# 2002 FORD WINDSTAR — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
> **FATAL** · NHTSA complaint `532684` · 2005-04-30 · Ford Motor Company
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 1
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** Yes
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** FORD
- **Model:** WINDSTAR
- **Year:** 2002
- **Manufacturer:** Ford Motor Company
- **Component:** POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
- **Miles at failure:** 72,000
- **Speed:** 45 mph
## Narrative
TRANSMISSION IN OUR 2002 FORD WINDSTAR MINI VAN   MADE  ABNORMAL NOISES FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS.  VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE FOR INSPECTION, AND THEY  ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO TIRE AND WHEEL ALIGNMENT. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH ALIGNMENT. ALSO, TRANSMISSION NOISE PERSISTED,AND  VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP.  AGAIN NOTHING WA S FOUND WRONG ON INSPECTION WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO RETURN LATER FOR MORE COMPLETE EXAMINATION. ON FEBRUARY 10, 2005 TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED ACCELERATING THE ENGINE TO 3200 RPMS WITH A SPEED OF 70 MPH.  VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL  AND VEERED TO THE  LEFT INTO A LEFT  TURN LANE,  RESULTING IN A  COLLISION WITH AN ILLEGALLY PARKED TRUCK AND TRAILER. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATIONS REVEALED THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY BRAKING. THE DRIVER, MY SON , WAS TRAPPED IN THE WINDSTAR MINI VAN DUE TO A COMPLETE COLLAPSE OF THE FRONT FRAME. AFTER A DIFFICULT EXTRACTION BY THE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT MY SON WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT.*AK
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*