AI Damage1999 Ford Aerostar: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Ford Aerostar filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 7
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 43% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 29% of all complaints
- 3 Equipment 29% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 29% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 6 Tires 14% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 14% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 3 complaints (43% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (29% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Equipment: 2 complaints (29% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 7 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Upon that impact, my face hit my steering wheel, lacerating my lower lip complete thickness down into my chin, chipped my left front toothand broke the cartlidge in my nose with considerable bruising and swelling, all due to the fact that my airbags did not deploy.
The vehicle was left at the dealer, mentioned above on june 2006 for filter and oil change, they found that the motor was leaking oil and they took down the motor and transmission to repair the leak. After the service the check engine light turned on prior to the july fourth weekend.
While ignition was turned on, transmission slipped out of park position, and ran over the owner. Dealer has not seen vehicle. Owner died.
The air conditioning/heat unit seem to turn on and off without having to touch anything. The wipers turn on, do a few swipes and then turn back off again. The rear seat belts are stuck in the down position and the center lap belt does not hold in place (I have 2 kids and it has made it impossible for me to transport…
While driving seat belt latch which locks does not stay locked. While driving, it will come undone. Please provide any further information.
Inside dual sidewall blew out completely due to tread separation. ( dot number: n/a tire size: lt22575r16 )
The ignition was turned off and the gear was able to be put into nuetral and the vehicle rolled out of drive way and hit a neighbors mailbox. Dealer cant find problem. Mjs
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 12,538 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 34% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Aerostar has 145 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 7, below average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
- Aerostar 198653 sources
- Aerostar 1987114 sources
- Aerostar 1988177 sources
- Aerostar 1989260 sources
- Aerostar 1990195 sources
- Aerostar 1991223 sources
- Aerostar 1992317 sources
- Aerostar 1993374 sources
- Aerostar 1994257 sources
- Aerostar 1995157 sources
- Aerostar 1996104 sources
- Aerostar 199763 sources
- Aerostar 19984 sources
- Aerostar 20006 sources
- Aerostar 99995 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford Aerostar?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, engine and cooling, equipment. Total complaints: 7. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (29%), airbags did not deploy (14%), A/C or heater (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Ford Aerostar?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Ford Aerostar from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.