# Windstar sounds like an airplane on takeoff

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** windstar, ford\
**Created:** [March 11, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932 "2010-03-11T20:30:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cchbrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@cchbrad](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cchbrad)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932/1 "2010-03-11T20:30:31Z")

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My 2002 Windstar sounds like an airplane. The faster I accelerate the lowder it gets. Sounds like it’s coming from underneath the front of the car. What could it be?

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**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932/2 "2010-03-11T20:32:45Z")

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The two most likely things would be a tire problem or a bad wheel bearing. If the sound disappears when you turn the steering wheel suspect a bad wheel bearing.

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**Author:** ![cchbrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@cchbrad](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cchbrad)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932/3 "2010-03-11T20:37:01Z")

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Thanks - the sound doesn’t stop when I turn the steering wheel. When I’m driving 50+ mph the noise is deafening. I have four new tires and a recent alignment. Any chance it’s related the exhaust.

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**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932/4 "2010-03-11T21:09:25Z")

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Anytime the sound is described as an “airplane” it just very often turns out to be a bad wheel bearing or two. You should have them checked.

When you have them checked someone can drive it - yes all sorts of noise can come from an exhaust system but its unlikely to be something that is a simple function of the vehicle’s speed. The exhaust noise will go with what the engine is doing and the engine’s speed (rpms) rises and falls as the car shifts & you vary in speed.

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**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/windstar-sounds-like-an-airplane-on-takeoff/45932/5 "2010-03-11T23:31:46Z")

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Does the noise change as the gears shift, that would be exhaust, constant change in noise related to speed is not exhaust.