2011 Ford E-350: common problems

Owners of the 2011 Ford E-350 filed 19 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 19
involving a crash: 3

What fails most often

1 Tires 21% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
3 Air bags 11% of all complaints
4 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
5 Steering 11% of all complaints
6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
7 Electronic stability control 5% of all complaints
8 Engine 5% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Tires: 4 complaints (21% of all).
Powertrain: 3 complaints (16% of all).
Air bags: 2 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Service brakes: 2 complaints (11% of all).
Steering: 2 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 19 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

knocking, grinding or other noise2 · 11%
airbags did not deploy1 · 5%
jerking, harsh shifts1 · 5%
won't start1 · 5%
loss of power / limp mode1 · 5%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 5%
stalls while driving1 · 5%
tires: bulges, blowouts1 · 5%
transmission slipping1 · 5%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Tires	4	0
Powertrain	3	0
Air bags	2	2
Service brakes	2	0
Steering	2	1
Electrical system	1	0
Electronic stability control	1	0
Engine	1	0
Structure	1	1
Wheels	1	0
Other	2	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

There was enough impact that the motor mounts broke and the engine was pushed in to the fire wall. There was slight intrusion into the passenger compartment of the ambulance. The air bags did not deploy. The air bags in the cadillac did deploy. There was a third vehicle involved.
Air bags · crash · 2014-10-07 · NHTSA complaint #10643090
My girlfriend was falling asleep, got off the road and hit a tree. The van is totaled and has a major damage on the front. Thank god she did not get injured but I am worried what would need to happen to activate the airbags at this vehicle as these did not open at this major crash.
Air bags · crash · 2013-04-14 · NHTSA complaint #10508153
Ambulance on response to emergency call. Steering wheel "let go" causing driver to lose all control. Steering wheel could be spun completely 360 degrees very fast. We have video of the crash and steering wheel. Want to make sure this is not a vehicle defect in ambulances of this type.
Steering · crash · 2012-08-14 · NHTSA complaint #10470665
Vehicle is not as described by VIN #, correctly. Vin describes as: 2011 Forest River Limited Edition Value Hauler. My vehicle is 2011 - E350 Ford Van, 12 passenger. The problem is with the brakes. Have had the brakes repaired 3 occasions, but the results is always the same.
Service brakes · 2021-07-12 · NHTSA complaint #11424341
The brakes are faulty. Have tried to have them repaired 3 times and it ends with the same problem. The brakes go all the way in and have to be pumped to stop.
Service brakes · 2021-07-12 · NHTSA complaint #11424351
Extreme knocking of the engine after a few minutes of warm up including a loss of power and acceleration. This has been identified as front engine noise from the "cam shaft phaser"vtc. Even though there is no external appearance of damage it is considered damage that will cause further internal damage to the engine.
Engine · 2020-04-04 · NHTSA complaint #11320212
My van stall 3 time in the highway base on a fuel control module I almost had a accident because of this , isaw also a letter with a recall if the same problem 16s31 I have taken to the ford company and they replace it and it has the same symptoms and I carry disability children in this van , always excuses
Electronic stability control · 2019-09-16 · NHTSA complaint #11255895
Truck died driving on the highway with no warning already had work done, on wiring harness wont start. The computer shuts off. Wont start back up.
Electrical system · 2019-05-20 · NHTSA complaint #11208576

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20111
20121
20131
20146
20151
20161
20171
20181
20192
20201
20212
20241

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 8,437 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).

On average one model year of the E-350 has 27 complaints (44 years in the data). This year has 19, below average.

What to check before buying

Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Ford E-350?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, powertrain, air bags. Total complaints: 19. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (11%), airbags did not deploy (5%), jerking, harsh shifts (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2011 Ford E-350?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2011 Ford E-350 from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2011 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.