The 1990 Ford Ranger has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 800,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 141 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN91V1890001991-11-04792,000 affected
Defect
WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THE PARK PAWL DOES NOT ALWAYS ABUT OR ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR.
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.
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.
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.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
11
6fires
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
2crashes
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
6
5fires
TIRES
6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
4
SEATS
4
Total complaints141
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“When vehicle is either stationary or in motion the passenger head lamp melts, something is causing that one light to over heat and has melted the entire head unit. I have very little visibility with head lamps on. Battery is constantly corroded, no mattet how much I clean it. Ac/defrost does not…”
“When vehicle is either stationary or in motion the passenger head lamp melts, something is causing that one light to over heat and has melted the entire head unit. I have very little visibility with head lamps on. Battery is constantly corroded, no mattet how much I clean it. Ac/defrost does not…”
“When vehicle is either stationary or in motion the passenger head lamp melts, something is causing that one light to over heat and has melted the entire head unit. I have very little visibility with head lamps on. Battery is constantly corroded, no mattet how much I clean it. Ac/defrost does not…”
“Soon after purchasing the truck in 1996 I noticed the driver's side safety belt didn't seem to lock well when manually jerked. It has been an on and off concern for many years since then. Retraction of the belt has become almost nonexistent. Recently I noticed that not only does the driver's side…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 ford ranger. The contact has been experiencing clutch pedal failure in the vehicle. He was unable to switch gears while driving 25 mph. He took the vehicle to the reapir shop they stated that the push rod falls off of the pedal, which prevents the vehicle from switching…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 ford ranger. The contact has been experiencing clutch pedal failure in the vehicle. He was unable to switch gears while driving 25 mph. He took the vehicle to the reapir shop they stated that the push rod falls off of the pedal, which prevents the vehicle from switching…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 ford ranger. The part for recall number 05s28 is unavailable. The dealer stated that the part should arrive in march of 2008, but it is not definite. The contact felt this exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The manufacturer stated that they were not…”
“Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle started smoking while parked in front of the house. Eventually the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department determined the fire originated from under the hood on the driver's side and was more than likely of an electrical nature. There was a police…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE92029 Opened 1992-03-16 · closed 1992-08-31
WHL SEPARATION/TORQUE LOSS
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE92084 Opened 1992-10-23 · closed 1993-02-26
FRONT SEAT TRACK FAILURE
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationRQ97015 Opened 1997-10-29 · closed 1999-04-01
PARKING PAWL
WHEN THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THE PARKING PAWL DOES NOT ALWAYS ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR.THIS CAN LEAD TO THE VEHICLE JUMPING OUT OF GEAR UNINTENTIONALLY AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO START ROLLING INADVERTENTLY
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Ford Ranger as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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