1989 Ford Ford Truck reliability: common problems

Owners of the 1989 Ford Ford Truck filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 6
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Tires 33% of all complaints
2 Vehicle speed control 33% of all complaints
3 Electrical system 17% of all complaints
4 Steering 17% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Tires: 2 complaints (33% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Steering: 1 complaints (17% of all).

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Tires	2	0
Vehicle speed control	2	1
Electrical system	1	0
Steering	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Cruise control defective, causing loss of control/accident/injuries.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 1996-10-10 · NHTSA complaint #509083
Tl contact owns a 1989 ford truck. The contact stated that the tire valve stems were replaced in december of 2007. In december of 2008, the rear driver's side valve stem malfunctioned. In january of 2009, while driving 50 mph, the rear passenger side valve stem failed.
Tires · 2009-04-20 · NHTSA complaint #10266144
Throttle does not return to idle when I let up on gas pedal, instead r.p.m. Increases to 2400 r.p.m. Only after driving about 8 miles does the problem occur.
Vehicle speed control · 2000-05-19 · NHTSA complaint #722126
The ignition module has failed 12 times. We have had to pull off the road in 10 seconds and have been under constant danger from traffic in each event. The ignition module fails because it gets too hot. After two hours we can continue on our way or get ignition module replaced.
Electrical system · 1999-08-23 · NHTSA complaint #710378

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19961
19981
19991
20001
20011
20091

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 12,234 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 38% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Ford Truck has 13 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 6, below average.

What to check before buying

Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1989 Ford Ford Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, vehicle speed control, electrical system. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (17%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Ford Ford Truck?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1989 Ford Ford Truck from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1989 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.