The 1997 Ford Windstar has 4 recalls, the most serious being a transmission component that can separate while driving, spraying fluid onto the catalytic converter and starting an engine fire. This affects vehicles equipped with the AX4S automatic transaxle. On the suspension side, front coil springs can fracture due to corrosion in regions where road salt is heavily used, and a broken spring can shift and puncture a front tire, causing a blowup while driving. There is also a minor compliance issue: the brake fluid reservoir and cap carry warning labels that are partially hidden by how the master cylinder sits in the engine compartment, making them difficult to read without repositioning your line of sight.