FORD F-250 SD · model year

1996 FORD F-250 SD

11 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1996FORDF-250 SD carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 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.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1996 F-250 SD is engine and engine cooling with 2 filings, followed by tires (2) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1996 F-250 SD, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

11
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2
TIRES2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS1
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1

Recent Complaints

20140709TIRES

KUMHO KL78 245/75R16 LOAD RANGE E TIRE. PURCHASED A SET OF KL78 TIRES IN NOVEMBER 2011 FOR MY 3/4 TRUCK. SINCE THE TIME OF PURCHASE I HAVE PUT LESS THAN 20,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK / TIRES. THREE OF THE TIRES HAVE DEVELOPED LARGE DEFORMATION ACROSS THE TREAD CAP, LIKE A BULGE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING SAFETY DEFECT CAUSED BY THE SEPARATION OF STEEL BELTS OF THE TIRE ALLOWING THE RUBBER TO DEFORM. *TR

Mileage: 145,782

20130116VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD F-250 SUPER DUTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH BECAME OILY AND STARTED LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF A RECALL FOR THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V399000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND OFFERED NO OTHER ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 131,000. UPDATED 02/12/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE SPEED CONTROL ACTIVATION SWITCH FAILED. HE NOTICED THE CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING EIGHT MONTHS PRIOR. HE THEN NOTICED A WIRING HARNESS/CONNECTOR NEAR THE BAKE FLUID RESERVOIR WAS OILY AND THAT THE RESERVOIR WAS LOW. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SWITCH. UPDATED 02/13/13

Mileage: 131,000

20120302TIRES

PLY SEPARATION. TIRE STORE CONFIRMED THEY WERE AWARE OF OTHER OCCURRENCES. THERE'S NO SECTION TO REPORT TYPE IN FORM SO I WILL HERE. TYPE APT. M&S LT235/85/R16. OTHER I.D. INFO.120/116Q. *TR

20090605FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD F250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FILTER HOUSING CRACKED AND LEAKED DIESEL FLUID FROM THE TOP OF THE ENGINE DOWN INTO THE VEHICLE. HE WAS CONCERNED THAT THE LEAK COULD CAUSE A FIRE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ASSUMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS CAUSING THE LEAK. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FUEL HOUSING CRACKED AND CAUSED THE LEAK. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 230,000.

Mileage: 230,000

20080904ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC MY CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FAILED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING MY DIESEL ENGINE TO SHUT OFF, LEAVING ME WITH NO STEERING AND BRAKING ABILITY. THIS ACTION ALMOST CAUSED A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. MY TRUCK WAS TOWED TO MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED. I RETAINED THE SENSOR THAT WAS REPLACED. *TR

Mileage: 90,848

20071218ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD F250 HD. THE CAM SENSOR WAS REPLACED ON OCTOBER 28, 2003. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART IS FAULTY AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL ON THE CAM SENSOR, BUT IT DOES NOT APPLY TO HIS VEHICLE YEAR. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECENT FAILURE TO DATE. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 113,800 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE IN 2003 WAS 96,228. UPDATED 01/17/08 *BF UPDATED 01/17/08 *TR

Mileage: 96,228

20070911SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

I HAVE A 1996 FORD F-250 HEAVY DUTY PICKUP WHICH I PURCHASED NEW AND ALL THE BRAKE LINES ARE COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. I WAS TESTING THE BRAKES AFTER ADJUSTING THEM IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE WHEN THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. ALL THE FLUID WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE RUSTED LINE ON THE FRONT BRAKES, AFTER I REPAIRED THEM AND WAS BLEEDING THE AIR FROM THEM, WHILE HOLDING DOWN ON THE PEDAL ANOTHER LINE ON THE REAR BRAKES BLEW OUT. IN SHORT, I SPENT 10 HRS. REPLACING ALL THE BRAKE LINES THAT WERE RUSTED OUT. I HAVE OLDER CARS AND TRUCKS AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE BEFORE. IF I HAD BEEN HAULING A LOAD THAT THIS TRUCK IS RATED TO PULL (14,000LBS.) TOWING CAPACITY,I COULD HAVE RUN RIGHT OVER SOMEONE. I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER TRUCKS ARE OUT THERE ON OUR ROADS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM? I CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CO. FOR WHICH THEIR RESPONSE WAS TO CONTACT THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS THAT I TOLD THEM I HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED. I HOPE THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT BUT I HAVE MY DOUBTS. *TR UPDATED 01-15-08. *KB THE

Mileage: 100,700

20070127ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

TRUCK STALLED OR QUIT FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE DRIVING. *JB

Mileage: 180,000

20061013FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

1996 F-250 CAUGHT FIRE IN MY DRIVEWAY WHILE ON VACATION, AND AFTER NOT BEING USED FOR 4 DAYS. FIRE INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED THE FIRES CAUSE AND ORIGIN TO BE THE SPEED DEACTIVATION SWITCH WHICH I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE TO HAVE REPAIRED. NOTICE WAS REC'D IN LATE AUGUST 2006, APPOINTMENT MADE FOR OCTOBER 11 2006 AND TRUCK BURNED OCTOBER 8 2006. FORD QUALITY CONTROL STATES THEY CAN DO THE INVESTIGATION THRU PICTURES E- MAILED TO CORP. HEADQUARTERS, THEN STATES AFTER SEEING THE PICTURES THAT THE TRUCK IS TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO DETERMINE FIRE CAUSE AND DENIES THE CLAIM. PLEASE HELP ME. *NM

Mileage: 104,000

20051011FireVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL

DT: THE CONTACT STATED ON FEBRUARY 27, 2004 THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. IT STARTED IN THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. FORD F250 1996. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING, THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED TEN TO TWELVE HOURS. FORD REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. HOWEVER, THE INSURANCE COMPANY COVERED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF IT. *AK

20030815ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS BREAKING AND NOT GASKET ON EXHAUST MANIFOLD. *AK

Mileage: 76,232

Compare 1996FORDF-250 SD to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1996 FORD F-250 SD have?
The 1996 FORD F-250 SD has 11 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 FORD F-250 SD?
The most-complained component for the 1996 FORD F-250 SD is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE.
Is the 1996 FORD F-250 SD safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. 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.