Total Complaints
2 filings
FORD E-150 · model year
2 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990FORDE-150 carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 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 1990 E-150 is fuel/propulsion system with 1 filings, followed by unknown or other (1). 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 177 investigation files overlapping the 1990 E-150, and 8 remain open. 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.
Total Complaints
2 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
Picked up vehicle from auto shop, work had been done on the front brakes, engine temp sensor, heater blower relay, map sensor, throttle control position sensor and ECM had been replaced. Shortly after I got on the freeway the vehicle started to accelerate very quickly W/O pushing the gas pedal hit the brakes but only slowed from 65 mph to 60. Gas pedal did not move from middle position up or down and brakes seamed mushy. Cruise control was not on, tried switching it on then off. Could not slow down, so went to great effort to avoid hitting any other vehicles. trying to slow down for an off ramp came close to crashing off the the edge into a ditch.Tried the emergency brake and downshifting. Finally turned off the key and started slowing down, car lurched forward and hit a crosswalk button pole. Utility pole was damaged also cars bumper, grill, hood, radiator, brakes, possibly transmission. State patrol arrived, vehicle towed to tow yard lot. No ticket was issued. Vehicle never had this
WHILE DRIVING GAS STARTED TO SPILL OUT OF FRONT TANK AT CAP. VEHICLE HAS DUAL GAS TANKS. STOPPED AT LOCAL STORE AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHY. TWO DAYS EARLIER HAD SMELLED GAS BUT DID NOT KNOW WERE IT WAS COMING FROM. WHEN I CAME OUT OF STORE TRUCK WOULD NOT START. TOOK TO MECHANIC HAD FUEL SYSTEM REPAIRED AND SELECTOR SWITCH BYPASSED. NOW RUNNING FINE . FOUND RECALL FOR FORD RECALL #91S39. CALLED FORD SAID DOES NOT APPLY TO MY VEHICLE. RECALL SAYS FORD E150 CLUB WAGONS 1989-1991 WITH DUAL TANKS HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW MINE IS NOT COVERED. WOULD LIKE SOME EXPLANATION. *TR
Mileage: 129,000
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
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.