The 1989 Ford Econoline has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 461,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE DUAL FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE MAY MALFUNCTION AND CAUSE AN OVERFILL CONDITION IN ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS, RESULTING IN AN OVERFLOW OF FUEL PAST THE FILLER CAP.
THE OVERFLOW OF FUEL PAST THE FILLER CAP CAUSES A FUELLEAKAGE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A FIRE WHEN EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF IGNITION.
REPLACE THE DUAL FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE.
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THE SNAP RING THAT LOCATES THE PARK GEAR ON THE OUTPUT SHAFT OF THE TRANSMISSION MAY FRACTURE.
WHEN THE GEAR IS PLACED IN PARK, THE PARK GEAR WOULD NOTENGAGE, ALLOWING THE TRUCK TO ROLL FREELY IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT PROPERLYSET. THIS COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
INSTALL IMPROVED SNAP RING AND REVISED TRANSMISSION EXTENSION HOUSING.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Diffculty slowing down from highway speed, had to turn off ignition to stop vehicle. Disconnected cruise control, but this was not the problem. Dealership service says it was the accelerometer cable. Dt”
“Van caught fire and was destroyed after being parked two hours. Fire investigators determined cause was an electrical defect in engine compartment on driver's side. Fire damaged adjacent house and nearby vehicle.*ak”
“This vehicle has a serious driveability problem (the engine stalls without warning repeatedly) and ford either does not know how or does not care to fix the problem. This has been going on for many years now and finally a judge in california is prepared to demand a recall. Now why haven't you…”
“This vehicle has a serious driveability problem (the engine stalls without warning repeatedly) and ford either does not know how or does not care to fix the problem. This has been going on for many years now and finally a judge in california is prepared to demand a recall. Now why haven't you…”
“Consumer smelled gasoline. Started to open gas cap, and gasoline started gushing out. Since then gasoline mileage has gone down. *ak *slc”
“When consumer fills up gas tank gasoline comes out through the filler cap and falls onto the ground. *ak”
“Possible engine failure resulted in engine fire (ohio traffic crash report). *mjs”
“Problem reported by nhtsa campaign number 91v14600, however, ford indicated that this vehicle is not subject to the resultant recall.”
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Ford Econoline as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.