Total Complaints
4 filings
Ford F-350 · model year
1985 Ford F-350
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 1985 Ford F-350 posts top-10% complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 10%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1985FordF-350 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, 1 fire, 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 1985 F-350 is fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump with 1 filings, followed by tires:tread/belt (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (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 1985 F-350, 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
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1985 Ford F-350
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 |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20030127TIRES
THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING WITH THE TIRES: RIGHT REAR BLOWOUT, LEFT TIRE SEPARATION, RIGHT FRONT DEVELOPED A LARGE BUMP, FRONT LEFT WAS TAKEN OFF FOR SAFETY, AND THE REAR LEFT BLEW OUT WHILE STANDING IN THE GARAGE. (TIRES-KUHMO/MARSHAL VENTURE) SCC
Mileage: 5,000
20010406FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING THE CONSUMER OBSERVED FIRE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). NLM
20001010TIRES:TREAD/BELT
TREAD SEPARATION HOT DAY U S 40W OKLAHOMA CITY - DESTROYED ENTIRE FENDER LINER/WIRING AND DAMAGED BRAKE COMPONETS. NOW HAVE 8 R4S ON SAME TRUCK - ALL NEW - TWO NEW SPARES (TIRESIZE: LT235R16E)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: LT235R16E )
19950601FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL INJECTOR PUMP FAILED THREE TIMES. *SKD
Compare 1985FordF-350 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 1985 Ford F-350 have?▼
The 1985 Ford F-350 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 Ford F-350?▼
The most-complained component for the 1985 Ford F-350 is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES:TREAD/BELT and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1985 Ford F-350 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 1985 Ford F-350; 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.