Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1990 record →
WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH STEERING WHEEL DETACHED BY ITSELF AND CAME OFF. VEHICLE WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE AND WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH. DEALER CONTACTED, AND COULD NOT REMEDY PROBLEM. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH FAILED RESULTING IN VEHICLE FIRE.
TRW SEAT BELT LATCH BROKE. IT APPEARS TO BE AN INTERNAL SPRING. I WENT TO A SALVAGE YARD TO GET A REPLACENT LATCH AND FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT THAT COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THE YEARS OF THE VEHICLES VARIED FORM THE LATE 80'S TO 1996 WHERE I FOUND DEFECTIVE LATCHES.
AT 53,000 MILES THE HEAD GASKETS ARE BLOWN ,CAUSING ANTI-FREEZE LEAKAGE DUE TO TWO CRACKED BOLT HEADS, OIL PAN GASKET DISSOLVED CAUSING THE OIL PUMP TO MALFUNCTION. *AK.ET.
FUEL TANK IS CONSTRUCTED OF PLASTIC WITH AN ALUMINUM SHIELD ATTACHED BY PLASTIC FLANGES, ROAD VIBRATIONS WEAKENED THE PLASTIC FLANGES AND CRACKED AROUND THE TANK CONNECTION AND WAS NOT REINFORCED TO THE TANK, RESULTING IN FUEL LEAK. (DESIGN FLAW).
FUEL PUMP/ SENDING UNIT ASSEMBLY FAILED.
BOTH SIDE MIRRORS FAIL TO HOLD THEIR POSTION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THEY FOLD BACK COMPLETELY AGAINST THE WINDOW AND ARE USELESS.
VEHICLE MOVED OUT OF PARK AND ROLLED DOWN A HILL AND STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONSUMER PARKED VEHICLE CROSSWAYS ON TOP OF A HILL. LATER ON VEHICLE WAS NOT THERE, VEHICLE MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. THIS MAY APPEAR TO BE COVERED UNDER RECALL 91V189, DATED 30 OCT 91. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *AK *SLC
TIRES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT
WIRING HARNESS FAILURE, CAUSING FIRE.
ALTERNATOR FAILED.
SIDE MIRRORS DO NOT STAY IN PLACE.
WHEN ENGINE IS RESTARTED AFTER BEING SHUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES, THROTTLE STICKS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. *AK
THROTTLE: PULLING VEHICLE OUT OF PARKING LOT AND GAS PEDAL STUCK TO THE FLOOR. REMOVED FOOT FROM PEDAL , BUT PEDAL WAS STILL TO THE FLOOR. DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. *AK
REAR AXLE FAILURE. *AK
VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP SIGN AND THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW VIOLENTLY HAD EXPLODED. *AK
THE REARVIEW MIRROR COLLAPSES. DEALER DOESN'T DO ANYTHING. *AK
WHEN DRIVING UP TO 40MPH THE REARVIEW MIRRORS BEND DOWNWARD. DEALER FIXED THEM 2 TIMES. THE MIRRORS DO SAME THING EVERY 13 MONTHS. *AK
BED COVER BOLT BROKE, CAUSING BED COVER TO FALL OFF. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
OWNER STATES THAT HIS VEHICLE BURNED DOWN DUE TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. HE FURTHER NOTES THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT IDENTIFIED. *AK
CRACKED/WARPED ENGINE HEAD. *AK
CRACKED/WARPED ENGINE HEAD. *AK
FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED, CAUSING BRAKES TO PULSATE/VIBRATE. *AK
LEAK OF EITHER FLAMMABLE OR COMBUSTIBLE LIQUIDS INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUSED FIRE.
COOLING FAN FAILED 3 TIMES.
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PARK POSITION ON A HILL, THE ENGINE WAS OFF, THE VEHICLE CAME OUT OF GEAR AND ROLLED DOWN THE HILL. *AK
JUMPS GEAR FROM PARK TO REVERSE. *AK
DRIVERS SEAT WELDS BROKE, CAUSING SEAT TO BE UNSTABLE.
ACCELERATOR STUCK IN FULL THROTTLE POSITION, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK
DRIVER'S SEAT BOLT BROKE, CAUSING SEAT BACK TO COLLAPSE.
DRIVESHAFT STRAP DISCONNECTED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED 0F 40MPH, CAUSING LOSS CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *AK
DRIVERS SEAT TRACK FAILED, WEAKENING AND BREAKING. SEAT TRACK WELDED PRIOR TO FAILURE REOCCURING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
WHEN TRAVELING AT 50MPH AND MORE THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS BLOW BACK AND YOU CANNOT USE THEM TO CHANGE LANES. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
ELECTRICAL SHORT, CONSUMER SMELLED A BURNING SMELL IN THE VEHICLE. *AK
THE IGNITION SWITCH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BURN THE WIRING. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CONSUMER SMELL A BURNING SMELL IN THE VEHICLE. *AK
REARVIEW MIRRORS FOLD BACK UPON REACHING THE SPEED LIMIT OR WHEN ITS WINDY. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH IS STICKING, WHEN TRYING TO START HAVE TO TURN THE KEY REAL HARD. TT
IGNITION SWITCH FELL APART INSIDE, PREVENTING KEY FROM ENTERING SWITCH. *DSH
FAILED MODULATOR VALVE.
ENGINE REPLACED. *SD
DRIVER'S SHOULDER/LAP BELT FAILED TO LOCK UP UPON IMPACT WITH AN EMBANKMENT; VEHICLE SPUN OFF ROAD, HIT EMBANKMENT. TT
TRANSMISSION FAILED. *DSH
PUT VEHICLE IN DRIVE, WENT TO FULL THROTTLE AND CRASHED. TT DEALER REPLACED AIR VALVE, HOWEVER DID NOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS WOULD CORRECT PROBLEM. *SLC
EXTERIOR MIRROR MOVES WHEN THE WIND FROM A PASSING OR ON-COMING VEHICLE OCCURS, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. *SD
VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE UNDERHOOD AFTER PARKED 12 HOURS IN FRONT OF OWNER'S HOUSE; CAUSE UNKNOWN. TT
ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS CAUSING ENGINE TO RACE; AFTER SHIFTING, REMOVE FOOT FROM PEDAL; PEDAL DOES NOT RETURN TO IDLE; LURCHED FORWARD AT HIGH RPM'S. TT
DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR REAR VIEW MIRRORS CAN BE MOVED BY THE FORCE OF THE WIND. TT
VEHICLE ROCKS BACK AND FORTH WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AW
REPLACEMENT OF FUEL PUMP, 4 FUEL PUMP, IN FOR REPAIR AGAIN. TT
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1990 Ford Ranger → · Every Ranger year → · How the figures are calculated →