U.S. public vehicle records

Ford E250 problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

20 owner complaints analyzed

30 distinct recall campaigns

43,600 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1975 to 2013 model years. Data updated: 2026-09-30 (September 30, 2026). 2 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch is the most frequently named component, appearing in 4 of 20 complaints (20.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Fuel system concerns	4	20.0%
Electrical and battery issues	2	10.0%
Braking behavior	1	5.0%
Steering behavior	1	5.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Electrical System

Electrical System:Wiring

Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys

Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	4
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices	4
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	2
Electrical System	1
Electrical System:Wiring	1
Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash	1
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys	1
Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	1

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch: 4; Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices: 4; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 2; Electrical System: 1; Electrical System:Wiring: 1; Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 2; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (2). 18 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

1997

2000

2003

2005

2007

2008

2014

1995: 3; 1996: 7; 1997: 4; 2000: 1; 2003: 1; 2005: 1; 2007: 1; 2008: 1; 2014: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch leads the component reports. Fuel system concerns appears in 4 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 522320 · 1997-09-23 (September 23, 1997)

FUEL PUMP FAILED.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 522320 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10231337 · 2008-06-17 (June 17, 2008)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1989 FORD E250. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DUAL FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVES WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE CONTACT ALSO SMELLED GASOLINE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. HE CALLED THE DEALER IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 91V146000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILIARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES) AND WAS REFERRED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT FORD DOES NOT KEEP ANY RECALL INFORMATION FROM THE PAST TEN YEARS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 41,000. UPDATE…

Owner-reported narrative. 41,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10231337 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 801984 · 1996-09-09 (September 9, 1996)

EXPERIENCED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE IN VEHICLE. PLEASE GIVE MORE DETAILS. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 801984 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 983409 · 1996-04-24 (April 24, 1996)

ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING THE HEAD LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE TO TURN OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL IS TURN ON. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 983409 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 972940 · 1995-10-04 (October 4, 1995)

RIGHT BRAKE CALIPER HOSE COLLAPSED, HEATING UP THE BRAKE FLUID UP, RESULTING IN THE BRAKE FAILURE, HOSE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 972940 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 983141 · 1996-04-19 (April 19, 1996)

INTERIOR VEHICLE FIRE WHICH TOTALLY MELTED DASHBOARD, STEERING WHEEL AND COLUMN. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 983141 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1997

1998

1999

2000

2002

2003

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

1997: 1; 1998: 1; 1999: 1; 2000: 1; 2002: 1; 2003: 1; 2005: 1; 2006: 1; 2007: 1; 2008: 1; 2009: 1; 2010: 1; 2011: 1; 2012: 1; 2013: 1

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Ford E250 model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
1975	0	4	Not available
1976	0	1	-3
1977	0	1	0
1978	1	5	+4
1979	1	4	-1
1980	1	1	-3
1982	0	2	Not available
1983	0	5	+3
1984	2	5	0
1985	2	4	-1
1986	0	3	-1
1987	0	2	-1
1988	2	0	-2
1989	7	2	+2
1990	3	2	0
1997	0	1	Not available
1998	0	1	0
1999	0	1	0
2000	0	1	0
2002	0	1	Not available
2003	0	1	0
2005	0	1	Not available
2006	1	1	0
2007	0	1	0
2008	0	1	0
2009	0	1	0
2010	0	1	0
2011	0	1	0
2012	0	1	0
2013	0	1	0

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

20 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-09-30.

10.0%Usable mileage2 / 20 records

65.0%Valid incident date13 / 20 records

100.0%Valid filing date20 / 20 records

65.0%Ordered incident and filing dates13 / 20 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1999	2000	2002	2003	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10654652 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD E250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEATER SWITCH MELTED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CONTACT OWNS A FLEET OF VEHICLES WITH THE SAME FAILURE. Look up ODI 10654652 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Wiring	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices	Too few reports for a range	43,600 mi	2 (sparse)	ODI 10231337 · 41,000 mi TLTHE CONTACT OWNS A 1989 FORD E250. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DUAL FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVES WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE CONTACT ALSO SMELLED GASOLINE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. HE CALLED THE DEALER IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 91V146000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILIARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES) AND WAS REFERRED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT FORD DOES NOT KEEP ANY RECALL INFORMATION FROM THE PAST TEN YEARS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 41,000. UPDATE… Look up ODI 10231337 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 10186593 · 46,200 mi FUEL SPILLS OUT FROM THE FRONT FUEL TANK. FORD REFUSED TO REPLACE THE DUAL TANK SELECTOR VALVE. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 91V146000. JB Look up ODI 10186593 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2012: 0 complaints · 2013: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2012	0	0	0
2013	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2012	0	0	0
2013	0	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	Electrical System	Electrical System:Wiring	Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys	Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	—	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices	0	—	0	0	0	1 ODI 522320 FUEL PUMP FAILED. Look up ODI 522320 at NHTSA ↗	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Electrical System	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0
Electrical System:Wiring	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0
Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash	0	1 ODI 522320 FUEL PUMP FAILED. Look up ODI 522320 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	0	—	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys	0	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

2 patterns with matching reports.

Brake response concerns

1 mentions · 5.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 972940

RIGHT BRAKE CALIPER HOSE COLLAPSED, HEATING UP THE BRAKE FLUID UP, RESULTING IN THE BRAKE FAILURE, HOSE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. TT

Look up ODI 972940 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

Fuel smell or leak mentions

1 mentions · 5.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 812528

SMELL OF FUEL WHILE DRIVING, FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING FUEL TO POUR OUT THROUGH FUEL FILLER CAP,COULD CAUSE FIRE. *AK

Look up ODI 812528 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(fuel leak\w*|gas leak\w*|gas(?:oline)? smell|smell\w* (?:of )?(?:fuel|gas))\b