Total Complaints
11 filings
Ford E-250 · model year
1991 Ford E-250
11 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 11
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1991 Ford E-250 posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 49%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1991FordE-250 carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1991 E-250 is power train:automatic transmission with 4 filings, followed by power train:driveline (1) and tires:tread/belt (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 179 investigation files overlapping the 1991 E-250, and 6 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
11
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1991 Ford E-250
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 4 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20110421FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1991 FORD E-250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RESERVE TANK BEGAN SPILLING OVER INTO THE MAIN FUEL TANK AND CAUSING THE FUEL TANK TO OVERFLOW. THE FAILURE WAS CAUSING THE MAIN TANK TO SPILL INTO THE RESERVE AS WELL. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 91V146000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: STORAGE: AUXILLARY TANK: SELECTOR DEVICES), BUT WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,000.
Mileage: 150,000
20041110POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HUSBAND WAS TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE, APPROX. 65MPH. SUDDEN METALLIC NOISES AND RUMBLING. PULLED OVER SAFELY TO FIND REAR OF TRANSMISSION HOUSING HAS LOST SEVERAL LARGE CHUNKS, LEAVING A GAPING HOLE APROXIMATELY 10 INCHES BY 4 INCHES. TOWED TO REPAIR FACILITY. MECHANIC COULD NOT REMOVE DRIVE LINE FROM TAIL PIECE OF TRANSMISSION. HE CONTACTED A SPECIALLIST WHO INFORMED HIM THAT CERTAIN FORD TRANSMISSIONS OF CERTAIN YEARS, INCLUDING '91, HAD A DEFECT CAUSING THEM TO NOT GET LUBRICANT TO THE REAR PART OF THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING OVERHEATING, MASSIVE DAMAGE AND FAILURE. THIS MALFUNCTION COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR WORSE A CRASH WITH INJURIES OR DEATH.
20021114FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
CONSUMER STATES HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS RECALL#91V146000 FUEL TANK. DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR BECAUSE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. MR
20021031FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES
NHTSA#6238-91-V-146-000 FUEL TANK: THE DUAL TANK SELECTOR VALVE MAY MALFUNCTION AND CAUSE AN OVERFILL CONDITION IN ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS CONSUMER STATES HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON SIMILAR MAKES AND MODELS, HOWEVER THIS VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO THE VIN. *TS *JB
20010807TIRES
TIRE BEEN PUNCTURED AND WATER HAD DAMAGED STEEL CAUSING THEM TO RUST. NO RUST FOUND AT THE TIME OF FREAD COMING OFF.
20010316SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR NO BRAKES WHATSOEVER. *AK
20001002TIRES:TREAD/BELT
PE000020; FIRESTONE, STEEL TEX RADIAL R4S REPLACEMENT TIRE ON A 1991, FORD, F250. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH ON HIGHWAY RIGHT REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. *AK THE VIBRATION WAS VERY INTENSE. *YH
19961231POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION LEAKS/SHIFTS HARD/JERKS.
19961231POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION CAUSING, LOUD BANG.
19961231POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
DRIVETRAIN CAUSING, JERK AND LOST OF CONTROL.
19961231POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION BLEW.
Compare 1991FordE-250 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 6 Open
EA26004Engineering AnalysisOpen
Timing Belt Failure
DP26004Defect PetitionOpen
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated
EA26001Engineering AnalysisOpen
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
PE25020Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Timing Belt Failure
DP25001Defect PetitionClosed
Underbody shields detachment
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1991 Ford E-250 have?▼
The 1991 Ford E-250 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 Ford E-250?▼
The most-complained component for the 1991 Ford E-250 is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE and TIRES:TREAD/BELT.
Is the 1991 Ford E-250 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1991 Ford E-250; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.