Ford E-450 Class-C Fuel tank issues

[cb1000rider]

On our first long trip in our Granite Ridge, we got stranded in DFW.
Root cause: Fuel pump failure. I know more than I ever wanted to know about the E-450 electrical systems as pertains to the fuel pump.
The electrical system was fine, but the fuel pump was dead.
The motorhome has 23k miles on it and a fresh fuel filter.

The cost to replace the fuel pump, minus tow and other fees is about $1000, assuming you can find a place that is large enough to take an RV. We found that 1 in 6 Ford dealers in the DFW area would even look at it.

When they pulled our tank, apparently nuts / studs holding on the fuel pump assembly snapped. That necessitated a new fuel tank. Ford quoted me $3500 for the new fuel tank (part only).
This later decreased to $2000 for the fuel tank.
Out the door, more than 2 weeks later - $3600 for a new tank and pump.
Plus another $750 for a rental SUV to get me out of the area. Add hotel costs... Probably closer to $5000 all in.

[Boss Wagon]

Sorry to hear of your problems. I knew Ford was known to have fuel pump issues on several year models of their motorhome chassis', both on the E series and the F53s. Some owners, after experiencing the fuel pump failures resorted to cutting access ports through the flooring in order to service the pump without dropping the tank. This is the first I have heard of the tank issue which looks like an obvious design disaster.

I am shocked at the price of a replacement tank. One thought along those lines is, since the E-series and F53s have not had major re-designs in years is this question. Could the defective tank be swapped out for an earlier tank of the non-flawed variety? I myself would explore that possibility before I sank that much money on the new dealer sourced tank. This is just a thought, as long as another tank would accept the proper pump and had the proper location of the filler neck and fuel/vent and return lines.

Yes, I would feel bad putting used parts on my nice motorhome, but I certainly would explore other options...and try to join in on the suit.

[cb1000rider]

I'm not sure. There seems to be an issue with delamination within the tank. Had I known in advance that these tanks commonly had this issue, I would have pushed for installation of an aftermarket tank with a different internal coating.
This seems to be more impacting to diesel trucks (and Class-Cs), but I don't know if the root cause is the same... Just something to be aware of.