IllustrationSON WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ON BUSY ROAD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE STOPPED, NO WARNING. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
1996 Ford Aspire
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Ford Aspire do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 54.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Aspire years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 1 of 33 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
33 reportsTHE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITIN THE SYSTEM, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
FRONT WHEELS VIBRATE ON HIGHWAY, DUE TO POSSIBLE FAULTY RIMS. YH
WHILE PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDOW WAS ROLLED DOWN IT EXPLODED. ALSO, DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW EXPLODED PRIOR TO THIS. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
ENGINE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DRIVER GOT OUT OF VEHICLE AND FLAMES WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. DEALER HAS THE VEHICLE NOW. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK
FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE FAILED 4 TIMES. FORD TURNED THE ROTORS, AND STATED ASPIRES HAVE BAD BRAKES. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AS I HAVE OWNED 4 OF THESE CARS.
CAR SMELLS LIKE GASOLINE MOST OF THE TIME INSIDE. DEALER CONTACTED, AND CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROBLEM FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
ROTORS AND PADS EXPERIENCED EXCESSIVE WEAR, ROTORS WERE WARPED.
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A GAS SMELL AND VAPOR THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE WHICH MAY CAUSE A FIRE IFIT IS A SOURCE OF IGNITION. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
AT 800 MILES, THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED. THEY HAD TO BE REMACHINED. AT 13,000 MILES THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED AGAIN. THE DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AT 55 MILES AN HOUR THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES MORE. AT HIGHWAY DRIVING, WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN OR C…
Read full complaint
AT 800 MILES, THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED. THEY HAD TO BE REMACHINED. AT 13,000 MILES THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED AGAIN. THE DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AT 55 MILES AN HOUR THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES MORE. AT HIGHWAY DRIVING, WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN OR CHANGE LANES, THE STEERING IS HARD TO CONTROL.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE98040 · Fuel Vapor Valve Leaks
Opened Jul 15, 1998 · Closed Nov 16, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages
There is no summary currently available