The 2004 Ford E-250 has 8 recalls, all centered on Ricon platform-style wheelchair lifts that can move or stow without warning while a wheelchair user or mobility aid user is still on the platform.
All eight recalls concern the same core danger: the lift's safety interlock system can fail to detect that someone is on the platform, allowing the lift to fold away or shift unexpectedly and injure the occupant. The specific detection failures vary slightly across the affected vehicles. In some cases, the anti-stow interlock may not register the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user, meaning the lift can begin stowing while still occupied. In others, the threshold warning system may not detect a user positioned in a particular spot within the defined threshold zone, again leaving the lift free to move without warning. These vehicles were converted and sold by several different upfitting companies, and the recalls reflect those separate conversion operations rather than distinct mechanical problems. The underlying risk across all eight filings is the same: a lift occupant can be struck, pinned, or thrown if the platform moves while they are on it. Any 2004 E-250 equipped with a Ricon platform lift that was converted by one of these upfitters falls within the scope of at least one of these recalls.
