It's a van! It's an ambulance! It's a camper! No, wait. It's the Ford E-350 Econoline Club Wagon. Yes, the E-350 is all those things and more. Which was the great thing about this great van-both figuratively and literally. It was cool for its versatility and truly huge in size to boot-that makes it one of the best-selling full-sized vans in America. Like anything ever made, it isn't totally perfect. So, here are the two most common gripes that consumers have had with the E-350. It's great to note that by "common" there really aren't that many problems with this classic.
Funky Pistons & Cracked Blocks
This serious but relatively rare problem is encountered in the newer 2006 E-350 at around 96,000 miles. It has only happened to a handful of people, and has not been a cause of any serious incidents-yet. It usually manifests itself with slowing of the van before shutting down and refusing to start. Potentially, however, if the failure occurs at faster speeds, it would be extremely dangerous. Strangely enough, the engine on the E-350 is generally well-received, and the problem seems to be an odd "lemon" as they used to call it.
Unsurprisingly, no general recall orders were issued with regard to this specific problem, but dealers are the best bet for a replacement. Be warned, however, that the rarity of the problems has had many dealers turn down their customers, not realizing that the incident is, in fact, wholly due to a fault in workmanship.
Tricky Tire Treads
The 1996 E-350 and its Firestone Steeltex r4s tires are front and center in this much less serious gripe. Most reports focus on one tire, though others claim that nearly all four can be affected. The problem is that the tires experience tread-separation more rapidly than other brands-leading to a brief loss of control. Potentially dangerous as this is, it is far easier to solve than most other problems. A new set of tires-even aftermarket ones work here-solves the problem readily.
