Approximately 6 times on a 800 mile road trip when it was 90 degrees or hotter in the afternoon my 1996 e350 motorhome would stop running at highway speed stranding us in a dangerous situation on i40. After sitting idle for 30-60 minutes it would start and run maybe 30 miles and stop. In the cool of the evening or morning it would run as long as needed. The problem is an inadequate fuel pump which is well documented on many internet blogs. In mid year 1996 ford upgraded to a turbine fuel pump which I have now paid $450 to install. This upgrade solves the problem. I was also stranded at major intersections also. I read there might have been a recall for this problem which I cannot find. My understanding of the problem is that the original fuel pump was a gerotor which caused cavitation of fuel which caused air to reach the fuel rail causing the vapor lock like problem.
The worst 1996 Ford E-350 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.
- Brakes19
- Tires17
- Engine4
- Fuel system4
- Suspension3
- Transmission2
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Electrical1
- Lights1
- Seat belts1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Ford E-350
Recalls 3
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
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
See all 3 recalls for the 1996 Ford E-350
Defect investigations
Alleged brake hose failures
Ford has received no owner reports of failure, other than the four odi reports that came from a single fleet in new york state.ford also reports that it has received no field reports and did not identify any warranty claims alleging the subject problem.ford estimates that the 86,910 subject vehicles (that have over 6 years exposure), have accumulated over six billion miles of service and that the virtual lack of reports indicates that there is no defect trend.based on ford's data, a safety related defect trend does not appear to exist at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action on the subject vehicles if warranted by the circumstances.odi will continue to monitor field reports for this problem and take appropriate action in the future if indicated.
PE02070
Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Ford E-350 62
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This SKU is a front upper ball joint
- On vehicles with transmission build dates prior to 9/20/95, the overdrive cancel lamp may be illuminating...
- Engine noise similar t a rod knock
- The front end accessory drive (FEAD) belt may wear, shred and/or come off during deceleration
- Some 7.3L diesel E40D equipped vehicles built between 5/15/96 and 7/8/96 may exhibit harsh upshifts
- Driveline resonance/vibration between 1400 and 2000 RPM with the torque converter clutch engaged on...
- A high number of high pressure rexroth pumps and injection pressure regulators (IPR) are being replaced...
- Low RPM, no start, runs poorly, stall
- A bump steer steering feeling, noted when the vehicle's front wheels/tires contact road surface irregularities
- Concerns with bump steer steering feeling noted when front wheels / tires contact road surface irregularities
What 1996 Ford E-350 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Abs sporadically causes difficulty in pressing the break pedal while rhythmically pulling hard right. Highway or surface speeds. Google has many with the same problem and no fix. No codes are thrown. Dealers are no help. Must disable the ABS by pulling the 60amp fuse.
This issue was on a 1996 ford f350 ambulance on route to emergency call when engine shut down and lost all power like it was out of fuel 7.3 liter diesel and tank was full. Had unit towed to cross wood ford in kernersville nc and $2700.00 later after new fuel tank fuel pump 6 injectors and turbo due to liner inside of tank came off and clogged the fuel system and engine ford motor company was no help and said since the vehicle was out of warranty they would not do anything to resolve the cost issues.
Drivers side seat belt latch does not lock.
Discovery of cracked front rotors on my 1996 e-350 motorhome. First cracked rotor found in may 2007 with 35,000 miles on vehicle. Second cracked rotor found in september 2009 with 41,000 miles on vehicle.
While driving at 45/55 MPH right front tire went out of round, and the left front tire started showing signs of fatigue. When this occurred front shocks failed, and the hydraulic fluid spilled onto the catalytic converter. This resulted in severe frontal vehicle damage. The manufacturer had been notified.
Subject vehicle is a ford e350 superduty van chassis manufactured in may 1996 with vn [xxx] equipped with a e40d transmission. The transmission in a 1997 class c motorhome started to leak. The problem was detected before complete failure, which could have resulted in a fire. Vehicle had to be towed to garage. When transmission was rebuilt a seal had to be replace. The oem part number was e9tp 7ap48 aa. The seal was replace with a part from percision international with part number 16601ev, which came with the following advisory "the original design silicone rubber is not as compatible with new ford mercron v fluid. Also it's not able to hold up to the demands of heavy duty truck applications." if this is in fact the cases the affected vehicles should be reviewed and if necessary recalled. *la information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Consumer states that valve stems recommended for vehicle is not effective after 8000 miles. On several occasions tires would become flat for no apparent reason. Vehicle was taken to a repair shop, who informed consumer of the valve problem.
Consumer states that while driving at 55 MPH tread on the passenger side rear separated from the tire. Several weeks later the same thing happened with the front passenger tire while driving at 65 MPH.
The injector module failed, which caused the power steering to stop working. *jb this was the second fuel injector driver module that failed due to water in the module. The engine stopped with ovt warning. Scc
Compare the 1996 Ford E-350
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Questions about the 1996 Ford E-350
Is the 1996 Ford E-350 reliable?
Owners have filed 50 complaints about the 1996 Ford E-350, 2.9 times a typical E-350 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Ford E-350?
Brakes, with 19 complaints. Next is tires (17).
How many recalls does the 1996 Ford E-350 have?
3 recalls, covering vehicle speed control.
What year does the Ford E-350 have bad brakes?
The Ford E-350 model years with the most brakes complaints are 1995 (34 complaints), 1996 (19 complaints) and 1997 (17 complaints).
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