1997 Ford E-150 problems & reliability
102 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford E-150, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Ford E-150 vehicles were involved in 9 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 21 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 20 | 20% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 15 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 8% |
| Tires | 8 | 8% |
| Steering | 6 | 6% |
| Suspension | 6 | 6% |
| Power Train | 5 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 5% |
| Visibility | 4 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 103,000 miles (middle 50% between 74,897 and 150,065 miles), based on 44 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 1997 Ford E-150. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in a parking lot, the contact leaned over to the passenger’s side to pick up the cell phone. The contact stated that after sitting back straight in the seat, the air bag deployed unintendedly and without impact. No warning lights…”
Air Bags · filed Nov 19, 2024
“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…”
Tires · filed Jul 6, 2021
“My husband had just started up his e150 econoline van pulling out of the driveway and the airbag just deployed. There was no reason he was not in any accident he did not run over anything he didn't hit anything. And no one can tell me why this happened. If he had been on the interstate that he drives every day he…”
Air Bags · filed Feb 11, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
Technical service bulletins
36 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford E-150. The 10 most recent:
Vibration/harshness above 45 mph (72 km/h) after tire balance. *tt
05248 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
FRONT BRAKE PAD WEAR. *TT
17381 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2003
Some vehicles equipped with 4r70w transmission (driveshaft >70 inch) may exhibit a vibration / roughness on acceleration or under load at about 50-55 mph. *tt
15799 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2002
Subject regarding exaggerated engine braking on deceleration. *yd
15517 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2002
Some vehicles may exhibit accelerated front disc brake pad wear under extreme loading conditions. *tt
15354 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit rapid wear of the front brake pads (under 10,000 miles). *tt
15038 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2001
Some vehicles equipped with 4r70w transmission (driveshaft >70 inch) may exhibit a driveline vibration / roughness on acceleration or under load at about 50 - 55 mph. *tt
14992 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2001
Information on diagnosing a vehicle with malfunction indicator lamp illuminated and diagnostic trouble codes p0442 and p0455 stored in continuous memory. *tt
99234 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 15, 1999
Subject on engine coolant leaking into the engine oil on some vehicles. *tt
99207 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 4, 1999
Information regarding front cover & water pump bolts-torque valve revision/3.8-4.2l. *mjs
13186 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 1999
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Ford E-150 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Ford E-150?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 103,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.