Total Complaints
109 filings
Ford F-150 · model year
109 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports. 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
The verdict
The 1987 Ford F-150 posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
The 1987FordF-150 carries 109 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 49 fires, 4 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 1987 F-150 is electrical system:ignition:switch with 17 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:storage:auxillary tank:selector devices (7) and electrical system:wiring:front underhood (7). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 11 investigation files overlapping the 1987 F-150, and 1 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.
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.
Total Complaints
109 filings
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 17 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK:SELECTOR DEVICES | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 7 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 6 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 5 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 5 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 4 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 3 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 3 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
PROBLEM WITH THE DUEL FUEL TANKS, AFTER FILLING THE REAR FUEL TANK I STARTED SMELLING GAS FUMES WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS. I PULLED OVER TO CHECK AND GAS WAS LEAKING FROM BENEATH THE TRUCK . WHEN I OPENED THE FRONT TANK GAS CAP , FUEL SPEWED OUT AS IF IT WAS UNDER PRESSURE. AT THAT TIME I WAS OPERATING ON THE REAR TANK. I OPENED THE REAR GAS TANK CAP AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND AN EXTENDED SAFETY " RECALL " WAS ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER. IT SEEMS THE PROBLEM HAS RESURFACED AND NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH AGAIN BY " FORD " AS , ONCE AGAIN THE IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK FOR MY GRANDSONS FIRST VEHICLE AND IT ONLY HAS 114,450 MILES ON IT. I ONLY DRIVE FORD PRODUCTS. *TR
Mileage: 114,450
DRIVING HOME, ENGINE STARTED SPUTTERING, STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE. GAS SPILLING FROM FRONT GAS CAP. I HAVE HAD THIS IN FOR REPAIRS AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE STARTS AT TIMES BUT SEEMS TO BE FLOODING ITSELF OUT AND GAS CONTINUES TO SPILL FROM FRONT TANK. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A RATHER SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE BUT FORD WANTS $900 TO FIX. NOTE: THEY HAVE ALREADY CHARGES ME $200 FOR A REPAIR THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT REQUIRE. *TR
Mileage: 128,013
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TREAD ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE SEPARATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, CAUSING SLIGHT LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP,WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE SEPARATION.
Mileage: 150,000
MY 1987' FORD F150 HAS DUAL FUEL TANKS, WITH THE TANK SELECTOR SWITCH ON THE DASHBOARD TO THE LEFT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. I WAS DRIVING HOME ON 01/25/06 AND NOTICED A STRONG FUEL SMELL WHEN I PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY BEFORE SHUTTING IT OFF. I LEFT IT RUNNING WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL, STEPPED OUT OF THE TRUCK, AND GAS WAS SPILLING OUT OF THE FILLER HOLE FOR THE FRONT TANK. I ONLY RAN OFF THE REAR TANK. EVIDENTLY, THE FUEL SWITCHING VALVE WAS PUTTING THE UNUSED FUEL IN THE FRONT TANK INSTEAD OF THE REAR TAN, , CAUSING THE FRONT TANK TO OVERFLOW. IT WAS A POSSIBLE FIRE RISK. ! I CONTACTED THE LOCAL FORD DEALER & THE SVC/PARTS MANAGER WHO WAS WELL AWARE OF THIS EXISTING PROBLEM. HE SAID IT WOULD BE $400 TO FIX IT. FORD CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE DUAL FUEL TANK SYSTEM IN 1990 , BUT DIDN'T ISSUE A RECALL TO CORRECT THE TRUCKS PRIOR TO THE CHANGE. *AK
DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE IS NHTSA RECALL 87V139000 CONCERNING THE FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS. THIS VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL, BUT IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. THE CONTACT HAS NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. *AK
Mileage: 119,000
SHUT VEHICLE OFF, THEN, ON RESTART AND IGNITION SWITCH FAILED FOLLOWED BY SMOKE UNDER HOOD. FUSIBLE LINK CAUGHT FIRE BY SOLENOID. IF I HAD NOT BEEN NEAR THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE IT COULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AROUND ME. IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND WAS NOT NOTICED IMMEDIATELY, IT COULD HAVE ENDANGERED MY LIFE OR OTHERS. MY VEHICLE WAS NOT MANUFACTURED UNTIL AUGUST OF 1987 WELL AFTER THE SWITCH REDESIGN THAT FROM WHAT I CAN COLLECT INFORMATION ON WAS REDESIGNED IN MAY OF 1987 SO THE SWITCH DESIGN ON MY VEHICLE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE SAME PART BEING RECALLED. FIVE YEARS AGO I OWNED A 1990 F150 THAT HAD THE SAME EXACT IGNITION SWITCH AND THEY SENT ME A RECALL FOR THAT VEHICLE. I CHECKED FOR RECALL ON THIS ONE AND THEY DO NOT OFFER IT. I AM OUTRAGED CONSIDERING THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS THE SAME EXACT IGNITION SWITCH DESIGN AND DID FAIL AS THE RECALL MENTIONED SOME VEHICLES WOULD AND YET I AM LEFT HAVING TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGE. NOT O
Mileage: 102,313
DT: WED. JUNE 29, 2005 CALLER HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON AFTER MARKET WHEELS AND WAL-MART OVER TORQUED LUGS:NUTS. SHOULD HAVE BEEN TORQUED AT 84 FOOT POUNDS, INSTEAD THERE WERE TORQUES AT 100 FOOT POUND. ASA RESULT, LUGS:NUTS WERE STRIPPED ON DRIVER?S SIDE FRONT AND BACK. CALLER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER WHEELS AS WELL. WALL MART ADVISED CALLER TO GET NEW ONES, THEY WILL POT THEM ON, AND PAY HIM BACK. CALLER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING VEHICLE WITHOUT LUGS:NUTS. *AK
Mileage: 382,000
1987 FORD F150 CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDERNEATH THE HOOD WHILE PARKED.*MR *NM
SUDDEN AND SPONTANEOUS FIRE COMPLETELY DESTROYED CONSUMER 1987 F 150 FORD TRUCK. *BF THIS WAS FOUND TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER SAME MAKE/MODEL VEHICLES WITH CRUISE CONTROL THAT MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. *SC
WHILE BEING PARKED THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS UNDETERMINED.*AK
WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE VEHICLE, A FIRE STARTED NEAR THE FRONT FUEL TANK. THE FIRE MARSHALL COULD NOT DETERMINE THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE. *JB
Mileage: 185,000
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED REAR PASSENGER DUAL TIRE SEPARATED. THE TIRE SHREDDED AND DAMAGED THE WHEEL WELD AND TAIL PIPE. *AK
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM. (NO OTHER INFO WAS GIVEN) *JB THE FIREWALL GAVE AWAY FROM THE FORCE OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND TOOK AWAY SO MUCH FREE TRAVEL THAT THE CLUTCH DID NOT RELEASE AND PULLED AGAINST THE BRAKES WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHICH CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. *TT
CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, CONSUMER THEN PULLED OVER AND THE VEHICLE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES.( OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT #10-89-278)
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE DOESN'T STAY SECURE INTO THE SECURING MECHANISM, ALL OTHER SEAT BELTS WORK EXCEPT THIS ONE!*AK
I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH RUNNING MY TRUCK AND ONCE THE ENGINE IS HOT, WHEN YOU TRY TO START IT UP WITHOUT LETTING IT SET FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES IT RUINS THE STARTER AND BATTERY CABLES. IT HAS SMOKED 4 TIMES AND I HAD TO USE MY FIRE EXTINQUISHER ONCE. I HAVE HAD 8 STARTERS IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR, 1 NEW BATTERY, AND THREE SETS OF BATTERY CABLES. I HAVE SPENT A FORTUNE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND NOT EVEN FORD'S MASTER MECHANICS HAVE HAD AN ANSWER. *AK
I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH RUNNING MY TRUCK AND ONCE THE ENGINE IS HOT, WHEN YOU TRY TO START IT UP WITHOUT LETTING IT SET FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES IT RUINS THE STARTER AND BATTERY CABLES. IT HAS SMOKED 4 TIMES AND I HAD TO USE MY FIRE EXTINQUISHER ONCE. I HAVE HAD 8 STARTERS IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR, 1 NEW BATTERY, AND THREE SETS OF BATTERY CABLES. I HAVE SPENT A FORTUNE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND NOT EVEN FORD'S MASTER MECHANICS HAVE HAD AN ANSWER. *AK
I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH RUNNING MY TRUCK AND ONCE THE ENGINE IS HOT, WHEN YOU TRY TO START IT UP WITHOUT LETTING IT SET FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES IT RUINS THE STARTER AND BATTERY CABLES. IT HAS SMOKED 4 TIMES AND I HAD TO USE MY FIRE EXTINQUISHER ONCE. I HAVE HAD 8 STARTERS IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR, 1 NEW BATTERY, AND THREE SETS OF BATTERY CABLES. I HAVE SPENT A FORTUNE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND NOT EVEN FORD'S MASTER MECHANICS HAVE HAD AN ANSWER. *AK
I DO BELIEVE THAY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THERE GAS TANK'S ON FORD PICK UP TRUCKS I OWN 1 MY DAD OWN'S 1MY BROTHER OWN'S 1 MY SON N LAW OWNED 1 AND MY NEPHEW OWN'S1 AND THAY ALL HAVE THE SAME PRBLEM GAS TANK'S ON ALL OF THEM LEAK TRUCK'S RANGE FROM 1987THROUGH1996 I DO THINK FORD MOTOR SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Unintended Transmission Downshift
Seatbelt Pretensioner Fire
Brake Master Cylinder Failure
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 1987 Ford F-150; 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.