Total Complaints
5 filings
FORD F-250 · model year
5 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
The 1990FORDF-250 carries 5 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 F-250 is fuel system, gasoline with 1 filings, followed by fuel/propulsion system (1) and steering (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 F-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.
Total Complaints
5 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 FORD F-250. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE CONTACT SWITCHED FROM THE FRONT FUEL TANK TO THE REAR FUEL TANK WHICH CAUSED THE REAR FUEL GAUGE TO READ EMPTY. THE CONTACT STATED AFTER FILLING THE REAR GAS TANK, GASOLINE STARTED LEAKING FROM THE FRONT TANK WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY SHUT-OFF THE VEHICLE TO PREVENT A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 93V125000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) WHICH HE LINKED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 143,000.
Mileage: 143,000
TWICE I HAVE BEEN TRAVELING DOWN A STREET I TRAVEL OFTEN WHEN OUT OF NO WHERE A VIOLENT SHAKING HAS OCCURRED IN THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY TRUCK, AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE TRUCK. THIS VIOLENT SHAKING, I HAVE BEEN TOLD, IS CALLED A DEATH WOBBLE AND VERY NEARLY SENT ME HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER CAR. AFTER THE FIRST TIME THE TRUCK BEGAN SHAKING I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK AND TIGHTENED THE BOLTS THAT HOLD EACH SIDE OF THE INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION BECAUSE A COUPLE WERE MISSING AND THE OTHERS HAD LOOSENED. THE SECOND TIME THE SHAKING OCCURRED IT FELT AS IF IT BROKE BELTS IN MY TIRES AND NO LONGER RIDES SMOOTH. I CHECKED UNDER THE TRUCK TODAY AND THE SHAKING HAS ALSO BROKEN THE STEERING STABILIZER OFF OF THE FRONT AXLE OF MY TRUCK. AFTER LOOKING AT RECALLS TODAY, IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR A 1989 F-250 FOR FRONT END COMPONENTS, BUT NO SUCH LUCK WITH MY TRUCK ALTHOUGH, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THEY HAVE THE SAME FRONT AXLE AND STEERING COMPONENTS. IT WOULD BE NICE TO H
Mileage: 160,000
TWICE I HAVE BEEN TRAVELING DOWN A STREET I TRAVEL OFTEN WHEN OUT OF NO WHERE A VIOLENT SHAKING HAS OCCURRED IN THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY TRUCK, AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE TRUCK. THIS VIOLENT SHAKING, I HAVE BEEN TOLD, IS CALLED A DEATH WOBBLE AND VERY NEARLY SENT ME HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER CAR. AFTER THE FIRST TIME THE TRUCK BEGAN SHAKING I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK AND TIGHTENED THE BOLTS THAT HOLD EACH SIDE OF THE INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION BECAUSE A COUPLE WERE MISSING AND THE OTHERS HAD LOOSENED. THE SECOND TIME THE SHAKING OCCURRED IT FELT AS IF IT BROKE BELTS IN MY TIRES AND NO LONGER RIDES SMOOTH. I CHECKED UNDER THE TRUCK TODAY AND THE SHAKING HAS ALSO BROKEN THE STEERING STABILIZER OFF OF THE FRONT AXLE OF MY TRUCK. AFTER LOOKING AT RECALLS TODAY, IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR A 1989 F-250 FOR FRONT END COMPONENTS, BUT NO SUCH LUCK WITH MY TRUCK ALTHOUGH, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THEY HAVE THE SAME FRONT AXLE AND STEERING COMPONENTS. IT WOULD BE NICE TO H
Mileage: 160,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 FORD F250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS FAILED AND CAUSED GASOLINE TO OVERFLOW INTO THE SECOND TANK. RESULTING IN A FUEL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE FAILURE WAS LOCATED AT THE FUEL CAP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 127,586.
Mileage: 127,586
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 FORD F-250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A DAYS AFTER SWITCHING ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS, FUEL STARTED TO SPEW OUT OF THE FILLER NECK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONCE THE CAP WAS RELEASE AND THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF, THE FUEL SPILL COULD BE STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE RETURN VALVE WAS STUCK BETWEEN THE TANKS, WHICH CAUSED FUEL TO ENTER THE SECOND TANK AND OVERFLOW. AS A RESULT THE FUEL PUMP FAILURE, THE JUMPER AND THE ROLL-OVER VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 93V125000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,105.
Mileage: 116,105
Timing Belt Failure
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
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 F-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.