Overview & Reviews

AdvanceTrac stability control system was supposed to be available for 2002, but it was postponed. It makes its appearance for the 2003 model year. The LX base trim level is rechristened to Windstar.

• Top-flight safety equipment and ratings, plenty of interior features and options, powerful V6 engine.

• Disconnected ride and handling, poor interior space utilization, noisy V6 engine, poor reputation for reliability.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 106.00

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  Great Van - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By thundercloud - March 3 - 8:58 am

  I bought mine used it already had 99,000 miles on it. It drives like a new one. So far the only mechanical issues I have had with it are the ones you would expect at that mileage such as brakes and belts. I am a tall, overwieght, disabled man. Its like whoever designed this van had people like me in mind. I have plenty of room and it is not a chore to drive it. In fact it has improved my mobility so much that last summer I lost 80 pounds. Now this van itself did not do that but it is one of the factors involved in my weight loss. To lose that amount of weight you have to be up and moving and this van helped me do that.

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  Great family Van - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By Deb - January 21 - 12:51 pm

  Reliable, I have had this van since 2005, Have not had any problems with it. Oil Changes, brakes - that is all. The only reason I am looking for another vehicle is my childern are very tall and they no longer are confortable in the back seat.

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  I Was Surprised - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By JETZcorp - November 16 - 5:35 am

  When I told my parents I would like my first car to be a truck, they figured I was looking for a 4000lb thing and picked up this van. I thought it was going to be a terrible pig that got a gallon to the mile and turned with the precision of a brick. What I found instead was that, compared with my moms Suzuki Grand Vitara, the beast had gobs of torque and an orgasmic sound above 4000 revs. My only complaints are the transmission (all cars should be manual) and the fact that it wont haul a motorcycle. In terms of reliability, the only worrying thing is a sort of clicking under the dash depending on the A/C setting. Take control of the shifter yourself and burnouts are easy.

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  I Like This Van - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By NChawk - October 7 - 7:42 pm

  I bought this van new in June 2003 with 5 miles on it. About half the time Ive had it, there was a high idling, throttle problem. Once they figured out to replace the throttle sensor, and then the throttle assembly, it has run great....and Ive got over 140,000 miles on it now. I had to replace the transmission at 112,000 miles, which cost about $3,300. It gets about 22 mpg on the highway, and 17 in town. It has all the whistles and bells and they all still work....although I wish they had had the DVD instead of the VCP. Im happy with my Windstar and expect to keep it for another 3-4 years.

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  PROBLEMS PROBLEMS - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By SBASTIEN - August 13 - 7:59 pm

  When I first bought this vehicle all was well. It was the low price that lured me in, but within a fairly short amount of time problems began. All electrical flashing cab lights, doors not opening, battery not charging, check engine and brake lights on at all times. Vehicle doesnt always start and is very unreliable. I like the interior and exterior of the van, gas mileage too, but very unreliable. WIll NEVER buy a Ford again! :(

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  Not as nice as my Aerostar, but a hit - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By Ryan- Minivan expert - July 4 - 10:00 am

  A nimble and clever van, but I would like to see more feature that were in its X-brother van Aerostar. No mechanical problems yet, but Warranty is up to 100K, so I dont need to worry. AWD is a necessity up here in Rochester,NY and FrontWD doesnt perform like our Aerostars, but this van will never rust, as it is plastic and is very safe. Our family always has the new minivan in the neighborhood and impressed a lot of friends, neighbors and family with this van. Will we upgrade to the new redesigned 2004 Windstar, I dont know yet, but that Caravan is looking nicer than before...

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  Nothing but a Lemon - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By familydc - April 30 - 5:14 pm

  This van has been nothing but a nightmare. We bought it because it was a really nice looking van, smooth riding, and the movie feature for the kids. Within one week (we bought it from single owner- 30,000 miles) and we had to fix the passenger window motor. We have a reoccuring issue with flashing interior lights, Advance track button that lights up (which we have replaced multiple sensors), now the Vcr wont take a tape 90% of the time. The passenger window again doesnt function and the doors are a little sensitive at times and dont shut properly. The most costly was two years in at about 60,000 miles, we had to replace the transmission. After all of this, no more Fords for us!

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  good van, quirky issues - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By txmusatang68 - March 26 - 11:08 am

  We had a 1998 Windstar before. Loved the interior and features. We sold it after 186k miles. This van had some issues, but was reliable. So we bought a 2003 used, 85k miles. Comfort great! Style good. Heavy seats, but very sturdy. Replaced cruise switches - $400 part avail from FORD ONLY. Intake manifold gasket - $450. Now, 9k miles/3 months later, transmission - $1350. Found out it was 2nd rebuild of tranny. Coincidentally, 1998 had tranny replaced under warranty. I see a trend here, Ford! And electrical issues - passenger front door doesnt turn on lights, theft system works when it has a mind to (embarrassing). 98 was crazy too - humidity seemed to be the issue there.

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  Okay but could be better - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By die hard ford owners - January 11 - 10:07 pm

  This is my second Windstar, We brought a 1995 right after it was first made, it was very reliable. In the 7 years of ownership the only problem we had was a starter go bad. We always kept it maintained. Sold only to get a newer model because we didnt want to wait till we did start having them because of the mileage. But then came the 2003 lx. Its okay only because of the brake light and ABS light always on. Also rear window starting to act up sometimes want open. but as for running it always been good so far. We take it on vacation trips once a year. It always run with strong power even with my family of 5. We now have 104,000 miles. So my problem with this vehicle is the electrical system.

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  There are better minivans - 2003 Ford Windstar
  By JimBeam - January 5 - 7:17 am

  I inherited this vehicle from my father-in-law, who purchased this as a former "dealer car" in 2003. Its a good people mover, but was dated when new and is even worse now. We have had no major issues, but lots of minor ones. We have had all sorts of problems with electrical sensors going bad, each of which cost several hundred dollars to fix. We had the mysterious flickering interior lights problem (its a bad door sensor, if you are wondering) a tire pressure light that comes on for no reason, and a very expensive check engine light. I think Ford cut every corner they could think of when building this van and it shows.