This vehicle was made by Ford as a partially complete vehicle and converted to 4 wheel drive by Quigley Motor Company Inc. The Quigley torque arms installed appear to commonly fail from some of the earlier years and a design change has been made (from C-channel arms to tubular). The design and construction of the C-channel torque arm (connecting the front axle to the frame of the vehicle) is prone to failure from low cycle fatigue near the welds. Upon failure, the structural integrity of the vehicle is compromised which results could range from handling issues to loss of control of the vehicle (if more than one torque arm fails or failure of one leads to cascading failures in other components, the front axle could become disconnected from the vehicle while in motion leading to an accident.
The worst 1997 Ford E Series problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Tires12
- Brakes2
- Suspension2
- Electrical1
- Fuel system1
- Steering1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Ford E Series
Recalls 1
Engine and engine cooling: engine: diesel
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with 7.3l diesel engines, the camshaft position sensor located on the engine of the vehicle may function intermittently, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
- Risk
- In the event of an engine stall, a crash could result without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the sensor and replace it with an improved camshaft position sensor free of charge. The recall began on december 29, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 07V553000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 1997 Ford E Series
Defect investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Ford E Series 123
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Ford: the blower motor on some vehicles are operating either incorrectly or not operating or just...
- Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, or 6.8L 2V engine--spark plug thread repair...
- Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (COP) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running
- Guidance for cng tank inspection for vehicles produced after december 2, 1996
- Intermittent rough idle - non-commanded EGR (exhaust gas recirculation valve) flow
- Diagnostic trouble code B1876, B1880, B1915 and/or B1920 in the ecs module - vehicles equipped with...
- A driveline clunk or bump when starting from a stop
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (COP) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips
- Rear leaf spring noise
What 1997 Ford E Series owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Dt: the contact stated while putting fuel in the vehicle it was leaking. The first time this happened he thought the pump did not cut itself off. The next time he pumped fuel it continued to leak. The contact took the vehicle to a dealership, and they found the hose that connected to the tank was dry rotted. At that time, he had the hose replaced.*ak uodated 12/27/05.
Dt: ford expedition. Nothing was apparent before the failure. Two minutes after arriving home there was an explosion in the engine compartment. Contacted ford, the police, and the fire department. The fire department put the fire out, and said it was in the engine area with electrical arcing. Ford said they were going to send an inspector on 3 different occasions, but now said the case was closed and will not be send an inspector.
I was aware of a problem with the ford brake pressure switch starting fires in explores and rangers I believe. Our company owns 17 econoline chassis vehicles at this division. I was just concerned when I found a blown fuse in the 4-way flasher circuit of our 97 e-super duty van. Which this circuit also contains the brake pressure switch. When reinstalling the fuse the brake pressure switch started to smoke and get hot enough to get the brake fluid to its flash point. The brake fluid proceeded to smoke and push its way past the switch. No damage was done other than a new switch. Iwas just concerned that the fuse did not blow and if I was not the the vehicle would have caught fire.
We purchased a 1997 ford e150 raised roof conversion van from jim o'neal ford in sellersburg, indiana just across the border from louisville, kentucky. The conversion was by superior in louisville. We purchased that particular van because it was highly rated by ford motor company as a conversion company. We drove the van for six years and just recently traded it in. It has 97,000 miles on it. The major problem we had with the van was with the front end. Both ford and our local tire dealer have told us that because the van is raised roof and heavier than normal, we should expect excessive tire and brake wear. However, we often would have to put brakes on the van more than once a year and replace all four tires yearly. The front tires would get abnormal wear (cupping) which would destroy all four tires eventually with normal rotation. At 60,000 miles, a ford repair shop in joplin, mo told us the ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced. They felt that was the problem all along. Only 30,000 miles later, we were once again told the ball joints were destroyed and needed to be replaced again. Any time we ask if this was normal wear and tear, we were told (with a shoulder shrug) that it was due to the raised roof. I think ford should warn potential buyers of their conversion vans that they will experience abnormal brake, tire and front end wear and should expect to have $6-800 dollars in repairs yearly. If they cannot manufacture a front end capable of handling a heavier load from the raised roof, they should not be selling raised roof vans.
At 70 m.p.h. On flat , dry road the tread seperated from the inflated firestone tire and caused damage to motorhome.
While driving 70 MPH and without warning rear driver's outer tire blew out, which resulted in tread separation, firestone, model lt225/75r16e dot: unknown. Ford and firestone were notified.
A tire blew out and damaged the motor home. Firestone lt 225/75/16. Please provide details.
While driving 60 MPH and without warning, the rear passenger outer tire blewout, which resulted in tread separation, within the next 24 hours, the driver's side inner tire also blewout. Firestone had been notified.*ak *ts
Firestone steel ex radial lt225/75r16 dot #vn1l1xa436 - inside right rear tire tread separated and the left outside tire blewout at 50 MPH, causing damage to the vehicle. Firestone has been notified. *ak
Compare the 1997 Ford E Series
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Questions about the 1997 Ford E Series
Is the 1997 Ford E Series reliable?
Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 1997 Ford E Series, 2.7 times a typical E Series model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Ford E Series?
Tires, with 12 complaints. Next is brakes (2).
How many recalls does the 1997 Ford E Series have?
1 recall, covering engine and engine cooling.
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