1990 Ford Ranger: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 141 complaints
141
Total Complaints
60,000mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
Top Issue
10
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

1,000 25th Percentile
60,000 Median Mileage
170,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
11
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
8
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
7
TIRES
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
SEATS
4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
4

Severity Assessment

10
Crashes
16
Fires
5
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE. TT"
"THROTTLE FREEZES IN OPEN POSITION, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. *AK"
"FUEL REGULATOR RUPTURED, RESULTING IN FUEL SPEWING. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28