Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Ford Econoline owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
Consumer states of having problems wit the ABS system. Dealer was contacted, the consumer also stated that the hcv/hyd control unit for the ABS failed and was replaced. The vehicle did not stop under hard bearing, the ABS warning light would come on/off. The consumer was told by Ford that there was a recall #96vz14000. The consumer stated he owned another vehicle like this before and it also had problems-should have been recalled. *sccb
While at a stop the van accelerated on its own and overrode the brakes. This problem caused a crash in April of 1997 and several near misses. Dealer was not able to duplicate problem, and find out what was causing the problem. Please provide any further information.
The ABS will not engage when braking during a emergency situation or a sudden stop. The vehicle has been to a repair shop on two separate occasions. The mechanic replaced the front pads and both front rotors and the problem continued.
Van was slowing getting up speed then surged while parking and did not stop when brakes were applied. The van hit a parked pickup and pushed it up the parking lot embarkment. The abc light came before the accident.
The problem starts when the van starts pulling right intermittently. The ABS light starts coming intermittently on and when it comes on the vehicle starts driving straight. The light goes out and it starts pulling again. When braking it pulls hard right. The hydraulic control unit has been replaced at least 4 times and will drive good for 5000 miles. It has failed again. After driving several miles you can feel the front right rotor is significantly hotter than the left.
I bought the van when it was 2 yrs. Old in dec. 1998, by that summer I had to replace both front rotors because of cracks, and I have had to do this every year since. The van is not used on a daily basis so I am wondering about a possible defect for this to be happening every 2-3,000 miles. Ford shows no recalls on this model, but the garage that has changed the rotars every time says it is not normal with so few miles between each time it happens.
Dash board "ABS" light comes on and stays on intermittently. Since vehicle has low mileage but is out of warranty for time, Ford motor company estimates $750.00 to repair however do not think that a component of this nature should fail at this low mileage since the vehicle is used in very light duty as evidenced by mileage shown since purchased in June 1996.
Brakes wore out and were replaced every 4-6 months. The caliper was made of fiberglass and crumbled under the heat of braking causing the brake pads to wear prematurely. The consumer was having the front disk brakes and the caliper piston replaced with metal a metal kind, consumer has also had problems with the ABS.
Related recalls
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.
Brake complaints in other Econoline years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1996 Ford Econoline?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the brakes of the 1996 Ford Econoline, 25% of the model year's 81 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Ford Econoline brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 96V-214 (conventional, Oct 28, 1996). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Econoline brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.