1996 Ford F Series
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 1996 Ford F Series. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
16 complaints5 involved a fire1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system
Truck was driven then parked, 15 minutes later while mowing the grass, I looked over at the parked truckand it was on fire. the fire started at the brake master cylinder and it was a total loss.
- Fuel system, gasoline
Opened rear tank cap and fuel spurted out and would not stop had to put cap back on, I never use this tank only refuel in the front tank. *tr
- Structure › Body › Door
I have tried numerous times to replace my door handles from the inside of my truck. They keep breaking, and now I am driving a truck that I can only open from the outside after rolling my windows down. I have talked to ford about this defect, which I consider a high safety issue in an emergency.…
I have tried numerous times to replace my door handles from the inside of my truck. They keep breaking, and now I am driving a truck that I can only open from the outside after rolling my windows down. I have talked to ford about this defect, which I consider a high safety issue in an emergency. They say they have a better design but will cost me $250 each to replace. I know I am not the only one that has this problem so why isn't it something that ford should replace free? Meanwhile.. I can't afford $500 for two door handles, plus labor, ontop of the cost of the ones I have already bought, and tried replacing myself. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline · Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Auxillary tank › Selector devices
Gasoline IS leaking out of the front fuel cap of my 1996 ford F-150 truck. My truck has dual tanks. I consider this to be a very dangerous problem that could cause a fire or explosion. My research online found nhtsa campaign ID number 91v146000. This IS the problem my truck IS having but it IS not…
Gasoline IS leaking out of the front fuel cap of my 1996 ford F-150 truck. My truck has dual tanks. I consider this to be a very dangerous problem that could cause a fire or explosion. My research online found nhtsa campaign ID number 91v146000. This IS the problem my truck IS having but it IS not currently covered under this recall. I am writing this sunday evening so I am waiting till morning to contact ford and report this problem to them. The recall that I found called for replacement of the dual fuel tank selector valve on 1989 ford f-150's. But since I am having the exact same defect and the effect of such an equipment failure IS life threatening I believe the recall needs to be expanded to include all ford vehicles that have dual fuel tanks. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
A malfunctioning check valve within the fuel pump assembly causes a portion of the unused fuel from one tank to be returned to the second tank. When this occurs, the capacity of the second tank can be exceeded, causing fuel spillage. *kb
- Vehicle speed control
Cruise control refuses to disengage when brakes applied. Issue reported to ford dlr. In 2002 and dlr. Refused to repair as not under warranty recall and unit out of warranty. I do not try to use cruise control as vehicle accelerates with control on and will not disengage. This IS a safety issue that ford needs to correct at no charge to me. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
The rear fuel tank drains fuel from the front fuel tank and causes fuel to out past the fill cap. *Tr
- Steering › Column
1996 ford f 150 auto trans w/ overdrive cruise & tilt, the problem IS steering column failure first time was about three years ago and again now 11/30/2007. The 1ST time at about 78,000 mi. And the mileage now IS 179,000 mi the description of the failure starts as popping sounds along with…
1996 ford f 150 auto trans w/ overdrive cruise & tilt, the problem IS steering column failure first time was about three years ago and again now 11/30/2007. The 1ST time at about 78,000 mi. And the mileage now IS 179,000 mi the description of the failure starts as popping sounds along with the sounds of a rusty screen door spring then it gets worse to the point that the steering wheel hangs and it takes both hands to free it. (Trust me this will scare the heck out of you turning in a busy intersection) eventually it will lock up completely. *tr
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
On 1/10/05, I arrived home from work and parked my vehicle at approximately 6:00 pm. the vehicle was parked under the carport 15 feet away from my bedroom window. at 12:30 am, my wife and I heard a noise, looked out the blinds to find fire coming from drivers side edges of hood. Me and my son…
On 1/10/05, I arrived home from work and parked my vehicle at approximately 6:00 pm. the vehicle was parked under the carport 15 feet away from my bedroom window. at 12:30 am, my wife and I heard a noise, looked out the blinds to find fire coming from drivers side edges of hood. Me and my son ran out to get a garden hose as my wife called 911. as I was passing by the vehicle the paint was beginning to burn off directly above the break booster. I began spraying the vehicle through the radiator grill, as my son was trying to pop the hood. I sprayed around the edges, flames were coming out mostly from the drivers side. then the drivers side plastic tire well burned out enough, I was able to get water underneath the hood. the fire department arrived at 12:34 am. they popped the hood using their cable tool and began to apply water. luckily the fire was extinguished within about 15 minutes, due to the fire department IS only a couple of blocks away. Because of the quick response of extinguishing the fire, you can definitely tell where the fire originated. as you can tell by the pictures I have enclosed, the air filter on the right-hand side suffered heat damage, but were not destroyed. on the left side of the engine the rubber hoses and fuel lines were still intact and not burned. The only thing that was completely destroyed was the break fluid reservoir, and the cruise control switch. when the fireman examined it, they thought it may have come from the wiring harness, they had never seen the break fluid reservoir catch on fire. I only had liability insurance on this vehicle. Due to the extensive damage, I sold it for salvage only. *Jb
- Electrical system
My sons truck 1996 ford F150 caught fire sitting in the driveway it had been sitting there a little over two hours. it started on the right side of the vehicle under the hood. the truck IS totaled, my sofic and gutter was destroyed my garage. my 2005 car-mate trailer has heat damage on the front of it and destroyed my neighbors fence and bushes. *nm
- Electrical system
13-21 aug truck was parked in driveway while we visited family in south carolina. truck not driven. Drove truck 22 aug to work approx. 12.5 miles. truck was parked in parking lot until 4PM when I drove it home. truck was parked in driveway from 4:30 pm until the fire was discovered between 8:30…
13-21 aug truck was parked in driveway while we visited family in south carolina. truck not driven. Drove truck 22 aug to work approx. 12.5 miles. truck was parked in parking lot until 4PM when I drove it home. truck was parked in driveway from 4:30 pm until the fire was discovered between 8:30 and 9:00 pm. I do not know when the fire started and I have had no problems at all with the truck and I do not know what started the fire. but I believe the hotest part of the fire was on the left side of the engine near the top where most of the destruction was located.
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
Dt: contact states: a fire started which was related to the cruise control module sitting on the brake master cylinder. The fire started while the vehicle was shut off in a parking lot by itself. Some of the engine equipment burned. consumer contacted ford ,and ford said the vehicle was not under recall because of the year of the vehicle and tbe vin. consumer paid for the repair of out of his pocket. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Nys vehicle inspection requires emission testing on 96 & newer models. I had my oxygen sensors replaced several times & twice in one years time. The oxygen sensors that ford makes are defective. It costs me over $500 each time to replace these sensors. *ak
- Electrical system › Wiring › Fuses and circuit breakers
1996 ford F150 fuse blown # 13 (in dash) brake light failure; speed control associated sensors. local ford dealer serviced 9-27-04 @ $510.30 to diagnose situation and remedied by replacing the whole master cylinder where it was obvious that the switch from the speed control on this brake…
1996 ford F150 fuse blown # 13 (in dash) brake light failure; speed control associated sensors. local ford dealer serviced 9-27-04 @ $510.30 to diagnose situation and remedied by replacing the whole master cylinder where it was obvious that the switch from the speed control on this brake unit was burnt. Additional remedy was to disconnect the wiring harness that controls the speed control rendering my horn useless as well. The male harness connector IS presently taped as I was instructed that hooking it back up would create this same fire hazard condition. Therefore, I have no horn and my speed control isn't working either. The fuse hasn't blown and I do have brake lights. ( pa requires that the horn work to pass safety inspection ) the braking system did not fail me at any time other than this electrical problem (blown fuse) and the changing of the mechanical/hydrologics was not warranted.*jb
- Unknown or other
Sept. 5TH I encountered a problem I thought I would never have to deal with. I have been a long time supporter of ford, but this has turned me sour. I have a puppy that I put into the cab of my truck. as he was moving towards the passengers seat (on the floor) he must have rubbed his paw up next…
Sept. 5TH I encountered a problem I thought I would never have to deal with. I have been a long time supporter of ford, but this has turned me sour. I have a puppy that I put into the cab of my truck. as he was moving towards the passengers seat (on the floor) he must have rubbed his paw up next to the black bench seat frame. I only figured this out hours later after bringing him home from the emergency animal clinic. he recieved a cut that went deep enough to cut a tendon in his foot and put about a three inch gash in his foot. after examining every possibly reason for his injury I looked in the truck. low and behold the seat frame on my truck IS razor sharp and there IS blood all over it. I can believe this! I have had this truck since it was new...this could have happened to me, or even my little daughter just by moving the wrong way...it could have put a serious gash in one of our feet or legs, or even worse a tendon or something. its bad enough it happened to our five month old puppy. I am really upset about this. along with the vet bills that are now growing as we speak. I plan to contact ford to see if they are willing to pay for these bills and also fix this problem in the truck.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
My F150 only has 65000 miles and IS 7 yrs. Old and dthe oil pan IS rusted out. from the sounds of it, this has been an ongoing problem with frod trucks based on info. Posted on a websdsite bulletin board. I think ford should take care of this.*ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Pinched wiring harnesses
wiring harnesses routed along left and/or right frame rails may become pinched between frame and cab.pinched harnesses may suffer loss of insulation integrity which results in a short to ground with the potential for vehicle fire.
- Vehicle electrical fire
Engine wiring harnessbecomes pinched between the vehicle cab and chassis leading to an electrical short and fire.
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.
- 10029029Jerr-dan: anti stall feature for ford f series light duty chassis with V10 gas engine and an engine drive clutch pump. Model years unknown.
- 10008279New service part - number 5 needle bearing and race kit - 4r70w transmission - service tip.
- 10004874Rough idle, miss and various other driveability concerns on vehicles with 7.3L dit engine. This may be related to injector bore scuffing caused by fuel quality issues.
- 10004027Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips.
- 6091810Subject regarding proper operation and interpretation of dual air pressure gauge readings.
- 6091800Subject regarding technical hotline assistance for bi-fuel vehicles.
- 6090873Locks failed. Yd
- 6090184Information on replacing and / or repairing malfunctioning (door, ignition and decklid) locks.
- 6090087Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems.
- 6089681Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses.
- 6089647Subject regarding vehicle lean correction procedure.
- 635976Subject regarding vehicle lean correction procedure developed for diagnosing and correcting vehicle lean.
- 630412Some vehicles may exhibit a condition of oil contamination in cooling system.
- 630273Some vehicles equipped with 7.3L di engine may exhibit false diagnostic trouble codes p1105, p1106 (upper and lower alternator faults).
- 628153Owner notification program supplement 7 revised information - regarding replacement of wilderness at tires.
- 624115Information update for replacement of firestone wilderness at tires, p235/75r15. *Slc
- 615514Subject regarding engine diagnostic guide for warranty reimbursement.
- 615491All vehicles with antilock brake module concerns that require a module replacement, the technician must call for approval before removing and / or replacing the module.
- 615427This bulletin states that replacement under warranty of certain specified components on any 7.3L dit diesel vehicle, requires that the replaced component be returned with the appropriate year diesel engine diagnostic guide for warranty reimbursement.
- 615335Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start / long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern.
- 615276Some vehicles with 7.3L dit engines may exhibit a no start / hard start and / or long crank time.
- 615194Some vehicles with 7.3L dit engine may exhibit a no start / hard start and / or long crank time.
- 613354On some vehicles, the oil may leak onthe side of the fd1460 engine. This may happen because the oil level indicator (dipstick) rises out of its normal retained position when the engine IS running.
- 613353Subject regarding the stoplamp diode location and replacement procedure on vehicles built since 12/90 with hydraulic brakes.
- 613336Subject regarding a new single key locksets installed on certain trial vehicles.
- 613224Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start/long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern. *Mjs
- 613203Some vehicles with 7.3L dit engine may exhibit a no start / hard start and / or long crank time.
- 610701Some vehicles equipped with 7.3L dit diesel engines may develop a cracked flexplate.
- 609550Hard to start vehicle at cold temperature.*ak
- 608429Vehicles equipped with fd1060 or fd1460 midrange diesel engines may experience a vibration or buzz through the throttle pedal.
- 607854Subject pertaining to radio inoperative conditions.
- 607508Information on the revised fuel injector o-ring kit.
- 606868Some medium trucks produced at kentucky assembly plant may exhibit oil leaking out of the transmission shift lever.
- 606491Subject regarding intermittent electrical issues, such as dash lights flashing when the turn signal IS activated.
- 606461Ford motor company has released a private labeled material to be used for iron particle / acid rain service repairs.
- 606401Experiencing various intermittent concerns, such as low coolant level sensor leaking coolant into wiring harness.
- 605258Clarification pertaining to the dual air pressure gauge function.
- 605251Subject regarding techinical hotline assistance for bi-fuel vehicles with gfi alternate fuel systems.
- 604059Ford motor company has released a new electrical grease ( F8AZ - 19g208-aa ) to reduce the possibility of moisture corrosion at the terminals.
- 603930Information regarding replacement and / or repairs on any lock component.
Every Ford F Series model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.