1999 Ford E-150 problems & reliability
83 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford E-150, alongside 4 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford E-150 vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 17 | 20% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 14 | 17% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 14 | 17% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 11 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 7% |
| Structure | 6 | 7% |
| Suspension | 6 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 6% |
| Tires | 5 | 6% |
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 96,000 miles (middle 50% between 64,878 and 129,641 miles), based on 43 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Steering · filed Jan 22, 2022
“My mark iii conversion van has a fuel leaking from the mid-ship tank. I noticed that there is a recall from ford, but when I went to my local dealer enfield ford in enfield ct they ran the vin and stated my van was excluded. The only time it leaks is when I am pumping gas, if I pump slowly there is less fuel spilling…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 9, 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford e-150. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle vibrated. The contact discovered that the fuel strap beneath the fuel tank on the rear axle was rusted and fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the welding on the tail pipe was also rusted…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jul 13, 2015
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
19 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 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
Clunk from front suspension. *tt
17520 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
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
On some vehicles there may be an oil leak from the right hand head gasket at the rear of the block / head joint. *tt
01122 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 25, 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
Concerns with a chattering noise from the rear axle heard when turning or cornerning. **mr
0084 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2000
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 1999 Ford E-150 has 4 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 1999 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 96,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.