"How reliable is the 1996 Ford F-250?"

"Based on 212 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Ford F-250 has a median complaint mileage of 125000 miles. The most common issue is Tires."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Ford F-250?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Ford F-250 is Tires, accounting for a significant portion of the 212 total complaints filed."

1996 Ford F-250: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 212 complaints

212

Total Complaints

125,000mi

Median Mileage

Tires

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

100,000 25th Percentile

125,000 Median Mileage

184,657 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Tires

Tread/Belt

Cruise Control

Front

Vehicle Speed Control

Diesel

Automatic Transmission

Belts And Associated Pulleys

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Fuel/Propulsion System

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ABS-WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED ON A SLIPPERY SURFACE THE REAR BRAKES DO NOT LOCK. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"

"RIGHT FRONT WHEEL LOCKED UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SPIN/ROLLOVER/ACCIDENT.*SD"

"WHEN TURING IN ANY DIRECTION FRONT END MAKES A LOUD POPPING NOISE. FELLS LIKE WHEELS ARE COLLAPSING. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Cruise Control 9 complaints

25th: 101,000 mi Median: 110,000 mi 75th: 190,025 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 7 complaints

25th: 158,000 mi Median: 170,000 mi 75th: 183,628 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 26 OH: 24 WA: 22 TX: 15 AZ: 15 FL: 14 OR: 11 MO: 9 CO: 8 NC: 6

Who Files Complaints?

42.9%

Original Owners

57.1%

Second+ Owners

Ford F-250 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	145	94,177	Switch	5
1992	149	91,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	6
1993	183	152,500	Tank Assembly	6
1994	156	114,581	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	7
1995	238	115,000	Front	12
1997	348	114,000	Tires	21
1998	76	114,500	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	2
1999	702	94,000	Tires	61
2000	417	75,768	Tires	39
2001	269	67,000	Tires	20
2002	189	89,000	Engine	15
2003	148	90,000	Tires	7
2004	201	55,079	Engine And Engine Cooling	12
2005	207	65,000	Steering	4
2006	332	61,200	Steering	14
2007	84	42,000	Steering	3
2008	255	75,000	Steering	12
2009	92	69,000	Steering	0
2010	109	80,400	Steering	2
2011	384	70,000	Suspension	8
2012	418	78,000	Suspension	5
2013	153	78,000	Suspension	2
2014	235	83,154	Suspension	3
2015	425	70,300	Steering	7
2016	424	62,000	Steering	9
2017	1713	30,000	Steering	18
2018	615	28,252	Steering	10
2019	1912	20,000	Steering	25
2020	336	41,900	Power Train	4
2021	200	43,000	Fuel System, Diesel	5
2022	136	40,000	Power Train	4

Active Recalls (5)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Vehicle Speed Control

Campaign 06V286000 | 01/08/2006

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

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)

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E049000 | 24/05/2006

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

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.

Vehicle Speed Control

Campaign 05V388000 | 07/09/2005

A FIRE AT THE SWITCH COULD OCCUR.

BY LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER 12, 2005, OWNERS WERE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLES TO THEIR DEALERS TO HAVE THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH DISCONNECTED. OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATED ARE BEING NOTIFIED THAT PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AND ADVISED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO

Frame And Members

Campaign 96V146000 | 01/08/1996

THE SUBJECT FASTENERS CAN SEPARATE CAUSING IN THE REAR STRAP OF THE AFFECTED FUEL TANK TO BECOME DISCONNECTED. A LOOSE OR DISCONNECTED REAR STRAP ALLOWS THE FUEL TANK TO POSSIBLY CONTACT THE ROAD SURFACE INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE FIRE.

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

Labels

Campaign 96V161000 | 29/08/1996

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

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

Extend Your Tire Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Check tire pressure monthly — underinflation is the #1 tire killer
Rotate tires every 5,000-7,500 miles
Get an alignment check annually
Inspect for uneven wear patterns which indicate alignment or suspension issues
Replace tires when tread reaches 4/32 inch — don't wait for 2/32

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28