1990 FORD RANGER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 96 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (18 complaints · 18.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 9
  • Fires 15
  • Injuries 4
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 1989 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 18 of 96 owner complaints (18.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 18 complaints, 18.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18 · 18.8% · 1 crash reports 12 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 13 complaints, 13.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 · 13.5% · 2 crash reports 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 12 complaints, 12.5% of reports VISIBILITY 12 · 12.5% FUEL SYSTEM: 9 complaints, 9.4% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 9 · 9.4% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 9 complaints, 9.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 9 · 9.4% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 6 complaints, 6.3% of reports ENGINE 6 · 6.3% TIRES: 6 complaints, 6.3% of reports TIRES 6 · 6.3% SERVICE BRAKES: 4 complaints, 4.2% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 4.2% SEAT BELTS: 3 complaints, 3.1% of reports SEAT BELTS 3 · 3.1% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 75 complaints, 78.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 75 · 78.1% · 6 crash reports 14 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18 18.8% 1 crashes · 12 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 13.5% 2 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 12 12.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 9 9.4% 1 crashes · 2 fires
POWER TRAIN 9 9.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 6 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
TIRES 6 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 4 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 3 3.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 75 78.1% 6 crashes · 14 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 1989. 1995-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 1995-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1996-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1996-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 1997-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 1997-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Dec 1989 Jul 2019 Recall campaign 89V234000 ◆ Recall campaign 89V234000 Recall campaign 90V044000 ◆ Recall campaign 90V044000 Recall campaign 91V189000 ◆ Recall campaign 91V189000 Recall campaign 98E010000 ◆ Recall campaign 98E010000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Investigation PE92029 ● Investigation PE92029 Investigation PE92084 ● Investigation PE92084 Investigation RQ97015 ● Investigation RQ97015
  • Campaign 98E010000 was reported 475 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 2
1995-Q2 Owner reports 2
1995-Q3 Owner reports 6
1995-Q4 Owner reports 3
1996-Q1 Owner reports 5
1996-Q2 Owner reports 4
1996-Q3 Owner reports 5
1996-Q4 Owner reports 5
1997-Q1 Owner reports 2
1997-Q2 Owner reports 7
1997-Q3 Owner reports 1
1997-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q1 Owner reports 2
1998-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 3
1999-Q1 Owner reports 2
1999-Q2 Owner reports 7
1999-Q3 Owner reports 4
1999-Q4 Owner reports 2
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q2 Owner reports 2
2000-Q3 Owner reports 3
2000-Q4 Owner reports 3
2001-Q1 Owner reports 2
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 89V234000
Recall campaign 1 90V044000
Recall campaign 1 91V189000
Recall campaign 1 98E010000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Defect investigation 1 PE92029
Defect investigation 1 PE92084
Defect investigation 1 RQ97015
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 89V234000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION COULD CREATE LACK OF CONTROLAND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    MANUFACTURER WILL REPLACE AIR INLET TUBE WITH NEWLY DESIGNED REPLACEMENT WITH AN INCREASED THROTTLE LEVER-TO-INLET TUBE CLEARANCE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 90V044000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION COULD CREATE LACK OF CONTROLAND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    MANUFACTURER WILL REPLACE AIR INLET TUBE WITH NEWLY DESIGNED REPLACEMENT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 91V189000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    DRIVER MAY BELIEVE THE VEHICLE IS SAFELY ENGAGED IN PARKWHEN THE GEAR IS NOT TRULY ENGAGED. THIS CAN LEAD TO THE VEHICLE JUMPING OUT OFGEAR UNINTENTIONALLY, VEHICLE ROLLAWAY WHEN PARKED ON A SLOPED SURFACE, ANDINADVERTENT MOTION WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS CANRESULT IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION WITH A NEW PARK PAWL.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98E010000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, AIR
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF BRAKING CAN RESULT.
    Remedy:
    AIMCO WILL REIMBURSE CONSUMERS/INSTALLERS FOR THE COST OF REPLACEMENT ROTORS AND INSTALLATION. CONSUMERS ARE REQUESTED TO RETURN TO THE LOCATION WHERE THE ROTORS WERE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED/INSTALLED FOR REPLACEMENT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 96 complaints · page 1 of 4

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources