04/28/05
Potential Cracks in Ford E350 & E450 Chassis

Recently a number of EMS bulletin board lists have contained an item regarding a service bulletin issued by the Ford Motor Company for E350 and E450 chassis. The bulletin specifies that mechanics should be looking for cracks in the left or right spring tower flange. The bulletin states that frame replacement is the only authorized warranty repair, but also states that welding may work in some cases for out of warranty vehicles, but for some specific crack problems, the frame will need to be replaced even if the ambulance is out of warranty.

The NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) confirmed with Ford that the bulletin is real, legitimate and issued by Ford. After the bulletin was issued, some ambulance services in the US have found cracks, some in out of warranty vehicles. Those services are trying to work with Ford regarding the cost of repairs.

In the meantime, ODI is interested in hearing from anyone who has vehicles affected by this problem. If your mechanics find a problem, it should be reported directly to ODI by contacting Bob Squire at (202) 493-0212, or by e-mail at rsquire@nhtsa.dot.gov.

The service bulletin is attached to this message. Please be sure your mechanics or outside maintenance vendor is aware of it and inspects ambulances accordingly. As more information becomes available from Ford or NHTSA it will be passed along.

Ford Bulletin (229 kb)