One problem related to brake master cylinder has been reported for the 1996 Ford Econoline. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
On June 25th I changed the battery on my 1996 Ford e150 because the battery was dead. About a half an hour later I heard the alarm going off. When I went outside there was white smoke coming out from under the hood. I raised the hood and the sending unit on the master cylinder for the cruise control was smoking and the white smoke was increasing by the second. I pulled the wires that were leading to it and the smoked started to disapate. The vehicle was not running and the ignition was turned off. On June 29, I was watching the jane pauly show on cnn. They were reporting about a problem with this same part on the Ford f150 pickups. I believe that if my alarm had not sounded my vehicle would have caught on fire like the pickup trucks in the report. As of yet I still have not repaired the vehicle and all parts are as they were on the day of the incedent. If you would like I will leave the vehicle this way so you can inspect the problem if you would like. Please contact me ASAP so I know how to proceed.