1999 FORD E-350 Complaints

FORD E-350 AND E-250 VANS, BOTH ARE YEAR,1999 THE ANTILOCK AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY AT A 105K MILES ON EACH. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON FOR THIS AND I ALSO NOTICED MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES. IT WILL IMPOSE A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I SEEN A WEB SITE MENTIONING HOW TO DISCONNECT DASH LIGHTS FOR BOTH. PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE AUTO OWNERS START DISCONNECTING WIRE HARNESS. [XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD E-350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS LOW. THE CONTACT STOPPED AND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE BUT COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. WHEN SHE REACHED HER RESIDENCE, SHE SAW THAT THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE LUG NUTS HAD RIPPED OF THE WHEEL AND FRACTURED THE RIM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 141,000.

1999 FORD E350 CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED TO A TOTAL LOSS WHILE SITTING COLD IN MY DRIVEWAY. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED ON NOV 8, 2010. DEC 12, 2010 I DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES TO THE GROCERY AROUND 20:30; I RETURNED HOME AND PARKED THE VEHICLE IN MY DRIVEWAY ABOUT 20:45. ABOUT 22:15 A PASSING CAR OBSERVED FLAMES COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND FLARING TO CONTACT MY HOUSE. THE WITNESS ALERTED ME AT MY DOOR. I IMMEDIATELY GRABBED THE GARDEN HOSE AND ATTEMPTED TO SPRAY WATER INTO THE FRONT GRILL, LEFT SIDE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. I COULD NOT SEE WHERE THE ACTUAL FIRE WAS AS THE HOOD WAS CLOSED, I SPRAYED WHERE THE FLAMES EXITED THE GRILL. THE WIND WAS BLOWING ABOUT 20 MPH AND I COULD NOT EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES. THE VEHICLE WAS FACING NORTH, THE WIND BLOWING FROM WEST TO EAST. THE FLAMES BEGAN TO SHOOT OUT FROM THE PASSENGER WHEEL WELL IN A HORIZONTAL STREAK AS THE WIND STOKED THE FIRE. NEIGHBORS CALLED 911 WHILE I DIVERTED THE WATER SPRAY FROM THE VEHICLE TO THE HOUSE AND GARAGE SINCE THE VAN WAS PARKED WITHIN 2 FEET OF THE GARAGE DOOR AND THE WIND NOW HAD FLAMES SHOOTING 8-12' HIGH AND BRUSHING THE WOOD GARAGE DOOR. THE FIREMEN ARRIVED, KNOCKED THE VEHICLE HOOD OFF WITH A TOOL AND SPRAYED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. DUE TO THE WIND, THE VAN WAS COMPLETELY FIRE GUTTED AND A TOTAL LOSS. THE FIRE INSPECTOR ADVISED ME OF THE FORD CRUISE CONTROL RECALL AND SAID HE COULD FIND NO OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THE FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AS THERE WERE NO LEAKS OF ANY KIND AND NO RECENT REPAIRS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. LOCAL FORD DEALERS HAVE DECLINED TO TELL ME IF MY VIN HAD WARRANTY WORK TO REPAIR THE SWITCH. *TR

I WAS DOING SOME CITY DRIVING IN MY FORD VAN AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STARTED TO SOUND ROUGH AND LIKE MY MUFFLER FELL OFF. I STOPPED HAD IT TOWED AND THEY TOLD ME THE SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN OUT OF THE ENGINE. WHEN LOOKING INTO IT SEEMS THAT IT IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IF I HAD NOT TURNED THE ENGINE OFF QUICKLY I COULD HAVE HAD A FIRE IN THERE AS THERE STILL IS GAS AND COMBUSTION GOING ON(THE OTHER 9 PLUGS) NOW I DON'T KNOW IF OR WHEN THE OTHER PLUGS WILL GO ON ME ANDS AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR MORE THAN A TAXI CAB RIDE HOME. *TR

RECALL 01V114000: POSSIBLE FUEL TANK CRACK. I TOOK MY VAN IN FOR BRAKE WORK. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A FUEL TANK CRACK. I RECEIVED A RECALL REPORT FROM MY MECHANIC FROM ALLDATE ONLINE STATING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HAPPENS TO MY TYPE OF VEHICLE. IT IS A VAN THAT I USE FOR WORK.*CW

I HAVE A 1999 CHINOOK CLASS C WITH A FORD E-350 CHASSIS POWERED BY A TRITON V-10. SHORTLY AFTER BUYING IT USED WE HAD A SPARK PLUG POP OUT. IT WAS AN ORIGINAL PLUG. WE HAD THEM CHANGED AND TOOK A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP. AS WE WERE COMING UP ON MEMPHIS TN. ANOTHER PLUG BLEW OUT. WE WERE ON AN INTERCHANGE IN A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE. WE COULD NOT GET OUT AS THERE WAS A FREEWAY ON BOTH SIDES. IT TOOK 3 1/2 HOURS TO GET US OUT OF HARMS WAY. JUST LAST WEEKEND IT HAPPENED AGAIN THOUGH I DROVE OFF THE FREEWAY. I HAVE SINCE READ THAT THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE AS THE GAS IS GETTING PUSHED OUT THE PLUG HOLE AND THE PLUG IS OUT AND FIRING. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND FORD SAYS THE PLUGS WERE NOT TORQUED TO SPEC WHICH CAUSED IT TO HAPPEN. WE HAD OUR ORIGINAL PLUGS WHEN IT 1ST HAPPENED. I ALSO READ ONLINE WHERE A DEALER HAD A VERY LOW MILEAGE V-10 WITH ORIGINAL PLUGS AND IT HAPPENED TO HIM. I THINK THESE HEADS ARE DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. I CANNOT FIND AFTERMARKET HEADS SO I WOULD FEEL SAFER. IT HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED GOING DOWN THE FREEWAY. THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP WHERE IT IS SAYS HE HAS A FORD KIT TO REPAIR THE HEADS. HE SAYS IT IS THE ONLY KIT FOR THIS HE HAS EVER SEEN YET FORD DENIES THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM. I JUST FEEL LUCKY I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD EACH TIME. THESE ENGINES ARE IN MANY RV'S AND LARGER TRUCKS WHICH ARE HARDER TO MANEUVER I.E. MORE DANGEROUS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD E350. THE VEHICLE HAS KUMHO ROAD VENTURE TIRES, SIZE LT/225/75/R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT AND THE TREAD SEPARATED. THE DOOR OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL TIRE REPAIR SHOP AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS DRY ROTTED. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD E-350. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN AUGUST OF 2007 FOR THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: CRUISE CONTROL. SHE CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER, BUT THEY WOULD DISCONNECT THE CRUISE CONTROL UNTIL THE PARTS ARRIVED. AS OF MAY 16, 2008, THE PARTS ARE STILL UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT NEARLY A YEAR IS COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE TO NOT HAVE RECEIVED THE PARTS BY NOW. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE; HOWEVER, SHE WANTS HER CRUISE CONTROL RECONNECTED. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN.

1999 FORD E350 WITH ONLY 48,000 MILES HAS THE BRAKE LINES SO BADLY RUSTED THAT THEY ARE LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. THE VEHICLE CAN'T BE DRIVEN UNTIL ALL THE BRAKE LINES ARE REPLACED. REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FROM FORD. I MUST FABRICATE REPLACEMENTS FROM GENERIC PARTS. IT SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT THAT BRAKE LINES BE MADE FROM STAINLESS STEEL SO THEY CAN'T RUST OUT. THIS IS A CLEAR DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT COULD BE ELIMINATED IF MANUFACTURER WERE REQUIRED TO USE STAINLESS STEEL WHICH WILL NOT RUST. I ALMOST DROVE THROUGH MY GARAGE DOOR WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WHEN THE RUSTED BRAKE LINE BURST. I HAD TO JAM ON THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING ONE DAY THE BRAKES WORK THE NEXT DAY THEY DON'T. MAKE BRAKE LINES FROM STAINLESS STEEL SO THEY WON'T RUST!! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD E-350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPARK PLUG HAS BLOWN OUT OF THE HEAD DUE TO THE LACK OF THREADING NEEDING TO KEEP IT IN PLACE. THE MECHANIC INFORMED HIM THAT THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES WITHIN THE LAST FIVE WEEKS. THERE ARE NO RECALLS AVAILABLE FOR THIS FAILURE. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT THIS COULD BE DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 139,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.