2001 Ford E-450 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2001 Ford E-450, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Tires & wheels741.2%
- Suspension423.5%
- Engine317.6%
- Brakes211.8%
- Airbags15.9%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
MULTIPLE FAILURES OF NEARLY NEW NEXEN ROADIAN LT TIRE USED ON TWO SEPARATE FORD E-450 LIMO/SHUTTLE CHASSIS. FOUR FAILURES WERE EXPERIENCED WITHIN A 6 MONTH PERIOD, AND INCLUDED CORD/TREAD/INNER LINER SEPARATION, BULGING AND RELATED FAILURES. ONE FAILURE RESULTED IN A BLOW-OUT AT SPEED, ONE FAILURE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS AND/OR CATASTROPHIC BULGE/SEPARATION, AND THE REMAINING FAILURES WERE SIMILAR, BUT CAUGHT PRIOR TO BECOMING DANGEROUS. THE REMAINING TWO TIRES WERE REPLACED/DISCARDED W/O OBSERVED FAILURE. ALL TIRES WERE REPLACED. ONE EXPERIENCED, HEAVY TRUCK REPAIR AND MOBILE TRUCK TIRE SERVICE LOCATED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INDICATED THAT THE TIRES WERE UNSAFE. THE BRAND, NEXEN, MADE IN KOREA, IS NOT LISTED IN THE CPSC LIST OF TIRE MANUFACTURERS? *TR
I JUST HAD A TIRE BLOWOUT/TREAD SEPARATION ON A 2001 FORD E450 RV. THE VEHICLE HAS 28000 MILES AND THE TREADS SHOW LITTLE WEAR. THE TIRES ARE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4S II LT225/75 R 16 LOAD RANGE E. UPON INSPECTION OF THE OTHER TIRES, NOTICES CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALLS OF ALL THE REMAINING TIRES AND A BUBBLE ON THE SIDEWALL OF ONE TIRE. WHAT ARE MY ACTIONS IN REGARDS TO REPLACEMENT OF THESE TIRES? THANKS. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
A CRACK IN THE DRIVERS SIDE SPRING TOWER FRAME ON A 2001 FORD E-450 AMBULANCE.
WE BELIEVE THIS MOTOR HOME WAS SOLD TO US WITH DEALERSHIP KNOWING OF AXLE PROBLEM, CAUSING RV UNABLE TO HAVE WHEEL ALIGNMENT CORRECTED. FRONT REAR AXLE HAS SLIPPED CAUSING DRIVING HAZARD. MAY HAVE CAUSED FURTHER DAMAGE TO VEHICLE MAKING IT UNSAFE TO OPERATE. RV HAD NUMEROUS SMALLER PROBLEMS WITH THIS LAST ONE BEING THE WORST. THIS HAS CAUSED US LOTS OF LOSS OF TIME TO TRAVEL AND ENJOY THE RV. WAS ADVISED NOT TO TAKE ANY LONG TRIPS BECAUSE OF PROBLEM. WAS ON A VACATION WHEN PROBLEM WITH SHOWER PAN OCCURED AND SHADE BROKE AND DRAWERS BROKE. AT SAME TIME REFRIGERATOR LEAKED WATER ONTO WOOD FLOOR, WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.IN ADDITION, THIS HAS CREATED AN IMPAIRMENT OF MARKET VALUE BECAUSE OF DEFECTS IN THIS VEHICLE.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO ODI #10143249. DRIVING ON I70 IN DENVER, BLEW ANOTHER SPARK PLUG OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. THIS TIME IT STRIPPED ALL THE THREADS OUT. 2) CAUSED A COST OF TOW AND REPAIRS. *JB 3) SERVICE REPAIR DID A HIELARCH (SP?) ON THE SPARK PLUG SLEEVE. TOTAL INCURRED COST = $631.30. *JB
DRIVING ON I70 IN DENVER, BLEW ANOTHER SPARK PLUG OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. THIS TIME IT STRIPPED ALL THE THREADS OUT. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON MY 2001 FORD E450 ABS LIGHT CAME ON STAYED ON AFTER I STARTED MY MOTORHOME. THE UNIT WAS PARKED FOR 4 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM. THE LIGHT DIDN'T COME ONE WHILE DRIVING TO THE LOCATION, ONLY AFTER BEING PARKED FOR THE FOUR DAYS. *NM
BODY DESIGN IS TOO LARGE FOR E450 VAN CUTAWAY, BRAKES CAN NOT HANDLE WEIGHT. STOPPING DISTANCE IS IMPAIRED. VEHICLE IS UNSTABLE IN TURNS AND CRASHS. BRAKES LAST 20,000 MILES TO 30,000 MILES, TIRES THE SAME.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2001 Ford E-450. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while restarting the vehicle, the front driver’s side air bag deployed independently. The contact did not sustain any injuries nor seek medical attention. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .