Total Complaints
35 filings
FORD E150 · model year
35 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989FORDE150 carries 35 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 7 fires, 1 injury, 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 1989 E150 is fuel system, gasoline:storage:auxillary tank:selector devices with 3 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition (3) and tires:tread/belt (2). 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 1989 E150, 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
35 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 3 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 1 |
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID# 91V146000 REFERS TO A SAFETY RECALL FOR A FAULTY DUAL FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE IN FORD ECONOLINE VANS EQUIPPED WITH DUAL FUEL TANKS BUILT BETWEEN 1989 AND 1991 AND OTHER SIMILAR MODELS . I HAVE CONTACTED FORD TO INVESTIGATE , BUT THERE ARE NO RECORDS THAT CONFIRM OR DISAFFIRM MY VEHICLE'S INCLUSION IN THIS RECALL. BASICALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF MY VAN WAS AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL AND IF ANY RECALL SERVICES WERE PERFORMED. I AM EXPERIENCING A FAULT IN THE DUAL FUEL TANK SYSTEM. IT SEEMS THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE WILL NOT SWITCH TO THE MAIN TANK, AND WHEN FILLED, THE MAIN TANK WILL FLOW PAST THE FILLER CAP AND CAUSES A FUEL LEAKAGE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A FIRE WHEN EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF IGNITION. I CONTACTED A LOCAL FORD DEALER WHO ADVISED ME THAT NO RECALL SERVICE CAN BE PERFORMED TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE MY VIN# DOES NOT REGISTER IN THE FORD RECALL DATABASE. AGAIN, FORD CANNOT CONFIRM OR DISAFFIRM ANY RECALL SERVICES PERFORMED ON MY VEHICLE. I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL
Mileage: 94,000
VAN DIED,TOWED TO MECHANICS SHOP,WAS TOLD SWITCH VALVE BETWEEN TANKS WAS PROBLEM, LOOKED ON NHTSA WEBSITE ABOUT RECALLS. FORD VAN 89 E-150 WITH DUEL GAS TANKS. FORD SAFETY RECALL NUMBER IS 91S39 WENT TO FORD WEB SITE,CALLED THEM ON PHONE, CUSTOMER SERVICE AND LOCAL DEALERSHIP. BOTH SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL ON MY VAN. *TR
Mileage: 138,000
WHILE DRIVING, THE TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AND DAMAGED THE FRONT FENDER. *AK THE VALVE STEM WAS ALSO REPLACED. *PH *JB
Mileage: 61,000
WHILE DRIVING, THE TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AND DAMAGED THE FRONT FENDER. *AK THE VALVE STEM WAS ALSO REPLACED. *PH *JB
Mileage: 61,000
IGNITION MODULE HAS BEEN GIVING US PROBLEMS SINCE PURCHASED-1993- ONE TIME THE MODULE FAILED AND ANOTHER TIME IT WAS REPLACED, STILL THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. *AK
BEGAN HAVING SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH STALLING APPROX. 2 MOS AGO , STALLED WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHILE CROSSING INTERSECTIONS , ENDANGERING THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY , WHICH CONSISTS OF MYSELF ,MY WIFE , AND OUR FOUR SMALL CHILDREN. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURED 7 TIMES. I HAVE REPAIRED IT TWICE. RECENTLY I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. AND AT FIRST THEY DENIED AND PROBLEM AND THE RECENT RECALL IN CALIFORNIA. IHAVE DONE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH REGARDING THIS PROBLEM INCLUDING MEETING WITH A REGIONAL FORD DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER. PLEASE , PLEASE HELP ME...
THE AIR CONDITIONING BLOWER MOTOR SWITCH WAS MELTED I REPLACED IT AND IT MELTED AFTER 4000 MILES. I WENT TO A SALVAGE YARD AND THEY WERE ALL MELTED IN THE HI POSITION. WHEN ON HI THE WIRING GET SO HOT YOU CANNOT HOLD THE WIRES
ALTENATEOR HARNESS PLUG CONNECTOR SUDDENLY SHORT CIRCUTED, AND CAUSED VEHICLE TO CATCHON FIRE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
FIRE STARTED ON DRIVERS SIDE NEAR STEERING WHEEL AND DASHBOARD.NM
BUMPER ASSEMBLY MISSING PARTS THAT ARE ON ASSEMBLY DRAWING, POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THE STEP BUMPER OF THE VAN TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE FRAME WHILE TOWING.
VEHICLE HAS AUXILIARY FUEL TANK. WHEN FIRST TANK IS FILLED WITH GAS IT CAUSES SPILLAGE OF SECOND TANK. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
STEP BUMPER ON THE VAN BROKE AWAY FROM THE FRAM WHILE TOWING A TRAVEL TRAILER, DUE TO MISSING PARTS.
ENGINE STALLS.
WHEN ONE FUEL TANK ON A DUAL FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY FILLS UP IT OVERFLOWS, LEAKING GAS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLS AND CUTS OFF COMPLETLY. OWNER HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. *AK
THE VEHICLE'S DUAL GAS TANK IS INOPERATIVE, CAUSING FRONT GAS TANK TO OVERFILL/SPILL WHEN REAR IS SWITCHED. *AK
CLIMATE CONTROL FAN SWITCH MELTED/BURNED. *SD
FUEL IS LEAKING FROM THE GAS TANK OF THE VEHICLE. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH SHORT DUE TO LOOSENESS. *DH
IGNITION SHORTED OUT/FAILED. *DH
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.