1996 Ford E-150
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › E-150 › 1996
These records cover every 1996 Ford E-150. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 1996 Ford E-150. Newest first.
Ford IS recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 F-250 sd through F-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 E-150 through E-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 F53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). the…
Risk and remedy
Risk
A vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. on 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary. repairs will be completed free of charge. the safety recall began on october 27, 2009. owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
Ford IS recalling 225,000 my 1992-2003 econoline, my 1993-1995 taurus sho, my 1992-1998 crown victoria, my 1993 bronco, f-series, my 1995-1997 f-series super duty stripped chassis, my 1992-1998 mercury grand marquis, and my 1992-1995 lincoln town car vehicles. the affected vehicles were previously repaired using a wiring harness that IS not compatible with…
Risk and remedy
Risk
As a result, the fuse IS located in the output circuit rather than in the intended input power feed circuit, and may not offer the intended protection in the event of an electrical short to ground.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new wiring harness, or replace the mating electrical component. the recall began on february 18, 2008. owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Overheating could result in smoke or burn and an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. the recall began on august 7, 2006. owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 05v388)
Owner complaints
59 complaints6 involved a crash8 involved a fire101 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system · Service brakes · Vehicle speed control
My vehicle according the nhtsa has recall #09v399000 for the brake system speed control which can catch on fire even in the garage with the vehicle off. I asked ford to repair this because I just bought this vehicle and they claim there are no recalls on this vehicle, and I know there IS and I…
My vehicle according the nhtsa has recall #09v399000 for the brake system speed control which can catch on fire even in the garage with the vehicle off. I asked ford to repair this because I just bought this vehicle and they claim there are no recalls on this vehicle, and I know there IS and I know the recall hasn't been installed on my vehicle. are they saying this because time ran out to have this done because I just bought this vehicle or do they just not want to? thanks for your help. *js
- Electrical system · Service brakes
Vehicle was parked, and upon entering noticed the smell of an electrical fire. started the vehicle, odometer was inoperable and vehicle would not shift out of park. upon further inspection, found a blown 15 amp fuse in the fuse panel. replaced fuse, odometer came back on and vehicle shifted out…
Vehicle was parked, and upon entering noticed the smell of an electrical fire. started the vehicle, odometer was inoperable and vehicle would not shift out of park. upon further inspection, found a blown 15 amp fuse in the fuse panel. replaced fuse, odometer came back on and vehicle shifted out of park. approximately 10 seconds later, the smell of burning wiring was evident, as was smoke from under the hood. pulled the fuse back out, opened the hood to find the brake pressure switch on fire, which melted the brake fluid reservoir as well as the battery casing also. *tr
- Structure
A chrome color grille about 2.5 feet wide and 6" tall flew off the front of our 1996 F150 ford van while we were driving at highway speed. I noticed other similar ford vans that have also lost the same front grill part. we were going 55 mph down a 2 lane highway and a large truck was going the…
A chrome color grille about 2.5 feet wide and 6" tall flew off the front of our 1996 F150 ford van while we were driving at highway speed. I noticed other similar ford vans that have also lost the same front grill part. we were going 55 mph down a 2 lane highway and a large truck was going the other way. the gust of air from the passing truck was sufficient to tear off the grill part and cause it to fly over the top of our van. *Tr
- Engine and engine cooling · Service brakes, hydraulic · Vehicle speed control
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford E-150. whenever the contact starts the engine and depresses the accelerator pedal, the engine becomes stuck at a high rpm and will not return to the idle position. the failure causes the vehicle to either surge forward or backwards depending on what gear it IS in…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford E-150. whenever the contact starts the engine and depresses the accelerator pedal, the engine becomes stuck at a high rpm and will not return to the idle position. the failure causes the vehicle to either surge forward or backwards depending on what gear it IS in at the time. the engine has to be turned off in order to restore the vehicle to a proper speed. in addition, the brakes do not hold or stop the vehicle when they are engaged. the first time this failure occurred, the vehicle crashed into a tree at 10 mph. there were no injuries; however, the rear window was damaged. through research, the contact found numerous issues with this defect on the same make and model vehicles. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop twice. during the first visit, the mechanic cleaned out the engine, engine throttle, and cables. the failure was corrected for two months before it recurred again. during the second visit, the vehicle was towed to the shop and the mechanic checked to make sure that everything was lubricated properly. the shop did not guarantee that the failure would not recur. the contact believes that a recall should be issued. the failure mileage was 150,000 and current mileage was 152,000.
- Electrical system · Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys · Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner · Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump · Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
1996 ford E-150 serpentine belt, air conditioning compressor. Electrical system, ignition module replaced, ABS light illuminated when brakes were applied, tie rods replaced, fuel pump replaced. *kb
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Broken front spring on 1996 econoline van apparently due to corrosion issue. dealer diagnosed problem and states that broken spring may or may not come lose and result in a safety hazard. *nm
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire while parked. the fire was localized under the hood. The vehicle was not taken in for service. a police report was taken. there was a nhtsa recall # 06v286000 which pertained to the vehicle speed control. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. *ak
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
Dt: the caller said that while at work his vehicle caught on fire. It was sitting for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Vehicle was sitting across the street from where the caller worked, and the neighbors saw the fire and helped put it out along with a passing police officer. Fire was caught in time, and no other damage was caused. dealer /manufacturer had not been contacted. *Ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
1996 ford E150 experienced brake failure due to corroded brake lines.*mr the failed part were at the ABS control valve and extended to the front brakes. four months prior to the failure the ABS light illuminated on the dash. *nm
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist
1. I was traveling a 35 mph on a straight road during the daylight hours. the road was dry. The weather was sunny, and there was very little traffic in a two lane road. as I approached standing traffic at a traffic light I began to slow gradually with engine braking. as I appoached the stopped…
1. I was traveling a 35 mph on a straight road during the daylight hours. the road was dry. The weather was sunny, and there was very little traffic in a two lane road. as I approached standing traffic at a traffic light I began to slow gradually with engine braking. as I appoached the stopped car I began to touch the brake pedal, and immediately noticed no braking effect. I than pressed the pedal a couple more inches, and still there was little braking effect. I then pressed as hard as I could, and the vehicle began to slow gradually, but not in time to avoid hitting the car stopped at the traffic light. there was minor damage done to the standing vehicle, but only because I was traveling so slowly and had begun to anticipate the stop in plenty of time. having been an automobile mechanic in years past, I determined that the fault was in the vacuum booster of the brake system. I took the vehicle to an authorized repair shop and had the brake system evaluated. they examined the entire brake system and could find no reason for the failure. they said that it could have been a momentary failure of the ABS or vacuum booster systems, but they could not determine the fault unless it happened again while they were testing the vehicle. I would like to know if this same problem has happened to others.*ak
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
While vehicle was parked a fire started under the hood. Vehicle was totaled. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *Ak
- Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module · Steering › Gear box (other than rack and pinion)
1996 ford F-150 2WD mileage 112,500 (well maintained) oss of steering resulting from something inside steering box disengaging. causing no control from operator of vehicle. vehicle pulled to right and hit parked car, once pass parked car vehecle continued to pull to right, over the lawn and…
1996 ford F-150 2WD mileage 112,500 (well maintained) oss of steering resulting from something inside steering box disengaging. causing no control from operator of vehicle. vehicle pulled to right and hit parked car, once pass parked car vehecle continued to pull to right, over the lawn and hitting another parked car in drivway beforecoming to a stop ntire incident took 3 seconds. I was on I side street close to home doing about 30-35 mph, had it been a highway, people could have been killed. lso air bag did not deploy why! please see if there are any other complaints like this!*ak
- Tires › Tread/belt
The consumer stated the right front tire experienced tread separation. *Ak tires were brought brand new and the failure occurred with 30,000 miles on the tires. Dealer would not replace the first tire that failed. Consumer did have 100,000 mile warranty on the tires. *ph *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Oil pan rusted through, seems to be a common problem for 1996 ford E150 econolines. *nlm
- Power train › Axle assembly › Axle shaft › Seal
Rear main seal replaced at 110K, started to leak again at 130K. Dealer will not warranty. *nlm
- Suspension › Rear › Springs › Leaf spring assembly › Shackle
The rear leaf spring failed. *jb
- Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
The head lights failed while driving. The dealer determined the problem was a faulty wiring harness under the dash. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
The oil pan rusted, which caused oil to leak. *jb
- Electrical system › Starter assembly
Starter has failed six times since purchase. Different brands used, including oem, and all have failed. Professionally repaired and inspected each time. *nlm
- Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields
The body mount bushings on my ford E150 econoline van have failed and the ford manufacturer doesn't think it IS their problem. after some investigation I have come to the conclusion it IS a material defect. I have checked with a few body repair shops in my area and they have had only 1 case of having to replace this type of part. I can not get anyone to quote me a price of how much it will cost to repair this.
- Electrical system
Consumer states vehicle was destroyed by fire. investigator determined fire was caused by a problem with vehicle's electrical system. Ts
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
Fuel filler rubber tube has a rupture which leaks around the nozzle onto the ground and hot exhaust. dealership has told owner that part IS on national back-order. please describe details. *ak
- Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Rear belt buckle broke and consumer was unable to use it while driving. cause unknown. dealer notified. *ak consumer stated that the belts on the captains chair will release if arm rest IS moved to down position. *scc
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Driver's side seatback has broken on two occasions after being involved in a vehicle crash. dealer notified. Feel free to provide any further information concerning this matter.*ak
- Tires › Sidewall
Tire had big lump on sidewall*ak (dot number: 8xhlipy tiresize: 23575r15)
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine compartment fires
Ea05-005 IS closed with ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in…
Ea05-005 IS closed with ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.ford IS also including the entire population of 1998 explorers.ford has informed odi that testing to determine the cause of failures in the 1998 explorers will continue after this investigation IS closed.odi believes that the vehicles exhibiting the factors causing scds failure described in this report correlate well with the observed failure rates on these vehicles by model and model year.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist in the non-recalled vehicles manufactured with scds that are not included in ford?s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the non-recalled population for incidence of engine compartment fires.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached closing report for details.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 50721Check engine light, code p030x, with no driveability complaint.
- 50546Information for when diagnosing concerns w/ factory installed cellular phones.
- 50497Vehicles w/ an ABS code 1095, may be caused by water intrusion into the hcu/ecu motor.
- 50477Investigating 7.3L irregular idle.
- 50472Firestone P235 tires may exhibit a high frequency vibration at 65-75 mph.
- 50469For concerns of stalling, reflash pcm w/ 1996 calibration (R11 level).
- 50440Vehicles may exhibit an exhaust leak &/or noise due to warped exhaust manifolds.
- 50429E4OD trans may emit a tick/rattle noise when driving at light loads in 1ST gear at 1100 to 1800 rpm rpm.
Every Ford E-150 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.