1997 Ford E-350 problems & reliability
79 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford E-350, 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.
5 complaints report injuries (9 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Ford E-350 vehicles were involved in 14 fatal crashes with 7 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | 24 | 30% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 15 | 19% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 14 | 18% |
| Suspension | 6 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 5% |
| Power Train | 4 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 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 72,250 miles (middle 50% between 49,895 and 106,358 miles), based on 22 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The rear passenger compartment outside and inside door handles broke such that rear seating passengers cannot exit the vehicle and are trapped inside. In case of an accident, the emergency responders will have to resort to drastic time consuming measures such as ripping the doors off to save the trapped passengers…”
Structure · filed Dec 1, 2023
“This year both the airbags in my 1997 ford e350 van have spontaneously deployed on two separate occasions--each occurring while the van was in 'park'. On 1/31/18 the driver's bag deployed when the van was warming up in a parking lot. My adult daughter started the van, plugged her phone into the top car adapter, and…”
Air Bags · filed May 24, 2018
“My vehicle had been parked for about three or four weeks and I went to start it up to run the engine and charge the batteries as I did not plan to use it for another few weeks. When I turned the key the driver side airbag deployed and hit me hard. Also the passenger side seat belt buckle pretensioner fired off…”
Seat Belts · filed Oct 9, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- HVAC Switch Failures
Engineering Analysis EA10003 · opened Apr 13, 2010 · closed Mar 5, 2012
- HVAC Switch Failures
Preliminary Evaluation PE09055 · opened Dec 7, 2009 · closed Apr 21, 2010
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- ALLEGED BRAKE HOSE FAILURES
Preliminary Evaluation PE02070 · opened Oct 1, 2002 · closed Jan 9, 2003
Technical service bulletins
63 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford E-350. The 10 most recent:
This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the…
DOR-X8B9R-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 6, 2018
Vibration/harshness above 45 mph (72 km/h) after tire balance. *tt
05248 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Low rpm, no start, runs poorly, stall. 7.3l dit engine. *tt
032123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
A high number of high pressure rexroth pumps and injection pressure regulators (ipr) are being replaced due to oil leaking, when all that is required is a new gasket or seal on either the pump or ipr. *tt
032121 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
7.3l dit glow plug start-up on-time during cold temperature - service tip. *tt
032120 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
A bump steer steering feeling, noted when the vehicle's front wheels/tires contact road surface irregularities. *tt
17211 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 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
Concerns with bump steer steering feeling noted when front wheels / tires contact road surface irregularities. *tt
15634 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2002
Some vehicles may exhibit a fuel fill valve sealing condition. *yd
15113 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 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
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-350 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 1997 Ford E-350?
- · 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 72,250 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.