2001 Ford E-150 problems & reliability
37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 11 | 30% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 19% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 14% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 8% |
| Power Train | 3 | 8% |
| Steering | 3 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 5% |
| Suspension | 2 | 5% |
| Tires | 2 | 5% |
| Engine | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Steering · filed May 20, 2023
“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”
Steering · filed Aug 14, 2021
“While parking, tire suddenly went flat, tire looked to be perfect except for separation of bead of tire. *tr”
Tires · filed Jun 21, 2014
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
14 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford E-150. The 10 most recent:
Headlight adjustment needed. *kb
19527 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2006
Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code p1131 and/or p1151 - 4.2l engine. *tt
05173 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Headlight adjustment - chassis cab incomplete vehicles. *tt
18735 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2005
Vibration/harshness above 45 mph (72 km/h) after tire balance. *tt
05248 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Intermittent clunk on 3-2 downshift during coastdown/tip-in. Oasis. To include 2005 f-150, e-series and expedition. *tt
18250 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2004
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
Exhibiting a steering wheel vibration / shimmy. *tt
15923 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2002
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
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 2001 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 2001 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.