1987 Ford F150: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1987 Ford F150. The newest campaign is 87V139000. NHTSA received the report on 4 Sep 1987. The NHTSA record gives the component Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings. NHTSA has 89 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 87V139000, in the NHTSA record

Install retainer clips over the couplings to prevent coupling separation and fuel leakage.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 3,601,328 units in total.

87V139000Received 4 Sep 1987. 3,600,000 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Spring lock fuel line coupling may not be properly engaged.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Coupling could disengage due to fuel pressure,vibration, and engine movements; this would cause loss of fuel which, inpresence of an ignition source, creates a fire risk.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install retainer clips over the couplings to prevent coupling separation and fuel leakage.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Oct 1987.
87V140000Received 4 Sep 1987. 1,220 units.
Wheels / Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Wheel lug nut cone angles do not match lug nut seating angles.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Nuts could loosen in service creating potential forwheels to separate from truck.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Repair to prevent loosening of lug nuts.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Oct 1987.
87V077000Received 26 May 1987. 108 units.
Suspension / Front / Wheel Bearing
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Front inner wheel bearings may not have been lubricated adequately at time of assembly.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this condition were to occur, friction will causepremature deterioration of the wheel bearings and steering control could beaffected adversely.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Inspect and replace any bearing or race showing signs of galling or heat spots.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

89 complaints, 107 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1987 Ford F150
All 1987 vehicles

1987 Ford F150: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1987 F150	All 1987 vehicles	F150, all years	Mentions
Electrical System	401.9	150.7	247	43
Fuel System, Gasoline	205.6	116.4	293.7	22
Engine and Engine Cooling	93.5	146.2	84.3	10
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	46.7	59.7	62	5
Structure	46.7	47.9	37.6	5
Tires	46.7	32.3	54.9	5
Vehicle Speed Control	37.4	55	30.5	4
Seat Belts	28	116.4	25.4	3
Steering	18.7	60.3	30.5	2
Wheels	18.7	9	8.1	2

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 14.

Complaints that report a crash: 3
Complaints that report a fire: 43
Injuries in the complaints: 4
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 24 Jul 2006

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1987 Ford F150, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 33 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1987 Ford F150
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
DP89005	Defect petition	F-SERIES FUEL TANK FIRES	Fuel System, Gasoline	26 Jan 1989	1 Aug 1989
PE89020	Preliminary evaluation	FIRES	Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages	7 Dec 1988	1 Jun 1989

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

19660
19680
19731
19753
19761
19775
19789
19799
19804
19813
19820
19831
19841
19851
19861
19873
19882
19894
19904

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1987 Ford F150The recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1987 Ford F150: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/f150/1987/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1987 Ford F150?: 3,601,328 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford F150 have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 46 recall campaigns for the Ford F150, model years 1966 to 1990. 3 of them name the 1987 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1987 Ford F150 name most often?: Electrical System: 43 of 107 component mentions, or 401.9 per 1,000. For all 1987 vehicles the figure is 150.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1987 Ford F150 open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.