What breaks most · 1991 to 2019 model years
Ford E-350 problems by year
Owners have filed 983 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford E-350 across model years 1991 to 2019. Three years stand out: 1997 for tires complaints, 1999 for tires complaints and 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2015 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 1997, 1999, 1995
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 9831991 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 199776 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5449 fires · 111 injuries · 8 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 291Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (7) | |
| 41 | 0 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (10) | |
| 43 | 3 | 3 | Fuel system (8) | |
| 51 | 3 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (17) | |
| 69 | 6 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (35) | |
| 50 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (17) | |
| 76 | 5 | 4 | Tires (24) | |
| 61 | 2 | 7 | Tires (14) | |
| 70 | 5 | 8 | Tires (23) | |
| 59 | 3 | 6 | Tires (18) | |
| 51 | 0 | 4 | Engine and cooling (14) | |
| 53 | 2 | 4 | Engine and cooling (16) | |
| 45 | 4 | 7 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 46 | 1 | 11 | Fuel System, Diesel (13) | |
| 53 | 2 | 14 | Electrical system (17) | |
| 52 | 6 | 38 | Engine and cooling (13) | |
| 16 | 2 | 34 | Tires (4) | |
| 37 | 3 | 31 | Steering (12) | |
| 9 | 0 | 26 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 12 | 1 | 17 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 12 | 3 | 19 | Tires (4) | |
| 13 | 0 | 11 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 11 | 1 | 8 | Tires (6) | |
| 15 | 0 | 11 | Steering (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 9 | 1 | 4 | Suspension (3) | |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) |
What fails on the 1997 Ford E-350
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 32% |
24 | 3 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 20% |
15 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 18% |
14 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 8% |
6 | 1 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
4 | 1 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
1997 FORD e350 v-10 engine van blew out the number 4 spark plug. Loud popping sound followed by loss of power and strong fuel smell. Also had a neighbor with an f-150 that had same problem and truck burned to the ground in under 5 minutes.
-
1999 FORD e350. Consumer states that while driving he noticed smoke in the cab and the engine started to die. Consumer pulled over the vehicle became engulfed with flames. *mc the consumer believed the fire started in the engine. (ohio traffic crash report)*jb
-
1995 e-350 motorhome the ABS system failed twice and was repaired both times. *kb the ABS was out of warranty. The consumer feels that the ABS should not have failed at such low mileage. The first ABS failed at 37000 miles. The second one failed at 73000 miles. *nm
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 30, 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-350 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997, 1999, 1995 carry the most filings on the Ford E-350. The 1997 alone has 76 complaints, led by tires.
What is the most common Ford E-350 problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is tires with 24 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford E-350 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford E-350 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.