1992 Ford Aerostar problems & reliability
317 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1992 Ford Aerostar. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
19 complaints report injuries (52 injured, 4 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 75 | 24% |
| Electrical System | 64 | 20% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 52 | 16% |
| Air Bags | 31 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 26 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 21 | 7% |
| Equipment | 18 | 6% |
| Steering | 14 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 4% |
| Structure | 11 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford aerostar. Upon purchasing the vehicle, the contact stated that the muffler was rusted and cracked. The dealer stated that the vehicle was fine and the fumes would exit out of the rear of the vehicle. The fire department stated that the fumes were entering the vehicle due to the holes…”
Structure · filed Aug 25, 2008
“Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford aerostar. The contact stated that the cruise controls shuts on and off without warning. Several years ago, he witnessed billows of smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle has not been inspected or repaired. The speed and powertrain were unknown. The current and failure mileages were…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Aug 13, 2007
“Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford aerostar. The contact stated that the ground wires are shorting out the brake lights and other wires underneath the dashboard. He also stated that his windows are not working. Ford stated that nothing could be done because his vin was not included in the recall. The contact stated that…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 13, 2007
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT DOOR DROPS ABRUPTLY
Preliminary Evaluation PE02076 · opened Oct 10, 2002 · closed Mar 10, 2003
- FRONT BRAKE HOSE
Preliminary Evaluation PE99035 · opened May 12, 1999 · closed Sep 23, 1999
- TRANSFER CASES AND REAR DRIVE SHAFT
Engineering Analysis EA99002 · opened Jan 7, 1999 · closed Nov 14, 2000 · led to recall 99V094000
- TRANSFER CASES AND REAR DRIVESHAFT
Recall Query RQ98012 · opened Jul 31, 1998 · closed Jan 7, 1999 · led to recall 97V204000
- PARKING PAWL
Recall Query RQ97015 · opened Oct 29, 1997 · closed Apr 1, 1999 · led to recall 91V189000
Technical service bulletins
62 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1992 Ford Aerostar. The 10 most recent:
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj
02176 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2002
Some vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and a 4.0l ohv engine may exhibit a noise / vibration, no drive, unusual noise during cranking or a no crank condition. *tt
02142 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 22, 2002
Some vehicles equipped with the 4.0l ohv engine may exhibit an engine noise which may be perceived by the customer as a piston / onnecting rod bearing knock. *tt
01197 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2001
Brake shift interlock.*jb
01181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 2001
Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *slc
01157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc
01156 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
On some vehicles, engine oil may continue to leak from the engine oil pan gasket area after an engine oil pan gasket repair has been performed. *tt
01124 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 25, 2001
Subject regarding contamination from prior transmission concerns or excess wear may be trapped in the transmission fluid cooling system. *tt
002310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 13, 2000
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1992 Ford Aerostar in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1992 Ford Aerostar?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.