Total Complaints
68 filings
FORD BRONCO · model year
1988 FORD BRONCO
68 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988FORDBRONCO carries 68 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 24 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1988 BRONCO is electrical system:ignition:switch with 9 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (9) and engine and engine cooling:engine (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 4 investigation files overlapping the 1988 BRONCO. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
68
Complaints
5
Crashes
24
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
5 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 9 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 9 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER | 2 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 2 |
| STRUCTURE | 2 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20041216FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN, AND FROM THE VENTS. CONSUMER PULLED OVER. THEN, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. CONSUMER CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. *AK
20040225ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDETERMINED SPEED VEHICLE STALLED, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC. *AK
20030717ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE ENGINE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. *AK THREE ENGINES WERE REPLACED DUE TO FAULTY MANUFACTURING. IN TWO OF THE INCIDENTS, THE CONSUMER'S SON WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT INJURY. BOTH ENGINES FAILED AFTER 50-60 MILES ON THEM. *PH *JB
Mileage: 161,110
20030707TIRES:SIDEWALL
SIDEWALL BUBBLED OUT IN TWO PLACES.*AK
Mileage: 88,900
20010327ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
THE VEHICLES ALTERNATOR BURNED UP, CONSUMER REPLACED ALTERNATOR AND COMPLETED WORK THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, HOWEVER THE SECOND TIME THE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING FORD TO HELP IN THIS DEFECT. NLM
20000928TIRES
LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS FOUND FLAT - SPARE PUT ON AND FLAT TIRE WAS TAKEN TO FIRESTONE DEALER AT 5110 WEST SAGINAW IN LANSING, MI - TIRE HAD A SPLIT RUNNING COMPLETELY AROUND THE INSIDE SIDEWALL, THE OTHER THREE TIRES HAD THE SAME SPLIT RUNNING COMPLETELY AROUND THE TIRE - THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE UNSAFE AND RECOMMENDED THAT THEY BE REPLACED - THE TIRES ALL HAD 8/32 TREAD REMAINING. I FEEL YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE TIRES MADE AT THE DECATUR PLANT - ALSO I CONTACTED FIRESTONE SEVERAL TIME RIGHT AFTER I PURCHASED THESE TIRES TO TRY AND FIND OUT WANT THE PROPER INFLATION WAS FOR THESE TIRES ON MY BRONCO AND NONE OF THE PEOPLE I TALKED TO COULD TELL ME WHAT THE PROPER PRESSURE SHOULD BE SO I RAN THEM AT THE PRESSURES RECOMMENDED FOR THE STOCK TIRES. I FEEL THAT THESE TIRES SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT NO COST TO ME, BUT THE ONLY CHIOCE I WAS GIVE WAS WARRANTY REPLACEMENT WHERE I HAD TO STILL PAY A PRORATED PRICE FOR THE REPLACEMENT TIRES.( DOT NUMBER: VDYK6TA057 TIRE SIZ
20000925CrashTIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE DRIVNG ABOUT 70 MPH, TREAD ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE GOODYEAR WRANGLER AT TIRE CAME OFF. DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTROL TRUCK, WHICH FLIPPED AND ROLLED OVER. NOT ORIGINAL TIRE EQUIPMENT ON A 1988, FORD, BRONCO. TIRE SIZE 31X10.50R15. NOT SURE OF TIRE MILEAGE. *AK DUE TO THE TIRE FAILURE, 2 PEOPLE WERE INJURED. *SLC
20000918STRUCTURE
I FOUNDED OUT SINCE 1987 FORD HAS A "STRUCTURAL STRESS CRACK"THAT APPEARS IN THE METAL ROOF PART OF THESES VEHICLES.THEY EVEN HAVE A BULLENTIN FOR MAKING REPAIRS BUT NO ONE WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY WILL NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS THAT COST $1,100.00 TO HAVE REPAIRED.THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT CAUSED BY USING CHEAP METAL AND ANY REPAIRS SHOULD BE PAIDED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY
20000911STRUCTURE
I FOUNDED OUT SINCE 1987 FORD HAS A "STRUCTURAL STRESS CRACK"THAT APPEARS IN THE METAL ROOF PART OF THESES VEHICLES.THEY EVEN HAVE A BULLENTIN FOR MAKING REPAIRS BUT NO ONE WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY WILL NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS THAT COST $1,100.00 TO HAVE REPAIRED.THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT CAUSED BY USING CHEAP METAL AND ANY REPAIRS SHOULD BE PAIDED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY
20000826ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
96 V 071 00/ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A UNDERHOOD FIRE WHILE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY; DEALER/MFR;S NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS:
20000804CrashTIRES:TREAD/BELT
P300.020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE . RIGHT REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE. VEHICLE STARTED SPINNING OUT CONTROL. *AK
19991207UNKNOWN OR OTHER
PAINT PEELING AND FADING
19990702SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 40MPH HAD STARTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, BUT BRAKES LOCKED UP. HAS HAPPENED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR JUST IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. THEY HAD HEATED UP & SMOKE COULD BE SEEN. HAD TAKEN TO DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS & THE BRAKE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE SOLVED. *AK
19990228POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHILE DRIVING AND SHIFTING TRANSMISSION, TRANSMISSION JUMPS OUT OF PARK.
19980805ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INTERMITTENT STALLING.
19980805FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE FIRE.
19980504VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
SPRING INSIDE TAILGATE WINDOW RELEASED AS TAILGATE WAS LOWERED, CAUSING WINDOW TO SHATTER/BREAK.
19980501FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 60 MPH SPEEDED AND LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD, THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARMENT CAME AND THEY COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHERE THE FIRE HAD STARTED. *AK
19980414FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE STALLED, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
19971106ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
EXHAUST MANIFOLD FAILED.
Compare 1988FORDBRONCO to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 FORD BRONCO have?▼
The 1988 FORD BRONCO has 68 NHTSA complaints, 5 crashes, 24 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 FORD BRONCO?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 FORD BRONCO is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 9 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1988 FORD BRONCO safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.