Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford econoline. The contact stated the door latch would not release open in order to gain access or exit the vehicle due to the faulty door cable. The failure involved both side doors and rear door. The contact purchased the door cable kit and performed the repair himself. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 01/20/12*lj the consumer stated there was a flaw in the mechanics that operates the doors that can become inoperable without warning. The cables operating the latches can and do fail because they are made of vinyl and in time fail. Updated 01/20/12
The worst 1996 Ford Econoline 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.
- Brakes20
- Tires13
- Acceleration12
- Engine12
- Electrical7
- Suspension5
- Airbags4
- Seats4
- Body3
- Steering3
- Fuel system2
- Locks1
- Seat belts1
- Transmission1
- Visibility1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Ford Econoline
Fire or smoke 12ABS 9Adaptive cruise 8Tire blowout 6Stalling 5
Recalls 3
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
Parking brake: conventional
- What is wrong
- The parking brake systems may not hold the vehicles on a 20% grade with foot pedal efforts of 125 pounds or less. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
- Risk
- The vehicle may roll after being parked increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will adjust the parking brake system on the affected vehicles.
Recall number 96V214000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 1996 Ford Econoline
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
Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Ford Econoline 135
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
- Engine or fuel system concerns when using fuel with greater than 5% biodiesel concentration. tt
- The water-in-fuel lamp may stay on and the fuel may be slow to drain or not drain at all when the fuel...
- Availability of new sealant for servicing 7.3L di turbo engine
- No start/hard start and/or long crank time for vehicles with 7.3L di turbo diesel
- Some 7.3L diesel vehicles may exhibit an engine miss where the engine may stall and not restart
- A hard start or no start condition in extreme cold weather
- Coolant may leak at the rear oil header
- Rough idle and engine miss due to injector bore scuffing at green engine break-in
- For 7.3L dit engines, rotunda tool has issued an injector performance analyzer that may now be purchased...
What 1996 Ford Econoline owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl*the contact owned a 1996 ford econoline. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire on january 14, 2008 while parked in the driveway. Smoke appeared from the engine and front passenger seat. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received ford recall notice number 05s28 the first week in may of 2008. The current and failure mileages were 122,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford econoline. The contact received a safety recall notice for the vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal in february of 2008. Since that time, he has called the dealer five times and was informed to call back the following week. On april 2, 2008, he was informed to call back in august. There had been no failure to date. The purchase date, powertrain, and recall number were unknown. The current mileage was 124,000. Updated 04/16/08 *bf updated 04/16/08
1996 ford econoline with fused jumper harness recall. Consumer states that the dealer keeps telling him that the parts are not available. Consumer is very upset with the unsatisfactory way this recall is being taken care of.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford econoline. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). The dealer replaced the switch a few months ago; however, ford is currently sending the contact another letter stating that the part they replaced was still defective, and he needs to make another appointment. The letter requests that he leave the vehicle at the dealer while it is being repaired. The contact has been driving the vehicle for years and was not aware that it could catch fire. He is scared to drive the vehicle. There had been no failure to date. The current mileage was 88,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford econoline. While parked, the vehicle began smoking and then caught fire. The fire originated from the cruise control and destroyed all of the switches, buttons, and mirror on the driver side door. The contact has pictures. Updated 5/20/08
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford econoline. After the vehicle had been parked for 24 hours, it burst into flames. There were no prior warnings. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The insurance investigator stated that the fire was caused by something electrical in the engine compartment. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. Personal items that were in the yard were burned and damaged. The vehicle was repaired last november for the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v286000 (vehicle speed control). The cruise control never worked properly after the repair was made. The current and failure mileages were 157,000. Updated 02-19-08
The morning of 23 dec 2006 around 5:00 am, my 1196 ford econoline conversion van caught on fire in the engine compartment for no apparent reason. Due to the intense heat my home suffered fire damage as well. There were no known mechanical or electrical problems with the van. It was running like a champ until this incident.
1996 ford econoline electrical system repeatedly caused the van to break down. *kb the air conditioning compressor seized and the serpentine belt needed to be replaced. The ignition module was replaced. The tie rods needed to be replaced which failed while the consumer was driving. The cruise control stopped working and the ABS, air bag and engine lights illuminated.
1996 club wagon chateau theft alarm came on/off causing vehicle not to start the next morning. *ts the alarm once again sounded and was turned off. A few hours later the vehicle was on fire. The vehicle's cruise control deactivation switch had failed prior to the consumer receiving the recall notice. Another vehicle was damaged in the fire. The consumer's vehicle was a total loss.
Compare the 1996 Ford Econoline
Other model years
19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200920102012201620172019
Questions about the 1996 Ford Econoline
Is the 1996 Ford Econoline reliable?
Owners have filed 80 complaints about the 1996 Ford Econoline, 26.7 times a typical Econoline model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Ford Econoline?
Brakes, with 20 complaints. Next is tires (13).
How many recalls does the 1996 Ford Econoline have?
3 recalls, covering vehicle speed control and parking brake.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Ford Econoline brakes?
Yes, 1 recall: 96V214000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Econoline have bad brakes?
The Ford Econoline model years with the most brakes complaints are 1994 (29 complaints), 1995 (28 complaints) and 1996 (20 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1996 Ford Econoline?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history