Your vehicle report
1990 Ford Ranger
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 105
- Received Jan 1995 to Jul 2019
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Vehicle catches fire from wiring15 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Tires blow out or tread separates12 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Side mirrors give poor rear visibility11 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #91V189000When the automatic transmission shift lever is placed in the park position, the park pawl does not always abut or engage the park gear.
- Recall #90V044000Throttle lever may contact throttle body air inlet tube, with potential for throttle remaining open following release of the accelerator pedal.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 9 crashes, 15 fires, 4 people injured, 2 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 12 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 14 |
| 1996 | 19 |
| 1997 | 11 |
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | 15 |
| 2000 | 15 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 105 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 15 | 14% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 12 | 11% | – | |
| Side mirrors give poor rear visibility | 11 | 10% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 7 | 6.7% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 6 | 5.7% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 5 | 4.8% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 4 | 3.8% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 4 | 3.8% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 4 | 3.8% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 3 | 2.9% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 3 | 2.9% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 2.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #91V189000November 4, 1991792,000 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission
When the automatic transmission shift lever is placed in the park position, the park pawl does not always abut or engage the park gear.
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.
NHTSA recall #90V044000March 1, 19904,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
Throttle lever may contact throttle body air inlet tube, with potential for throttle remaining open following release of the accelerator pedal.
Uncontrolled acceleration could create lack of controland cause an accident.
Remedy
Manufacturer will replace air inlet tube with newly designed replacement.
NHTSA recall #89V234000December 22, 19894,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
Throttle lever may contact throttle body air inlet tube, with the potential for throttle remaining open following release of the accelerator pedal from the full-throttle postion in trucks with 4.0 l engines.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1990 Ford Ranger.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN