Total Complaints
4 filings
FORD E350 · model year
1983 FORD E350
4 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
The 1983FORDE350 carries 4 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 E350 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 2 investigation files overlapping the 1983 E350. 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.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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 |
Recent Complaints
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 1983FORDE350 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1983 FORD E350 have?▼
The 1983 FORD E350 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1983 FORD E350?▼
The most-complained component for the 1983 FORD E350 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 E350 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 1983 FORD E350; 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.