2002 Ford E-250 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires:tread/Belt (2) · Tires (2) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford E-250 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (14)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Steering 2018-04-06 · DOR-X8B9R-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 ball joint assembly may cause a perceptible increase in steering effort.
Service Brakes, Air 2007-09-19 · 071110 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
brake booster system may exhibit a brake pedal kickback and/or grabbing condition when applying the brakes. *nj
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2006-12-01 · 19527 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
headlight adjustment needed. *kb
Engine And Engine Cooling 2005-11-14 · 05173 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code p1131 and/or p1151 - 4.2l engine. *tt
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2005-07-01 · 18735 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
headlight adjustment - chassis cab incomplete vehicles. *tt
Electrical System 2005-02-07 · 032306 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
diagnostic trouble code b1876, b1880, b1915 and/or b1920 in the ecs module - vehicles equipped with aftermarket high current devices. *tt
Showing the 6 most recent of 14 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2020-06-27 · Tires · 282,952 mi“both front tires merely developed tread bulges , less than 15k miles, never had a flat, been overloaded ,overinflated , ect.. they just became very poor driving and vibrated badly to find they both have bulges in the tread. they seemed fine about two weeks ago and when i went to drive it a couple days ago the problem became apparent. *tr…”
2015-09-11 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 160,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford e-250. the contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the fuel tank strap detached from the vehicle and caused the fuel tank to nearly touch the ground. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 160,000. …”
2009-05-16 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 117,715 mi“i own a ford f-250 with a 5.4 motor. this truck blew a spark plug out of the motor on 4-15 -2008 and it blew a different spark plug out of the motor on 5-13-2009. ford needs to recall this truck and other vehicles and correct this defect. i will be talking with a lawyer in the next few days in hopes of getting my truck repaired and to recover the m…”
2007-07-05 · Electrical System:ignition:module · 40,000 mi“failure of cam position sensor on 2002 ford f250 diesel. motor stops working lost of power steering and all power,as if key was turned off. if pulling trailer this was an extremly dangerios conditionin in the ford 2002 f250 truck with the 7.3 diesel motor. just check the internet to see how many peoplle were having trouble. *ak…”
2007-02-26 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:catalytic Convertor · 51,000 mi“total catalytic converter failure at 51,000 miles. sat at dealership from jan 3,2006 to april 7, 2005 waiting for dealer only part. no cause found. truck was in excellent running condition. *nm…”
2007-02-26 · Power Train:automatic Transmission · 75,000 mi“4r70w transmission failure. planetary gear shattered resulting in a transmission failure. requiring the transmission to be rebuilt. *nm…”
2005-10-01 · Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control · 90,000 mi · 🔥 fire“ford has recalls on 1994-2002 ford truck 8500 gvw and under i have a 2002 f250 ford 8600 gvw that uses same cruise control parts as the other trucks. this unit was sitting in garage when not running when the same parts that are being replaced on other vehicles ignited on fire. ford will not replace the parts. *jb…”
2005-03-23 · Tires:tread/Belt · 30,000 mi“tire separation, goodyear lt245/75r16e tires. at approximately 30000 miles, the tire began to bounce due to a tread separation, creating an unsafe situation. *ak…”
2005-02-20 · Wheels · 💥 crash“my son was driving home when the back wheels locked-up and started to skid. he called the police and the officer said he could see where it look like that's what happened and there were three other witnesses to what had happened. my husband feels this is what happened to him a couple of months ago. i am waiting to see if you are willing to pay …”
2003-12-02 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module · 39,631 mi“when braking at 25 mph the brakes had gone to the floor. the consumer had to pump the brakes in order to stop the vehicle. the dealer stated that electronic hydraulic control unit for the abs needed to be replaced. *ak *scc *jb…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.