Ford 1996 Windstar Manual page 161

Make certain that you close the liftgate door before driving your
vehicle. Possible damage may occur to the liftgate door lift
cylinders and attaching hardware if the liftgate door is not
closed prior to driving.
Make sure that the liftgate door is closed to prevent
exhaust fumes from being drawn into the vehicle. This
will also prevent passengers and cargo from falling out.
If you must drive with the liftgate door open, keep the
vents open so outside air comes into the vehicle.
Liftgate closing procedure
To make the liftgate swing downward, reach up and pull the
1.
lower edge of the liftgate (or the loop handle on the inner
trim panel of vehicles with this option) and pull downward.
When you have pulled down the liftgate enough so that you
2.
can reach the license plate light shield, push the shield down
and forward to close the latch and liftgate. At this point, the
latch is not locked.
You can lock the liftgate latch by pushing down the
3.
night-lock button (located on the inside of the liftgate at the
bottom of the window) before you pull down and close the
liftgate. You can also lock the liftgate latch by inserting your
vehicle's door key and turning it counterclockwise after you
have closed the liftgate, or by using the power door locks on
the front doors or the power lock switch in the cargo area.
The liftgate area is only intended for cargo, not passengers. You
can open and close the liftgate from outside the vehicle. It
cannot be opened from inside the cargo area.
RWARNING
Features
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