1988 Ford F250: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1988 Ford F250. The newest campaign is 96V071000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Apr 1996. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 62 complaints on file for this model year. 6 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, 96V071000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the ignition switch.

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 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 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. 8,424,400 units in total.

96V071000Received 25 Apr 1996. 7,900,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Jun 1996.
92V026000Received 3 Mar 1992. 467,000 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Drum / Shoes/Linings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
A revised brake lining noise insulator resulted in a decrease in the thermal insulation between the brake lining and the front brake caliper piston. This caused greater heat transfer to the caliper pistons with the potential to overheat the brake fluid and diminish brake effectiveness during severe braking conditions.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Increased stopping distances and inablility to holdvehicles on a steep grade results in increased risk of accident in the event ofa sudden stop or when constant braking is needed to maneuver through areas withsteep grades.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Add snap-in insulators that attach to each of the front brake caliper pistons. In addition, vehicles with 7.5 l engines will have insulation added to the engine compartment brake lines.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 10 Jun 1992.
88V146000Received 2 Sep 1988. 57,400 units.
Visibility / Glass, Side/Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Sliding rear window may contain glazing panels which do not meet requirements of FMVSS 205.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A fractured window may contain fragments that are largerthan the 425 grams allowed.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace suspect window panels.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Oct 1988.

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

62 complaints, 85 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.

1988 Ford F250
All 1988 vehicles

1988 Ford F250: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1988 F250	All 1988 vehicles	F250, all years	Mentions
Electrical System	223.5	158.7	199.2	19
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	188.2	96.1	191.1	16
Fuel System, Gasoline	129.4	67.1	170.7	11
Power Train	82.4	64.7	83.3	7
Structure	70.6	51.8	36.6	6
Engine and Engine Cooling	70.6	118.1	85.4	6
Tires	47.1	32.1	69.1	4
Seat Belts	35.3	117.9	16.3	3
Exterior Lighting	35.3	23.2	8.1	3
Suspension	23.5	29	26.4	2

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 16.

Complaints that report a crash: 2
Complaints that report a fire: 9
Injuries in the complaints: 3
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 1 Dec 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 1988 Ford F250, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 17 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1988 Ford F250
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA93014	Engineering analysis	ALTERNATOR BELT FAILURE	Electrical System	4 Jun 1993	29 Jul 1994
EA91044	Engineering analysis	LOSS OF BRAKE EFFECTIVENES	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	30 Oct 1991	30 Oct 1992	92V026000
PE91090	Preliminary evaluation	SPARE TIRE FIRES	Equipment	20 Jun 1991	25 Oct 1991
PE91077	Preliminary evaluation	LOSS OF BRAKE EFFECTIVENES	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	23 May 1991	31 Oct 1991
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.

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 1988 Ford F250The recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Ford F250: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/f250/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
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 1988 Ford F250?: 8,424,400 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 F250 have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 73 recall campaigns for the Ford F250, model years 1967 to 2008. 3 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Ford F250 name most often?: Electrical System: 19 of 85 component mentions, or 223.5 per 1,000. For all 1988 vehicles the figure is 158.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Ford F250 open?: No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.