1998 Ford E-350Problems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 63 owner complaints about the 1998 Ford E-350, most often about the tires. It is covered by 8 safety recalls, and for recall 14V-197 the manufacturer reports only 33% of affected cars repaired.

CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.1× the E-350 median · #7 of 32 years by complaints

Safety recalls8Lowest repair rate 33%Owner complaints634 with a crash, fire or injury Typical failure mileage69kTires, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through August 13, 2022. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1998 Ford E-350 has problems

63 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

14Tires

8Engine and engine cooling

8Service brakes, hydraulic1 crash/fire/injury

5Electrical system

4Fuel system, other

3Fuel system, diesel

3Steering

3Suspension

3Vehicle speed control

1411 other systems2 crash/fire/injury

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Tires	14	0
Engine and engine cooling	8	0
Service brakes, hydraulic	8	1
Electrical system	5	0
Fuel system, other	4	0
Fuel system, diesel	3	0
Steering	3	0
Suspension	3	0
Vehicle speed control	3	1
11 other systems	14	2

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

8 recalls

1998 Ford E-350 recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

repaired · 2015 Q3

Equipment adaptive/mobility

Recall 14V-197 · Apr 16, 2014 · 66 vehicles · 22 repaired

Risk. A wheelchair occupant may defeat or ride over the insufficiently latched roll stop.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 09V-399 · Oct 13, 2009 · 4,500,000 vehicles

Risk. A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Equipment adaptive/mobility

Recall 09V-014 · Jan 14, 2009 · 19 vehicles

Risk. A LIFT OCCUPANT CAN BE INJURED SHOULD THE LIFT BEGIN TO STOW UNINTENTIONALLY.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Vehicle speed control: cruise control

Recall 08V-051 · Feb 4, 2008 · 225,000 vehicles

Risk. AS A RESULT, THE FUSE IS LOCATED IN THE OUTPUT CIRCUIT RATHER THAN IN THE INTENDED INPUT POWER FEED CIRCUIT, AND MAY NOT OFFER THE INTENDED PROTECTION IN THE…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 4 more recalls

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 07V-336 · Aug 3, 2007 · 3,600,000 vehicles

Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Equipment adaptive/mobility

Recall 04V-562 · Nov 26, 2004 · 1,660 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE WHEELCHAIR MAY NOT BE ADEQUATELY SECURED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO A WHEELCHAIR OCCUPANT.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Storage: tank assembly

Recall 01V-114 · Apr 5, 2001 · 151,000 vehicles

Risk. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Other: labels

Recall 00V-284 · Sep 21, 2000 · 4,500 vehicles

Risk. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Best & worst years

1998 vs. every other E-350 year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the E-350 median. How we score

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 2 11 14 11 26 23 19 41 43 51 69 50 79 63 72 59 52 53 46 46 55 53 18 39 10 17 19 16 13 17 7 5 13 3 3 2 25 17 3 2 2 0 0

'75'76'77'78'79'80'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26'27

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1998 Ford E-350, and the recalls they led to.

Sep 22, 2005
SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEADDP05005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
No recall
Apr 13, 2010
HVAC Switch FailuresEA10003 · closed Mar 5, 2012
No recall
Dec 7, 2009
HVAC Switch FailuresPE09055 · closed Apr 21, 2010
No recall
Jul 12, 1999
BLOW BACK DURING REFUELINGPE99047 · closed Sep 23, 1999
No recall

In owners' words

What E-350 owners report

Recent tires complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD E-350 EQUIPPED WITH STARFIRE SF-510 TIRES, SIZE LT245-75-R16 (NA). WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A STATE INSPECTION, THE SIDEWALL OF THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WAS FOUND WITH INTERNAL INDENTATIONS. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIRE NEEDED TO…
Complaint 11140351 · Oct 15, 2018 · 130,000 miles

I PURCHASED A TOTAL OF 7 MICHELIN LTX M/S TIRES LT225/75R16 E FOR MY MINI MOTORHOME. THEY ARE DRY-ROTTING RIGHT OFF THE RIMS. THIS IS AN ESTABLISHED PROBLEM. WHEN I WAS DIRECTED TO A DEALER (FORREST TIRE OF ARTESIA, NM) I WAS OFFERED A DISCOUNT ON BUYING MORE TIRES. I WAS EXTREMELY DISMAYED THAT…
Complaint 10291093 · Nov 5, 2009 · 8,000 miles

PE0 020; WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY HEARD A LOUD NOISE. WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SHOULDER,AND REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE COMPLETELY. TFIRESTONE, LT225/7516, DOTDA1809. *AK
Complaint 8010193 · May 20, 2002

Own a 1998 E-350?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.