Total Complaints
24 filings
FORD CLUB WAGON · model year
24 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996FORDCLUB WAGON carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1996 CLUB WAGON is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components with 3 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (2) and service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 179 investigation files overlapping the 1996 CLUB WAGON, and 6 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
24 filings
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 3 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:ROTOR | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
FUEL FILLER PIPE ON THIS VEHICLE HAS FAILED THREE TIMES (FIRST FAILURE MILEAGE IS LISTED BELOW). EACH TIME THE FIRST SYMPTOM IS THE SMELL OF FUEL OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE AFTER DRIVING, WHEN THE PROBLEM WORSENS, AT TIME OF FILL-UP GAS SPILLS ON THE GROUND. *TR
Mileage: 30,532
DT: CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A FIRE ON THE MASTER CYLINDER ON A 1996 FORD CLUB WAGON. THIS VEHICLE WAS OWNED BY HIS EMPLOYER. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS DROVE APPROXIMATELY 8 HOURS BEFORE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. *AK
WHEN THE FAN SWITCH WAS TURNED TO THE FAST POSITION AND THE A/C WAS TURNED ON THE CONSUMER BEGAN TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. AFTER A FEW SECONDS ALOT OF SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE DASH AND A/C AREA. THE CONSUMER REMOVED THE KNOB AND SAW FLAMES. THE CONSUMER TURNED OFF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND REMOVED THE CABLE. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. *AK *NM
Mileage: 139,000
ENGINE STALLS OCCASIONALLY WHEN IN DRIVE AND AT A STOP, AND SOMETIMES INSTEAD OF JUST DYING IT TRIES TO STAY RUNNING BY FLOORING THE ACCELERATOR CAUSING ME TO HIT CURBS AND MY GARAGE WALL. I CAN AVOID THIS BY PLACING IT IN NEUTRAL TEMPORARILY. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO FORD ABOUT THREE TIMES FOR THIS ALONE, BUT THEY CANNOT FIGURE IT OUT BECAUSE IT IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHICH THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE. ALSO THE REAR BLEND DOOR FLAP FOR REAR A/C DETERIORATES EVERY YEAR AND NEEDS REPLACING TO STAY COOL IN PHOENIX, AZ. *JB
Mileage: 40,000
ENGINE STALLS OCCASIONALLY WHEN IN DRIVE AND AT A STOP, AND SOMETIMES INSTEAD OF JUST DYING IT TRIES TO STAY RUNNING BY FLOORING THE ACCELERATOR CAUSING ME TO HIT CURBS AND MY GARAGE WALL. I CAN AVOID THIS BY PLACING IT IN NEUTRAL TEMPORARILY. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO FORD ABOUT THREE TIMES FOR THIS ALONE, BUT THEY CANNOT FIGURE IT OUT BECAUSE IT IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHICH THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE. ALSO THE REAR BLEND DOOR FLAP FOR REAR A/C DETERIORATES EVERY YEAR AND NEEDS REPLACING TO STAY COOL IN PHOENIX, AZ. *JB
Mileage: 40,000
WHILE FUELING GAS CAME OUT FROM UNDER VAN, NOT AT THE FILL NECK. *AK
RUSTING OUT OILPAN WITH ONLY 38K MILES ON IT. HAVE BEEN TOLD IT'S A REACURING PROBLEM, LOOKING FOR A RECALL NOTICE. *AK
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WORN PREMATURELY. NLM
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WORN PREMATURELY. NLM
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WORN PREMATURELY. NLM
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WORN PREMATURELY. NLM
THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 50 MPH ON WET PAVEMENT, AND VEHICLE STARTED SLIDING, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL AND HIT A GUARDRAIL HEAD ON. THEN VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN A HILL. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. *AK
EXPERIENCING ONGOING BRAKE FAILURE. WHENEVER VEHICLE IS DRIVEN IN WET CONDITIONS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, NO MATTER WHAT THE SPEED MAY BE. VEHICLE HAVE BEEN INSPECTED/REPAIRED BY INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, BUT CONDITION STILL OCCURS. DEALER/MFR. WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK
ABS BRAKE FAILURE.
BRAKE PROBLEMS UNABLE TO BE REMEDIED.
THE SHOULDER BELTS ARE HOOKED TO THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE BELTS TO GO ACROSS THE NECK, IRRITATING THE DRIVER. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN THE BELT CROSSES THE BODY, IT IS AGAINST WHERE SAFETY REGULATIONS SAY SHOULDER BELT SHOULD GO. *SLC
BUTTON LATCH ON PASSENGER SEAT FAILED.
ABS BRAKE PROBLEMS; AT LOW VEHICLE SPEED, ON ANY SLIPPERY SURFACE, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE ABS SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED WHICH RELEASES THE LINE PRESSURE, AND THE VEHICLE KEEPS RIGHT ON GOING. THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO DETECT PROBLEM WITH THE WAGON. *AK
MADE A LEFT HAND TURN INTO A VEHICLE AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE REAR SEAT BELTS, THAT LOCK DOWN THE WHEEL CHAIRS, CAME UNLATCHED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
MADE A LEFT HAND TURN INTO A VEHICLE AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE REAR SEAT BELTS, THAT LOCK DOWN THE WHEEL CHAIRS, CAME UNLATCHED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
Timing Belt Failure
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1996 FORD CLUB WAGON; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.