Originally Posted by
...rallyred
in the late 90s they got a major refit that was supposed to correct the head gasket issue. the trannies were never addressed; my parents' went out the first time at 120k and then again at 160k
hopefully yours will be good to you. between what i have read/heard and my personal experience i can say they are lemons... very comfy on long trips though!
The first Windstars came out in 95 and yes, they had some issues. The early 3.8L V6 had issues with head gaskets, but it was the same problem that plagued all of Ford's 3.8s during the mid-90s. The early trannys also had problems. The Windstar was redesigned in 99. The engine problems were corrected by that time, and the tranny was redesigned. It's rare that you hear of major problems with the 2nd generation Windstars.
Just like any other model by any other manufacturer, there will be lemons. That doesn't mean that all of them are lemons. If you went by my personal experience and several of my friends' experiences then everyone would want one.