1988 Ford Ford Truck
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Ford Truck › 1988
These records cover every 1988 Ford Ford Truck. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
7 complaints4 involved a fire
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Ignition switch shorted causing a fire under the dash, resulted in damage wiring, same problem IS existing again.
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist
Summary: zero braking effectiveness, brake pedal pressure okay, sudden sustained absolute loss of stopping ability. Your recall campaign 96v071000 may be missing a mechanism for catastrophic brake failure on the ford truck. My 1988 f250hd supercab 4X4 has exhibited three different mechanisms for…
Summary: zero braking effectiveness, brake pedal pressure okay, sudden sustained absolute loss of stopping ability. Your recall campaign 96v071000 may be missing a mechanism for catastrophic brake failure on the ford truck. My 1988 f250hd supercab 4X4 has exhibited three different mechanisms for brake loss. When <1 year old with <10K miles on it, we drove a dirt road which after level travel (i.e. Absolutely not overheated from mountain driving) winds down a cliff. The hairpin switch-backs required me to jockey the long supercab around the corners with repeated brake application, but all at near 0 mph and over about 15 minutes time. At the bottom of the cliff @<10mph toward a creek I attempted to slow down. The brake pedal stopped at the normal point but there was no braking force. There was a downward slope (less than 10 degrees pitch). Pumping the brakes did not help. I pressed the brake pedal with maximum force with both legs! And could not even slow the vehicle! (The vehicle had a fiberglass topper installed so payload est. ~1,500 lbs). Substantial force was applied to the brake pedal! If we had been killed, the brakes would have checked out fine after the fact. I believe there probably have been other instances that have gone unreported or which have resulted in accidents and/or deaths in which this braking problem has not been identified. Belts and brake fluid were nominal. The front disks and rear axles were not hot to the touch. My wife applied the brakes while I inspected the engine compartment and no abnormal sounds or other cues to the cause could be observed. I turned the vehicle off andrestarted a couple of times with no effect. This persisted >45 minutes while we tried to diagnose the problem. On the upper side of the brake boost canister there IS a grommet/fitting for the vacuum hose attachment. I rotated this fitting to tension the hose flexure in a different direction and the brakes started operating. I have not experienced a repeat of the symptoms.
- Electrical system › Ignition
At 3:56 am my brother called from next door to tell me a vehicle was on fire in front of my house. I went out side with a fire extinguisher to put the fire out. My mom called the local fire department they arrived at 4:06 am. *Ak
- Steering › Column
Tilt steering wheel will not lock in place, making steering difficult.
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Ignition switch fire prior to recall.
- Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Fuel line fire. *Sd
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components
Brakes overheated, causing difficulty pulling trailer. (other vehicle on 479631) *aw
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Increase in engine rpm's
There is no summary currently available
- Throttle plate jams open
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Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 51041Verify the transaxle installed in the vehicle IS the correct model and model year for the vehicle.
- 50431Information on part number for the rotunda tool that IS stated in safety recall rcl/96s48-rcl/96s99.
- 50430Clarified technical instructions for safety recall - rcl/96s54 (attachment III, dealer letter).
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