2001 Ford E-250: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 18 owner complaints on record; most reports concern engine and engine cooling.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 18 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Spark plug on cylinder #7 blew out of the cylinder head. 2nd time this has occurred on this vehicle. Repair shop states it is not repairable this time approx. $3000 for new head installed. This is a known problem on this 5.4 trition engine. Ford should recall to fix this problem 130,000 miles on this truck.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2017
“I own a 2001 f250 ford with an 5.4l gas engine . The rear passenger side spark plug blew out breaking ignition coil causing small fire . The threads were gone and heads must be replaced on vehicle. *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Sep 2010
“Was driving my 2001 ford e250 vortec v8 at approx. 30 mph when a spark plug blew out of the engine. An hour and a half away from home , in a not so good area of town. I was left stranded. 120,000 miles on odometer. *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Apr 2010
Show 7 more owner reports
“While driving under normal conditions, the #2 spark plug blew out of the head and stripped out the threads making it impossible to reinstall the spark plug without having major engine work done. This is the second occurrence in this engine. I have since been informed that this is a common occurrence and should have been fixed before the heads were put into production. The ford dealership wants approximately $3000.00 to replace the heads. I have used an aftermarket repair kit approved by, but not used by ford. Removed part is available for inspection. I am losing countless hours of work time, I am self-employed, and over $100.00 in towing expenses. *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Apr 2010
“While driving at approx 30mph on a rural road, the rear spare tire fell off of my 2001 ford e250 van. Tire was suspended below rear vehicle. The local ford dealer in grants pass or said the cable was corroded causing the tire to fall off. Here in southern oregon we do not use salt on our roads during the winter and we have less rainfall than northern oregon so corrosion fault is questionable. The cost to replace cable was not realistic and if they used a quality cable, this should never have happened. I was lucky I was not driving on a freeway when this happened. *tr”Owner report · Suspension · Jan 2010
“Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford e250. While driving 45 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver received neck injuries and was hospitalized. The vehicle was taken in for repair. Rhode island police filed report number t-08209-ac. No other vehicle or dealer information was available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2008
“I started to hear exhaust noise on my 2001 ford f250 super duty with a v10 engine with only 53,000 miles. In checking, I found that the bolts that were hold the exhaust manifold to the engine were breaking off at the cylinder head. 6 out off 10 cylinders had broken bolts and the other 4 were near breaking. There is a danger of fire in the engine due to the hot exhaust gases. The repair is very expensive due to having to remove the bolt studs still in the engine head without doing any damage . *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Oct 2007
“Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford e-250. While driving 15 mph a popping sound was heard. The contact opened the hood, but was unable to locate the sound. The mechanic inspected the vehicle and noticed a spark plug was blown out of the cylinder. The mechanic repaired the thread in the cylinders with an insert kit. There have been no other failures since the repair. The current mileage was 83,000, and failure mileage was 70,000. *ak the consumer provided the repair invoice for the vehicle. Updated 08/03/07 *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jan 2006
“No knowledge of anything wrong. A grinding noise started, took it to the ford dealership that day, now we need a new transmission. This van has only 70,000 miles on it. This should not have happened. *ak”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Feb 2005
“While driving 40 mph driver heard a loud popping noise coming from the front. Suddenly the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to restart the vehicle, and drove it to a dealer for inspection. *ak ford only replaced the passenger side cylinder head which left the drivers side cylinder head at risk. *sc *jb”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Feb 2005
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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 DEACTIVATION SWITCH (SCDS). THE SCDS MAY LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.
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 AS NECESSARY. REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.
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. THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WERE PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED USING A WIRING HARNESS THAT IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE VEHICLE CIRCUIT POLARITY.
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.
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 AS AN INTERIM REPAIR. AS SOON AS REPAIR PARTS ARE AVAILABLE (EXPECTED OCTOBER 2007), OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN TO THE DEALERS FOR INSTALLATION OF A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 13, 2007, AND MAILING COMPLETED BY SEPTEMBER 19, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2001 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact E-250 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Ford E-250 reliable?
NHTSA has 18 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2001 Ford E-250. The most complained-about area is engine and engine cooling.
Does the 2001 Ford E-250 have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning vehicle speed control. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.