FORD E-550 · model year

2002 FORD E-550

1 NHTSA complaints, and 2 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. 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

The 2002FORDE-550 carries 1 consumer safety complaint 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 2002 E-550 is engine and engine cooling with 1 filings. Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 179 investigation files overlapping the 2002 E-550, 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.

1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

1 filings

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

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1

Recalls (2)

09V39900013/10/2009

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

07V07800006/03/2007

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL, GASOLINE OR NATURAL GAS ENGINES, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY OVERHEAT.

Recent Complaints

20081207ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

PURCHASED A USED FORD 550 DIESEL BUCKET TRUCK, IN NOV. 2007 TWO WEEKS AFTER TRUCK STARTED TO NOT START AT TIMES AND WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WE DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT TOWED IN SEVERAL TIMES, DEALERSHIP WOULD SEND TRUCK BACK TO US AND IT WOULD AGAIN STALL ON THE ROAD, AFTER THIS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN A ROW AND IT WAS BACK AT DEALERSHIP WHEN THEY TOLD US AGAIN NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. WE TOLD THEM TO TAKE IT HOME FOR THE NIGHT. THEY DID AND OF COURSE IT STALLED ON THE ROAD. THEY THEN STARTED TO BREAK DOWN THE ENGINE TO FIND WHAT WAS WRONG. THEY THOUGHT THAT THE INJECTORS AFTER BEING TAKEN OUT AND TESTED WERE NOT IN THAT GOOD OF CONDITION AND THAT THEY WERE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE CHANGED. WE HAD THEM CHANGE 7 OF 8 INJECTORS ALSO CALLED GLOW PLUGS. THIS CAME TO ABOUT $4000 SAME PROBLEM DIFFERENT STATE TRUCK WENT TO NEW DEALER SHIP WAS TOLD NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. PICKED IT UP AND DROVE IT AND OF COURSE IT STALLED ON THE ROAD AGAIN IT WAS TOWED I

Mileage: 187,000

Compare 2002FORDE-550 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 6 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 FORD E-550 have?
The 2002 FORD E-550 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2002 FORD E-550?
Yes, the 2002 FORD E-550 has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 FORD E-550?
The most-complained component for the 2002 FORD E-550 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 2002 FORD E-550 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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 2002 FORD E-550; 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.