1991 Ford Aerostar: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1991 Ford Aerostar. The newest campaign is 96V071000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Apr 1996. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 223 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 96V071000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the ignition switch.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 8,696,842 units in total.

96V071000Received 25 Apr 1996. 7,900,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Jun 1996.
91V189000Received 4 Nov 1991. 792,000 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission
Defect, in the NHTSA record
When the automatic transmission shift lever is placed in the park position, the park pawl does not always abut or engage the park gear.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Driver may believe the vehicle is safely engaged in parkwhen the gear is not truly engaged. This can lead to the vehicle jumping out ofgear unintentionally, vehicle rollaway when parked on a sloped surface, andinadvertent motion when the vehicle is started. All of these conditions canresult in a vehicle accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Repair the transmission with a new park pawl.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 2 Mar 1992.
91V164000Received 20 Sep 1991. 4,842 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Seat belt anchorage bar for rear sofa failed to sustain loads required by FMVSS 210.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Vehicles would not comply with FMVSS 210.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace noncomplying sofa bar with bar that meets requirements.
Report filed by SHERROD VANS, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Jun 1992.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

223 complaints, 282 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1991 Ford Aerostar
All 1991 vehicles

1991 Ford Aerostar: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1991 Aerostar	All 1991 vehicles	Aerostar, all years	Mentions
Electrical System	269.5	91.5	220.3	76
Power Train	198.6	103.9	139.3	56
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	131.2	181.9	105.8	37
Vehicle Speed Control	81.6	36.8	44.4	23
Equipment	53.2	23.9	28.9	15
Engine and Engine Cooling	49.6	99.7	74.6	14
Structure	35.5	56.4	32.5	10
Visibility	28.4	33.4	26.7	8
Latches/Locks/Linkages	24.8	18	18	7
Steering	24.8	40	36.7	7

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 18.

Complaints that report a crash: 23
Complaints that report a fire: 69
Injuries in the complaints: 25
Deaths in the complaints: 1
Date of the newest complaint: 11 Jun 2017

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1991 Ford Aerostar, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 62 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1991 Ford Aerostar
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA99002	Engineering analysis	TRANSFER CASES AND REAR DRIVE SHAFT	Power Train	7 Jan 1999	14 Nov 2000	99V094000
RQ97015	Recall query	PARKING PAWL	Power Train / Automatic Transmission	29 Oct 1997	1 Apr 1999	91V189000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1991 Ford AerostarThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1991 Ford Aerostar: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/aerostar/1991/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1991 Ford Aerostar?: 8,696,842 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Aerostar have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 23 recall campaigns for the Ford Aerostar, model years 1986 to 2000. 3 of them name the 1991 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1991 Ford Aerostar name most often?: Electrical System: 76 of 282 component mentions, or 269.5 per 1,000. For all 1991 vehicles the figure is 91.5 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1991 Ford Aerostar open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.