1997 Ford E-350: fire, smoke or burning smell

5 of the 78 complaints about the 1997 Ford E-350 describe fire, smoke or burning smell.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 6%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 5 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year

2019
1
2012
1
2009
2
2007
1
2006
2
2005
1
2004
1
2003
3
2002
1
2001
2
1999
2
1998
1
1997
5
1995
3
1994
3
1993
3
1992
4
1990
1

What owners say

Filed Sep 20, 2010 · Engine · 37,414 miles · IL · fire

My v10 ford e-350 motor had a head failure and a spark plug blew out while driving. A fire started in the engine compartment and the explosion sound created a panic and startled response that almost lead to a vehicle crash. The vehicle was towed to a repair facility and they were familiar with the problem. They work on fleet vehicles regularly and they stated they have seen this problem many times before. The aluminum head of the engine was too weak to hold on to the spark plug and that lead to the explosion, fire, and damage. The shop informed me that this could very likely happen again because of the defective design of the engine and if I am traveling with my family I could be left stranded, possible a very dangerous part of the highway while driving steep or dangerous roads. If the vehicle catches on fire again it could explode if the gas line ignites. This one cylinder cost $800 to fix but now I have 9 other ones to worry about. I was not able to find a current recall but there will have to be one issued to ensure the safety of any american driving a ford vehicle with this engine. After researching the internet I have found literally thousands of different people stating similar scenarios.

Filed May 12, 2009 · Engine · IL · fire

Our 1997 ford f350 truck was parked in our barn and caught fire yesterday morning for no apparent reason. The fire destroyed the truck and caused damage to the barn and also caught our atv on fire. I left for work at 7 a.m. And had been in the barn before leaving. The first department was contacted at 8:04 and by the time they got there, the truck was basically gone. We had other damages caused by this fire.

Filed May 12, 2009 · Engine · 250,000 miles · OR · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford e350. The contact awoke in the middle of the night to find his vehicle on fire. He attempted to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, but was unsuccessful. The fire department arrived and successfully extinguished the flames. A firefighter stated that the fire originated in the engine compartment. A fire report was filed. The vehicle is currently still at the contact's residence. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The current and failure mileages were over 250,000.

Filed Jun 7, 2002 · Engine · AZ · fire

Consumer states the 1997 ford v-10 caught fire under the hood, consumer is unsure of cause. Yd consumer states no further information has been available from insurance company or dealership, consumer mentions that on dog died due to the fire.

Filed Mar 2, 1998 · Electrical · WA · fire

Vehicle caught fire. Cause of fire was determined by ford inspector to be a faulty electrical cable that shorted out due high moisture levels and no protection of cable.