What breaks most · 1990 to 2000 model years
Ford Aerostar problems by year
Owners have filed 1,707 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Aerostar across model years 1990 to 2000. Three years stand out: 1993 for electrical system complaints, 1992 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 1994 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1998, 1997 and 1996.
- Years to check closely: 1993, 1992, 1994
- Fewest complaints: 1998, 1997, 1996
- Complaints on file
- 17071990 to 2000, all trims
- Worst year
- 1993374 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 173250 fires · 203 injuries · 10 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 124kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 43Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 195 | 25 | 7 | Electrical system (56) | |
| 223 | 23 | 4 | Electrical system (67) | |
| 317 | 29 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (75) | |
| 374 | 37 | 4 | Electrical system (99) | |
| 257 | 22 | 5 | Electrical system (69) | |
| 157 | 16 | 7 | Electrical system (37) | |
| 104 | 9 | 6 | Wheels (23) | |
| 63 | 5 | 5 | Electrical system (13) | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 7 | 3 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Wheels (2) |
What fails on the 1993 Ford Aerostar
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 26% |
99 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1993 Ford Aerostar |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 18% |
68 | 5 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1993 Ford Aerostar |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 15% |
57 | 6 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1993 Ford Aerostar |
| Air bags | 10% |
37 | 22 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 7% |
27 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1993 Ford Aerostar |
| Equipment and infotainment | 7% |
26 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
23 | 4 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
23 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1993 Ford Aerostar |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Just got home and was parked in front of the house. About 30 min later someone was knocking on are door telling us the van was on fire. There was no keys left in the van. The fire burn the dash and the right side of the inside of the engine and the hood. The van is now total. *nm
-
Dt*: the contact stated when the vehicle was placed in drive, it failed to move forward. The vehicle currently only operates in reverse. The vehicle was seen by a local mechanic who determined the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission had gone out previously and was replaced by a local mechanic.
-
Had the clock ring repaired (year 2000)due to the airbag light stayed on. Now the airbag light stays on ,there is no horn and the cruise control doesnt work. There has to be a recall for this safety problem.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Aerostar years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1993, 1992, 1994 carry the most filings on the Ford Aerostar. The 1993 alone has 374 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Ford Aerostar problem?
On the 1993 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 99 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Aerostar problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Aerostar complaints that include mileage is about 124,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.