These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
Tap to open
What owners complain about
Loading owner complaints
Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2005 Ford E-150, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2005 Ford E-150, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.
Loading crash ratings
Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in. Figures for 2007 and older use the EPA's 2008 method, so they may be lower than the original sticker.
Loading fuel economy
True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
What it really costs to own
What the 2005 Ford E-150 costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.
Loading every year of this model
Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
A history report such as Carfax or AutoCheck pulls in more of the car’s past than these checks can:
Crashes and damage reported by police, insurers or shops, even when it was fixed.
Service visits that shops reported, with the miles each time.
How many owners, for how long, and the states it was registered in.
Whether it was a rental, fleet or lease car, when that was reported.
It only knows what was reported to it. A clean report is not proof of a clean car. Ask the seller first: many dealers hand one over for free.
Red flags in a history
Salvage title
Usually an insurer called it a total loss. In most states it cannot be driven on the road until it is rebuilt and inspected.
Rebuilt title
A salvage car that was fixed and passed a state check. It can be fine, but it is worth less, can be harder to insure, and needs a careful inspection.
Flood damage
Water can ruin wiring and sensors months later. Be wary of a flood brand that vanished after a move to another state.
Lemon or maker buyback
The maker bought it back over a defect it could not fix. Ask what the defect was and how it was fixed.
Odometer rollback
A mileage reading lower than an earlier one, or a title marked not actual miles.
Many owners, fast
Three owners in two years can mean a problem each one passed along.
Gaps in the records
Years with no service or registration. Ask why: it may have sat, been off the road, or been rebuilt.
Title words and rules differ by state. Not legal advice.
Before you pay
Pre purchase inspection
Have a mechanic you choose, not the seller, put it on a lift and look it over before you pay.
Insurance quote
Get a quote on this exact car before you sign. Ask your own insurer and one or two others.
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Fuel system
Nov 8, 2011 · Recall 11E047000
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.
What can happen
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.
Equipment and accessories
Mar 27, 2009 · Recall 09V102000
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.
What can happen
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.
Equipment and accessories
Mar 27, 2009 · Recall 09V100000
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.
What can happen
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.
Fuel system
Jun 13, 2006 · Recall 06E056000
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.
What can happen
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.
2005 Ford E-150: problems, recalls, verdict · WhipWorthy
Year verdict
Worthy
1.7× a typical year
More owner complaints than a typical year, not enough to mark it down. Still get it inspected.
Confidence: Medium
Close to the Maybe line, so a few complaints either way could tip it.
How the dial was counted
Year verdict: Typical year: 9 complaints, the median of 5 nearby years, leaving out 2008 and 2013, which were high themselves. Each counted over its first 8 years from January 2004; this one had 16.
5 Worthy, 1 Maybe, 1 Pass, of 12 years on file
Our take: worth a look.Owners filed more complaints than in a typical year of this model, not enough to mark it down.
Only 1 complaint in its first 12 years gives a mileage past 100,000 miles. Too few to judge.
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Nov 26, 2005 to Aug 27, 2023. 38% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 2 crashes and 4 injuries in these complaints.
Engine8 · 31%Usually costly to fix
Fuel system7 · 27%
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 4 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the engine. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look hard at the engine. It is usually costly to fix.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the engine.
WorthyMaybePassNot judged
Owner complaints per model year for the Ford E-150, with 2005 highlighted
Model year
Owner complaints
Verdict
1998
67
Not judged
2005
26
Worthy
2006
17
Worthy
2007
12
Not judged
2008
266
Pass
2009
8
Not judged
2012
12
Not judged
2013
19
Maybe
2014
6
Worthy
2015
8
Worthy
2016
8
Worthy
2021
1
Not judged
Brakes4 · 15%
What one owner wrote about the engine
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
Filed Dec 21, 2016NHTSA complaint 109368081 of 17 owner quotes
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
9 more parts, and 17 owner quotes
Every part owners name for the 2005 Ford E-150, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Transmission and drivetrain, Body and frame.
