1999 Ford E-250 problems & reliability
31 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford E-250, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford E-250 vehicles were involved in 11 fatal crashes with 13 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 26% |
| Tires | 7 | 23% |
| Suspension | 6 | 19% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 16% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 13% |
| Power Train | 3 | 10% |
| Structure | 3 | 10% |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 6% |
| Steering | 2 | 6% |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 19 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Spark plug ejection with plug parts going into motor and putting hole in piston-this is a work van-no way to economically fix it. Happened when driving 25mph on city street”
Engine · filed Mar 28, 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford e-250. The contact stated that while going 30 mph, the brake line failed. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal and it went all the way to the floorboard. The front brakes still functioned but the rear brakes failed. The vehicle was not inspected. The dealer and…”
Service Brakes · filed Jun 28, 2012
“Subject: ford v-8 truck engine spark plug blowout comments: I am a construction company business owner that uses ford vans for our work. This past week we had a spark plug blow out of the head of one of our vehicles this is the third time it has occurred on this particular vehicle each time we have to place it in the…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Aug 4, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- HVAC Switch Failures
Engineering Analysis EA10003 · opened Apr 13, 2010 · closed Mar 5, 2012
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
Technical service bulletins
32 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford E-250. The 10 most recent:
This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the…
DOR-X8B9R-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 6, 2018
Brake booster system may exhibit a brake pedal kickback and/or grabbing condition when applying the brakes. *nj
071110 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2007
Vibration/harshness above 45 mph (72 km/h) after tire balance. *tt
05248 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Clunk from front suspension. *tt
17520 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
A bump steer steering feeling, noted when the vehicle's front wheels/tires contact road surface irregularities. *tt
17211 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with no hard fault. *tt
17009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2003
Subject regarding early wear of the inner brake pad on the rear disc brakes. *tt
15890 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2002
Some vehicles equipped with 4r70w transmission (driveshaft >70 inch) may exhibit a vibration / roughness on acceleration or under load at about 50-55 mph. *tt
15799 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2002
Concerns with bump steer steering feeling noted when front wheels / tires contact road surface irregularities. *tt
15634 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2002
Concerns with dana 60 semi-float axles exhibiting a condition of axle chatter on turns. *tt
15631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2002
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1999 Ford E-250 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Ford E-250?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.