The Windstar has a position on the light dimmer scroll-wheel that turns the interior lights off, even with the doors open.
Great for at the picnic, tailgate party, cleaning the car, etc, to keep from killing the battery.
Make sure the dimmer switch scroll wheel is not all the way up (or is all the way down?)
Also - If you have a malfunctioning "door ajar" switch, after some time, the Windstar will deactivate the interior lights. Fix the door ajar warning and the lights will resume normal functions.
See "Related Questions" below for more on stuck 'door ajar' sensors
If the lights that won't go off are the interior lights, then it could be a symptom of a stuck 'door ajar' switch/sensor. In that case, see "Related Questions" below for more discussion, fixes, and permanent repairs on the door ajar problem.
no - every Windstar came with at least 1 side door (1995-1998) and 2 side doors 1999-2003 - all along with the rear hatch.
It is very very likely the doors are interchangeable. The 1999 through 2003 Windstars were essentially unchanged.
my 1999 winstar was doing this and it was the blend door
Ford was rather late in the mini-van game when they added the second sliding door in 1999, and continued it to the end of the Windstar name in 2003. Trivia Tidbit: The successor to the Windstar name was the "Freestar" and coincided with the introduction of the twin Mercury Monterey. I do not believe any single side door Windstar was offered after 1998.
On a 1999 Ford Windstar : Open the drivers door and on the latch pillar you will see an information sticker . One of the things the sticker shows is the original size of tires on the vehicle from the factory
This sure sounds like the lights are being triggered by the door ajar problem that is so common with Windstars.See "Related Questions" below for more
On the side of the door it says Lights and Parking lights are under it. But you push in the top knob on the driver side door.
Check all the door and light switches, they are turned on by twisting the light switch to the left, also the pin switches on the doors will activate the cabin lights.
Not likely to fit - Ford stretched the driver's door in 1998 in a partial response to Chrysler's introduction of the driver side rear door. (prior to the Windstar getting one in 1999). Check with a local auto salvage yard, or maybe even a body shop - 2 good sources of information on parts interchangeability.
One cause could be the very common problem of false door ajar signals coming from the door sensors.See "Related Questions" below
I believe there is a sticker on the drivers door (near the latch) with this info, also it may be in the owners manual.