My ford e350 1999 made a loud flapping noise as I was leaving my home. I pulled right back into the driveway and shut off the engine. I found out that the #2 spark plug had completely blown out of the cylinder head. This has never happened on any vehicle I have ever owned. I take good care of my vehicles. I am a mechanic, and former jet engine mechanic also. My obdii confirmed a misfire on cylinder #2 that is how I located which plug it was. Ford said it would cost $260 to look at it, and up to $1700 if they could repair it. Plus towing. I asked how much a new engine would cost since the van is in excellent condition. Ford said it would cost $7,200 for a new engine. This van has cost more for repairs than any vehicle I have owned in my life. I am 62. Air conditioning compressor $700.00 coil on spark plug $130 ABS brake sensor $138.00 flex plate and flywheel $700.(caused by loose ignition switch) egr black box $400 replacement. Ford wanted $100.00 to change my fuel filter. I went to the store and bought the special wrench for $16 ,did it myself in 15 minutes. Recall for wiring near the master cylinder that could catch fire, 1/2 days wages lost. It took me 4 hours to change spark plugs. It was the worst design I have ever seen. A nightmare to get to the spark plugs. I sold the van for $500 tonight. Glad the nightmare is over.
Ford Econoline abs comes on
52 of the 809 owner complaints about the Ford Econoline describe aBS light or ABS activating, most of them for the 1994 model year.
- owner complaints
- 52
- worst model year
- 1994
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 82,639
By model year
Often reported together
Brake failure 9Pulling 4Adaptive cruise 4Premature wear 2Overheating 2Fire or smoke 2Engine failure 2Airbag light 2
Trouble codes mentioned
C1206 1
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 ford econoline(na). While driving and engaging the brake pedal, the warning light came. There was also noise under the hood of his vehicle. The contact stated that the anti lock brake system suddenly caught fire. He turned the vehicle off and waited for an hour to restart it; however, when he attempted to drive smoke and fire were coming from the brakes. He shut the engine off, extinguished the fire, and disconnected the ABS module unit under the hood. The contact was able to drive to the dealer who did not reconnect the ABS module. The contact is currently able to continue driving the vehicle using the normal braking system with no failures. The ABS module will be repaired. The failure mileage was 54,500.
1995 ford e150 based conversion van has had the braking systems/ABS hydraulic control unit replaced twice in less than 83000 miles. Both replacements were done at ford dealers and copies of both invoices can be provided. Since this failure disables the ABS system and produces a hopping in the rear wheels I think this is a hazard that need to be looked into.
Tl* the contact owns a 1995 ford econoline. While driving approximately 35 MPH the "ABS" warning light illuminated on the instrument panel intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection, and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 900. The current mileage was 108,000. Updated 1/25/10 *cn updated 01/26/10.
2003 ford aerostar lx van ABS light and brake light on dashboard will come on and stay on one day, and maybe not the next day. Going on for months. Can't predict when this will occur. The ford dealer offer to take care of the problem for less than a $1000 dollars!?!?!? Very generous of them!
Tl*the contact owns a 1995 ford econoline. After having the wiring harness installed due to the recall, the vehicle's horn and cruise control failed. The contact stated that prior to the installation there were no failures with these two components. He received another recall notice and took the vehicle in for service. The dealer stated that the repair had previously been performed. The contact also needed the dealer to inspect the ABS because the warning light illuminated intermittently while driving various speeds. The contact had to shut off the vehicle and restart it in order for the light to dim. The repairs would cost approximately $1,200 - $2,000 for parts, not including labor. The failure and current mileages were 20,000. Updated 04/11/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford econoline. The ABS was replaced under recall # 04v444000 (electrical system:wiring), but it did not correct the failure. The vehicle is drivable, however, the ABS is burned. The current mileage is 97,000 and failure mileage was 93,195. Updated 08/14/07.
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.
Originally in dec 2004 while returning from a trip to st louis, mo I started having trouble with my ABS light, my speedometer hand intermittently going back to zero and the vehicle coming out of cruise control. It was originally thought to be an ABS brake problem so the speed sensor and the ABS module were replaced. The next time I went out on the road for the 4th of july 2005 weekend, we got as far as charleston, sc and had to put the rv in the shop because the cruise control and speedometer were both malfunctioning; the vehicle would come out of cruise and the speedometer would intermittently go from the correct speed to zero. Also the transmission seemed to be downshifting and upshifting at will. After that we brought the vehicle back to the house and parked it on the driveway. A couple weeks later I went out to move the vehicle and give it a wash job and clean it up a bit. It would not start upon examination I found that the power distribution box had some melted relays in it and the box itself was melted min a couple of places. We had to have a different wiring harness installed to get the vehicle running again. We felt that some of the ground wires had caused a short and that was what had melted the power distribution box. Later we saw that the power distribution box is located just below the reservoir for the vehicle brake fluid. The last item that became functional was the cruise control after replacement of the fuse for the horn which is located in the power distribution box. Then I saw where ford was doing a recall on their cruise control switches for several vehicles and since the econoline van is one of the vehicles that uses that cruise control switch, I feel that the econoline van should be included in the cruise control switch recall. My rv is on a ford econoline e350 van with a 460 cid v8 engine and an automatic transmission with overdrive. Vin #[xxx][xxx]. *nm updated 07/19/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
2003 ford econo-line van caught on fire in the engine compartment.*mr the consumer had the ABS recall repaired in dec 2004. The fire seemed to originate in the area of the ABS system/ master brake cylinder.
Related recalls
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
Parking brake: conventional: mechanical: linkage and cable
- What is wrong
- The parking brake front cables were built longer than appropriate that reduces the performance of the parking brake in certain circumstances, and fails to fully comply with all the requirements of fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance: the effectiveness of the parking brake system on a severe grade may be diminished.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair the parking brake system on the affected vehicles.
Recall number 95V058000 · Recall details
Parking brake: conventional
- What is wrong
- These vehicles do not comply with fmvss 105, "hydraulic brake systems." the parking brake application force for a foot operated control system should not exceed 125 pounds to hold the vehicle on a 30% grade. Interference between the parking brake pedal and a wire harness may increase the needed pedal force to greater than 125 pounds to set the parking brake to hold the vehicle on the 30% grade.
- Risk
- The interference between the foot pedal and the wireharness may not allow the parking brake to fully set. If this occurs when thevehicle is parked on an incline, it may roll, causing a crash.
- Remedy
- Final stage manufacturers will be informed of this condition and provided with parts and instructions necessary to correct this situation.
Recall number 93V194000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Econoline abs
Why does the abs come on in the Ford Econoline?
Owners who report it most often also describe brake failure, pulls to one side and adaptive cruise control problems, and the codes they mention most are C1206.
Which Ford Econoline years have aBS light or ABS activating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1994 (13 complaints), 1995 (11 complaints) and 1996 (9 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ABS light or ABS activating on the Ford Econoline?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Ford Econoline?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history