2013 Ford E-450 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (4) · Wheels (2) · Suspension (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford E-450 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2015-02-25 · campaign 15V112000 · 117 vehicles
Defect: Farber Specialty Vehicles (Farber) is recalling various specialty vehicles modified by Farber and equipped with model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.
Risk: If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
Fix: Farber will notify owners to take their vehicles to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2015. Owners may contact Farber customer service at 1-800-331-3188, or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Farber's number for this recall is 14E-041.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2014-09-24 · campaign 14V595000 · 437 vehicles
Defect: Elkhart Coach (Elkhart) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Ford E-350 and Ford E-450 vehicles manufactured January 1, 2006, to May 1, 2014 and equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.
Risk: If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
Fix: Elkhart will notify owners to take the vehicles to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on October 1, 2014. Owners may contact Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Owners may also contact Elkhart customer service at 1-574-264-5179. This recall has been superseded by campaign 15V-768.
Service bulletins (27)
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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Power Train:manual Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2023-08-10 · SSM 51854 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
various 2013-2019 vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (mil) with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p264f after powertrain control module (pcm) replacement. this dtc indicates that the engine serial number (esn) must be programmed into the pcm. the esn is located on pts > diagn
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2023-08-08 · SSM 51849 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
various 2013-2019 vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (mil) with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p264f after powertrain control module (pcm) replacement. this dtc indicates that the engine serial number (esn) must be programmed into the pcm. the esn is located on pts> oasis>
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2019-08-09 · SSM 48130 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. this is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning agent. hydrofluoric acid can attack the glass and cause visual distortion and/or disc
Showing the 6 most recent of 27 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2018-08-19 · Electrical System“no crank no start with antitheft on . lost communication…”
2018-05-14 · Unknown Or Other · 11,800 mi“this is a jayco greyhawk 31' rv. when the engine is warmed up it will not restart immediately upon being shut off. it will only start after about 15 minutes.…”
2018-02-15 · Power Train · 70,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford e-450. while operating the vehicle, the "service vehicle" warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (morris buffalo ford, 702 e. highway 55, buffalo, mn) where it was diagnosed that the clutch cylinder well inside the tranmission was cracked and the transmission needed to be rebuilt. t…”
2018-02-15 · Power Train · 70,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford e-450. while operating the vehicle, the "service vehicle" warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (morris buffalo ford, 702 e. highway 55, buffalo mn) where it was diagnosed that the clutch cylinder well inside the tranmission was cracked and the transmission needed to be rebuilt. th…”
2016-08-11 · Structure:body · 2,500 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford e-450. while driving approximately 55 mph, a rattling noise emitted from the vehicle and the front "slide-out" disengaged independently without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was duplicated, but the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the failure recurred numerous tim…”
2015-10-26 · Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner · 40,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford e-450. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the air conditioner failed to activate. the contact was concerned for his safety due to living in a hot climate state. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the evaporater core needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaire…”
2014-07-03 · Wheels · 4,900 mi“i am a contractor for fedex home delivery and own the truck in reference. after approx 4900 miles, the truck failed safety inspection by fedex and needed the front tires replaced. upon investigation, it was found that the tires suffered major/excessive tread wear after just one month on the road. when i addressed utilimaster, the body company, abou…”
2014-06-21 · Wheels“this is a class "c" motorhome manufactured by jayco with optional aluminum wheels. (jayco greyhawk 31fk) on the backside of the aluminum rims is stamped "do not exceed 60 psi". the motorhome comes with load range "e" tires rated at a max. of 80 psi. the jayco plcard on the door jam states that the rear tires must be inflated to 80 psi. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.