Ford · vehicle model
Ford E-Series
88 NHTSA complaints and 10 safety recalls across model years 1973–2008.
- Complaints
- 88
- Recalls
- 10
- Model years
- 17
The FordE-Series appears in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database with 88 consumer safety complaints and 10 recall campaigns across 17 model years (1973–2008). That averages roughly 5 complaints per model year. Report counts can differ between model years for many reasons; this dataset does not establish the cause of a difference.
Complaint volume on a nameplate alone is not a reliability verdict: a long-running bestseller can accumulate more filings than a low-volume niche model because more vehicles are on the road. The table below shows report counts and published NHTSA crash-test ratings side by side for each model year. The filing-year histogram shows the timing of submitted reports, not a causal trend.
NHTSA has 179 investigation files tied to this model, with 6 currently open. Investigation records, complaint reports, and recall campaigns each provide different context. Use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and the underlying notices to research a specific vehicle; PlainCars does not infer a vehicle-risk or pricing conclusion from these records.
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2005 | 10 |
| 2004 | 12 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2001 | 7 |
| 2000 | 10 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 1998 | 6 |
| 1997 | 9 |
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1994 | 6 |
| 1993 | 5 |
| 1990 | 1 |
| 1989 | 2 |
| 1987 | 3 |
| 1973 | 1 |
Complaint Filing Trend
NHTSA complaint volume by year filed (not model year).
Year filed (bar labels show the complaint count).
Compare FordE-Series to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 6 Open
Timing Belt Failure
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Collisions Involving Ford BlueCruise
Seat Belt Retractor Pretensioner Inadvertent Deployment
Loss of Motive Power
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is the Ford E-Series?▼
What years of Ford E-Series are available?▼
Does the Ford E-Series have safety ratings?▼
What are the most common Ford E-Series complaints?▼
How do I check if my Ford E-Series has been recalled?▼
Data sources
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. Ford E-Series totals are aggregated from the linked NHTSA model-year rows; 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.