Ford Econoline problems
The Ford E-Series (also known as the Ford Econoline, Ford Econovan or Ford Club Wagon) is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for 1961 as the replacement of the Ford F-Series panel van, four generations of the model line have been produced. Marketed for both cargo and passenger transport configurations, the E-Series has been designed with multiple design variations for both retail and commercial sale, including vans, and commercial-grade cutaway van chassis and stripped chassis (a chassis without bodywork).
With over 8.2 million units sold since 1961, the Ford E-Series is the third-best selling van line in history (outranked only by the Ford Transit and Volkswagen Transporter). Ford retired the E-Series passenger and cargo vans after 2014, replacing them with the Ford Transit. As of current production, the E-Series remains offered exclusively in cutaway and stripped-chassis configurations. In 2021, the model line entered its 60th year of production (becoming the second current Ford line to do so).
The E-Series (cutaway/stripped chassis) is assembled by Ford at its Ohio Assembly facility (Avon Lake, Ohio), which has produced the model line since 1975. Prior to its closure, Lorain Assembly (Lorain, Ohio) assembled the model line from 1961 to 2005.
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Ford Econoline model years
Common Ford Econoline problems
Common problems with Ford Econoline vans include transmission issues, engine stalling, electrical system malfunctions, fuel system issues, suspension and steering components wearing out prematurely, rusting body panels, misfiring cylinders due to worn spark plugs or faulty ignition coils, and sticking calipers due to corrosion buildup. Transmission issues can lead to performance issues, while engine stalling can be a safety concern. Electrical system malfunctions can affect various components like door locks and windows. Fuel system issues can impact the vehicle's efficiency. Suspension and steering problems can affect handling and safety. Rusting body panels can lead to structural issues. Misfiring cylinders can cause engine performance issues, and sticking calipers can affect braking performance and safety.
Are Ford e350 vans reliable?
The Ford E-350 Super Duty Reliability Rating is 2.0 out of 5.0, which ranks it 18th out of 21 for commercial vans. The average annual repair cost is $1,142 which means it has poor ownership costs. The frequency of repairs is average, but when issues do arise, they are more likely to be severe than with other models.
What are the recalls on the Ford Econoline van?
SUMMARY. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Ford Econoline vehicles equipped with a 5R110W transmission, 5.4L engine, and a school bus or ambulance preparation package. A weld within the coast clutch may fail, causing an unexpected loss of drive power.
How long do Ford Econoline vans last?
What is the realistic life expectancy for a well-maintained gasoline cargo van such as a Ford econoline? If it doesn't rust away, a well maintained van can last INDEFINITELY, compared to what it costs to buy a NEW van to replace your old one.
Why did Ford stop making Econoline vans?
However, in 2015, the Blue Oval company decided to end the sale of passenger and cargo vans, replacing them with the legendary European panel van, the Ford Transit. That was due to its modularity and modern underpinnings, whereas the E-Series had been little changed since the middle of the 1970s!
Percentage distribution of complaints by Ford Econoline years
We have researched Ford problems and analysed all the complaints filed against Ford Econoline cars and compiled the top 5 most problematic Ford Econoline model years:
Below you can see the percentage distribution of known problems by Ford Econoline model years.
Distribution of the number of complaints by Ford Econoline years
We've also compiled a chart for you with the number of complaints about Volkswagen Jetta cars of certain model years:
Ford Econoline car problems categorized by type of issue
After analysing all complaints related to Ford Econoline , it was concluded that the most common issues with these cars are:
- Service brakes problems
- Hydraulic problems
- Engine and engine cooling problems
- Tires problems
- Fuel system problems
The graph below shows statistics for all Ford Econoline vehicle components and the number of complaints received.
Distribution of the number of complaints where the accident occurred by Econoline model years
A total of 171 complaints were registered in which the accident occurred. In the graph you can see the distribution of the number of complaints by model year.
Distribution of the number of complaints with fire by Econoline model years
There were a total of 232 complaints that resulted in a fire. In the graph you can see the distribution of the number of complaints by model year.
Distribution of the number of complaints with injuries by Econoline model years
There were a total of 367 complaints that resulted in a injuries. In the graph you can see the distribution of the number of complaints by model year.
Distribution of the number of complaints with deaths by Econoline model years
There were a total of 21 complaints that resulted in a death. In the graph you can see the distribution of the number of complaints by model year.
The NHTSA has received 3061 complaints about various vehicle components related to the Ford Econoline . Below are the 25 most recent complaints reported for Ford Econoline vehicles.
Latest 25 complaints
Ford Econoline 2002
- Date Of Incident: 2024-06-21
- Date Complaint: 2024-06-23
- VIN: 1FMRE11LX2H
- Components: STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES
- Summary: My power steering and brakes went out as I was driving. I was making a turn in town, and I almost collided with another car at the intersection. I pushed the brakes as hard as I could, but it didn't slow down, the car just eventually rolled to a stop on its own. The exact cause is unknown, but it seems like it was a failure in the power steering pump. After turning off the van and turning it back on again a minute later, it started driving normally again.
Ford Econoline 2002
- Date Of Incident: 2024-02-29
- Date Complaint: 2024-03-07
- Fire: 1
- VIN: 1FTRE14W22H
- Components: WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES
- Summary: The contact owns a 2002 Ford E-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, he smelled a burning odor in the passenger cabin. The contact stated that he turned the A/C on to help clear the cabin. The contact stated that he noticed smoke was being emitted from the driver's side rear tire and wheel well. The contact stated that the tire separated from the rim and the vehicle dropped to the road. The contact stated he had not noticed any warning lights. The contact stated that he managed to pull over and saw smoke emitted from the rotor and brake pads. The contact stated that the rim was almost destroyed. The contact observed that there was fluid leaking from the rotor and brake pads and had started to burst into flames. The contact stated that he was able to smother the flames with a blanket. The contact stated that he had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 228,000.
Ford Econoline 1993
- Date Of Incident: 2024-01-21
- Date Complaint: 2024-01-21
- VIN: 1FDFS24H3PH
- Components: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- Summary: Random Acceleration (Gas Pedal) when started from a cold start. When foot was not on any brake or gas pedal, van started to accelerate as if I had my foot on the gas pedal.
Ford Econoline 1997
- Date Of Incident: 2023-11-01
- Date Complaint: 2023-12-01
- VIN: 1FTJE34LXVH
- Components: STRUCTURE
- Summary: The rear passenger compartment outside and inside door handles broke such that rear seating passengers cannot exit the vehicle and are trapped inside. In case of an accident, the emergency responders will have to resort to drastic time consuming measures such as ripping the doors off to save the trapped passengers. Apparently all years of Ford Econoline vans have this dangerous problem because there are numerous fix it videos all over the internet showing how to replace the cheap handle-latch failure prone plastic parts with non-breakable METAL parts.
Ford Econoline 1994
- Date Of Incident: 2023-10-07
- Date Complaint: 2023-10-12
- VIN: 1FMEE11N7RH
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: The contact owns a 1994 Ford E-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated she heard an unusual noise that sounded like something broke. The contact stated she continued to drive and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured steering box. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
Ford Econoline 2001
- Date Of Incident: 2023-05-20
- Date Complaint: 2023-05-20
- VIN: 1FDRE14W31H
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: Frame/ chassis cracked at steering box mount due to rusting from the inside of the frame out. There are holes and small open areas in the 4 sided frame. There is no wheel well material protecting this area from excessive amount of salt, water, dirt and debris entering in these holes as well, there is no way to maintain, clean, protect or inspect the insides of the frame to know your steering is going to fail. I am not the only person that is having this problem. Please review. Thanks for reading. Sincerely [XXX] or [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Ford Econoline 1994
- Date Of Incident: 2021-01-27
- Date Complaint: 2023-01-27
- VIN: 1FDKE30G7RH
- Components: SEAT BELTS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
- Summary: seat belt not pulling out e40d trans starts out going in 3ed gear
Ford Econoline 1999
- Date Of Incident: 2022-08-31
- Date Complaint: 2022-09-06
- VIN: 1FDWE30L4XH
- Components: TIRES
- Summary: The contact owns a 1999 Ford E-350 Jamboree equipped with Sailun Tires, Tire Line: Terramax H/T, Tire Size: 225/75/R16, DOT Number: (535PLE50). The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, there were pieces of the driver's side inside dual tire striking the underside of the vehicle and hitting the highway. The contact managed to drive the vehicle back to his residence. The contact stated that the tread had separated leaving only the steel belt and the side wall. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 80,000 and the tire failure mileage was 5,000.
Ford Econoline 1993
- Date Of Incident: 2022-06-27
- Date Complaint: 2022-07-07
- VIN: 1FDEE14NXPH
- Components: POWER TRAIN,SUSPENSION
- Summary: The contact owns a 1993 Ford E-150. The contact stated that upon attempting to pull into a parking space and turning the steering wheel, she heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the front driver's side seat and the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact contacted AAA who inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the gear box had detached from the subframe. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side subframe had three holes and one of the holes had expanded significantly and needed to be welded prior to fastening the gear box to the subframe. The independent mechanic informed the contact that they could not weld the subframe. The dealer was notified and informed the contact that the next availability was in approximately two months. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Ford Econoline 1999
- Date Of Incident: 2022-01-22
- Date Complaint: 2022-01-22
- VIN: 1FMRE11W6XH
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: While turning into a parking space the bolts to the steering box sheared off with complete loss of steering. Further inspection showed severe cracking and loss of metal in the steering box area. After doing some searches I found that this is common issue in the E series vans. I did do a recall search and a CSA search to see about having this problem resolved safely by a certified shop. Unfortunately I haven't found any recall information on what is obviously a serious safety issue. Apparently the bolts shear off at low speeds while turning. The real concern is should one bolt only crack and not let the steering box become useless the vehical may be at highway speed when the failure does occour causing complete loss of control of the vehicle. I've read hundreds of emails on this subject and none had a resolution provided by the Ford Motor Company. I would think that something this critical would have been addressed by now. Concidering the recalls for comparatively much lesser safety issues. Thank you for reviewing this matter.
Ford Econoline 1997
- Date Of Incident: 2021-09-06
- Date Complaint: 2021-09-28
- VIN: 1FDJS34F4VH
- Components: SUSPENSION
- Summary: This vehicle was made by Ford as a partially complete vehicle and converted to 4 wheel drive by Quigley Motor Company Inc. The Quigley torque arms installed appear to commonly fail from some of the earlier years and a design change has been made (from C-channel arms to tubular). The design and construction of the C-channel torque arm (connecting the front axle to the frame of the vehicle) is prone to failure from low cycle fatigue near the welds. Upon failure, the structural integrity of the vehicle is compromised which results could range from handling issues to loss of control of the vehicle (if more than one torque arm fails or failure of one leads to cascading failures in other components, the front axle could become disconnected from the vehicle while in motion leading to an accident.
Ford Econoline 2001
- Date Of Incident: 2021-08-12
- Date Complaint: 2021-08-14
- VIN: 1FTRE14W01H
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: Frame corroded causing steering box to break through the frame and complete steering loss which nearly caused a head on collision and leaving van inoperable and completely without steering
Ford Econoline 1997
- Date Of Incident: 2021-06-23
- Date Complaint: 2021-07-06
- VIN: 1FDEE14L6VH
- Components: TIRES
- Summary: The contact owns a 1997 Ford E-150 equipped with Milestar Tires, Tire Line: Grantland, Tire Size: 235/75/R15, DOT number: TB20R028. The contact stated while driving approximately 45-50 mph, the tires were bouncing. The contact stated upon checking the tires, his son noticed that the tires were cracked and had holes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the tires were defective. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate vehicle mileage was 150,258. The approximate tire failure mileage was 800.
Ford Econoline 2002
- Date Of Incident: 2020-12-21
- Date Complaint: 2020-12-28
- VIN: 1FMRE11WX2H
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: IN A PARKING LOT, I WENT TO TURN LEFT, HEARD A LOUD CLUNK AND THE VAN JUST WENT STRAIGHT. LOST ALL STEERING CONTROL. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AND NOT ON THE ROAD AT HIGHER SPEED. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED AT SPEED, I WOULD HAVE HIT ONCOMING TRAFFIC , OR GONE OFF THE ROAD INTO WHO KNOWS WHAT. TWO SEPARATE MECHANICS HAVE DIAGNOSED A COMPLETE FRAME FAILURE WIHICH ALLOWED THE STEERING BOX TO DETACH FROM THE FRAME. THE FRAME IS NOT REPAIRABLE. IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2002 FORD E150 FRAME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET HURT OR KILLED!!!
Ford Econoline 1995
- Date Of Incident: 2020-09-11
- Date Complaint: 2020-09-11
- VIN: 1FTEE14NXSH
- Components: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- Summary: MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER 09S09 NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 09V399000 SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCTH (SCDS) MAY LEAK INTERNALLY AND THAN OVERHEAT,SMOKE OR BURN,VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT ENGINE RUNNING, THIS IS AN UNREPAIRED RECALL
Latest 5 recalls Ford Econoline
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued 118 recalls for different components of the Ford Econoline.You can explore the year of the Volkswagen Jetta you are interested in by selecting it from the list.
- Model: Ford Econoline 2019
- Report Received Date: 2019-06-11
- Manufacturer: Unicell Body Company Inc.
- Components: EQUIPMENT
- Summary: Unicell Body Company Inc. (Unicell) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna, 2018-2019 Hino 155, Ford Econoline and Transit and Isuzu NPR, and 2018 Ram ProMaster-based vehicles equipped with ASA Electronics Voyager monitors used to display the back-up camera image. The affected monitors may revert back to the factory default settings which may cause the camera image to be reversed.
- Consequence: The driver may inadvertently turn the wrong direction to avoid an object behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy: Unicell will work with ASA Electronics to notify owners and offer a remedy, free of charge. The recall began May 9, 2019. Owners may contact ASA Electronics customer service 1-800-384-4400 or Unicell at 1-716-853-8628.
- Model: Ford Econoline 2010
- Report Received Date: 2019-06-10
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Ford Econoline vehicles equipped with a 5R110W transmission, 5.4L engine, and a school bus or ambulance preparation package. A weld within the coast clutch may fail, causing an unexpected loss of drive power.
- Consequence: A sudden loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. Transferring occupants of a disabled school bus or ambulance to another vehicle increases their risk of injury.
- Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the single-engaging coast one-way clutch with a new dual-engaging one-way clutch, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S20.
- Model: Ford Econoline 2009
- Report Received Date: 2019-06-10
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Ford Econoline vehicles equipped with a 5R110W transmission, 5.4L engine, and a school bus or ambulance preparation package. A weld within the coast clutch may fail, causing an unexpected loss of drive power.
- Consequence: A sudden loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. Transferring occupants of a disabled school bus or ambulance to another vehicle increases their risk of injury.
- Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the single-engaging coast one-way clutch with a new dual-engaging one-way clutch, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S20.
- Model: Ford Econoline 2016
- Report Received Date: 2019-06-10
- Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
- Components: POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
- Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Ford Econoline vehicles equipped with a 5R110W transmission, 5.4L engine, and a school bus or ambulance preparation package. A weld within the coast clutch may fail, causing an unexpected loss of drive power.
- Consequence: A sudden loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. Transferring occupants of a disabled school bus or ambulance to another vehicle increases their risk of injury.
- Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the single-engaging coast one-way clutch with a new dual-engaging one-way clutch, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S20.
- Model: Ford Econoline 1996
- Report Received Date: 2009-05-11
- Manufacturer: DOPE, INC.
- Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
- Summary: DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
- Consequence: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
Are you having problems with your Ford Econoline?
