Total Complaints
7 filings
FORD FORD TRUCK · model year
1988 FORD FORD TRUCK
7 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988FORDFORD TRUCK carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 4 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 1988 FORD TRUCK is electrical system:ignition:switch with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (1) and fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (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 1 investigation file overlapping the 1988 FORD TRUCK. 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.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
4
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| STEERING:COLUMN | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20020103FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION SWITCH SHORTED CAUSING A FIRE UNDER THE DASH, RESULTED IN DAMAGE WIRING, SAME PROBLEM IS EXISTING AGAIN.
20000411FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
AT 3:56 AM MY BROTHER CALLED FROM NEXT DOOR TO TELL ME A VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. I WENT OUT SIDE WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. MY MOM CALLED THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT THEY ARRIVED AT 4:06 AM. *AK
20000411SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST
SUMMARY: ZERO BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS, BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE OKAY, SUDDEN SUSTAINED ABSOLUTE LOSS OF STOPPING ABILITY. YOUR RECALL CAMPAIGN 96V071000 MAY BE MISSING A MECHANISM FOR CATASTROPHIC BRAKE FAILURE ON THE FORD TRUCK. MY 1988 F250HD SUPERCAB 4X4 HAS EXHIBITED THREE DIFFERENT MECHANISMS FOR BRAKE LOSS. WHEN <1 YEAR OLD WITH <10K MILES ON IT, WE DROVE A DIRT ROAD WHICH AFTER LEVEL TRAVEL (I.E. ABSOLUTELY NOT OVERHEATED FROM MOUNTAIN DRIVING) WINDS DOWN A CLIFF. THE HAIRPIN SWITCH-BACKS REQUIRED ME TO JOCKEY THE LONG SUPERCAB AROUND THE CORNERS WITH REPEATED BRAKE APPLICATION, BUT ALL AT NEAR 0 MPH AND OVER ABOUT 15 MINUTES TIME. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CLIFF @<10MPH TOWARD A CREEK I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN. THE BRAKE PEDAL STOPPED AT THE NORMAL POINT BUT THERE WAS NO BRAKING FORCE. THERE WAS A DOWNWARD SLOPE (LESS THAN 10 DEGREES PITCH). PUMPING THE BRAKES DID NOT HELP. I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH MAXIMUM FORCE WITH BOTH LEGS! AND COULD NOT EVEN SLOW THE VEHICLE! (THE VEHICLE HAD A
19990209STEERING:COLUMN
TILT STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT LOCK IN PLACE, MAKING STEERING DIFFICULT.
19961114FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION SWITCH FIRE PRIOR TO RECALL.
19960404FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
FUEL LINE FIRE. *SD
19950721SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
BRAKES OVERHEATED, CAUSING DIFFICULTY PULLING TRAILER. (OTHER VEHICLE ON 479631) *AW
Compare 1988FORDFORD TRUCK to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 FORD FORD TRUCK have?▼
The 1988 FORD FORD TRUCK has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 4 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 FORD FORD TRUCK?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 FORD FORD TRUCK is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS.
Is the 1988 FORD FORD TRUCK 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.