1996 Ford E-150 Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 19%of 59 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 130,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the engine cooling of the 1996 Ford E-150, 19% of the 59 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 130,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Noisy ABS; did we and do we have working ABS? No help from Ford. Don davis Ford invoice 202541 12/15/97, middlekauff inv. 404267 12/18/97 & 436463 2/2/99, five star inv. C05234 6/2/98 pd for brake fluid flushing with brake job (5star ruined caliper too), karl klement inv. 36021 8/19/98. My husband & I flushed the brakes - looked like dirty motor oil. 3 second whee became a chirp, pd. Utter Ford inv. C02461 5/19/99 to bleed ABS control unit - whee is gone but does our ABS work? It's never engaged and don't know if it will. …”
NHTSA complaint #706718, filed 1999-05“The contact owns a 1996 Ford E-150. Whenever the contact starts the engine and depresses the accelerator pedal, the engine becomes stuck at a high RPM and will not return to the idle position. The failure causes the vehicle to either surge forward or backwards depending on what gear it is in at the time. The engine has to be turned off in order to restore the vehicle to a proper speed. In addition, the brakes do not hold or stop the vehicle when they are engaged. The first time this failure occurred, the vehicle crashed into a tree at 10 MPH. …”
NHTSA complaint #10276194, filed 2009-07, 150,000 miles“1996 Ford E-150 serpentine belt, air conditioning compressor. Electrical system, ignition module replaced, ABS light illuminated when brakes were applied, tie rods replaced, fuel pump replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #10176468, filed 2006-12“Vehicle stalls while driving on incline. Problem has been brought to dealer's attention. Owner notes that dealers hooked vehicle to flight recorder on numerous occasions, and also replace the iac motor but problem remains. Owner is very concerned for safety.”
NHTSA complaint #816479, filed 1997-09“While driving engine's cooling line beneath vehicle has split, causing water to spill out of radiator. Vehicle has rear heat. Thermostat was overheating.”
NHTSA complaint #885819, filed 2001-04Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 | 9% |
| 2007 | 1 | 8% |
| 2006 | 2 | 12% |
| 2005 | 1 | 6% |
| 2004 | 1 | 3% |
| 2003 | 3 | 14% |
| 2002 | 2 | 7% |
| 2001 | 5 | 14% |
| 2000 | 3 | 6% |
| 1999 | 11 | 13% |
| 1998 | 15 | 25% |
| 1997 | 20 | 20% |
| 1996 | 11 | 19% |
| 1995 | 6 | 8% |
| 1994 | 17 | 14% |
| 1993 | 7 | 10% |
| 1992 | 11 | 17% |
| 1991 | 1 | 7% |
| 1989 | 5 | 16% |
| 1987 | 4 | 24% |
Other parts of the 1996 Ford E-150
14 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsSuspension
5 complaintsTires
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Ford E-150
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology