Owners have filed 214 complaints on the Ford E-350, covering 1983–2025. The system named most often is Steering (27 reports). Worst years by volume: 2005, 1998, 2021; cleanest: 1983, 1986, 1988. 10 reports describe a crash, 8 a fire. On average the car was 3.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford E-350
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 214 E-350 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 27 Read
Without warning my brakes and steering failed on a Freedom Elite RV on a Ford Motor chassis. The vehicle only had 2396 miles on it at the time of occurrence. It turned out to be a pressure hose that broke. Luckily I was in a residential neighborhood with no traffic and driving very slowly when it happened. I shudder…
The contact owns a 2022 Ford E-350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff and the vehicle would pull in either direction. Additionally, there was an abnormal odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact then noticed that the brake pedal had to be pressed very…
During early morning hours (approx. 2 am) of 10/09/22, while traveling westbound on I-70 through Utah at posted speed (80 mph) I hit a series of road repairs (patches) while in the right-hand lane, with the driver-side (left) front wheel. The front end of the vehicle shook violently, leaving limited control of…
Engine And Engine Cooling 25 Read
2013 ford e350 super duty motorhome. Consumer writes in regards to melted exhaust flange and concern about potential for fire caused by excessive exhaust heat build up. *ea
2005 ford e-350 ambulance was driving with lights and sirens to a 911 call when the engine died. The crew was barely able to control the vehicle to a stop. This has happened 2 times before, both times the vehicle was sent to a ford dealership service center and they have been unable to find a solution to the problem.…
2005 ford e-350 ambulance had a total engine failure while driving to a 911 call. The ford dealership service center diagnosed an oil pump failure as the cause and replaced it under warranty. This is compliant #2 of 6. All of the 2005 ford ambulances we purchased have suffered total engine failures from either the oil…
Electrical System 22 Read
Ford 2005 e350 diesel both new still under warranty breakdown over a dozen times wouldn't start sometimes after 20 min. Trying it starts roadside assistance. Tow it 5 times to difference ford certified technician they change parts but same problem it stall once my dad hit a parked truck damage hood and fender I can…
Electrical fire, orinating in the gas tank, wires not being fused
I purchased this 28' shasta class c motorhome from a private party. All receipts from work history were included. Upon the first time out, towing my 1200 lb boat to lake mead ( no significant hills as I live in las vegas ), the motorhome ran beautiful, even up to the point of parking. I came out two days later to…
Fuel System 22 Read
The contact owned a 2005 Ford E-350. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH he smelled a burning odor and saw that the vehicle was trailing a large white cloud. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and as soon as he exited the vehicle it had become engulfed in…
The contact owns a 2022 Ford E-350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V925000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled; however, the contact was informed that the recall could not be…
The contact owns a 2014 ford e-350. The contact stated that fuel fumes emitted into the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician replaced the generator and on a different occasion the fuel venting system was lengthened. However, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified…
Power Train 20 Read
I was making a 3 point turn, and when I put the truck into reverse it jumped forward instead of going backward, causing the vehicle to strike power pole cables
I had an issue with the vehicle having a sudden miss from the engine while on the freeway. Saturday the sparkplugs and one coil pack was replaced. The vehicle was next driven on sunday evening where approx. 1/2 mile from the home the vehicle shut off without any power to the steering and brakes. Instruments lights…
The contact owns a 1989 ford e-350. The contact stated that while exiting from the wheel chair ramp that was attached to the vehicle in a wheel chair, the vehicle independently rolled away and crashed into a gate. The contact was not injured. Additionally, the contact was driving 70 mph and smelled an abnormal and…
Service Brakes 18 Read
On 6/2/23, brakes failed to work when applying heavy pressure, causing a rear end collision
This vehicle is used as an ambulance. On two separate occasions the vehicle was involved in two major accidents, once going forward from a stationary position through our building garage door and the other while in reverse trying to slow down backing up and going through an interior building wall. The gas and brake…
2005 ford e-350. Consumer states while pulling into a parking lot and applying the brakes, the van's brakes failed to operate causing a collision *tgw the consumer stated the vacuum pump attached to the engine failed. *jb the consumer stated the brake, was a major component that failed and there was no warning of a…
Engine 17 Read
The contact owns a 2017 ford e -350. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and was jump started. Additionally, the vehicle failed to shutdown when the key was removed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer grieco ford (1651 new state hwy, raynham, ma 02767 (508) 219-4544) where it was diagnosed that…
The contact owns a 2014 ford e-350. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact smelled a burning odor coming from the engine when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
Failures of Ford engine 7 .3L VS 350 and we have 67000 there have been multiple cases of this engine ceasing at this mileage,. The warranty should be 100,000 especially if its a fleet vehicle and used for purposes like fedex
Suspension 16 Read
This vehicle has a 12,500 gvwr. We recently had this at a ford dealer for a broken left rear suspension. The dealer weighed the entire vehicle and determined the tare weight to be 11,200 lbs. This is a class-c motorhome and it was completely empty of any and all cargo, no liquids, which is capable of carrying 40…
We ordered a 2017 with an advertised gvw of 14,500 and gcvw of 22,000 (e450) but the manufacturer substituted a 2018 product with a gcvw of 18,500 (e350) and gvw of only 12,500 which in my opinion is a major safety concern considering that most vehicles sold will likely be overweight when in use and it clearly will…
While driving this vehicle at hiway speed of 60 mph, I hit a bump in the road, the vehicle started viberating violently in the front end. The steering was nearly un-controllable. I took the vehicle to my dealership where the ordered a part that was supposed to fix the problem. It did not fix the problem. There seems…
E-350 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Unknown Or Other | — | — | |
| 2024 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2023 | Power Train,engine | — | — | |
| 2022 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2021 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2019 | Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Engine | 1 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2015 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2013 | Electrical System,engine | 1 | — | |
| 2005 | Electrical System | 2 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1989 | Power Train,fuel/propulsion System | 1 | — | |
| 1988 | Electrical System,fuel/propulsion System | — | 1 | |
| 1986 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1983 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 179 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 3 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 3.7 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 3. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the E-350?
By complaint volume, 2005, 1998, 2021 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which E-350 years are the cleanest?
1983, 1986, 1988 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford E-350 have?
214 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1983–2025. Of those, 10 describe a crash and 8 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.