1995 Ford Econoline Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year center on the hydraulic/ABS brakes: owners describe a pedal that feels soft or sinks, intermittent ABS warning lights, vibration or grinding when stopping, and longer stopping distances, sometimes repaired more than once. Other recurring themes are worn or cracked tires reported at low mileage, engine stalling or overheating, and electrical faults that leave the van dead or cut power.

1. 1
   Brakes

   ABS and brake pedal problems (soft pedal, long stops)

   • 16 complaints (22%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 14.6 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2010

   Owners describe the brake pedal feeling soft, spongy or going nearly to the floor, with longer stopping distances, sometimes only on wet roads. Others report intermittent ABS warning lights, vibration or grinding when braking, and one complaint says the ABS control unit was replaced twice at dealers. Several say the problem was looked at more than once with the cause not clearly identified. Reported across a wide mileage range, from very low mileage up to about 110,000 miles, in varied weather and road conditions.

   What to check: Have the brakes inspected by a shop that can read ABS codes, and check whether the ABS light comes on during a test drive. Ask for service records showing whether the ABS hydraulic unit or wheel sensors have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #10298586, filed 2010-01, 82,639 miles

   “Anti- ock brakes: when turning right and depressing brakes there is a loud grinding noise and pedal vibration. This incident occurred on 3-26-96, the same thing also occurred on 3-28-97. July 30, 1997, pushed brake down and nothing happened; push harder and suddenly went down and stopped. There is still a loud noise/grinding/rubbing and vibrating. Cause unknown and they can't find problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #814915, filed 1997-08
2. 2
   Tires

   Worn or cracked tires, sidewall bulges

   • 5 complaints (7%)
   • typically at 6.1 yrs old
   • filed 2000–2001

   Owners report tires with deep circumferential cracks near the bead, chunks of tread missing, sidewall bulges and one blowout in the tread area. Multiple complaints involve tires that cracked across a fleet of similar vans, and one owner notes the tires had relatively few miles on them. Mostly described on tires with low accumulated mileage rather than at high odometer readings.

   What to check: Inspect all tires, including the spare, for sidewall cracks and bulges, and check the DOT date codes. Given the age of this model year, ask when the tires were last replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Deep wide cracks around the circumference of the tire 1 inch from the bead. I manage a fleet of 135 vehicles and all of our Ford vans have severely cracked tires. (DOT number: md11520v24 tiresize: p24575/r16)”

   NHTSA complaint #736895, filed 2000-11

   “Tire blew out in the tread area for no apparent reason that the tow company or Ford could find. (tiresize: lt225/75 r)( DOT number: tire size: lt225/75 r )”

   NHTSA complaint #734066, filed 2000-10
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Cruise control deactivation switch and wiring faults

   Mentioned in 5 of 54 sampled complaints

   Owners describe cruise control dropping out on its own, speedometers intermittently dropping to zero, and a cruise control deactivation switch that scorched the wiring harness. One owner had the switch disconnected; several say dealers told them the vehicle was not covered by a related recall. Reported from about 9,850 miles up to around 91,000 miles, sometimes after a prior wiring repair.

   Recall 08V051000Recall 06V286000

   What to check: Ask whether the cruise control recall work was completed and whether the deactivation switch or wiring harness has been repaired. Test cruise control at highway speed and watch the speedometer for dropouts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10135919, filed 2005-09, 9,850 miles

   “Dt:consumer says that 8 months ago cruise control deactivation switch burnt the wires on the wiring harness. Consumer had it fixed at consumer's expense. Two and half weeks ago the cruise control deactivation switch started malfunctioning again. Consumer noticed that Ford reported on the news as having a recall on the same thing. Consumer contacted Ford, and Ford told consumer that this vehicle was not part of recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10126251, filed 2005-08, 74,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Engine overheating, head gaskets and stalling

   • 5 complaints (7%)
   • median 75,521 mi at 12.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2006

   Complaints describe overheating that led to both head gaskets being replaced, and the problem returning afterward. Others report the engine making a loud noise and stalling, once traced to a fractured timing gear, and a highway stalling episode where the engine would run only briefly after restart. Reported from roughly 45,000 to over 110,000 miles, including a highway stall in hot weather.

   What to check: Check coolant level and condition and look for overheating history in service records. A warm-up test drive and a compression or cooling-system pressure check can help reveal head gasket problems.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I brought in vehicle in october/november for routine and asked about head gaskets having a problem with temperature in engine, told everything ok. Now at 118,000 miles in january, told both head gaskets are blown and hit with a $1200.00 bill. Now, my vehicle is overheating again. I know there is an extended warranty on head gaskets 7 years or 100,000, but I had brought my vehicle in previously. To it going over the 100,000. Please help.”

   NHTSA complaint #720079, filed 2000-03

   “My 1995 Econoline van blew up in my driveway while turned off. It exploded under the hood and a huge fireball went through the cabin. It caught my house and garage on fire, along with my giant oak tree. This is the second Econoline van that has blown up like this in the past five years. Both times we were lucky; no one was in the van at the time. They would have died or been severely burned. Ford accepts no responsibility for this; they were not even interested enough to send out an investigator.”

   NHTSA complaint #10093427, filed 2004-10
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Van shuts off or loses power (electrical)

   Mentioned in 4 of 54 sampled complaints

   Owners report the van stopping without warning, traced in one case to repeated blown fusible links and in another to a shorted wire that had to be found and spliced. Others describe horn operation that depends on steering wheel position and a dashboard-area fire in a converted van. Described from low mileage up to higher-mileage vehicles; the horn complaint involves steering wheel position rather than mileage.

   What to check: Check that the horn works from several steering wheel positions, and ask for any history of blown fuses or fusible links. Look for amateur wiring repairs, especially on converted or RV-bodied vans.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle was parked beside our house. It was a 95 four winds 5000 motorhome on a Ford Econoline chasis, chasis year was 1994. Vehicle was not driven for 5 days prior to the fire. Vehicle was plugged into electrical, but nothing was turned on or running. Fire started in the dashboard area or just under the drivers seat. Only other problem with unit was the multipurpose switch for the windshield wipers didn't work properly. We are still fighting with our insurance company to provide us with a cause of the fire. Fire started at 3 am. …”

   NHTSA complaint #719403, filed 2000-02

   “Stalled while moving because of blown 60 amp fuse. Auto service had to find wire that shorted (took 6 hours) splice that wire and cover it. Total cost was $585 including tow.”

   NHTSA complaint #753863, filed 2001-10

Buying note. Brake condition is the main thing to verify on a used example of this model year, so budget for a proper inspection and any ABS or hydraulic work. Also check tire age and condition, cooling system health, and whether the cruise control recall and switch repairs were completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 54 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.