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1996 Ford F-350 Recalls & Complaints

4

open safety recalls on record

Critical

167 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.53 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical06V286000

Vehicle Speed Control

OVERHEATING COULD RESULT IN SMOKE OR BURN AND AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS INTO THE SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 7, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332. (NOTE: ALSO SEE RECALLS 05V017 AND 05V388)

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL, GASOLINE OR NATURAL GAS ENGINES, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY OVERHEAT.

Critical96V146000

Structure:Frame And Members

THE SUBJECT FASTENERS CAN SEPARATE CAUSING IN THE REAR STRAP OF THE AFFECTED FUEL TANK TO BECOME DISCONNECTED.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CROSSMEMBER GUSSET FASTENERS WITH THE SPECIFIED ALTERNATIVE FASTENERS (BOLTS).

THE CROSSMEMBER FRAME GUSSETS WERE INSTALLED WITH UNDERSIZED THREADED FASTENERS FOLLOWING A BREAKDOWN OF THE PRODUCTION RIVET GUN THAT IS GENERALLY USED. THIS GUSSET IS THE ATTACHMENT POINT FOR THE REAR STRAP OF THE MID-SHIP FUEL TANK.

Serious06E049000

Exterior Lighting

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy & full details

CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Moderate96V161000

Equipment:Other:Labels

INCORRECT INFLATION PRESSURES COULD CAUSE PREMATURE WEAR OF THE REAR TIRES.

Remedy & full details

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH CORRECT CERTIFICATION LABELS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING THESE LABELS. DEALERS CAN INSTALL THIS LABEL IF THE OWNER SO DESIRES.

THE CERTIFICATION LABELS ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES HAS INCORRECT REAR TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE DESIGNATIONS. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS."

Complaint volume

167 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

10Crashes
16Fires
5Injuries
0Deaths

Across 167 complaints. Severity Index 0.53.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Tires14 · 8%Tires · Tread/Belt12 · 7%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…10 · 6%Power Train · Automatic T…10 · 6%Vehicle Speed Control · C…7 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…6 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…6 · 4%Vehicle Speed Control5 · 3%
  1. Tires — 14 reports
  2. Tires:Tread/Belt — 12 reports
  3. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 10 reports
  4. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 10 reports
  5. Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control — 7 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 6 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 6 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 5 reports
  9. Suspension:Front — 4 reports
  10. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (3) · 1996 · 1997 (4) · 1998 (1) · 1999 (13) · 2000 (5) · 2001 (6) · 2002 (3) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (3) · 2005 (3) · 2006 (4) · 2007 (3) · 2008 (7) · 2009 (3) · 2011 (4) · 2012 (4) · 2013 (1) · 2014

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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