Research · complaint index
Ford Windstar years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 8 model years of the Ford Windstar by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.
Complaints per year on the road
1.0 = typical year for this model
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,510 | 63 | 1.0 | 9 | 33 | Typical |
| 2002 | 1,396 | 56 | 0.9 | 9 | 47 | Typical |
| 2001 | 1,717 | 66 | 1.1 | 16 | 67 | Typical |
| 2000 | 1,675 | 62 | 1.0 | 16 | 62 | Typical |
| 1999 | 1,547 | 55 | 0.9 | 13 | 52 | Typical |
| 1998 | 2,283 | 79 | 1.3 | 14 | 98 | Typical |
| 1997 | 208 | 7 | 0.1 | 6 | 6 | Fewest complaints |
| 1996 | 1,404 | 45 | 0.7 | 9 | 61 | Typical |
- 20031,510 complaints · 9 recallsTypical
- 20021,396 complaints · 9 recallsTypical
- 20011,717 complaints · 16 recallsTypical
- 20001,675 complaints · 16 recallsTypical
- 19991,547 complaints · 13 recallsTypical
- 19982,283 complaints · 14 recallsTypical
- 1997208 complaints · 6 recallsFewest complaints
- 19961,404 complaints · 9 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 9, 2026
Fewest complaints for their age: 1997.
About this comparison
What Ford Windstar years have the most complaints?
No Ford Windstar model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 8 model years compared. The highest was 1998.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.