Total Complaints
18 filings
Ford E-450 · model year
1997 Ford E-450
18 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
- 18
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1997 Ford E-450 posts above-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- 37th pctile
- complaint volume, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1997FordE-450 carries 18 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 1997 E-450 is structure:frame and members with 10 filings, followed by tires:tread/belt (4) and tires (2). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 1997 E-450. 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.
18
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1997 Ford E-450
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 |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 10 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 4 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| TIRES:SIDEWALL | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20110713ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD E-450. THE CONTACT STATED THE HEATER CONTROL SWITCH FAILED TO FUNCTION; THEREFORE, ONLY COLD AIR EMITS FROM THE HEATER SYSTEM. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN A MANUFACTURES RECALL . THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.
Mileage: 54,000
20040406TIRES:SIDEWALL
THE 1997 TIRES WITH 18,000 MILES ON THEM HAVE LARGE CRACKS AROUND THE ENTIRE SIDEWALL OF ALL 6 TIRES (MOTORHOME). NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF ALL THE FIRESTONE RE-CALLS. WAS WONDERING IF THESE TIRES HAD A RE-CALL (FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4S, LT225/75R16 M/S). NO "INCIDENT" AS OF YET... *LA
20020731TIRES:TREAD/BELT
TREAD SEPARATION, WOULD AVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF TIRE HAD BEEN LOCATED ON FRONT WHEEL. *AK
20010914TIRES
HAD 2 BLOWOUTS.1AT 22000MI AND 1 AT 26000.THREW ALL THE TREAD ON THE 1ST ONE TIRE COOL TO TOUCH AND OUTSIDE TEMP 58DEG.LOOKS LIKE TREAD HAD NEVER BEEN GLUED ON TO CARCUS.THE 2ND TIRE BLEW AT 55MPH OUTSIDE TEMP56DEG.LOOKED AS IF PART OF THE TREAD WAS GLUED.I KNOW OF 2 OTHER CLASS C MOTORHOMES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM.BETWEEN THE 3 MH WE HAVE HAD 7 BLOWOUTS. *AK (DOT NUMBER: VD1L 1XD TIRESIZE: 225/75/16)
20010821TIRES
BOTH RIGHT REAR DUALS BLEW OUT. REPLACED ALL 6 TIRES FOR FAMILY SAFETY. *AK (TIRESIZE: LT22575R16)
20010524TIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE TRAVELING HEARD A LOUD NOISE. PULLED VEHICLE OVER AND NOTICED TREAD SEPARATION. LT225/75R16. *AK CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCED BLOW OUT TWICE, ALSO HAS EXPERIENCED BLOW OUTS DUE TO SIDEWALL CRACKS.*JB
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. REWELDING OF CROSSMEMBER HAS NOT CORRECTED PROBLEM, WAS STILL CRACKING, REDONE WITH SUPPORT ADDED. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. REWELDING OF CROSSMEMBER HAS NOT CORRECTED PROBLEM, WAS STILL CRACKING, REDONE WITH SUPPORT ADDED. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. REWELDING OF CROSSMEMBER HAS NOT CORRECTED PROBLEM, WAS STILL CRACKING, REDONE WITH SUPPORT ADDED. *MJS
20010306STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRONT CROSSMEMBER CRACKING AT MAIN FRAME, FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN #991411 TO ADDRESS THIS CONDITION. REWELDING OF CROSSMEMBER HAS NOT CORRECTED PROBLEM, WAS STILL CRACKING, REDONE WITH SUPPORT ADDED. *MJS
20000927TIRES:TREAD/BELT
TIRE FAILED WHILE RESPONDING ON AN EMERGENCY AMBULANCE CALL. TREAD PEELED OFF AND BROKE THE LEFT FRONT BREAK LINE. DID BODY DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FRONT FENDER, DOOR AND RUNNING BOARD. ALL FIRESTONE TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON TWO AMBULANCES SINCE THIS ACCIDENT.( DOT NUMBER: VDIL TIRE SIZE: 225/75R16 )
20000915TIRES:TREAD/BELT
PE #00020; FIRESTONE, STEELTEX, P225/75R16. RIGHT INSIDE REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE. VEHICLE IS A AMBULANCE AND MOVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH. DOT # BEGINS WITH VD. TIRES WERE THE PRODUCTION TIRES OF THE VEHICLE WITH 27000 MILEAGE. VEHICLE IS A FORD, E450, CHASSIS.*AK THE AMBULANCE CORP. REQUESTS REIMBURSMENT FOR 12 TIRES THAT WERE REPLACED FOR TREAD SEPARATION. *YH
Compare 1997FordE-450 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1997 Ford E-450 have?▼
The 1997 Ford E-450 has 18 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Ford E-450?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 Ford E-450 is STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS with 10 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES:TREAD/BELT and TIRES.
Is the 1997 Ford E-450 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 1997 Ford E-450; 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.