Total Complaints
4 filings
Ford E-250 · model year
1990 Ford E-250
4 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 4
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1990 Ford E-250 posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 26%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1990FordE-250 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1990 E-250 is vehicle speed control with 1 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleys (1) and fuel system, gasoline:storage:auxillary tank:selector devices (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 179 investigation files overlapping the 1990 E-250, and 6 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1990 Ford E-250
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 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 |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20170519FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
CAN'T SWITCH FROM FRONT AUX. GAS TANK TO REAR MAIN GAS TANK, AND GAS GAUGE NOT FUNCTIONING. VERY SLOW FILLING AND NOTICED GAS COMING OUT OF FILLER SPOUT. THIS VAN IS NEW TO ME AND JUST NOTICED THESE PROBLEMS THIS MONTH MAY 1/2017
Mileage: 88,500
20070330FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES
FUEL SPILLS OUT FROM THE FRONT FUEL TANK. FORD REFUSED TO REPLACE THE DUAL TANK SELECTOR VALVE. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 91V146000. *JB
Mileage: 46,200
19951006ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
THE FAN BELT MAKES NOISE . TT
19950724VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ON (2) OCCASIONS, TRUCK WILL ACCELERATE 40 TO 50 MPH MORE UNWANTED. DRIVER REACH TO PULL ACCELERATOR WITH NO CHANGE IN CONDITION. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Compare 1990FordE-250 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 6 Open
EA26004Engineering AnalysisOpen
Timing Belt Failure
DP26004Defect PetitionOpen
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated
EA26001Engineering AnalysisOpen
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
PE25020Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Timing Belt Failure
DP25001Defect PetitionClosed
Underbody shields detachment
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 Ford E-250 have?▼
The 1990 Ford E-250 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Ford E-250?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 Ford E-250 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES.
Is the 1990 Ford E-250 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.
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1990 Ford E-250; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.