FORD E150 · model year

1990 FORD E150

15 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1990FORDE150 carries 15 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.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1990 E150 is vehicle speed control with 2 filings, followed by wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (2) and fuel system, gasoline:storage:auxillary tank:selector devices (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 1990 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.

15
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

15 filings

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

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER1
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1

Recent Complaints

20090821FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

GAS SPEWING FROM GAS CAP INPUT AREA DURING PERIODS OF WARM WEATHER. GAS CONTINUES TO SPEW REGARDLESS OF AMOUNT OF GAS IN EITHER TANK. HIGH POTENTIAL FOR FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE. FORD KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM AND IS SAYING THEY NEVER HAD A RECALL ON THIS SUBJECT. *TR

Mileage: 123,000

20090701FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

THERE IS A FUEL LEAK THAT BEGAN A WHILE BACK BUT ONLY WHEN BOTH TANKS WERE FULL. NOW THE LEAK IS SUBSTANTIAL AND SEEMS TO OCCUR EVEN WHEN LESS THAN FULL....BUT NOT AT ALL WHEN ABOUT HALF FULL. I AM NOT SURE OF WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE OCCURRENCE BUT IT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME YEARS NOW. I WILL ENTER A DATE. *TR

Mileage: 50,000

20050702TIRES:TREAD/BELT

NO PREVIOUS EVENT BEFORE FAILURE. TIRE BECAME DEFORMED, PROBABLE CAUSE BELT SEPARATION. CAUSED SEVERE HANDLING PROBLEMS AT LOW SPEEDS. PLAN TO RETURN TIRE FOR REPLACEMENT.

20030220FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES

MY LOCAL FORD DEALER REFUSED TO SERVICE MY VEHICLE FOR THE FOLLOWING: NHTSA ID NO.: 91V-146 DATE OF COMPANY NOTIFICATION: 9-4-91 MAKE: FORD MODEL: ECONOLINE MODEL YEAR: 1989-91 MODEL: F-150, F-250, F-350 MODEL YEAR: 1989 NUMBER OF VEHICLES: 350,000 MFG. CAMPAIGN NO. 91S39. FUEL TANK, AUXILIARY. DOM: 2/89-2/91. DUAL FUNCTION FUEL RESERVOIR MAY MALFUNCTION AND CAUSE AN OVERFILL CONDITION IN ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS, RESULTING IN AN OVERFLOW OF FUEL PAST FILLER CAP. OVERFLOW OF FUEL PAST FILLER CAP CAUSES A FUEL LEAKAGE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN FIRE WHEN EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF IGNITION. CORRECT BY REPLACING DUAL FUNCTION FUEL RESERVOIRS WITH NEW RESERVOIRS CONTAINING O-RINGS OF A REVISED MATERIAL. THEY SAID THIS APPLIES ONLY TO THE PICK-UPS, AND NOT THE ECONOLINE VAN. ANOTHER DEALER SAY THAT VIN NUMBER INDICATED THAT THIS WAS COMPLETED ALREADY, WHICH I KNOW WAS NOT... I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER... AND IS THE EXACT PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS STATED ABOVE... THE FUEL IS SPILLING O

Mileage: 165,987

20020820WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

WHILE IN MOTION, THE LEFT REAR TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN THE LUG NUTS BACKED OUT. *JG

20011206FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 91V146000 COVERS THIS 1990 MODEL, BUT FORD SAYS NOT PART OF RECALL ALTHOUGH THE SAME EXACT FAILURE DID OCCUR WITH GAS/FUEL SPILL INSIDE ENCLOSED GARAGE. REAR TANK RETURN WAS TO FRONT TANK FORCING FUEL OVERFLOW. *AK

20011030STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT NEIGHBORHOOD SPEEDS WHEN WITHOUT WARNING STEERING WHEEL BROKE WAY FROM COLUMN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

20000814WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

LEFT REAR WHEEL STUDS BROKE OFF RESULTING IN THE WHEEL COMING OFF WHILE DRIVING CAUSING DAMAGE TO VEHICLE (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *MJS

19970529SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE FRONT BRAKE CALIPER BECOMES VERY HOT, RESULTING IN COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, CALIPER WAS REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

19970325FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

VEHICLE STALLED THREE TIMES, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO ELECTRONIC FUEL PUMP FAILING.

19961231VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT.

19960711FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

VACUUM LEAK IN FUEL INJECTION AIR PLENUM CAUSES ENGINE TO SURGE. *DH

19960416SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

BRAKE AND ABS WARNING LIGHT STAY ILLUMINATED. CAUSING THEM TO MALFUNCTION. *AK

19950615FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

SEAMS OF FRONT/REAR FUEL TANK FAILED, CAUSING TANKS TO LEAK. *AW

19950517VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VEHICLE ACCELERATOR STUCK, RESULTING IN ACCELERATION. TT

Compare 1990FORDE150 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 FORD E150 have?
The 1990 FORD E150 has 15 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 FORD E150?
The most-complained component for the 1990 FORD E150 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES.
Is the 1990 FORD E150 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.