Selling a junk Ford E-150
Any E-150 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
Step 3 of 3 · Get your offer
Prefer an instant online offer?
Peddle quotes online in every state and arranges the pickup. You give your details to Peddle, not to us.
If you sell through this link, Junk Cars Nation may earn a referral fee. It doesn't change your offer.
What owners report about the Ford E-150
NHTSA has 927 owner complaints on file for the Ford E-150, model years 1995 to 2021, the 294th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are brakes (149, 16%), fuel system (101, 11%), engine and cooling (87, 9%). 65 complaints involved a crash, 36 a fire, and 2 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 80,701 miles. The 1997 model year has the most complaints (122). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is brakes, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Ford E-150 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 104 | Brakes | 4 | 8 | 3 | — |
| 1996 | 81 | Brakes | 11 | 9 | 3 | 120,000 |
| 1997 | 122 | Fuel system | 4 | 4 | 5 | 103,850 |
| 1998 | 81 | Engine and cooling | 4 | 1 | 4 | 92,917 |
| 1999 | 115 | Fuel system | 15 | 2 | 5 | 99,200 |
| 2000 | 61 | Suspension | 2 | 3 | 5 | 100,203 |
| 2001 | 52 | Brakes | 1 | 2 | 4 | 67,950 |
| 2002 | 37 | Brakes | 1 | 4 | 3 | 81,000 |
| 2003 | 31 | Electrical system | 9 | 1 | 6 | 15,677 |
| 2004 | 36 | Brakes | 2 | 0 | 6 | 70,000 |
| 2005 | 24 | Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 4 | 52,879 |
| 2006 | 23 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 1 | 15 | — |
| 2007 | 15 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 18 | — |
| 2008 | 12 | Engine | 0 | 1 | 17 | — |
| 2009 | 10 | Body and structure | 0 | 0 | 13 | — |
| 2010 | 14 | Tires | 1 | 0 | 8 | — |
| 2011 | 30 | Steering | 1 | 0 | 12 | 38,000 |
| 2012 | 19 | Transmission and drivetrain | 3 | 0 | 7 | — |
| 2013 | 29 | Other | 4 | 0 | 5 | 75,550 |
| 2014 | 9 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 2015 | 10 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2016 | 11 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Ford E-150 recalls
NHTSA lists 45 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for other (29), speed control (4), fuel system (4). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2014 model year, other (campaign 19V271000, Apr 2019): Mobility Specialists, Inc. (Mobility Specialists) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Ford E-150 and Transit vans modified to be equipped with Ricon S-Series and K-Series wheel chair lifts. The wheelchair lift positioning inp…
- 2006 model year, other (campaign 15V729000, Nov 2015): MobilityWorks (WMK Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Ford E-150, E-250, and E-350 vans modified by MobilityWorks to be equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lif…
- 2006 model year, other (campaign 14V706000, Nov 2014): Cummings Mobility Conversion & Supply (Cummings) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Ford E-150, E-250, E-350, Chevrolet Express, 2006-2008 Dodge Sprinter, and 2009-2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2013 Ford Transi…
- 2007 model year, other (campaign 14V584000, Sep 2014): National Van Builders, Inc. (National Van) is recalling certain 2007-2014 Ford E-150 and E-250 vehicles manufactured February 26, 2007, to August 19, 2014, and equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S550…
- 2012 model year, other (campaign 14V501000, Aug 2014): Adrian Steel Company (Adrian) is recalling certain model year 2012 Ford E-150, E-250 and E-350 Commercial Cargo Vans modified by Adrian between September 21, 2012, to September 24, 2012. The affected vehicles are equippe…
What a Ford E-150 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk E-150 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Ford models
- Ford F-150 44,577
- Ford Explorer 38,749
- Ford Escape 36,252
- Ford Focus 29,852
- Ford Fusion 28,862
- Ford Windstar 19,399
- Ford Edge 18,133
- Ford Taurus 16,270
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Ford E-150 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same E-150 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Ford E-150 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford E-150?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Ford E-150 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.