Most common 2003 Ford E-250 problems
Share of the 17 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford E-250 complaints by model year
Best E-250 years: 2009, 2007, 2008. Years to avoid: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. Compare all years →
2003 Ford E-250 recalls (6)
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…
Electrical system › Wiring
On certain vans, a diode in the anti-lock braking system (ABS) module May experience an electrical short.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new fuse in the ABS circuit and install a heat shield over the ABS module. The recall began on October 15, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Engine and engine cooling
On certain vans, the air filter element material process resulted in an air filter paper element that can smolder or burn. This change in filter paper composition combined with the configuration of the air induction system, May allow hot carbon particles to contact the air filter element during certain driving conditions that…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the air filter element. The recall began September 27, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Certain vans and wagons fail to conform to the requirements of part 567, "certification." for certain 2003 e250 vans built with lt225/75r16e tires, the rear axle rating is incorrectly listed on the label.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with supplementary tire labels containing correct information and installation instructions. If an owner so desires, their dealer can install the label for them. The recall began on July 8, 2004.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2003 Ford E-250:
HVAC Switch Failures
This investigation was opened based on one complaint and reports from four transportation fleets alleging 182 blower motor control switch failures.ODI was concerned that these melting and burning switches could lead to an open flame that could spread throughout the vehicle.After a comprehensive review of all data related to overheating blower motor control switches in the subject vehicles, ODI did not identify the…
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 2003 Ford E-250 owners say
Electrical system
Loss of instruments in 2003 f250 diesel with 50,153 miles. Fuse replaced by service center and instruments came on. 3 days later they went off while in 4 wheel low and the the engine stopped (battery's dead). I had no control over steering and went off the road. Repair of damaged wiring in steering column fixed problem. This is a well documented problem on the web and known to the service centers I have contacted. If wiring is worn in a 50,000 mile truck I would think it probably will occur in similar models. The truck could have sustained severe damage and possibly resulted in injury. Why no recall or at least notification of owners.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford e-250. The contact stated that the engine temperature gauge failed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the instrument panel would need to be replaced. The failure prevented the contact from knowing if the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.
Wheels & tires
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford e-250. The vehicle has trail king a/s mud n snow load range e tires, size lt235 85 r1. The contact noticed pulsation and vibration in the front end of his vehicle while driving 75 MPH. A week later, while driving approximately 75 MPH again, the vibration worsened. Almost immediately, the tread separated and the front passenger side tire exploded, which resulted in $1,900 worth of damage to the vehicle. The manufacturer has not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 115,000 and failure mileage was approximately 114,800.
Tire brand and size: pathfinder sport s a/t 245/75-16 put on rear of 2003 Ford e250 extended length work van. Bought new from discount tire. As soon as I got on the interstate I noticed the vehicle felt unstable. Was wandering in rear. When making a lane change is was really bad and felt unsafe as the rear swayed from side to side. Had them take these tires off and replace with a major brand and this problem went away. I highly recommend some one looks into these tires as I think the potential is there for causing a spin out or roll over.
Steering
A Ford 2003 van, with 30,000 miles experiences a steering failure, when the pitman arm broke off the bottom of the steering box. It cleanly sheared off a shaft of metal which is 1 1/4 inches of solid steel. Since the driver was operating at low speed on the ramp of miami international airport, he struck a barrier with minimal sheetmetal damage. The driver reported that the steering wheel was spinning freely in his hands at the time of impact. I reported this to Ford, who's staff determined that the shaft did not fail due to manufacturing defect. Had this vehicle been at highway speed on a major roadway, the cause of the accident would not have been so clearly obvious. And surely a fatality would have been involved. I retained the broken part. I believe this is an incident which should be reported. Ford determined that striking the barrier caused the metal to fail. …
Loss of instruments in 2003 f250 diesel with 50,153 miles. Fuse replaced by service center and instruments came on. 3 days later they went off while in 4 wheel low and the the engine stopped (battery's dead). I had no control over steering and went off the road. Repair of damaged wiring in steering column fixed problem. This is a well documented problem on the web and known to the service centers I have contacted. If wiring is worn in a 50,000 mile truck I would think it probably will occur in similar models. The truck could have sustained severe damage and possibly resulted in injury. Why no recall or at least notification of owners.
2003 Ford E-250 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 16 / 14 |
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 17 / 14 |
| 5.4L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 15 / 13 |
EPA ratings. Class: Van.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2003 Ford E-250 a good car?
Based on 17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2003 E-250 rates use caution: 1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the E-250 at the same age. It is one of the E-250 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 2003 Ford E-250?
The electrical system — 4 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year, most often about wiring. Next are the wheels & tires (3) and steering (3).
How many recalls does the 2003 Ford E-250 have?
There are 6 recalls for the 2003 Ford E-250, 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-250?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2007 and 2008. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. See the full Ford E-250 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford E-250 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 50,000 miles; 46% 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.