2013 Ford E-150 problems & reliability
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 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.
1 complaint report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Ford E-150 vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 7 | 37% |
| Engine | 6 | 32% |
| Unknown OR Other | 4 | 21% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 11% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 11% |
| Structure | 2 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 5% |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 5% |
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
“Transmission failure at 110,000 miles, known issue that was covered under ford technical service bulletin tsb 13-4-23, for my other ford e150 2012 econoline van vin# [xxx], the same transmission failure on both vehicles one was covered the 2013 is not, but same failure mode. I would like ford to replace the known…”
Power Train · filed Dec 9, 2019
“Recall 19s07 the 1st time was driving 72mph down the interstate and the truck downshifted causing us to be jolted and an 18 wheeler to almost rear end us. Received the recall letter from ford (literally 2 weeks after it 1st happened) for a sensor to be reset bc of truck suddenly downshifting while in motion. After…”
Electrical System · filed Mar 25, 2019
“Recall #19s07. When I called stoneham ford on march 19 I was told that the next available appointment is may 14, totally unacceptable.”
Power Train · filed Mar 19, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
21 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Ford E-150. The 10 most recent:
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions. While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024…
SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 10, 2024
All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the…
SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2024
Various 2013-2019 vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P264F after powertrain control module (PCM) replacement. This DTC indicates that the engine…
SSM 51849 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 8, 2023
Some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. This is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning…
SSM 48130 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2019
For Ford and Lincoln vehicles that require positive or negative battery terminal replacement, it is not necessary to replace the complete battery cable harness (14300 and 14301) for this concern. Positive battery cable…
SSM 48123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2019
On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be greased with Motorcraft Multi-Purpose Grease Spray XL-5-A even if grease was not applied from the factory. Also verify…
SSM 47976 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 10, 2019
Some 2013-2019 vehicles equipped with a EVDC air conditioning (A/C) compressor may exhibit poor A/C performance/improper climate function and/or a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P06A0 in the powertrain control module…
SSM 47850 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 26, 2019
Various 2013-2019 vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P264F after powertrain control module (PCM) replacement. This DTC indicates that the engine…
SSM 47823 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2019
The Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with Remote Keyless Entry (RKE). The master code for the Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can be retrieved…
SSM 47009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2018
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 2013 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 2013 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.