See attached document for complaint
The worst 1994 Ford E-150 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes26
- Acceleration20
- Steering20
- Engine17
- Fuel system17
- Electrical12
- Suspension10
- Tires8
- Body7
- Transmission7
- Airbags5
- Seat belts3
- Visibility2
- Wheels2
- Lights1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1994 Ford E-150
ABS 12Adaptive cruise 11Fire or smoke 11Power steering loss 7Ball joint 6Tire blowout 5
Recalls 7
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- 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 scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- 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.
Recall number 09V399000 · Recall details
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- R&r mobility is recalling 7 vans equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lift. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations on motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.
- Risk
- The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
- Remedy
- R&r mobility is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lift free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1‑818‑267‑3000.
Recall number 09V297000 · Recall details
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- R&r mobility is recalling 7 vans equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "platform lift system accessible for motor vehicles." the anti-stow interlock may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user. The pressure sensing switch that detects the presence of weight on the platform was not adjusted to the necessary sensitivity level. The lift could stow even though someone or something is still on the lift.
- Risk
- A lift occupant can be injured should the lift begin to stow unintentionally.
- Remedy
- R&r mobility is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e097). Owners may contact ricon at 1‑818‑267‑3000.
Recall number 09V298000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control: cruise control
- What is wrong
- 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 the vehicle circuit polarity.
- 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.
Recall number 08V051000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
- 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)
Recall number 06V286000 · Recall details
Interior lighting
- What is wrong
- The transformer used to power the neon center lightbeam can overheat and catch on fire.
- Risk
- The overheating and fires caused by the neon transformer can result in damage to the lightbeam assembly, the roof of the vehicle, and could result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Mark iii dealers will modify the assemblies to eliminate the neon lighting fixture in the vehicle and replace it with incandescent lights operating directly from the vehicle 12-volt battery.
Recall number 94V128000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- The manufacturer's certification label and/or the driver air bag advisory label may be missing from the vehicles, which does not conform to the requirements of 49 cfr 567.
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance: owners of vehicle would be unaware of the load capacity of the vans, the van build date, and would not have any assurance that the vans meet the federal motor vehicle safety standards.
- Remedy
- The labels will be furnished to owner's for installation on the vehicles.
Recall number 94V087000 · Recall details
See all 7 recalls for the 1994 Ford E-150
Defect investigations
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 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 the federal safety agency 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.
EA05005
Loss of steering control
There is no summary currently available
PE96072
Technical service bulletins for the 1994 Ford E-150 10
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- A comprehensive pull and drift diagnostic procedure has been developed to assist technicians in resolving...
- A shudder / vibration and / or squealing heard while braking - revised front brake lining
- Subject regarding on-vehicle caliper-mount lathe machining setup procedures
- Information on aode/4R7W transmission main control & case replacement
- Vehicles may exhibit an exhaust leak &/or noise due to warped exhaust manifolds
- Subject regarding a new transmission case and main control released for service on aode / 4R70W transmissions
- Vehicles experiencing occasional harsh reverse engagement concerns
- Delayed forward engagement and/or heat stained forward clutch plates after installing center support service
- There may be an intermittent loss of torque during or just after the 3-4 upshift or in 4TH gear on some...
- Unknown
1994 Ford E-150 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.9L 6‑cyl | RWD | 12-13 | 15-17 | 13-14 |
| 5.0L 8‑cyl | RWD | 12 | 17 | 14 |
| 5.8L 8‑cyl | RWD | 11 | 15-16 | 12-13 |
What 1994 Ford E-150 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 1994 Ford E-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated she heard an unusual noise that sounded like something broke. The contact stated she continued to drive and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured steering box. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
On jan 21st 2020, while maneuvering at a gas station, I heard a loud pop/crack. Thinking I had hit a stanchion, I walked around my van but - no stanchion. Nothing to see so I go about my day. Steering pulled to the right, I checked for low tire pressure - pressure, ok. 40 miles of freeway driving later, I take the van to the garage - steering feels loose. After inspection, the danger I was in, and the threat I was to those around me on the road, was most apparent. The steering gear box was loose from the frame, one bolt having sheered off. And the frame itself cracked. Imagine my surprise when finding that fatigue failure at this part of the frame was well documented on the internet and yet, as an original owner, I had not been informed of this known and dangerous design defect by ford motor co or landmark ford. How many vans of the same vintage are still on the road ?? How many are safe to drive along side?? I guess I am lucky to be able to write this note, cos had my steering box broken loose while driving across the glen jackson bridge, (I 205), I could easily have ended up in the columbia river along with other innocents. Disillusioned customer. 1994 ford e150, 170,289 mls, frame @ steering gear box.
Very wobbly loose steering. Scary to drive because the steering isn't reliable. Feels like it will just go off the road or into oncoming traffic while driving down the road. Havent driven it much since.
Tl* the contact owns a 1994 ford e-150. The contact stated that one of the three bolts had become loosely connected associated with the steering. The contact tightened the washer as an interim repair to prevent a power steering failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
I was driving and came thru the tunnel,and stop by mall to get something to eat.while parking my steering gear box broke away from the frame,causing me to have no steering.if this would have happen 10 minutes earlier or after I would have left the mall going thru the two lane midtown tunnel I would have had a head on collision which would have been deadly.is this something ford knew about and did no recall.the bolts are bad and I researched and it happen to alot of people's driving that type.my van in the shop and I do think ford should foot the repair bill.I love my van.have a mustang too it's just the idea I could have killed some one or myself.please if I can have some feed back on this issue or even who else I could contact regarding this issue.
Hope this isn't a dup; I started a report yesterday, but don't think I completed it. Asked to do some work on my 1994 club wagon (167k mi), an independent mechanic found a crack on the lower side of the frame, beneath the steering box. He wouldn't do the work. Subsequently a body shop found there were actually two cracks, one on the inboard side of the frame, radiating from the steering box mounting hole, traveling back and down, around the lower corner of the frame, then forward about 3" on the lower face of the frame ,along the edge. The last 2" of the crack were open, with about a 2mm gap. The crack on the opposite face traveled in an arc of perhaps 60 degrees centered on the mounting bolt hole, about 2" from the center, then diagonally down to the lower edge, then back a couple of inches along that lower edge. Both look like fatigue due to sb torque on the frame. Ford won't fix the problem, provide a method to fix it, or comment on the possibility of fixing it. The corporate consumer help phone line said I should buy a shop manual and read it to determine if there is a way to fix it. The local ford dealer recommended a body shop. That shop offered to weld patches over the cracks. After reading similar stories, that sounds like a profoundly bad idea. A search this (nhtsb) site for similar problems claims 15 total problems with this model and year. However, another site (http://harrigill.net/fordvan/index.html) lists 39 for the same model and year, copied from the federal safety agency in 2007 - and yet more from 1993. Where are the others? And what of the problem with the same frame in other years? What is the total number of reported problems for this design, summed over all years? It seems to me the federal safety agency and ford should have warned owners of this problem. Perhaps you haven't noticed because frame not in your list of parts?
I purchased this 1994 ford e-150 clubwagon from a private owner in 08/2008, it was and still is in better than good condition. It had a recall to replace a fused jumper harness which was done in 12/2008. In early spring of 2009, I just bought a new set of tires and got a front end alignment, about two weeks later, I was traveling at about 45 miles an hour on a busy four lane street, when I hit a bump in the road and my van began to shake very violently. At the same time I was passing a repair shop, I got the van under control and pull in. Being a certified mechanic myself I began to examine the steering linkage, everything seemed fine, when the shop mechanic noticed that the lower steering gearbox bolt had went through the frame and had broke at the threads. After putting it in the shop a few times, with short term success, that particular area of the frame continued to have problems. What started out as a small hole, after a few attempts at the shop, has now become larger. I checked with the local ford dealer about a recall, there was none. I've worked as a mechanic for many years, and have never seen this happen before, I have a few theories on the subject, possibly an over torqued gearbox and/or a very weak frame. But nevertheless ford should recall these vehicles and make the necessary repairs before someone is seriously injured or becomes a fatality. Because this defect could happen at any given time and without warning.
Tl*the contact owns a 1994 ford e-150. The contact stated that fuel began to leak from under the vehicle while he was fueling the vehicle. The fuel continued to leak until the tank was 1/3 full and it stopped. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 140,000.
I'm having a difficult time getting recalls done at the local ford dealer. I called last week to schedule a time to get fixed and they told me to bring it in anytime next week after tuesday. I did just that and they told me they stopped doing recalls for now. We don't have any other options other then taking out of town an 1 hour away.
Compare the 1994 Ford E-150
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Questions about the 1994 Ford E-150
Is the 1994 Ford E-150 reliable?
Owners have filed 121 complaints about the 1994 Ford E-150, 10.1 times a typical E-150 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1994 Ford E-150?
Brakes, with 26 complaints. Next is acceleration (20).
How many recalls does the 1994 Ford E-150 have?
7 recalls, covering vehicle speed control, equipment adaptive/mobility and interior lighting.
What year does the Ford E-150 have bad brakes?
The Ford E-150 model years with the most brakes complaints are 1994 (26 complaints), 1995 (20 complaints) and 1997 (18 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1994 Ford E-150 get?
Official estimates for the 1994 Ford E-150 range from 12 to 14 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.9L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 12-13 city and 15-17 highway.
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