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1988 Ford F SeriesProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 6 owner complaints about the 1988 Ford F Series, most often about the seat belts. It is covered by 1 safety recall.

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CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)
Safety recalls1Free fix at dealersOwner complaints61 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage138kSeat belts, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through December 17, 2013. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1988 Ford F Series has problems

6 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Seat belts30
Electrical system11
Vehicle speed control10

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

1 recall

1988 Ford F Series recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

–no report yet

Steering: linkages

Recall 89V-009 · Jan 24, 1989 · 24,454 vehicles

Risk. SEVERE SHIMMY COULD DAMAGE STEERING LINKAGE OR STEERINGGEAR, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Best & worst years

1988 vs. every other F Series year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the F Series median. How we score

'71'72'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'84'85'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1988 Ford F Series, and the recalls they led to.

  1. DEFECTIVE WIRINGDP94002 · closed Apr 25, 1994
    No recall
  2. FIREWALL FRACTUREPE89130 · closed Nov 17, 1989
    No recall
  3. FIRE IN HEATER/AC PLENUMPE90023 · closed Mar 1, 1990
    No recall
  4. UNDER DASH FIRESPE94034 · closed Aug 31, 1994
    No recall
In owners' words

What F Series owners report

Recent seat belts complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT BECOMES UNLATCHED. THE BUTTON ON THE LATCH SEEMS TO FAIL CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME UNBUCKLED. BUCKLE WILL SEEM TO LOCK BUT WILL UNLOCK WITH A SLIGHT WIGGLE. *TR
Complaint 10421106 · Aug 23, 2011 · 181,872 miles
THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BECAME UNLATCHED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NLM THE SEAT BELT HAS NOT WORKED SINCE THE ORIGINAL FAILURE. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY FORD, THE SEAT BELT WAS ONLY WARRANTED FOR FIVE YEARS BUT SEEMED TO CONTRADICT THE INFORMATION ON FILING A COMPLAINT. *SCC *JB
Complaint 10020127 · May 19, 2003 · 95,000 miles

Own a 1988 F Series?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.