I was given this van with a handicapped lift as a present from some people at our church. Ever since I got it the engine light has been on. I've had it checked several times but no one seems to know how to fix it. Another problem I've been having is that the left front tire wears out more quickly than the other three. We've had it balanced several times but we still have that problem even with new tires. Since I am handicapped and use an electric wheelchair if a tire blows out I may not be able to get out using the ramp lift that was installed and the same applies to the engine. How do I know if the engine has something wrong with it if the light is on all the time? *Tr
Engine & cooling
Ford Aerostar Engine problems by year
173 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Ford Aerostar's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Latest Aerostar engine complaints
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford aerostar. Upon purchasing the vehicle, the contact stated that the muffler was rusted and cracked. The dealer stated that the vehicle was fine and the fumes would exit out of the rear of the vehicle. The fire department stated that the fumes were entering the vehicle due to the holes. The dealer stated that they sealed the holes and the vehicle was fine. The midas mechanic stated that the dealer never sealed the holes on the muffler and it needed to be replaced completely. He...
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also stated that the fumes could in fact get inside the passenger compartment. Also, the horn has never worked on the vehicle since it was purchased; therefore, the dealer constructed their own horn to correct the failure. The sliding door on the vehicle would not open and the vehicle would not unlock from the passenger compartment. In addition, the rear liftgate fell on the contact's head several times. The failure mileage was unknown.
The motor would die and then accelerate suddenly, sometimes making a cranking noise. The service report stated that there no problem. In addition, when the vehicle was parked and wanted to change from parking to drive, it would be stuck, making it difficult to change the transmission, usually producing a loud cranking noise as if the transmission was to explode. Eventually, in february 2005 the motor broke down and both the motor and transmission had to be replaced. The dealer (bayamon ford) replaced the motor...
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in march 2005 and when the transmission was received it was replaced in april 2005. The dealer had requested the new parts directly to the ford motor co. And stayed with the parts replaced. The motor and transmission had full three year guarantee since they were new. The vehicle started experiencing again the dying and acceleration approximately one year after. The vehicle was left at the dealer, mentioned above on june 2006 for filter and oil change, they found that the motor was leaking oil and they took down the motor and transmission to repair the leak. After the service the check engine light turned on prior to the july fourth weekend. They informed us to bring the car on july 5. On july 4, 2006 the car suddenly accelerated beyond control and crashed. Total loss. The air bags never came out and the car stayed engine accelerated. *Nm
Dt*: the contact stated upon changing both the fuel filter and the oil filter, the vehicle made a knocking noise while driving 20 mph. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop who was unable to determine the cause of the problem.
Dt: the contact stated 1994, ford van caught on fire on the freeway on 8-8-05. She was not having problems prior to the fire. The fire seemed to be electrical and originated under the hood. *Ak *jb updated 2/7/2006 - the consumer received recall 97v204000 on nov 13, 1997 for the transfer case/driveshaft but the dealer refused to make the repairs. This failure of this component could result in a fire. The consumer received information from nhtsa on two recalls for the vehicle. One was 99v028000 for the electrical wiring under the hood and the other one was 99v029000 for the ignition switch. *Nm
The vehicle was parked in the office parking lot. Suddenly a customer notified the consumer that there was a vehicle fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The manufacture will make contact with the consumer for inspection. *Nm *nm
1) Replaced both head gaskets and bolts! 2) Replaced extension housing gasket 3) replaced both valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, oil filter adapter o-rings
Accelerator stuck, car continued to throttle even after brake was heavily applied. Upon front impact into tree and rollover to driver's side, no air bags deployed. Car was totalled out due to crash damage - no attempt to repair.
The air conditioning/heat unit seem to turn on and off without having to touch anything. The wipers turn on, do a few swipes and then turn back off again. The rear seat belts are stuck in the down position and the center lap belt does not hold in place (i have 2 kids and it has made it impossible for me to transport them safely) some of the door locks no longer work without placing the key into open them. The rear hatch back window had a pin fall out. The transmission linkage chain went out at 38,000 miles. Rear caliper froze at 45,000 miles
Consumer states that while driving at any speed and with no warning ehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over, and it will be hard to get the vehicle back started.Dealer notified.*Ak
Consumer states that while driving at any speed and with no warning vehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over, and it will be hard to get the vehicle back started.Dealer notified.*Ak
We owe a 1989 ford aerostar mini-van the long edition. We have had it a little over year. We have been having a serious problem with this vechicle stalling when driving on the highway to and from work. It happens a lot more often when it is cold as opposed to when it is warmer. *Jb
Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the head gasket blew causing coolant fluid to leak. Dealer notified. Ph
Vehicle caught on fire, cause unknown, could have been an electrical system wiring short. *Ak *yh
Black exhaust/smoke started coming from rear end of van due to head gasket failing while being driven. Please describe details. *Ak
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data