- The problem
- Ford is recalling certain replacement fuel tanks that could be installed into model year 2004 through 2008 e-150, e-250, and e-350 vans and wagons. The affected fuel tanks have an extra obdii sensor hole on the top of the tank that may not be properly sealed and may leak fuel.
- The risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
- The fix
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks free of charge. The safety recall began on november 28, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-800-232-5952.
Vehicle safety record
2005 Ford E-150 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 26 complaints about the 2005 Ford E-150 with NHTSA, most often about the engine & cooling (8) and the fuel system (7). Those complaints describe 2 crashes and 4 injuries. It is covered by 4 recalls, the latest in November 2011 for the tank assembly. For comparison, the 2004 has 0 and the 2006 has 17.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical E-150 year, for its age
#179 most complained-about 2005 vehicle
- Complaints
- 26
- Recalls
- 4
- Crashes
- 2
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 4
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2005 Ford E-150 problems
Share of all 26 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2005 Ford E-150 recalls 4
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Van conversions is recalling 74 my 2004-2007 ford e-150, e-250 e-350 and my 2006 gm savanna 3500 vans built on ford and gm chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "Platform lift installations in motor vehicles." The threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.
- The risk
- The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
- The fix
- Van conversions is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or van conversions at 610-837-0707.
- The problem
- Van conversions is recalling 52 my 2004-2007 ford e-150, e-250 e-350 and my 2006 gm savanna 3500 vans built on ford and gm chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "Platform lift system accessible for motor vehicles," the anti-stow interlock may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user. The pressure sensing switch that detects the presence of weight on the platform was not adjusted to the necessary sensitivity level. The lift could stow even though someone or something is still on the lift.
- The risk
- A lift occupant can be injured should the lift begin to stow unintentionally.
- The fix
- Van conversions is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e097). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or van conversions at 610-837-0707.
- The problem
- Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector is fully attached.
- The risk
- Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur.
- The fix
- Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2006. Owners may contact ufi filters usa at 800-230-5876.
What owners say
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26 complaints about the 2005 Ford E-150
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 2.
After driving lightning, it loses power and a wrench appears, I already changed the gasoline pump, gasoline pump module, injection rail regulator, and it remains the same
2005 Ford e-150. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle brake pedal problems. *Smd the consumer stated the brake pedal went to the floor nearly causing an accident. The consumer was advised to check the brake fluid levels. The vehicle was repaired.*Js
I was crushing at 55 mph and I heard a loud pop that was followed by a continuous popping obviously from lost compression. I took to a local ford dealer and they stated that this is a common problem for this type of motor to "blow spark plug". This happened without warning and is now a hardship for me
The car steering box seems to wander all over the road and cause me to go into the ditch. Could have been worst.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford e-150. While driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and lost all steering and braking ability. The engine warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the hand brake was engaged in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not able to start while the gear was in park until it was shifted into neutral. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body and the transmission range sensor had to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,010.
I was parked at a gas station. I was about to reverse and my airbag exploded for no reason. I filled a police report with witnesses. I contacted my local ford dealership about the incident and was informed I would have to pay for the damages. They stated they have sent letters to an undisclosed address. I stated I never received a letter and I have lived at multiple locations. I also stated that I have had my truck at the same dealership three times(one time for a wreck) since the recall and have never been...
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informed of a recall. At some point shouldn't ford have informed me when I was in their presence? Ford is now giving me the run around. What can I do at this point to fight this decision from ford? It is a recall and should be fixed. My truck is my life. Help I never received a letter from my knowledge and have live in numerous places. I stated my truck has been in the shop three times (one time for a wreck) and no words were spoken of a recall.
Driving at 35mph, vehicle started making a backfiring sound and losing power. Pulled vehicle into a parking lot and had towed to ford dealer. Ford service adviser said #3 spark plug blew out of engine. He had service technician pull other plugs and checked gap on plugs to find all plugs were original factory installed. *Tr
Total failure of diesel engine. Apparent defective engine design in the ford/navistar 6l powestroke across several model years has been reported on internet. *Js
The paint on the back of the van from the top to the bumper in an approximate 1 foot swath has peeled off. A body shop guy said that they didn't put a thick enough coat on or that the base was faulty. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford e-150. The contact stated that he was advised that there was a fuel line leak in the high pressure hose while attempting to have a state inspection completed. The vehicle was repaired on site for the high pressure hose. The manufacturer had not yet been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. Updated 02/14/12*lj updated 02/24/12
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford econoline 350 van. The contact stated that the seatbelts were defective (second row captain seat behind the passenger side/captain chair behind the drivers seat). The contact said the seatbelt dislodged from the hinge and would not lock in place. The dealership and manufacturer were contacted and advised the contact that she had to pay out of pocket to repair the defect. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 58,000. The contact also stated that the bench seat (third row) would not lock into place when a child was being placed in its child seat. Updated 2/9/2012 *cn received 5/5/15 with no changes *cn
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford econoline 350. While driving approximately 65 mph up a hill the vehicle lost power and it became difficult to accelerate. The failure occurred every time the vehicle was driven in the last two weeks. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians stated that the failure was due to delamination in the gasoline tank and that the fuel pump, oil and fuel filters would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford econoline. The contact stated that she could smell fuel inside the vehicle and smoke escaped from the tailpipe. The dealer replaced the liner on the fuel tank twice. The dealer stated that the diesel fuel ate through the lining. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000 and the current mileage was approximately 78,000.
I own a 2005 ford f-150. On one occasion, the driver's side window unexpectedly dropped into the door when the vehicle was in motion. On another occasion, the passenger side window unexpectedly dropped into the door while the vehicle was in motion. Both of these events could have had serious ramifications. Both times the vehicle had to be taken to the ford dealership for repairs of the motor assemblies. These events were brought to the attention of the ford customer service division and both times my concerns were...
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not addressed to my satisfaction. Based on research that I have conducted via the internet, this appears to be a very serious problem with many 2005 ford f150 owners and it is not being addressed by ford. *Cn
I have a 2005 ford f-150 I have had problems with three of the windows now falling down into the door because the clip on the window regulators keep breaking. This is a real safety hazard as one time I even had the grandkids in the backseat and did not even know what was happening and could then not roll up the window for their safety. Ford charges $450 for this part each time and has admitted repeated problems with this however has not recalled this item to date. This has happened to me with three different...
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windows within a 6 month period. There is no warning you just go to roll your window down and it falls inside of the door. It is lucky the window did not break or any other thing happened with the grandkids.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford e-150. During brake application at 65 mph, the brake pedal went completely to the floor without warning. He had to repeatedly apply pressure to release the pedal. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 40,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford excursion. The contact stated that intermittently the vehicle would stall, and then immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer multiple times to diagnose the failure; however, since the technicians are unable to identify the cause of the failure, no repairs have been made. The vehicle identification number was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 52,800.
Our street needs a speed bump on 42nd ave s between findley and orcas. There are many children and cars go too fast. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford econoline van. While driving at an unknown speed, the fuses began to short out electrical components in the vehicle. The dealer stated that there was a piece of metal located in the fuse rack that touched the wiring harness and caused the electrical wiring to short. The contact was concerned with the safety of not having the wiring harness properly covered, which could potentially cause more electrical failures or a fire. The manufacturer informed the dealer to place the wiring...
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harness back to its original state. There was no type of protection or covering over the wiring harness. The vin was unknown. The current and failure mileages were less than 50,000.
The vehicle, a ford e350 6.0L diesel would lose power while on the highway and come to a complete stop in the middle of the road. After waiting about 20 minutes, sometimes would start up but most of the time would have to be towed. This would occur whenever the vehicle is driven for more than 20-40 miles when the engine is warmed. This has occurred a total of over 15 times, each failure having a smaller time in between than the one previous. Very dangerous. Almost hit a car trying to get on the shoulder before a...
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complete failure. Whenever the engine shuts off, I would have to try to get on the shoulder during rush hour while on the #1 lane. The speed would steadily slow down until it comes to a complete stop where it would then shut off. The steering wheel would lock when the engine shuts off. As I was trying to turn into a street to get off highway 29 southbound, I made it to the shoulder and turned. As I was turning, the engine cut off, the steering wheel locked, and the front half of the vehicle was facing oncoming traffic. The van would not start for five minutes, which caused severe traffic. Almost got hit on the side of the road. The dealership horribly attempted to fix the problem. After five attempts and over 25 days in the shop, the finally decided to get a ford "technician" to figure out what was wrong with it. After replacing the fuel injectors and fuel pump three times, the figured out that the coating for the fuel tank for the diesel created particulates which devastated the fuel system. They want $2,000 to replace the defective gas tank, another (third) fuel pump, and new injectors. *Tr
The van would start losing power on the highway, where even if the accelerator is pushed down, the van continues to lose speed. The van eventually reaches a speed of 0 mph and at which point the engine stalls. After waiting 20 minutes on the side of the highway, turning the engine off for 20 minutes then starting it seems to temporarily get it going, but only for another 30 minutes. Since the first time it happened, it would reoccur almost every other day. This is very dangerous during the morning rush hour when...
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driving on the number 2 lane because the speed decreases as if the accelerator is not pushed. Because of this dramatic loss of speed, vehicles behind my van either brake or change lanes fast. It is very difficult to go from the number 2 lane to the number 4 lane while losing speed. The van was brought to the original dealership because it was still under the 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. They said they replaced the fuel pump and charged my for it. The next week, it failed again. The dealership took a week to figure out what was wrong and said now that its the egr valve and that an engine flush is needed but the warranty does not cover it and it is an extra 900 dollars to fix, totaling 1,000 dollars for that one time. A week after that, the same thing happened but the engine would not start up again even after giving it some time. After ten days in the shop, the dealership said they need to replace the fuel injector. *Tr
I was driving down a hill and my brakes failed totally. I ran head on into a tree which caused me to blackout. Once rescued from truck I was told the air bag never deployed. So I feel there are two failures here the brakes and the air bag. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford e150. While the vehicle was parked, the contact placed the gear in reverse but the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle then began making a loud noise and was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle as needing a new transmission. The vehicle was purchased in july of 2005. The current and failure mileages were 28,000.
I purchased a new 2005 ford passenger van in may 2006 I have since put 45,000 miles on this vehicle. I have poor gas milage approximately 6 miles to the gallon pulling a trailer. I was told that this vehicle would get at least 11. I have black smoke blowing out the tailpipe. And I have had brake failure 5 times now during cold weather driving conditions. I have taken the vehicle in repeatedly for these problems but the dealership told me that I was imagining them, and ford told me unless the dealership could verify my problem that they won't do anything about it.*Ak
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on a dry highway, a semi-tractor trailer truck jackknifed and the cab of the tractor trailer truck collided with the truck head on. The air bags did not deploy and the truck was totaled. There were three people injured and a police report was taken. Seat belts were in use at the time of the accident and functioned correctly.
Ford E-150: every year compared
All E-150 years2005 Ford E-150 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Ford E-150 | 26 | 4 | F | |
| 2005 Ford Crown Victoria | 193 | 6 | F | Compare |
| 2005 Ford 500 | 99 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 2005 Ford E-350 | 55 | 14 | F | Compare |
| 2005 Ford E-450 | 33 | 7 | F | Compare |
| 2005 Ford Cvpi | 20 | 2 | F | Compare |
| 2005 Ford E-250 | 11 | 10 | F | Compare |
| 2005 Ford E-550 | 4 | 1 | F | Compare |
| 2005 Ford Eco Sport | 1 | 0 | - | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2005 Ford E-150
Does the 2005 Ford E-150 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2005 Ford E-150: tank assembly (November 2011); equipment adaptive / mobility (March 2009); equipment adaptive / mobility (March 2009); fuel system, gasoline (June 2006). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Ford E-150?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the engine & cooling (8), fuel system (7), brakes (4).
How many complaints has the 2005 Ford E-150 had?
26 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on November 26, 2005 and the latest on August 27, 2023. Of these, 2 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 4 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2005 Ford E-150 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 14 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Ford E-150 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Ford E-150 years have the most complaints?
2008 (266), 2005 (26), 2013 (19). See every Ford E-150 year compared.
What should I do if my 2005 Ford E-150 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data