Exact make, model and year evidence from official US sources. Recall campaigns, ODI investigations, complaint allegations and EPA estimates remain separate.
A campaign may cover only certain production dates, plants or equipment. A zero result here is not safety clearance. Use NHTSA’s official VIN tool for the individual vehicle.
Exact model-level NHTSA results for 1988 FORD Aerostar. Campaign records are official safety actions; applicability to a particular car still requires its VIN.
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: AFTERMARKET BRAKE ROTORS FOR USE ON CERTAIN FORD AND MAZDA TRUCKS. CRACKED CASTINGS CAUSED CRACKS TO APPEAR ON THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE ROTOR HAT OR AROUND THE STUD HOLE.
Consequence
LOSS OF BRAKING CAN RESULT.
Remedy
AIMCO WILL REIMBURSE CONSUMERS/INSTALLERS FOR THE COST OF REPLACEMENT ROTORS AND INSTALLATION. CONSUMERS ARE REQUESTED TO RETURN TO THE LOCATION WHERE THE ROTORS WERE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED/INSTALLED FOR REPLACEMENT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALABAMA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA (10 SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF LOS ANGELES, ORANGE, SAN BERNADINO, SAN DIEGO, RIVERSIDE, VENTURA, SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS OBISPO, IMPERIAL, AND KERN), FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA (CLARK COUNTY), OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TEXAS, AND IN THE U.S. TERRITORIES COVERED BY THE FEDERAL STATUTES. THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FUEL TANK CAN DEVELOP SMALL CRACKS DUE TO EXTENDED EXPOSURE TO VERY HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. FUEL VAPOR OR LEAKAGE COULD OCCUR AT THESE CRACKS.
Consequence
IF AN IGNITION SOURCE IS PRESENT, A FIRE COULD RESULT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE, THROUGH MARCH 31, 2002. THIS COVERAGE WILL ONLY BE FOR STRUCTURAL CRACKS AT THE TOP OF THE TANK AND WILL NOT INCLUDE OTHER DAMAGE CAUSED BY AN ACCIDENT OR ROAD DEBRIS.
VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH TRAILER TOW PACKAGE HAVE A TRAILER TAILLIGHT RELAY ASSEMBLY THAT CONTAINS WIRES OF SMALLER GAUGE THAN THE FUSE LINK WHICH PROTECTS THE CIRCUIT.
Consequence
SHOULD A SHORT CIRCUIT OCCUR IN THE WIRING WITHIN THERELAY OR IF WATER INTRUSION OCCURS THE SMALLER GAUGE WIRE IN THE RELAY WILLFUNCTION AS A FUSE LINK AND OVERHEAT. THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS FOR A FIRE IF THEWIRES ARE EXPOSED TO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.
Remedy
INSTALLATION OF A RELAY WITH WIRES OF GAUGE ADEQUATE TO PROTECT THE CIRCUIT.
02 · Owner allegations
224 NHTSA complaints
Counts are not adjusted for sales, vehicle age, mileage, publicity or reporting behavior. They are allegations, not defect findings or a reliability score.
Crash mentions
7
Fire mentions
45
Injuries reported
11
Most-reported component labels
FUEL SYSTEM55
GASOLINE54
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM48
SEAT BELTS29
POWER TRAIN20
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING16
Complaints across nearby Ford Aerostar model years
Totals for the same nameplate, scaled against its highest year here. They are not adjusted for how many were sold, how old they are, how far they are driven, or how much publicity a fault received — an older or better-selling year will usually carry more reports. This shows where the reporting sits, not which year is better.
An investigation means ODI reviewed a possible safety issue for this exact model-year identity. Opening one is not a defect finding; closing one does not by itself clear a vehicle.
VISIBILITY · No associated recall campaign number was published in this investigation row.
04 · EPA configurations
Fuel economy & specifications
FuelEconomy.gov records are summarized as ranges where this model name has multiple engines, drivetrains or trims.
EPA configurations
4
Combined economy
17–18 mpg/MPGe
City / highway
15–16 / 20–22 mpg/MPGe
Engine displacement
3 L
Cylinders
6
Fuel type
Regular
Drive
Rear-Wheel Drive
Vehicle class
Vans
Annual fuel-cost estimate
$3600–3800
05 · Evidence strength
Exact identity. Explicit limits.
No opaque score. Evidence strength is expressed through source availability, exact match method, jurisdiction and honest empty states.
exact match
Recall campaigns
5 exact US model-year records in this bounded view.
exact match
Complaints
224 exact US model-year allegations; narratives and VIN fragments are omitted.
exact match
ODI investigations
12 exact US model-year action numbers in the approved import snapshot.
canonical only
Model aliases
Only the exact NHTSA vPIC model name is published; unverified aliases are not merged.
not published
Manufacturer ownership
No rights-reviewed official ownership record is joined to this exact model-year.
PUBLIC EVIDENCE PASSPORT
Identity, freshness and provenance.
The canonical URL is this file’s permanent public identifier. Source IDs and timestamps show exactly what was matched and when; they do not turn the evidence into a verdict.
Only NHTSA vPIC, NHTSA ODI complaints and investigations, NHTSA recalls and FuelEconomy.gov contribute to this vehicle claim. CPSC equipment notices are searched separately and never joined to vehicle fitment. UK MOT, Canadian, New Zealand and European records are not merged into this US claim.
06 · Research paths
Diagnose first. Confirm fitment.
These are transparent searches, not diagnoses or endorsed parts. Recall remedies come before purchases; exact part fitment requires VIN, trim, powertrain, production date and OE number.
55 complaint labels
FUEL SYSTEM
Check recalls and diagnostic information before replacing anything.
Awin US and R2 affiliate inventory are not published until a US programme, merchant and exact-fitment projection are approved. No offer currently has both merchant approval and exact vehicle fitment, so commercial links never count as evidence.