Owners have filed 1,723 complaints on the Ford Aerostar, covering 1986–1997. The system named most often is Electrical System (423 reports). Worst years by volume: 1993, 1992, 1994; cleanest: 1986, 1997, 1987. 152 reports describe a crash, 341 a fire, 9 a death. On average the car was 6.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Aerostar
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,723 Aerostar complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 423 Read
While driving on freeway, kept smelling burning odor, stopped, checked underhood, continued on, engine suddenly quit, smoke coming from firewall area, subsequently, underhood engulfed in flames
The vehicle was parked in front of the residence and it caught on fire. Driver called the fire department to extinguish the fire. No injuries. Vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company
I had smoke and acrid smell coming from under my dash (while driving), where the steering column fits to it. I have contacted a major ford dealer (brandon ford), and they are refusing to help me. I called ford customer service and he said my VIN is not listed for a recall, but yet had no answer for me when I asked why…
Power Train 266 Read
Ford refunded us $1000.00 for 1 transmission, the first one was still on warranty, the most recent transmission failure occured at 55 miles per hour and it was the tourque converter that blew in this case
Ignition switch short causing overheating and fire in the steering column prior to recall notice, after recall work performed several damaged components continued to fail (wipers, lighting, etc.) (99V-029). Mjs
November 21, 1998 this complaint has already been investigated and a recall has been ordered. We had already repaired our 1994 ford aerostar van because it broke down on october 4, 1997. We submitted a request for reimbursement on august 7, 1998. As of november 21, 1998, we have not received a reimbursement check. Is…
Service Brakes 161 Read
Ford recommends incorrect adjustment of rear brakes, which causes overheating of drums and eventual failure of axle seals, axle bearings, and tire on the rim attached to the brake drum. Ford stipulates that brake shoes are to be touching drum when brakes are adjusted. This results in frictional heat build-up, and is…
Consumer started vehicle, pressed brakes, went to reverse and vehicle accellerated at high speed, racing 100 feet down the driveway, across the road, jumped a curve and tore down appprox. 70 ft. Of chainlink fence. The pipe from fence broke back window of vehicle ,pertruding through hitting consumer on head, then…
Upon applying force to the brake pedal there is no response from the brakes, causing extended stopping distance, resulting in a minor collision . Consumer has contacted the dealer
Fuel System 151 Read
My 1997 ford aero star van produced a puff of smoke from the steering column near the ignition switch. I took it to my mechanic whom checked the recall notices and found one resulting in an electrical overload short circuit and overheating in the steering column electrical components. When the key was turned off it…
Fuel line had crack, causing fuel to leak, resulting in a fire. No warning was given
Fuel system failed, causing vehicle fire
Engine And Engine Cooling 113 Read
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
My clients, the frederick family (father, mother and 3-yr-old daughter) sustained third degree burns when their 1994 ford aerostar van spontaneously caught fire while travelling on I-40 near needles, california. Fire was the result of the transfer case output shaft bushing displacement, thereby failing the drive shaft…
Ea98016; while driving the vehicle stalled and a fire came from underneath the vehicle. Cause unknown. Currently at dealer. Please provide details
Air Bags 76 Read
Consumer was driving on the highway and was involved in a collision when a deer jumped in front of truck. Airbags didn't deploy
Vehicle was slowing down going 35-45mph in the right slow lane. When brakes were applied, vehicle picked up more speed, causing consumer to lose control. Vehicle ran into one of the beams under underpass of the highway. Upon impact, front driver's air bag didn't deploy. Consumer's face hit steering. Consumer had 16…
During a front impact accident at appr. 45 mph, the driver's side air bag failed to inflate. I have contacted ford and informed them of this problem
Seat Belts 76 Read
The consumer had an accident. The driver seat belt didn't lock. Plus the air bag didn't deploy. Please describe. Tt
Driver's seat belt has two feet tension. Upon tugging on the shoulder harness, it will not retract to secure occupant. Also during a panic stop belt retraction is null and void. This has resulted in injuries during a vehicle accident. (1989 aerostar injuries shoulder and neck
Front passenger side seat belt became unlatched in a side collision (11:00). Tt
Vehicle Speed Control 63 Read
Consumer was turning into a driveway off of a small street, applied brakes, and the vehicle suddenly took off on its own. Rpms went up, and the rear tires were spinning. Vehicle hit a garage wall and door
While the foot was on the brake vehicle suddenly accelerated which caused an accident. Been to dealer, and dealer cannot determine the problem. Problem is still reoccurring. Also problem with closing the sliding door
While in reverse vehicle accelerated forward at 40mph, resulting in a collision which caused minor injuries. Dealer has vehicle for inspection
Aerostar years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 6 | 4 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 15 | 16 | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 12 | 25 | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | 26 | 31 | |
| 1992 | Air Bags | 23 | 23 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 18 | 59 | |
| 1990 | Electrical System | 17 | 45 | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 19 | 57 | |
| 1988 | Air Bags | 6 | 28 | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | 4 | 34 | |
| 1986 | Electrical System | 2 | 17 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 780 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.2 |
| Worst single series | 14 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.1 years |
A model average of 2.2 hides a worst series at 14. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Aerostar?
By complaint volume, 1993, 1992, 1994 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Aerostar years are the cleanest?
1986, 1997, 1987 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Aerostar have?
1,723 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1986–1997. Of those, 152 describe a crash and 341 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.