2001 Ford Econoline problems & reliability
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford Econoline, alongside 3 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.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 29% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 14% |
| Engine | 3 | 11% |
| Power Train | 3 | 11% |
| Tires | 3 | 11% |
| Suspension | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 4% |
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
“Bucking, shaking, loss of power. Tires felt out of alignment. Stalling and rough idle. Lining in the fuel tank peels off and the material from the lining is clogging the fuel pump. This affects trucks, vans from the years 2000 up. This happened at highway speeds on an interstate highway. There was .much traffic to be…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Mar 8, 2016
“Number 7 cylinder blew the spark plug out. Total loss of power. Fortunately traffic was light and I was able to pull into a parking lot. Absolutely no warning signs at all. *tr”
Engine · filed Aug 31, 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford econoline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, there was a loud bang heard from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the number one spark plug and the coil would have to…”
Engine · filed Feb 25, 2013
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
33 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford Econoline. 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
Merlin multiplex system when a proer/ground lug is not correctly tightened or becomes loose for any reason; erratic system operation is possible.
TSB T2007-03 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2007
Engine or fuel system concerns when using fuel with greater than 5% biodiesel concentration. *tt
17467 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips. Various models including 2004 f-series. *tt
04174 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 2004
Low power, poor fuel economy, fuel gelling cold, excessive white smoke cold, or hard start. *mj this oasis updates previous oasis dated 12/01/03. *tt
17406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2004
Customer satisfaction program 02m01 supplement #4. Certain ford 2000 through 2003 vehicles equipped with a tube-mounted egr pressure sensor - additional egr pressure sensor warranty coverage. *tt supplement #3. *mj…
02M01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2004
Emission recall 04e10: compressed natural gas (cng) vehicles - fitting connector replacement. *mj
04E10 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2004
Air bag lamp illuminated. *tt
17385 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2003
Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0340, possible false code. Various models including 1994-1996 ford excursion. *tt
16480 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
Vehicles equipped with a 7.3l engine (after serial number 0661894) - under valve cover (uvc) harness retainer clip released for service. Includes 2003 econoline, super duty, f650/750 and excursion. *tt
16258 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
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 Econoline has 3 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 Econoline?
- · 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.