What breaks most · 1990 to 2022 model years
Ford E-250 problems by year
Owners have filed 305 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford E-250 across model years 1990 to 2022. Three years stand out: 1999 for engine and cooling complaints, 1997 for engine and cooling complaints and 1996 for tires complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2016 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 1997, 1996
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2016, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 3051990 to 2022, all trims
- Worst year
- 199931 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3321 fires · 41 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 230Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 14 | 1 | 3 | Suspension (5) | |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 11 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 15 | 3 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 20 | 2 | 3 | Tires (5) | |
| 24 | 0 | 3 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 16 | 1 | 4 | Steering (4) | |
| 31 | 1 | 5 | Engine and cooling (8) | |
| 18 | 3 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 17 | 2 | 4 | Tires (4) | |
| 17 | 4 | 7 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 8 | 1 | 18 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 11 | 3 | 10 | Air bags (3) | |
| 11 | 1 | 30 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 26 | Air bags (2) | |
| 6 | 2 | 21 | Engine (2) | |
| 2 | 1 | 18 | Engine (1) | |
| 9 | 2 | 12 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 17 | Engine (2) | |
| 8 | 1 | 11 | Seat belts (2) | |
| 11 | 1 | 10 | Tires (3) | |
| 7 | 1 | 11 | Engine (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 1999 Ford E-250
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 26% |
8 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 23% |
7 | 0 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 19% |
6 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 16% |
5 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
4 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
3 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Equipment Adaptive/Mobility | 6% |
2 | 1 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I returned to my truck after work to go home. When i started it, there was a loud popping noise from under the hood. After investigation, i found the #3 sparkplug on the passenger side gone. It was blown out.
-
Blown spark plug right out of the head, took the threads with it costing over $3000.00 FORD will not except responsability for there negligence in there machine shop can you help?
-
While waiting at stop light or sign vehicle would idle roughly. Would jerk forward with foot on brake. Sometimes would almost stall out when at a stop. Been to dealer, and nothing could be found. It was an intermittent problem.*ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford E-250 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 1997, 1996 carry the most filings on the Ford E-250. The 1999 alone has 31 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Ford E-250 problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 8 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford E-250 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford E-250 complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.