Ford Fairlane 1995 Problems

Are you having problems with your 1995 Ford Fairlane? Let our team of motoring experts keep you up to date with all of the latest 1995 Ford Fairlane issues & faults. We have gathered all of the most frequently asked questions and problems relating to the 1995 Ford Fairlane in one spot to help you decide if it's a smart buy.

Used Ford Fairlane review: 1995-1996
By Graham Smith · 22 Jan 2009
Back in the 1960s when Ford released the first locally designed Fairlane there was nothing better, or bigger, than the biggest Ford. It was a measure of success, in business, or down on the farm.Today it’s no longer alone at the top end of the town, it now has plenty of company at head office, but it still offers the very same qualities it did when it was the head rooster.The Fairlane formula was simple, and like most simple things, it was also very successful. The first Fairlanes to be sold here were based on Canadian models, there was the ‘tank’ model from 1959, replaced by the ‘Compact’ in 1963, which in turn was replaced by the ‘Aussie’ Fairlane in 1967.To create the local Fairlane Ford simply took the Falcon platform, then the Mustang-bred XR, and stretched the wheelbase to substantially increase the rear seat room, then lengthened the rear to produce a huge boot.In the mid-1960s it was unrivalled for luxury motoring. Holden tried to match the big Ford with, first the Brougham, then the Statesman, but neither managed to make serious inroads into the Fairlane’s domination.By the mid-1990s, when the NF Fairlane came on the scene, Holden’s Statesman had managed to claw its way into the lead, and the Fairlane was battling back.MODEL WATCHThe 1995 NF followed the traditional Fairlane formula in that it was based on the current Falcon, in this case the EF.Ford invested $220 million in the EF in an effort to make up some ground lost to Commodore as Holden sales recovered from the disastrous 1980s, and spent another $30 million on the long wheelbase models once the Falcon was up and running.Although based on the Falcon previous Fairlanes had been more distinct than the NF, which used the same front end sheetmetal as the EF Fairmont. The result was that the NF was shorter in the nose than most previous Fairlanes, but it still had the roomy rear seat, and large boot, which were seen as the key features of a local luxury model. All up the NF Fairlane was 98 mm shorter than the car it replaced.For the first time Ford adopted what they called a ‘High Jewel’ effect, which in effect meant more chrome and stainless steel trim, and clear turn signal lamp lenses. Central to the theme was the bright chrome grille, which combined with bright window mouldings and numerous chrome strips for sparkling highlights.Inside there were new trim fabrics, leather if you could afford it, and make believe woodgrain panels for added touches of prestige. There was a long list of features, from improved audio systems, a CD stacker, climate-controlled air-conditioning, cup holders, and an airbag for the driver.Based on the Falcon as it was, the NF Fairlane got the same mechanical improvements that went into the EF Falcon. That meant more responsive handling, with less of the roll-steer that was so apparent in earlier Falcons and made them wander about as they followed the profile of the road.The suspension was the same combination of wishbones at the front and live axle with Watts Linkage at the rear, but in the Fairlane it was tuned more towards a refined ride than sporty handling.When you bought a Fairlane you expected a smooth ride, and didn’t necessarily worry about handling precision, but despite its obvious bulk the big Ford still handled quite well. It was quite well balanced and went where it was pointed, even if it wasn’t quite as sharp as its family Ford cousin.Bigger brakes, in the form of thicker and larger diameter discs, with ABS, resulted in a firmer pedal feel and boosted braking performance.Buyers could choose between Ford’s fuel-injected single overhead camshaft 4.0-litre six that gave 157 kW at 5900 revs, and 357 Nm at 3000 revs, or the optional 5.0-litre V8, which boasted 165 kW and 388 Nm.Both engines were coupled to four-speed auto transmissions to ensure smooth progress.Ford released the NFII in 1995, and with it came an airbag for the front seat passenger, along with a number of other detail improvements.IN THE SHOPWith the same mechanical package the Fairlane suffers the same mechanical maladies as the Falcon.Both engines are quite reliable, the 4.0-litre six works well on gas, but can suffer head gasket problems.Fairlane drivelines are also reliable, the auto hangs on well into the high 100,000 kays, and the diff is tough. Listen for diff noise on high kilometre cars.Problems with electrical components can be frustrating, and the Fairlane can suffer similar electrical gremlins as the Falcon.Fairlanes, particularly if privately owned from new, are usually well cared for by fussy owners, and these are the ones to seek out. Others that could have come from the hire car business will be showing high mileage and should be treated with caution.Check for a car’s history of ownership to determine if it’s been in the hire business, and service to ensure it has been serviced according to Ford’s recommendation.LOOK FOR• simple Falcon mechanical package• smooth refined ride• great rear seat room• large bootTHE BOTTOM LINELocal prestige model has roomy rear seat, huge boot, smooth ride, and plenty of standard features. Feels like a Falcon from the front seat, but is great if you’re a back seat driver.RATING60/100
Read the article
Used Ford Fairlane review: 1995-1997
By Graham Smith · 20 Jun 2004
In the mid-1960s the Ford Fairlane was unrivalled for luxury motoring.  Holden tried to match the big Ford, first with the Brougham, then with the Statesman, but neither threatened the Fairlane's domination. But by the mid-1990s, when the NF Fairlane came on the scene, the Statesman had clawed its way into the lead, and the Fairlane was battling back.Model watchThe 1995 NF followed the traditional Fairlane formula in that it was based on the current Falcon, in this case the EF.  Ford invested $220million in the EF in an effort to make up some ground lost to Commodore as Holden sales recovered from the disastrous '80s, and spent a further $30million on the long-wheelbase models once the Falcon was up and running.The NF used the same front-end sheet metal as the EF Fairmont. The result was that the NF was shorter in the nose than most previous Fairlanes, but it still had the roomy rear seat, and large boot, which were seen as the key features of a local luxury model.  All up the NF Fairlane was 98mm shorter than the car it replaced.For the first time Ford adopted what it called a "High Jewel" effect, which meant more chrome and stainless-steel trim, and clear turn-signal lamp lenses. Central to the theme was the bright chrome grille, which combined with bright window mouldings and numerous chrome strips for sparkling highlights.Inside there were new trim fabrics and make-believe woodgrain panels. There was a long list of features, from improved audio systems and a CD stacker to climate-controlled airconditioning, cup holders and a driver's airbag.Based on the Falcon as it was, the NF Fairlane got the same mechanical improvements as the EF Falcon, which meant more responsive handling. The suspension was the same combination of wishbones at the front and live axle with Watts Linkage at the rear, but in the Fairlane it was tuned more towards a refined ride than sporty handling.When you bought a Fairlane you expected a smooth ride and didn't necessarily worry about handling precision, but despite its obvious bulk the big Ford still handled quite well. It was quite well balanced and went where it was pointed. Bigger brakes, in the form of thicker front and larger-diameter discs, with ABS, resulted in a firmer pedal feel and boosted braking performance.Buyers could choose between Ford's fuel-injected single overhead camshaft 4.0-litre six, which gave 157kW at 5900rpm, and 357Nm at 3000rpm, or the optional 5.0-litre V8 which boasted 165kW and 388Nm. Both engines were coupled to four-speed auto transmissions to ensure smooth progress.  Ford released the NFII in 1995 and with it came an airbag for the front-seat passenger, along with a number of other detail improvements.In the shopWith the same mechanical package the Fairlane suffers the same maladies as the Falcon. Both engines are reliable and the 4.0-litre six works well on gas, but they can suffer head-gasket problems.Fairlane drive lines are also reliable – the auto hangs on well into the high 100,000km and the diff is tough. Listen for diff noise on high-kilometre cars.  Problems with electrical components can be frustrating and the Fairlane can suffer similar electrical gremlins to the Falcon.Fairlanes, particularly if privately owned from new, are usually well cared for by fussy owners and these are the ones to seek out.  Others, which might have come from the hire-car business, will be showing high mileage and should be treated with caution.Check the history of ownership to determine if the car has been in the hire business, and the service record to ensure that the car has been serviced according to Ford's recommendations.RivalHolden VS Statesman Price 1995-1998 $14,000-$24,000
Read the article
Ask Smithy Xtra whiny Fairlane Ghia
Answered by Graham Smith · 17 Nov 2010

It’s likely to be the gear set that’s causing the noise, have an auto trans specialist drive the car for you for a more exact diagnosis.

Damage control
Answered by CarsGuide team · 27 Feb 2009

TAKE it to the RACV or NRMA and ask their inspectors to check it. There are also private companies that check cars to make sure they're properly repaired, but the reality is your car is old and has problems. Even though you can't afford to buy another one, that is the best course of action. The repairs to your car are likely to cost more than it's worth.

Problem with Fairlane starter motor
Answered by Graham Smith · 03 Oct 2014

That’s often a sign that the battery has lost its punch, so start by checking the battery condition. Also check the battery terminals and clean them if necessary. If the battery is fine and the terminals are clean you could look at the starter itself.

Dry argument
Answered by Carsguide.com.au · 25 May 2006

LPG specialists recommend running your car on petrol for 10km once every week or two. That's to run petrol through the fuel pump to prevent the seals drying out.

Fuel for 95 Ford Fairlaine
Answered by Graham Smith · 02 Jun 2011

You can use regular unleaded or the E10 ethanol blend. Swap meets are good places to find things like owner's manuals, and you could also try e-bay.

 

Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.
Have a new question for the CarsGuide team?
More than 9,000 questions asked and answered.
Complete guide to Ford Fairlane 1995
Complete guide to Ford Fairlane 1995 CarsGuide Logo
Reviews, price, specs and more