I really think it depends on what year windstar that you have.
I owned a 95 windsatar and the only problem I had was the head gasket problem which was covered under recall. The 1995 was a great van. So I bought a 1999 windstar.
The 1999 has been nothing but trouble since the warranty ran out. At 45000 miles the transmission self destructed. I have had chasis and engine electrical problems. Faulty fuel injectors, cracked faulty "plastic cooling lines", Cracked PLASTIC intake manifold parts. All of these parts had to be replaced before the 60000 mile mark. I have always taken care of my vehicles and have always given them the scheduled maintenace on time. This is first Ford that I have ever owned that lived up to the Fix Or Repair Daily acronym.
So to your point... I have had a good windstar and a bad windstar. There are some that have a legitimate gripe and some that don't. | 
