Lost all gears while driving

My husband was driving our 2000 Ford Windstar when he lost all gears. The motor was still running. No warning lights on the dashboard were lit. When he pulled over the only position that worked on the shifter was park.
Any thoughts?

Were there any accompanying noises that seemed unusual??

Start with a simple check of the transmission fluid level. If it's low (or non-existant) get underneath and look for signs of leakage.

No, there were no nioses other than the engine suddenly sounded like it had been shifted to neutral.
The transmission fluid level is full, the color is normal (red), there are no metal flakes in it, it does not have a burnt odor to it.
We could not find any signs of leakage underneath.

Thanks for your input, any further suggestions?

Check for physical movement of the gear selector on the transmission (when moving the lever back and forth on the column). Sounds like it's terminal though (pump probably).

Well, at the suggetsion of a transmission specialist I checked the fluid level cold. Then started it and checked the fluid level again. He said that a drop in the fluid level indicates that the pump is working, and the fluid level clearly dropped.
As far as the shifter it does not engage from one gear to the next (or should I say it does not engage at all?). There is not feeling of it moving except out of park and back into park.
We are totally baffled.

My husband was driving our 2000 Ford Windstar when he lost all gears. The motor was still running. No warning lights on the dashboard were lit. When he pulled over the only position that worked on the shifter was park.
Any thoughts?


sounds like a drum or gear broke. i've seen several windstars w/ broken rear sun gears. NO FUN needs overhaul. If this was accompanied by a loud pop or clunk something gave out