Ford · NHTSA safety record

2013 Ford E-450

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 12 safety complaints about the 2013 Ford E-450 with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering adaptive and mobility equipment.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 4 complaints, 33% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 25,900 miles, the median across the 10 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2014 to August 2018 · How this is counted

What is on file

12 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

POWER TRAIN 4 · 33% 4 33%

SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 17% 2 17%

STEERING 2 · 17% 2 17%

SUSPENSION 2 · 17% 2 17%

WHEELS 2 · 17% 2 17%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 8% 1 8%

EQUIPMENT 1 · 8% 1 8%

STRUCTURE 1 · 8% 1 8%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 8% 1 8%

0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 12.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 6.

8 6 4 2

14 2014 15 2015 16 2016 18 2018

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2014 to 2018.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2013 Ford E-450. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

15V112000 · February 25, 2015

The 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.
The 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.
The remedy: 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.

Farber Specialty Vehicles · up to 117 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

14V595000 · September 24, 2014

The 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.
The 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.
The remedy: 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.

Elkhart Coach · up to 437 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed August 19, 2018

NO CRANK NO START WITH ANTITHEFT ON . LOST COMMUNICATION

NHTSA complaint 11120875. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed May 14, 2018

11,800 miles

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.

NHTSA complaint 11093698. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed February 15, 2018

70,000 miles

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. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA complaint 11073007. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed February 15, 2018

70,000 miles

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. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA complaint 11073008. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed February 15, 2018

70,000 miles

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. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA complaint 11073009. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed February 15, 2018

72,000 miles

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. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

NHTSA complaint 11073012. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford E-450

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2022	13	3	—
2021	27	7	—
2017	11	3	—
2016	17	5	—

Other 2013 Ford models

F-150 2,982 Escape 2,750 Edge 2,445 Explorer 2,235 Focus 2,112 Fusion 1,791 Fiesta 667 Taurus 584

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Ford on this site — 359 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed February 25, 2015.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst