Most common 1996 Ford Econoline problems
Share of the 81 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Econoline complaints by model year
Best Econoline years: 2005, 2006, 2007. Years to avoid: 1997, 1999, 1996, 1995, 2000. Compare all years →
1996 Ford Econoline recalls (3)
Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
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.
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.
Vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat.
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)
Parking brake › Conventional
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."
Remedy: Dealers will adjust the parking brake system on the affected vehicles.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1996 Ford Econoline:
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…
What 1996 Ford Econoline owners say
Brakes all 20 →
This makes the 2nd time I have reported this, please respond to this!..... I have had many occasions when traveling the california freeways, when wet, and the rear drums/shoes get wet and become innoperative. I have been a repair tech on all systems of brakes, technical and simple, and find there to be a design flaw in the backing plate/relationship to the rear drums which allow water mist to enter and wet the rear shoes. I am not talking about deep puddles or gully-washers, just a light drizzle will produce this problem. When brought to fords attention, they said they have not expeirianced this with any one else, and must be my driving habbits. Well, it doesn't rain all that much,and at slower speeds, say under 35, it does not seem to happen. …
On June 25th I changed the battery on my 1996 Ford e150 because the battery was dead. About a half an hour later I heard the alarm going off. When I went outside there was white smoke coming out from under the hood. I raised the hood and the sending unit on the master cylinder for the cruise control was smoking and the white smoke was increasing by the second. I pulled the wires that were leading to it and the smoked started to disapate. The vehicle was not running and the ignition was turned off. On June 29, I was watching the jane pauly show on cnn. They were reporting about a problem with this same part on the Ford f150 pickups. I believe that if my alarm had not sounded my vehicle would have caught on fire like the pickup trucks in the report. As of yet I still have not repaired the vehicle and all parts are as they were on the day of the incedent. …
Wheels & tires
Dt: the contact bought 4 new tires around June-2002. 3 failed. The first one failed in 6-04, the second one blew out in 3-05, and the third one failed on 8-15-05. Noticed the bubbles before the other two blew out. The dealership replaced them at no cost; but was worried about other people who May have the same tire. The tire brand name is big o. The dot numbers are b4kv3800; utrk-266e r-44448 k-9184 1914. The tire line is: lt235/75r15.
Incident 1- occurred on May 20,2000. The front driver side tire stipped and peeled off while traveling on the highway. There was a big blow out sound and the car swayed but was safely pulled over. It caused considerable damage to the left front side. Firestone was notified. They processed the claim and paid for the repairs. The tire was sent back to them. Incident 2-- occured recently on jul 31 2000. The back tire on the drivers side stripped and blew out in a similar pattern while driving on a local steet. Firestone was again notified. They asked the tire be taken to a local dealer. We requested that they replace all the remaining tires us we feared driving with the remaining tires. Firestone declined to replace it but said would prorate it to the tread wear. We did not accept that us we feel that the tires were originally defective. …
Engine & cooling
On Sunday morning at about 6 am the alarm of our van went off. It woke us up. The engine of the van was on fire. We called the 911 and the fire department came. My husband tried to use the fire extinguisher but he could not open the hood. The fire department put out the fire.the last time I drove the van was about 8:30 pm on Saturday night. It was fine then while it was burning it sounded like it was trying to start. One fireman said that sound was from the wires burning or something like that. It is a 1996 Ford [redacted] Ford e 350 limited regency the mileage was about79362. A sticker on the windshield says built with pride Econoline by loraind ohio assembly uaw 425 2000. We are very thankful for the car alarm. We were not due to wake up until an hour later. We think it is totaled because the whole front side is burned and the windshield broke. All the seats are still in good shape. …
Tl 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.
1996 Ford Econoline engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 17 / 14 |
| 4.9L 6-cyl | 3-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 14 / 13 |
| 4.9L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 16 / 13 |
| 5.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 11 / 16 / 13 |
EPA ratings. Class: Van.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Ford Econoline a good car?
Based on 81 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Econoline rates avoid: 3.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Econoline at the same age. It is one of the Econoline years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Ford Econoline?
The brakes — 20 complaints, 25% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the wheels & tires (13) and engine & cooling (12).
How many recalls does the 1996 Ford Econoline have?
There are 3 recalls for the 1996 Ford Econoline, the most recent from February 4, 2008 (cruise control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Econoline?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2005, 2006 and 2007. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997, 1999, 1996, 1995 and 2000. See the full Ford Econoline years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Econoline problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 98,000 miles; 12% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.