1998 Ford E-350 problems & reliability
63 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford E-350, alongside 7 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Ford E-350 vehicles were involved in 18 fatal crashes with 13 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 → | 14 | 22% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 13% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 8% |
| Fuel System, Other | 4 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 3 | 5% |
| Steering | 3 | 5% |
| Suspension | 3 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 3% |
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.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When braking hard, braking power declines after mid peddle range, resulting in crash. Had taken to dealer many years earlier for ABS recall fix.”
Service Brakes · filed Aug 13, 2022
“Spark plugs potentially eject from cylinder heads due to bad engineering design using aluminum heads with insufficient amount of threads to hold spark plugs when in motion. Newer vehicles were re-engineered to eliminate this happening. Request recall and repair.”
Engine · filed Jan 23, 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford e-350 equipped with starfire sf-510 tires, size lt245-75-r16 (na). While the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for a state inspection, the sidewall of the rear driver's side tire was found with internal indentations. The mechanic stated that the tire needed to be replaced. The…”
Tires · filed Oct 15, 2018
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
- BLOW BACK DURING REFUELING
Preliminary Evaluation PE99047 · opened Jul 12, 1999 · closed Sep 23, 1999
Technical service bulletins
27 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 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
Cracks in the left or right spring tower flange. *tt spring tower weld repair and replacement procedure. *tt
0511 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Vibration/harshness above 45 mph (72 km/h) after tire balance. *tt
05248 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
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
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with no hard fault. *tt
17009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 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 without front brake dust shields may exhibit premature wear of the front wheel bearings. *tt
15591 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2002
Some vehicles may exhibit a fuel fill valve sealing condition. *yd
15113 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2001
Subject regarding overview of bi-fuel cng vehicle parameter identification data (pid), inputs and outputs as a diagnostic aid for bi-fuel vehicles. *tt
01136 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 9, 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 1998 Ford E-350 has 7 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 1998 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.