2023 Ford E-450 Safety Report

The 2023 Ford E-450 has a very limited safety data set due to its recent release, with only 2 total NHTSA complaints reported. One of these complaints involved a crash, but there were no reported injuries or deaths. The vehicle has not undergone formal crash testing by NHTSA, so overall, frontal, side, and rollover safety ratings are not available. This lack of data makes a comprehensive assessment of its crashworthiness impossible at this time. Despite the low complaint volume, the vehicle has been subject to 3 recalls, indicating some early production quality concerns. These recalls address potentially serious issues: a fuel leak risk due to paint peeling on the fuel tank, which could lead to fire; improperly tightened rear axle rotor bolts that could cause wheel separation and increase crash risk; and missing tire information labels, which could result in incorrect tire installation or pressure, also increasing crash risk. These recalls highlight critical manufacturing and assembly defects that Ford has identified and is addressing. Complaint patterns, though based on only two reports, point to significant manufacturing quality issues. One complaint details improper assembly, including missing fasteners and bolts in the structure. Another describes an unintended acceleration event at low speed, leading to a crash. These early complaints, combined with the recalls, suggest that initial production runs may have had quality control challenges, particularly concerning structural integrity and powertrain components. Buyers should be aware of these early indicators of potential issues.

Our recommendation: Given the early recalls addressing critical safety components and initial complaints about manufacturing defects, potential buyers should ensure all recall repairs have been completed and consider a thorough pre-purchase inspection focusing on structural integrity and powertrain components.