced the brake pedal switch. Still I have no brake lights.”
NHTSA complaint #10714224, filed 2015-05, 118,300 miles“Vehicle passenger headlight would come on in the middle of the night by itself and now passenger headlight would not work on dim. They said there was a problem with the wiring harness. So I had to pay for them to take the same materials again. I'm deciding if I should cut my losses and sell. My husband said we should never have bought a Ford. I'm disabled and can't afford to be sticking this kind of money monthly into it.”
NHTSA complaint #10399396, filed 2011-05, 174,000 miles“Exterior brakes lights stay on as though the brake pedal is depressed, and even come on by themselves when no one is in the car. When you get in the car, there is a hot, overheated smell in the car. Several mornings I have gotten in the car to find that the battery is dead, and I have to jump the car to start.”
NHTSA complaint #10189202, filed 2007-04, 50,000 miles“I own a 2003 Ford Windstar lx for about the last year and a half the ABS (orange) light and the brake (red) light come on whenever I driver more than about a mile in the summer time it is almost always on I know that this seams to be a problem because there is a web site dedicated to this. I really believe Ford needs to do something about this I have taken my van to the Ford house and they say they can do nothing.”
NHTSA complaint #10234448, filed 2008-07, 59,000 miles“I own a Ford Windstar '03. Starting in may 2007, at about 45,600 miles, my brake light and ABS light are illuminated. The code read by the mechanic from the computer is c1185. Nearly every time I use the car since, the lights come on within a few minutes of turning on the ignition.”
NHTSA complaint #10205894, filed 2007-10, 46,500 milesExterior lighting: other model years
Other parts of the 2003 Ford Windstar
655 complaintsElectrical system
280 complaintsSuspension
254 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
225 complaintsBody and structure
127 complaintsVehicle speed control
85 complaintsEngine cooling
47 complaintsOther or unknown
44 complaintsSteering
40 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
33 complaintsAir bags
30 complaintsElectronic stability control
27 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Ford Windstar
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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