Most common 1998 Ford E-150 problems
Share of the 60 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford E-150 complaints by model year
Best E-150 years: 2009, 2014, 2015. Years to avoid: 2001, 1997, 1999, 1995, 1996. Compare all years →
1998 Ford E-150 recalls (4)
Vehicle speed control
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 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
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 vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new wiring harness, or replace the mating electrical component. The recall began on February 18, 2008. Owners May contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Vehicle speed control
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.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Vehicle description: on certain vans with ambulance prep packages or other severe-duty applications involving operation at or near the gross vehicle weight with frequent twisting of the vehicle body, such as off-road, rough road or speed bump events, the 35 gallon mid-ship fuel tank could develop a crack where it contacts the…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and, if cracked, will replace the tank. Insulator pads will be installed on all vehicles to reduce the stress levels in the fuel tank. Owner notification began April 19, 2001.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1998 Ford E-150:
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
What 1998 Ford E-150 owners say
Engine & cooling
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford e15. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle began making a pinging sound in the engine. The vehicle suddenly decelerated to 50 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing oil. On January 23 2007, a remanufactured engine was installed in the vehicle. The dealer rebuilt the cylinder heads. For one year, two months, and nineteen days, the pinging noise continued to occur. The dealer and manufacturer stated that they were unable to assist her with the repair, although the warranty was valid. A second dealer diagnosed the failure on April 10, 2008 and stated that the transmission seal was leaking, there were oil leaks present in three places on the oil gaskets, the timing was off, and there was condensation on the oil cap. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failures. …
06-03-2007 right door handle (outside part) broke and I could not get into my van. No abuse on my part. I had the door handle replaced by Ford dealership at my expense ($125.00). 03-03-2008 left door handle (outside part) broke when I pulled the handle. I now have to get into my van by the passenger side, and crawl over to the drivers side. This is awful since I had advanced copd breathing problems. I had to order the part today, and hope for the best to get it installed, again at my expense. The handles should not broke on a 1998 vehicle so soon. I have read all complaints for 1998 Ford e150 vans, I have a sherrod conversion van. 04-10-2009 back A/C & heat does not blow cold or heat from back unit. The fan part is the only part that works in the back unit. Is there a recall on this. …
Fuel & propulsion system
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford e-150. While the contact was filling up the fuel tank with fuel, the fuel leaked out. The service engine warning indicator illuminated, indicating a fuel leak. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the midship fuel tank developed a crack where it contacted the frame cross member and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 01V114000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was made of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
98 Ford e-150 / safety recall-01s14 I contacted chalmers Ford dealer ([redacted]) santa fe,nm 473-3673 / Ford customer service([redacted]) [phone] my vehicle exhibits exactly the same symptoms as recall and was told I was not on the list and nothing could be done-I discovered the leak when I was pumping gas into the gas tank and a huge puddle of gas was observed dripping from van by an observant customer-I stopped pumping gas immediately and returned home-upon my return I inspected edge of tank and all the hoses and saw that gas had formed a ring where the fuel had leaked out-did not see leak from hoses but they were deteriorated-leak was from upper tank area and flowed downward-if this is not taken care of soon there could be many Ford owners susceptible to car fires-many of the vehicles such as mine are conversion vans and we carry our entire families in them-very dangerous defect or …
Brakes
While stopping at a traffic light or a stop sign, the consumer had his foot on the brake pedal, the brake pedal suddenly went to the floorboard and the vehicle went forward, almost causing a collision. The consumer had taken the vehicle to the mechanic. After test driving the vehicle, the mechanic told the consumer that the problem was with the sensors. Since then, the sensors were replaced.
When applying the brakes vehicle skids and the pedal does not kick back. Also the ABS does not activate. Vehicle has rear ended another vehicle. Dealer has seen vehicle 3 times, and said it was normal. Can not find problem on computer.
1998 Ford E-150 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 5.4L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 16 / 13 |
EPA ratings. Class: Van.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Ford E-150 a good car?
Based on 60 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 E-150 rates avoid: 2.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the E-150 at the same age. It is one of the E-150 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Ford E-150?
The engine & cooling — 15 complaints, 25% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the fuel & propulsion system (11) and brakes (8).
How many recalls does the 1998 Ford E-150 have?
There are 4 recalls for the 1998 Ford E-150, the most recent from October 13, 2009 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford E-150?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2014 and 2015. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2001, 1997, 1999, 1995 and 1996. See the full Ford E-150 years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford E-150 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 93,000 miles; 15% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.