98 brake problems

[toyhappy]

Have a 98 windstar that has had many of the problems posted here. 75k miles and something is wrong with the brakes....I have taken it to the dealership many times and every time they tell me the brake pads are fine...have never been replaced! This tells me ther must be something wrong if the pads show no wear. I always feel like I am going toend up hitting someone because of the way my car stops. I have had the brakes flushed and no improvement...Someone mentioned a crossover vlave Or the ABS failing? Any ideas? I take excellent care of my car (even if it is a lemon...). Thanks, Denise

[ModMech]

You say you feel like you will rear-end someone, can you tell us why you feel that way? Under what conditions?

I mean, does it just not stop well? Or does the pedal sink as you stop? Also,do you live in a snowy/icy winter climate area and your van has "All speed traction control"?

[davesgirl1090]

I had this problem also. Had the brakes replaced and took it back to them 4 times. Sometimes the brakes would work with no problems, other times nothing. Finally took it to Ford and I needed hub bearrings, spindle rods, tie rod ends and a new traction control sensor. Wasn't the brakes at all.

[toyhappy]

ModMech--
Yes I feel as though I will rear-end someone. I am going say 10MPH in city traffic and I push the brakes and they go to the floor. Conditions weatherwise are perfect. My Husband says the brakes seem fine to him-but I drive it all the time and I disagree. It happened again today and the land cruiser in front of me was lucky. I stepped so hard that everything in my car flew forward. I mean they were almost thru the floor. I was afraid to take my foot off to "pump" and right after that, they seemed fine. Yikes!

[davesgirl1090]

My husband didn't believe me either until he almost ran through the garage door. The van was in the shop the next day......Please get it checked before you get hurt. Mine was in very poor shape by the time I took it to Ford.

[johnh849]

Originally Posted by davesgirl1090

My husband didn't believe me either until he almost ran through the garage door. The van was in the shop the next day......Please get it checked before you get hurt. Mine was in very poor shape by the time I took it to Ford.

We have a 1998 Windstar with a similar problem. My wife was driving it the other day and said that when she went to stop, the pedal went nearly to the floor. After a few stops like this, everything was normal again. I took it to our usual mechanic and he found nothing wrong. What did Ford find was wrong with your van?

[davesgirl1090]

The mechanic knew right away. It needed spindle arms, hub bearrings, tierod ends, and a traction control sensor. I have been ignoring the blinking TC light since I got it fixed. I think it was just dirty. It hasn't come on for over a month now. Brakes work beautifully now.

[johnh849]

We must have another problem with our Windstar. It doesn't have traction control. Our mechanic found that the rotors were badly warped and the rear brakes were very worn. So, we had the pads replaced, the rear shoes replaced, and the rotors re-machined. The mechanic said that none of these conditions, however, should have caused the brake pedal to nearly go to the floor. Since he couldn't really tell us what caused this, he couldn't guarantee that it won't happen again. So, I'm driving it very carefully.

[davesgirl1090]

My traction control sensor had nothing to do with the brakes. Ford said the mechanics that put on the brakes broke it. Ford said the reason my brakes were failing was that the front end was in such bad shape the wheels were moving and the brakes weren't catching. It was very scary. Most of the time the brakes were fine. But the times your foot goes to the floor are awful.

[johnh849]

I see. Maybe our problem was caused by the badly warped rotors. It's going to be a while before we gain any confidence in the vehicle again. Thanks for the info.