Total Complaints
5 filings
FORD FORD · model year
1988 FORD FORD
5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. 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 1988FORDFORD carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, 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 1988 FORD is electrical system:ignition:switch with 2 filings, followed by vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal (1) and visibility:windshield (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 74 investigation files overlapping the 1988 FORD, 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.
5
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040614TIRES
NAR 04/10/2003 WHILE TRAVELING THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE REAR TIRE WAS PARTIALLY SEPARATING FROM THE TREAD BEING UN REPAIRABLE A NEW TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE SECOND TIRE BEGIN TO TREAD. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT IT WAS AN CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH FIRESTONE TIRES AND APPARENTLY THEY AREN'T RELIABLE TIRES FOR MOTOR HOMES. APPROXIMATELY 3 TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED. *CB
20000911VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
IN MID 70'S LIBBY OWEN FORD GOT NHTSA TO CHANGE GLASS REQ'S THEN THEY THINNED THE GLASS
19961029ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION SWITCH FIRE. (ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT)
19960601ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION SWITCH SHORTED, CAUSING DIFFICULTY TO TURN OFF WHEN KEY IS REMOVED. *SD
19960314CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT. *SD
Compare 1988FORDFORD to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
PE25007Preliminary EvaluationClosed
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
PE24030Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Rear-view Camera Failure
PE24027Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Loss of braking caused by rear brake hose failure
AQ22002Audit QueryOpen
Healey Brothers Ford / Open Recall Sale
RQ21001Recall QueryClosed
Power Tailgate Release Systems
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 FORD FORD have?▼
The 1988 FORD FORD has 5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 FORD FORD?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 FORD FORD is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL and VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD.
Is the 1988 FORD FORD 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 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 1988 FORD FORD; 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.