Owners have filed 348 complaints on the Ford E-450, covering 1996–2026. The system named most often is Tires (87 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2000, 2005; cleanest: 1996, 2023, 2009. 9 reports describe a crash, 17 a fire. On average the car was 3.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford E-450
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 348 E-450 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Tires 87 Read
The contact owns a 2019 Entegra Odyssey RV constructed on a 2019 Ford E450 chassis equipped with Hankook Tires, Tire Line: Dynapro HT, Tire Size: LT225/75/R16, DOT Number: BCXEHUH. The contact stated that upon inflating the tires, his brother was informed that the tires needed to be replaced as they had dry rotted.…
Blowout on lt225/75r16 michelin tire on 2017 thor motorhome. VIN number [xxx] . Only 2075 miles on vehicle and tire. DOT 83jh 00yx 115/112.. Read in motorhome magazine that this has happened to others. 3 on one motorhome. Riding on highway. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5…
Bought 2016 thor four winds model VIN [xxx] 8-3-2015 new. Took it out on the first road trip oct 2015 and had a flat tire due to improper installation of mud flaps by campland rv. Had to argue with campland and thor to get the tire covered. This ended up costing me time, money and lose of use. I had to pay for the new…
Service Brakes 32 Read
Fire from ABS brake unit
Fire from ABS unit
The contact owns a 2003 ford e450. While driving at approximate speeds of 45 mph using the cruise control in rainy weather, the vehicle began jerking. The contact stated that there was also a burning smell coming from the vehicle. He was able to move the vehicle off of the road and when he attempted to unlock the…
Steering 29 Read
Parking Brake The Sticker on this U-Haul 15 foot Truck says, "Engage the Parking Brake before turning off the Engine, otherwise UNCONTROLLED OPERATION OF VEHICLE may occur.". I pulled on the Parking Brake as the Sticker warned. With my foot off the Gas Pedal, at about 25 - 30 MPH the U-Haul Steered way to the right by…
The brand new JAYCO GREWHAWK is making a whining sound from the chassis. I have not even driven it more than 50 miles. This vehicle needs to be recalled for whatever chassis issues or it could be transmission issues. I will take it back to FORD but this is really bad on ford to sell brand new RVs with such whining…
I received a recall notice on this vehicle from Ford. Ford Recall 22S08 and NHTSA recall 22V089. Ford does not seem to be aware of this recall nor do you. The earliest Big Valley Ford in Stockton CA appointment I could get was 7/19/22. This is not acceptable based on safety
Power Train 25 Read
The contact owns a 2016 ford e-450. The contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle accelerated without any warning crashing into a mobile home. The contact stated no injuries were sustained. A police report was not filed. The contact stated as a result of the failure the vehicle has failed to shift from the…
2007 ford e450 van, driver lifted shift lever towards park. The driver thought the lever was in park and exited the vehicle. The lever dropped to reverse and the vehicle ran the over driver. *bf the vehicle has a brake interlock, if the shift lever is pushed hard enough, it will shift into park. If the shift lever is…
Vehicle lost power and stopped running while moving at a speed of 55 mph. Vehicle dangerously skid to a complete stop in the middle of a busy highway, unable to drive onto shoulder. Had to be towed into dealership. Vehicle purchased on 06/14/2005 for $58,000, incident happened 07/08/2005, and vehicle is still in shop…
Structure 24 Read
This was the third steeltex tire to fail on this vehicle. This vehicle was manufactured overweight. The secondary manufacturer has offered to exchange it for a new motorhome. I have serious reservations that the new unit is safe. (tiresize: 225 75 16e)( DOT number: tire size: 225 75 16e )
The contact owns a 2023 Ford E-450. The contact discovered shortly after the purchase of the vehicle, that during the manufacturing, the vehicle was improperly assembled and was missing the fasteners, the housing to the frame, and the bottom of the vehicle was missing several bolts. The dealer was contacted; however,…
The contact owns a 2021 Phoenix Cruiser RV built on a 2021 Ford E-450 chassis, equipped with a 6400 Series window vent. The contact stated that he became aware that the side window was delaminating. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21E047000 (Structure, Equipment). The RV was taken to a local dealer…
Engine 21 Read
A plug blew out on the passenger side of my vehicle causing an engine fire
Lifters in engine is going out. Ford has made a TSBs for repair because lifters and camshaft was made by a third party and they are defect. Here is Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 25-2200). Vehicle is available for inspection. It was put at risk because vehicle could loose power at any time and potential crash into…
The contact owns a 2022 Ford E-450. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel felt loose, and the vehicle was difficult to control. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated no failure was found, but the failure persisted. The vehicle…
Engine And Engine Cooling 18 Read
The school bus was on parked at 10:00 am at 1:15 pm our shop noticed smoke coming from the parking yard. They found the engine compartment and front of bus was on fire. The van was a total loss
The contact owns a 2008 ford e450 he purchased in 2007. He stated that the vehicle would lurch forward when he depressed the brake pedal. In addition, he felt that the accelerator is too close to the brake pedal. The dealer refused to repair the vehicle it is a recreational vehicle. The failure mileage was 150 and…
Under normal operating conditions we have had two engines (v-10, 6.8l) throw a spark plug, stripping out the threads. Both vehicles had been on the road for about an hour and upon leaving a stoplight blew the plugs, causing lost of power, raw fuel smell, leading to the vehicles being towed to the repair shop. 2005…
Electrical System 16 Read
The contact owns a 2016 ford e-450. The contact stated that the automatic transfer switch caught fire. The fire extinguished itself and a fire report was not filed. There were no injuries. The contact called an unknown dealer, but an appointment could not be scheduled for two weeks. The contact took the vehicle to an…
This vehicle was converted to an ambulance by wheeld coach. The ambulance caught fire and spread to the building in which it was parked and unoccupied. A paramedic smelled something coming from the bay, and, when he went to investigate, he saw smoke and fire dripping from underneath the ambulance. An investigator…
Fire ignited at engine compartment wiring harness to alternator resulting in replacement of alternator, alternator wiring harness, right glow plug wiring harness, engine compartment wiring harness and fire damaged hoses and belts
E-450 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Power Train,unknown Or Other,engine | — | — | |
| 2025 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2024 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2023 | Structure | — | — | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2019 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2018 | Equipment | — | — | |
| 2017 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2016 | Electrical System | 2 | 1 | |
| 2015 | Engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2014 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2013 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2012 | Power Train,engine | — | — | |
| 2011 | Electrical System,fuel/propulsion System | — | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2008 | Electrical System,engine | — | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Electrical System | — | 3 | |
| 2005 | Electrical System | 3 | 2 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | — | 2 | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2000 | Electrical System | — | 2 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | — | 3 | |
| 1998 | Tires | — | — | |
| 1997 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1996 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — |
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 | 225 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 9 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 3.4 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 9. 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
- No ads, on every page
- 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-450?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2005 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-450 years are the cleanest?
1996, 2023, 2009 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford E-450 have?
348 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1996–2026. Of those, 9 describe a crash and 17 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.