U.S. public vehicle records

1988 Ford E150: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

14 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1988 model year. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 14 complaints (14.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	2	14.3%
Electrical and battery issues	1	7.1%
Steering behavior	1	7.1%
Fuel system concerns	1	7.1%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator

Electrical System:Ignition

Tires:Tread/Belt

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch

Electrical System:Wiring: Rear Compartment/Trunk

Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Filler Pipe And Cap

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator	2
Electrical System:Ignition	2
Tires:Tread/Belt	2
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	1
Electrical System:Wiring: Rear Compartment/Trunk	1
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	1
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	1
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Filler Pipe And Cap	1

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator: 2; Electrical System:Ignition: 2; Tires:Tread/Belt: 2; Electrical System:Ignition:Switch: 1; Electrical System:Wiring: Rear Compartment/Trunk: 1; Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Filler Pipe And Cap: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 14 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

1998

2000

1995: 3; 1996: 5; 1998: 1; 2000: 5

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 481763 · 1995-02-14 (February 14, 1995)

WIRING IN REAR OF VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE FROM LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHT. *SKD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 481763 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 505860 · 1996-05-06 (May 6, 1996)

ALTERNATOR FAILED FOUR TIMES. *DH

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 505860 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 540832 · 1998-09-14 (September 14, 1998)

GAS CAP DOES NOT VENT. ON HOT DAYS THE TANK PRESSURIZES AND GAS LEAKS FROM CAP. WHEN CAP IS THEN OPENED IT COMES OUT LIKE A HOT RADITOR. IS THERE A RECALL?

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 540832 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 554614 · 2000-09-14 (September 14, 2000)

TWO OF THE FIRESTONE FR480 TIRES EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AND AIR LOSS. *MJS

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 554614 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 731667 · 2000-09-16 (September 16, 2000)

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE CUT OFF COMPLETELY,WAS GOING 35MPH , HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME IN CONTROLLING STEERING AND OPERATING POWER BRAKES . VAN WOULD NOT RESTART ,HAD A PULL IN. DIAGNOSTIC TEST AT FORD DEALER INDICATED VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW IGNITION MODULE

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 731667 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 734100 · 2000-10-12 (October 12, 2000)

COULD THIS BE THE SAME IGNITION MODULE THAT THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH IN CALIFORNIA? WHILE NO ONE WAS INJURED WHEN MY IGNITION MODULE FAILED, IT COST MY COMPANY $453.46 TO HAVE THE VAN TOWED AND REPAIRED. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO ABOUT $900.00 IN LOST REVENUES FOR THAT VAN.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 734100 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 805777 · 1996-12-02 (December 2, 1996)

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IT IDLES OKAY THEN AS PUTTING IT INTO GEAR ITS RPMS SEEM TO JUMP. AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS IT CALMS DOWN. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 805777 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 806348 · 1996-12-13 (December 13, 1996)

WHILE DRIVING, LIGHTS KEPT ON FLICKERING, STOPPED, NOTICED SMOKE UNDER HOOD, CHECKED UNDER HOOD AND NOTICED FLAMES, PARTS STORE EMPLOYEE INFORMED DRIVER IT WAS ALTERNATOR, DID NOT GO TO DEALER. *AK *SLC

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 806348 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

14 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 14 records

78.6%Valid incident date11 / 14 records

100.0%Valid filing date14 / 14 records

78.6%Ordered incident and filing dates11 / 14 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1999	2000	2004	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Tires:Tread/Belt	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Auxillary Tank:Selector Devices	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Ignition	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2012: 0 complaints · 2013: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2012	0	0	0
2013	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2012	0	0	0
2013	0	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator	Electrical System:Ignition	Tires:Tread/Belt	Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	Electrical System:Wiring: Rear Compartment/Trunk	Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Filler Pipe And Cap
Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator	—	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Electrical System:Ignition	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tires:Tread/Belt	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0
Electrical System:Wiring: Rear Compartment/Trunk	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	0	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Filler Pipe And Cap	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

1 patterns with matching reports.

Fuel smell or leak mentions

1 mentions · 7.1% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 540832

GAS CAP DOES NOT VENT. ON HOT DAYS THE TANK PRESSURIZES AND GAS LEAKS FROM CAP. WHEN CAP IS THEN OPENED IT COMES OUT LIKE A HOT RADITOR. IS THERE A RECALL?

Look up ODI 540832 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(fuel leak\w*|gas leak\w*|gas(?:oline)? smell|smell\w* (?:of )?(?:fuel|gas))\b