FORD E-SERIES · model year

2008 FORD E-SERIES

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008FORDE-SERIES carries 6 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.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 E-SERIES is service brakes, hydraulic with 2 filings, followed by steering (1) and power train:automatic transmission (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2008 E-SERIES, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 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
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC2
STEERING1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
TIRES1

Recent Complaints

20120604TIRES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD E250 EQUIPPED WITH HANKOOK RH03 TIRES, SIZE LT245-75-R16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT PREVIOUSLY, THE REAR TIRES WAS REPLACED DUE TO TREAD SEPARATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DOT AND SERIAL NUMBER FOR THE TIRE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS 52,000.

Mileage: 52,000

20110601SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ECONOLINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SITTING IN IDLE THE BRAKES DON'T SEEM TO HOLD AND THE RPMS INCREASED UP TO 3500. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO ADVISED HIM THAT WAS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HIM THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 07/08/11 *BF

Mileage: 7,000

20110601ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ECONOLINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SITTING IN IDLE THE BRAKES DON'T SEEM TO HOLD AND THE RPMS INCREASED UP TO 3500. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO ADVISED HIM THAT WAS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HIM THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 07/08/11 *BF

Mileage: 7,000

20090216SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

THE RATTLE CLIPS ON THE FRONT BRAKE PADS/CALIPERS ON FORD E 450 SERIES VIBRATE OUT OF POSITION WHILE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. WE HAVE 12 OF THESE VEHICLES IN A FLEET AND THEY ARE ALL DOING THIS. *TR

Mileage: 30,000

20090129POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE: DAILY, HIGHWAY AND CITY DRIVING IN NORMAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 19,000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND REQUIRES A COMPLETE SWAP FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE DEALERSHIP PERFORMING THE REPAIR COMMENTED THAT THE TRANSMISSION PAN SHOWS WEAR OF A TRANSMISSION WITH 90,000 TO 100,000 MILES INSTEAD OF 19,000 MILES. THE CORRECTION TO THE FAILURE IS A COMPLETE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF A NEW TRANSMISSION BY FORD. *TR

Mileage: 19,000

20090105STEERING

WE ORDERED A NEW 2008 ECONOLINE E-350 XLT AND AFTER DRIVING WE DISCERNED THE STEERING WAS VERY LOOSE; IT HAD AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF "PLAY"; IT FLOATED AROUND THE ROAD. IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL ON THE HIGHWAYS ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS. WE BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND BOTH SERVICE MANAGER AND GENERAL MANAGER TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE AND CONFIRMED THERE WAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. VAN WAS BROUGHT IN FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE. THEY "TIGHTENED" SOME PARTS (?) AND ASKED FOR ME TO DRIVE IT HOME AND REPORT BACK IF IT WERE ANY BETTER. CONTACTED THEM AGAIN AND INFORMED THEM THE PROBLEM REMAINED THE SAME. THEY SCHEDULED THE VAN AGAIN FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT/DIAGNOSIS AND THEY CONTACTED FORD TECH HOT LINE. FORD HOT LINE INFORMED THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS AND THERE MUST BE A FAULTY ENGINEERING DESIGN IN THE STEERING SYSTEM. THE FORD DEALER INFORMED US THAT THE VAN REQUIRED YET ANOTHER APPOINTMENT AND THAT THE BRAND NEW VAN THAT WA

Mileage: 100

Compare 2008FORDE-SERIES to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 FORD E-SERIES have?
The 2008 FORD E-SERIES has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 FORD E-SERIES?
The most-complained component for the 2008 FORD E-SERIES is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 2008 FORD E-SERIES 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 as of 2025. 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.