1994 Ford E-150

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 1998 EXPLORERS.FORD HAS INFORMED ODI THAT TESTING TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURES IN THE 1998 EXPLORERS WILL CONTINUE AFTER THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.ODI BELIEVES THAT THE VEHICLES EXHIBITING THE FACTORS CAUSING SCDS FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THIS REPORT CORRELATE WELL WITH THE OBSERVED FAILURE RATES ON THESE VEHICLES BY MODEL AND MODEL YEAR.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST IN THE NON-RECALLED VEHICLES MANUFACTURED WITH SCDS THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN FORD?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE NON-RECALLED POPULATION FOR INCIDENCE OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.SEE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT FOR DETAILS.

There is no summary currently available

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ID

11631341

Incident

Nov 14, 2024

The contact owns a 1994 Ford E-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated she heard an unusual noise that sounded like something broke. The contact stated she continued to drive and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured steering box. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

NHTSA ID

11549611

Incident

Oct 7, 2023

Mileage

165,000 mi

ON JAN 21ST 2020, WHILE MANEUVERING AT A GAS STATION, I HEARD A LOUD POP/CRACK. THINKING I HAD HIT A STANCHION, I WALKED AROUND MY VAN BUT - NO STANCHION. NOTHING TO SEE SO I GO ABOUT MY DAY. STEERING PULLED TO THE RIGHT, I CHECKED FOR LOW TIRE PRESSURE - PRESSURE, OK. 40 MILES OF FREEWAY DRIVING LATER, I TAKE THE VAN TO THE GARAGE - STEERING FEELS LOOSE. AFTER INSPECTION, THE DANGER I WAS IN, AND THE THREAT I WAS TO THOSE AROUND ME ON THE ROAD, WAS MOST APPARENT. THE STEERING GEAR BOX WAS LOOSE FROM THE FRAME, ONE BOLT HAVING SHEERED OFF. AND THE FRAME ITSELF CRACKED. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN FINDING THAT FATIGUE FAILURE AT THIS PART OF THE FRAME WAS WELL DOCUMENTED ON THE INTERNET AND YET, AS AN ORIGINAL OWNER, I HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THIS KNOWN AND DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT BY FORD MOTOR CO OR LANDMARK FORD. HOW MANY VANS OF THE SAME VINTAGE ARE STILL ON THE ROAD ?? HOW MANY ARE SAFE TO DRIVE ALONG SIDE?? I GUESS I AM LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO WRITE THIS NOTE, COS HAD MY STEERING BOX BROKEN LOOSE WHILE DRIVING ACROSS THE GLEN JACKSON BRIDGE, (I 205), I COULD EASILY HAVE ENDED UP IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER ALONG WITH OTHER INNOCENTS. DISILLUSIONED CUSTOMER. 1994 FORD E150, 170,289 MLS, FRAME @ STEERING GEAR BOX.

NHTSA ID

11316572

Incident

Jan 21, 2020

Mileage

170,000 mi

VERY WOBBLY LOOSE STEERING. SCARY TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE STEERING ISN'T RELIABLE. FEELS LIKE IT WILL JUST GO OFF THE ROAD OR INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. HAVENT DRIVEN IT MUCH SINCE.

NHTSA ID

11279223

Incident

Jul 10, 2019

Mileage

165,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 FORD E-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONE OF THE THREE BOLTS HAD BECOME LOOSELY CONNECTED ASSOCIATED WITH THE STEERING. THE CONTACT TIGHTENED THE WASHER AS AN INTERIM REPAIR TO PREVENT A POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.

NHTSA ID

10926539

Incident

Nov 14, 2016

Mileage

135,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING AND CAME THRU THE TUNNEL,AND STOP BY MALL TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT.WHILE PARKING MY STEERING GEAR BOX BROKE AWAY FROM THE FRAME,CAUSING ME TO HAVE NO STEERING.IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPEN 10 MINUTES EARLIER OR AFTER I WOULD HAVE LEFT THE MALL GOING THRU THE TWO LANE MIDTOWN TUNNEL I WOULD HAVE HAD A HEAD ON COLLISION WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY.IS THIS SOMETHING FORD KNEW ABOUT AND DID NO RECALL.THE BOLTS ARE BAD AND I RESEARCHED AND IT HAPPEN TO ALOT OF PEOPLE'S DRIVING THAT TYPE.MY VAN IN THE SHOP AND I DO THINK FORD SHOULD FOOT THE REPAIR BILL.I LOVE MY VAN.HAVE A MUSTANG TOO IT'S JUST THE IDEA I COULD HAVE KILLED SOME ONE OR MYSELF.PLEASE IF I CAN HAVE SOME FEED BACK ON THIS ISSUE OR EVEN WHO ELSE I COULD CONTACT REGARDING THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10861501

Incident

Mar 12, 2016

Mileage

140,000 mi

HOPE THIS ISN'T A DUP; I STARTED A REPORT YESTERDAY, BUT DON'T THINK I COMPLETED IT. ASKED TO DO SOME WORK ON MY 1994 CLUB WAGON (167K MI), AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOUND A CRACK ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE FRAME, BENEATH THE STEERING BOX. HE WOULDN'T DO THE WORK. SUBSEQUENTLY A BODY SHOP FOUND THERE WERE ACTUALLY TWO CRACKS, ONE ON THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE FRAME, RADIATING FROM THE STEERING BOX MOUNTING HOLE, TRAVELING BACK AND DOWN, AROUND THE LOWER CORNER OF THE FRAME, THEN FORWARD ABOUT 3" ON THE LOWER FACE OF THE FRAME ,ALONG THE EDGE. THE LAST 2" OF THE CRACK WERE OPEN, WITH ABOUT A 2MM GAP. THE CRACK ON THE OPPOSITE FACE TRAVELED IN AN ARC OF PERHAPS 60 DEGREES CENTERED ON THE MOUNTING BOLT HOLE, ABOUT 2" FROM THE CENTER, THEN DIAGONALLY DOWN TO THE LOWER EDGE, THEN BACK A COUPLE OF INCHES ALONG THAT LOWER EDGE. BOTH LOOK LIKE FATIGUE DUE TO SB TORQUE ON THE FRAME. FORD WON'T FIX THE PROBLEM, PROVIDE A METHOD TO FIX IT, OR COMMENT ON THE POSSIBILITY OF FIXING IT. THE CORPORATE CONSUMER HELP PHONE LINE SAID I SHOULD BUY A SHOP MANUAL AND READ IT TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A WAY TO FIX IT. THE LOCAL FORD DEALER RECOMMENDED A BODY SHOP. THAT SHOP OFFERED TO WELD PATCHES OVER THE CRACKS. AFTER READING SIMILAR STORIES, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PROFOUNDLY BAD IDEA. A SEARCH THIS (NHTSB) SITE FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS CLAIMS 15 TOTAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL AND YEAR. HOWEVER, ANOTHER SITE (HTTP://HARRIGILL.NET/FORDVAN/INDEX.HTML) LISTS 39 FOR THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR, COPIED FROM THE NHTSA IN 2007 - AND YET MORE FROM 1993. WHERE ARE THE OTHERS? AND WHAT OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE SAME FRAME IN OTHER YEARS? WHAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPORTED PROBLEMS FOR THIS DESIGN, SUMMED OVER ALL YEARS? IT SEEMS TO ME THE NHTSA AND FORD SHOULD HAVE WARNED OWNERS OF THIS PROBLEM. PERHAPS YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED BECAUSE FRAME NOT IN YOUR LIST OF PARTS? *TR

NHTSA ID

10500077

Incident

Feb 12, 2013

Mileage

167,000 mi

I PURCHASED THIS 1994 FORD E-150 CLUBWAGON FROM A PRIVATE OWNER IN 08/2008, IT WAS AND STILL IS IN BETTER THAN GOOD CONDITION. IT HAD A RECALL TO REPLACE A FUSED JUMPER HARNESS WHICH WAS DONE IN 12/2008. IN EARLY SPRING OF 2009, I JUST BOUGHT A NEW SET OF TIRES AND GOT A FRONT END ALIGNMENT, ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR ON A BUSY FOUR LANE STREET, WHEN I HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND MY VAN BEGAN TO SHAKE VERY VIOLENTLY. AT THE SAME TIME I WAS PASSING A REPAIR SHOP, I GOT THE VAN UNDER CONTROL AND PULL IN. BEING A CERTIFIED MECHANIC MYSELF I BEGAN TO EXAMINE THE STEERING LINKAGE, EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE, WHEN THE SHOP MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE LOWER STEERING GEARBOX BOLT HAD WENT THROUGH THE FRAME AND HAD BROKE AT THE THREADS. AFTER PUTTING IT IN THE SHOP A FEW TIMES, WITH SHORT TERM SUCCESS, THAT PARTICULAR AREA OF THE FRAME CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS. WHAT STARTED OUT AS A SMALL HOLE, AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AT THE SHOP, HAS NOW BECOME LARGER. I CHECKED WITH THE LOCAL FORD DEALER ABOUT A RECALL, THERE WAS NONE. I'VE WORKED AS A MECHANIC FOR MANY YEARS, AND HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE, I HAVE A FEW THEORIES ON THE SUBJECT, POSSIBLY AN OVER TORQUED GEARBOX AND/OR A VERY WEAK FRAME. BUT NEVERTHELESS FORD SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR BECOMES A FATALITY. BECAUSE THIS DEFECT COULD HAPPEN AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND WITHOUT WARNING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10410141

Incident

Apr 9, 2009

SUBJECT REGARDING ON-VEHICLE CALIPER-MOUNT LATHE MACHINING SETUP PROCEDURES. *TT

A SHUDDER / VIBRATION AND / OR SQUEALING HEARD WHILE BRAKING - REVISED FRONT BRAKE LINING. *TT

A COMPREHENSIVE PULL AND DRIFT DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO ASSIST TECHNICIANS IN RESOLVING BRAKE PULL OR DRIFT CONCERNS. *AK

INFORMATION ON AODE/4R7W TRANSMISSION MAIN CONTROL & CASE REPLACEMENT. *TT

VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN EXHAUST LEAK &/OR NOISE DUE TO WARPED EXHAUST MANIFOLDS. *TT

SUBJECT REGARDING A NEW TRANSMISSION CASE AND MAIN CONTROL RELEASED FOR SERVICE ON AODE / 4R70W TRANSMISSIONS. *TT