FORD F SUPER DUTY · model year

1989 FORD F SUPER DUTY

2 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1989FORDF SUPER DUTY carries 2 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 1989 F SUPER DUTY is electrical system:wiring with 1 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers (1). 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 F SUPER DUTY, 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.

2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

2 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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS1

Recent Complaints

20020531ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

ALL OF TRUCK LIGHTS GO OUT AND WIRES GET VERY HOT. WAS TOLD BY A CERTIFIED FORD MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM WAS WIRES THAT WERE TOO SMALL FOR THAT TYPE OF TRUCK. CONSUMER WAS AFRAID THAT TRUCK WILL CATCH A FIRE IF THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN.*AK

20020531ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

ALL OF TRUCK LIGHTS GO OUT AND WIRES GET VERY HOT. WAS TOLD BY A CERTIFIED FORD MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM WAS WIRES THAT WERE TOO SMALL FOR THAT TYPE OF TRUCK. CONSUMER WAS AFRAID THAT TRUCK WILL CATCH A FIRE IF THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN.*AK

Compare 1989FORDF SUPER DUTY to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1989 FORD F SUPER DUTY have?
The 1989 FORD F SUPER DUTY has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 FORD F SUPER DUTY?
The most-complained component for the 1989 FORD F SUPER DUTY is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS.
Is the 1989 FORD F SUPER DUTY 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.