How many miles will a 2004 Ford Windstar last?
Half of the 23 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar that list mileage came after 123,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 158,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 24 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 23 complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar that list mileage, the middle half came between 97,000 and 152,000 miles; 16 (70%) came after 100,000 miles, 6 (26%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2004 Windstar last?
The 23 mileages owners gave run from 7,000 to 169,784 miles. A quarter are at or under 97,000 miles, half at or under 123,500, three quarters at or under 152,000 and nine in ten at or under 159,000; 16 (70%) came after 100,000 miles, 6 (26%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2004 Windstar wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 7,000 miles |
| 25th percentile | 97,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 123,500 miles |
| 75th percentile | 152,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 159,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 169,784 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 16 (70%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 6 (26%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 6,646 NHTSA owner complaints on the Ford Windstar that list mileage came after 100,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Ford Windstar last? →
Common problems with the 2004 Windstar
NHTSA's file holds 24 owner complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar. Owners named the suspension most often: 9 complaints, and half of the 9 that list a mileage came after 123,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 9 | 9 | 124,000 |
| Power Train | 7 | 7 | 122,414 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 3 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine | 3 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 24 complaints, none reports a crash, 2 report a fire and none reports an injury. These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Windstar a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Windstar: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 24 complaints, the 2004 ranks 10th of the 11 Ford Windstar model years from 1994 to 2004 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1995 (3,326). The fewest: the 1994 (23).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 Windstar | 23 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1995 Windstar | 3,326 | 222 | 99,000 |
| 1996 Windstar | 1,386 | 215 | 86,000 |
| 1997 Windstar | 192 | 43 | 88,890 |
| 1998 Windstar | 1,433 | 390 | 94,000 |
| 1999 Windstar | 1,522 | 870 | 105,000 |
| 2000 Windstar | 1,675 | 1,148 | 104,000 |
| 2001 Windstar | 1,686 | 1,332 | 108,000 |
| 2002 Windstar | 1,353 | 1,117 | 103,000 |
| 2003 Windstar | 1,510 | 1,280 | 98,000 |
| 2004 (this page) | 24 | 23 | 123,500 |
2004 Ford Windstar recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list no campaign for the 2004 model year under the name WINDSTAR. Recalls can be filed under another name (a trim, a body or a series name), so a recall may still exist for the 2004 Ford Windstar: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2004 Windstar lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2004 Windstar.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 1 of the 24 complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar gives no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and is left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: WINDSTAR. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: WINDSTAR.
- NHTSA also holds 11 complaints filed as the 1993 Ford Windstar. EPA's fuel-economy catalogue lists the Ford Windstar for 1995–2003 only, so that model year has no page.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2004 Ford Windstar questions
How many miles will a 2004 Ford Windstar last?
Half of the 23 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar that list mileage came after 123,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 158,000 miles. Of the 23 complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar that list mileage, the middle half came between 97,000 and 152,000 miles; 16 (70%) came after 100,000 miles, 6 (26%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2004 Windstar that never had one.
What are the most common 2004 Ford Windstar problems?
NHTSA's file holds 24 owner complaints on the 2004 Ford Windstar. Owners named the suspension most often: 9 complaints, and half of the 9 that list a mileage came after 123,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 24 complaints, none reports a crash, 2 report a fire and none reports an injury. These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Ford Windstar a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Windstar: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 24 complaints, the 2004 ranks 10th of the 11 Ford Windstar model years from 1994 to 2004 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1995 (3,326). The fewest: the 1994 (23).
How many recalls does the 2004 Ford Windstar have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list no campaign for the 2004 model year under the name WINDSTAR. Recalls can be filed under another name (a trim, a body or a series name), so a recall may still exist for the 2004 Ford Windstar: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2004 Ford Windstar before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2004 Ford Windstar.