"How reliable is the 1997 Ford E-350?"

"Based on 96 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Ford E-350 has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is TIRES:TREAD/BELT."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Ford E-350?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Ford E-350 is TIRES:TREAD/BELT, accounting for a significant portion of the 96 total complaints filed."

1997 Ford E-350: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 96 complaints

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

47,333 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

98,979 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TIRES:SIDEWALL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

AIR BAGS

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THROTTLE: WHILE DRIVING DOWN FREEWAY APPROXIMATELY 65MPH AND HIT THE BRAKES TO TURN OFF CRUIISE CONTROL BECAUSE APPROACHING A GRADE, HAD FOOT ON BRAKE AND VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING AT AVERY HIGH IDLE. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED, CAUSE OF PROBLEM UNKNOWN. *AK"

"AFTER DRIVING VEHICLE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME OR PULLING A LOAD THE BRAKES BECOME WARM AND THE BRAKING POWER DECREASES. THE VEHICLE ALSO VIRBRATES WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. VEHICLE SERVICED 8 OR 9 TIMES FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK FRONT BRAKE ROTOR WARP DUE TO HEAT WHICH LESSON..."

"DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE HUB CAPS, THE HUB CAPS FALL OFF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING DAMAGE TO A MOTORIST VEHICLE, CONSUMER HAS LOST 8 HUB CAPS WITHIN 6000 MILES. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28