2003 Ford E-350 Problems
- Complaints
- 46filed with NHTSA
- Median mileage
- 85,509miles, 35 complaints with mileage
- Recalls
- 7campaigns on record
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
Sources: NHTSA records for the 2003 Ford E-350 (complaints, recalls, investigations). Report an error
NHTSA recorded 46 consumer complaints for the 2003 Ford E-350. The part named most often is fuel system, with 11 complaints (24% of the total), followed by electrical system (9) and brakes (7). 35 of the complaints include a mileage, and 23% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 85,509 miles. Of all complaints, 4 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 4 an injury, 1 a death, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns and 10 technical service bulletins for this model year. Fuel system complaints overlap with 1 technical service bulletin filed under the same part. Electrical system complaints overlap with 1 recall campaign, 1 NHTSA investigation and 1 technical service bulletin filed under the same part.
Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.
Which parts are reported most
Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.
- Fuel system11 24%
- Electrical system9 20%
- Brakes7 15%
- Engine cooling6 13%
- Steering5 11%
- Engine4 8.7%
- Air bags2 4.3%
- Other or unknown2 4.3%
- Seat belts2 4.3%
- Suspension2 4.3%
Also reported: Tires (2), Vehicle speed control (2), Equipment (1), Body and structure (1).
Example complaints
Fuel system: “Fuel leaks in 7.3l and 6.0l diesel engines in Ford E-350 ambulances. We have had 4 failures of the fuel filter mounting which have cracked and resulted in fuel leaks. Repairs have been made at our expense with significant down time. Repairs have been averaging about $900.00 for each ambulance. There are no TSB or recalls according to our local Ford dealer. But parts are on a national back order.”
NHTSA complaint #10314671, filed 2010-02, 106,000 milesElectrical system: “F-350 diesel running erratically. Than will not shift radio stopped working no power all electronics stopped working. Smelt insulation burning on wires. Vehicle was totally disabled. Towed to dealer. Dealer found fuse box melted. Asked dealer to also check out alternator, [maybe putting out to much voltage] got the vehicle back the same thing happened. It was the alternator. Is can cause vehicle fires. Dealer claims he gets a few a month, different models.”
NHTSA complaint #10252619, filed 2008-12, 82,000 milesBrakes: “Dt: the vehicle jerked violently to the left when the brakes were applied at any speed. Vehicle was taken to 3 different Ford dealers 16 times. They did not know how to fix this problem. No explanation was given as to why this happened. Contacted Ford, and Ford offered no explanation. There has been numerous repairs performed on the vehicle, including the ABS controller, rotors, calipers, brake pads, wheel bearings, wheels, and the tires. All of these things have not corrected the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10133082, filed 2005-08, 1 milesEngine cooling: “Have a 2003 Ford E-350 van cng gas conversion. At 97,000 miles a spark plug blew completely out of the cylinder head and broke off the ignition coil that was bolted to the head. The cng gas could have possibly ignited and caused a fire since the fuel was still being sent to that particular cylinder and the spark was still sparking eventhough it was blown out of the hole. I have never heard of this happening before until I researched it after it occurred. This seems to be very common in Ford engines that are 5.4 liter. The repair is around $2500. To pull the engine and repair the head. …”
NHTSA complaint #10359622, filed 2010-10, 97,000 milesMileage when problems were reported
23% of the 35 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 53,800 and 108,458 miles.
Complaints by year filed
Trend: rising. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
Recalls and investigations
- 09V399000Oct 13, 2009Vehicle speed controlCovers: Ford E-350 1992–2003, E-150 1992–2003, E-250 1992–2003 +12 more
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and…
- 08V478000Sep 18, 2008Equipment adaptive/mobilityCovers: Ford E-350 2003, E-250 2006
Around town is recalling 6 my 2003 ford e-350 and my 2006 e-250 wheelchair conversion vans equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform…
- 08V051000Feb 4, 2008Vehicle speed control › Cruise controlCovers: Ford E-350 1992–2003, E-150 1992–2003, Econoline 1992–2003 +10 more
Ford is recalling 225,000 my 1992-2003 econoline, my 1993-1995 taurus sho, my 1992-1998 crown victoria, my 1993 bronco, f-series, my 1995-1997 f-series super duty stripped chassis, my 1992-1998 mercury grand marquis, and my 1992-1995 lincoln town car…
- 07V336000Aug 3, 2007Vehicle speed controlCovers: Ford E-350 1992–1993, 1997–2003, E-150 1992–1993, 1997–2003, E-250 1992–1993, 1997–2003 +18 more
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- 04V589000Dec 15, 2004Equipment adaptive/mobilityCovers: Ford E-350 2002–2004, E-250 2002–2004
On certain vans built on ford e250/e350 chassis and equipped with sure-lok wheelchair securement systems, the sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly is out of alignment.
- 04V444000Sep 13, 2004Electrical system › WiringCovers: Ford E-350 2003–2004, E550 2003–2004, E-450 2003–2004 +2 more
On certain vans, a diode in the anti-lock braking system (abs) module may experience an electrical short.
See all 7 recalls for the 2003 Ford E-350 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls
NHTSA investigations
- PE09055HVAC Switch FailuresClosed · Dec 7, 2009
Technical service bulletins
TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 10 on record; the latest 10 are shown.
- 10148820Apr 6, 2018Steering. 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…
- 10056196May 1, 2014Transmission and drivetrain. Ford: when shifting between park, reverse and/or during 2-3 shift, an intermittent clunk occurs with a torqshift transmission. Model 2003-2014 f-super duty, e series, excursion, f-53 motorhome…
- 10034571Jun 11, 2010Fuel system. Ford: runs rough, lacks power, hard start, no start. Some vehicles and trucks equipped with 6.0l engine may exhibit a runs rough, lacks power, hard to start, no start concern with or without…
- 10022675Sep 19, 2007Brakes. Brake booster system may exhibit a brake pedal kickback and/or grabbing condition when applying the brakes.
- 10022232Dec 1, 2006Exterior lighting. Headlight adjustment needed.
- 10013298Nov 14, 2005Body and structure. Cracks in the left or right spring tower flange. *tt spring tower weld repair and replacement procedure.
- 10017865Jul 1, 2005Exterior lighting. Headlight adjustment - chassis cab incomplete vehicles.
- 10012941Feb 7, 2005Electrical system. Diagnostic trouble code b1876, b1880, b1915 and/or b1920 in the ecs module - vehicles equipped with aftermarket high current devices.
- 10018941Jan 1, 2005Suspension. Vibration/harshness above 45 mph (72 km/h) after tire balance.
- 10011181Aug 1, 2004Engine cooling. Low power and/or diagnostic trouble code p0299 or p2263 - turbocharger diagnostic service tip.
Other model years of the Ford E-350
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | Crash ★ | MPG | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 14 | 11,000 | 3 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 2021 | 22 | 12,234 | 6 | — | — | — | Rising |
| 2017 | 13 | 20,556 | 4 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 2016 | 5 | 4,000 | 3 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 2015 | 7 | 20,978 | 2 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 2014 | 17 | 16,500 | 11 | — | 13 | — | Rising |
| 2013 | 13 | 6,000 | 9 | — | 13 | — | Not enough data |
| 2012 | 16 | 69,750 | 12 | — | 13 | — | Stable |
| 2011 | 19 | 76,000 | 18 | — | 13 | — | Falling |
| 2010 | 17 | 69,900 | 16 | — | — | — | Falling |
| 2009 | 10 | 20,000 | 25 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 2008 | 39 | 51,000 | 30 | — | — | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Rising |
| 2007 | 18 | 51,051 | 35 | — | — | — | Falling |
| 2006 | 53 | 73,000 | 38 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2005 | 55 | 67,294 | 16 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2004 | 46 | 50,000 | 10 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2003 | 46 | 85,509 | 7 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2002 | 53 | 80,000 | 5 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 52 | 89,000 | 4 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 59 | 99,783 | 8 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 72 | 87,000 | 9 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1998 | 63 | 113,614 | 8 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1997 | 79 | 70,000 | 5 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1996 | 50 | 38,934 | 3 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 69 | 80,000 | 3 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 51 | 137,000 | 5 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 43 | 85,000 | 3 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 41 | 45,000 | 3 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 19 | — | 1 | — | — | — | Stable |
| 1990 | 23 | 89,000 | 2 | — | — | — | Stable |
| 1989 | 26 | 64,000 | 3 | — | — | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1988 | 11 | 72,000 | 1 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 1987 | 14 | — | 8 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 1986 | 11 | 60,000 | 11 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
| 1983 | 5 | 73,000 | 8 | — | — | — | Not enough data |
All Ford E-350 model years · Best and worst years by complaints
Frequently asked questions
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2003 Ford E-350 have?
NHTSA recorded 46 consumer complaints for the 2003 Ford E-350 as of Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
What part of the 2003 Ford E-350 is reported most often?
Fuel system is named most often, in 11 complaints (24% of the total), followed by electrical system with 9.
Has the 2003 Ford E-350 been recalled?
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
At what mileage are problems with the 2003 Ford E-350 reported?
Among the 35 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 85,509 miles and the middle half falls between 53,800 and 108,458 miles; 23% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.