Most common 1997 Ford E-350 problems
Share of the 79 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford E-350 complaints by model year
Best E-350 years: 2018, 2016, 2015. Years to avoid: 1997, 1995, 1999. Compare all years →
1997 Ford E-350 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 4 possible defects involving the 1997 Ford E-350:
HVAC Switch Failures
ODI has received 1 complaint and reports from 4 transportation fleets alleging 182 switch failures.Each fleet operates mini buses built on a Ford E350 or E450 cutaway chassis.The OEM HVAC blower switches have melted, smoked, burned or experienced open flame and become inoperable on vehicles in each fleet.Some drivers have reported a burning smell or smoke coming from the dash.One fleet reported a vehicle fire.No…
Alleged brake hose failures
Ford has received no owner reports of failure, other than the four odi reports that came from a single fleet in new york state.Ford also reports that it has received no field reports and did not identify any warranty claims alleging the subject problem.Ford estimates that the 86,910 subject vehicles (that have over 6 years exposure), have accumulated over six billion miles of service and that the virtual lack of…
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 1997 Ford E-350 owners say
Wheels & tires all 25 →
These tires has to be investigated! I've had 3 blowouts on separate occasions. Tires had 15,000 miles on them. First blowout occurred on highway at 65mph on front passenger side, tire had multiple belt seperations. Put on spare tire of same brand and size and barely got home before the belt started coming apart. Went to Firestone dealer, and they sold me another steeltex for replacement. 2 months later went on a roadtrip to california at about 75mph and the front driver side tire tread completely came off and blew out. The van nose dived off the highway out into the desert and almost rolled. 8 people almost were killed. Every time the tire showed same symptoms before failure. Vehicle would be on highway cruising when suddenly it would shake violently and then bam! …
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Ford e-350 equipped with cooper adventure ht tires (n/a), size 265/75/16r. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the tire tread separated on the rear driver side tire. The failure had occurred previously with four other tires, which had been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The tire failure mileage was approximately 15,000. The vehicle failure mileage was 76,000. The VIN was not available. The tire #8 went bad. The consumer stated the tire replacement also went bad.
Brakes
1997 Ford super club wagon xlt (e350) ABS system engages inappropriately causing total lack of braking power. The ABS control unit does not record an error code so my mechanic cannot find a cause. I have had to remove the ABS fuse in order to have trustworthy brakes.
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. Front brake rotor warp due to heat which lessons the contact of the pads causing poor braking and vibration.
Engine & cooling
My v10 Ford e-350 motor had a head failure and a spark plug blew out while driving. A fire started in the engine compartment and the explosion sound created a panic and startled response that almost lead to a vehicle crash. The vehicle was towed to a repair facility and they were familiar with the problem. They work on fleet vehicles regularly and they stated they have seen this problem many times before. The aluminum head of the engine was too weak to hold on to the spark plug and that lead to the explosion, fire, and damage. The shop informed me that this could very likely happen again because of the defective design of the engine and if I am traveling with my family I could be left stranded, possible a very dangerous part of the highway while driving steep or dangerous roads. If the vehicle catches on fire again it could explode if the gas line ignites. …
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford e350. The contact awoke in the middle of the night to find his vehicle on fire. He attempted to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, but was unsuccessful. The fire department arrived and successfully extinguished the flames. A firefighter stated that the fire originated in the engine compartment. A fire report was filed. The vehicle is currently still at the contact's residence. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The current and failure mileages were over 250,000.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Ford E-350 a good car?
Based on 79 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 E-350 rates use caution: 1.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the E-350 at the same age. It is one of the E-350 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 1997 Ford E-350?
The wheels & tires — 25 complaints, 32% of all complaints for this model year, most often about tread/belt. Next are the brakes (18) and engine & cooling (15).
How many recalls does the 1997 Ford E-350 have?
There are 4 recalls for the 1997 Ford E-350, 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-350?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2018, 2016 and 2015. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997, 1995 and 1999. See the full Ford E-350 years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford E-350 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 70,000 miles; 30% 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.