Total Complaints
5 filings
Ford E-350 · model year
1983 Ford E-350
5 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
- 5
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1983 Ford E-350 posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 19%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1983FordE-350 carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 2 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 1983 E-350 is electrical system:ignition:switch with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 4 investigation files overlapping the 1983 E-350. 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.
5
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1983 Ford E-350
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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20130122FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1983 FORD E-350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED TO THE SHOULDER AND WAS UNABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP FAILED TO CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLY THE ENGINE WITH FUEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 82V124000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: FUEL PUMP). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,000.
Mileage: 73,000
20110315TIRES
4 OF 6 TIRES BOUGHT IN 04 THREAD SEPARATING. NO ACCIDENT. MOTOR JUST STARTED SHAKING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. *TR
19961114FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
19961112POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ON AND IN THE PARK POSITION, ON ITS OWN THE VEHICLE JUMPED OUT OF GEAR FROM PARK INTO REVERSE. *AK CONSUMER STATES THIS IS NOT HIS VEHICLE OR HIS COMPLAINT.*JB
19960419FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
WHILE PARKED FOR TWO DAYS, NOTICED SMOKE AND FIRE COMING FROM DASH AREA, POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL. *AK
Compare 1983FordE-350 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1983 Ford E-350 have?▼
The 1983 Ford E-350 has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1983 Ford E-350?▼
The most-complained component for the 1983 Ford E-350 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1983 Ford E-350 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 1983 Ford E-350; 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.