- The problem
- The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
- The risk
- This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
- The fix
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
Vehicle safety record
1990 Ford Bronco Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 57 complaints about the 1990 Ford Bronco with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (18) and the seats & seat belts (9). Those complaints describe 4 crashes, 13 fires and 1 injury. It is covered by 1 recall, the latest in April 1996 for the ignition. For comparison, the 1989 has 85 and the 1991 has 33.
NHTSA data checked
DMore problems than a typical Bronco year, for its age
#28 most complained-about 1990 vehicle
- Complaints
- 57
- Recalls
- 1
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 13
- Injuries
- 1
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 1990 Ford Bronco problems
Share of all 57 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
1990 Ford Bronco recalls 1
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
What owners say
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57 complaints about the 1990 Ford Bronco
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 3.
The seat pan under the seat tracks has cracked in my 1990 bronco with captain chairs. The vehicle was in motion when this happened on a public paved street, and coming to a normal stop. Back in october 1990, I received safety program number (b(93) about this potential problem. I immediately brought the vehicle to the dealership of purchase, john foster ford, upon receipt of the notification. I do not let any safety issues go. They looked at the vehicle and did not make the repair. Because the vehicle is so...
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kindly driven it has taken many years for the flaw in the ford seat pan design to develop. I spoke with ford at the customer service 800 number again today and have been in touch with the regional service manager and they refuse to perform the repair or acknowledge that the vehicle was involved in the safety program. I still have the letter and original envelope for which it came. There should be a record of the initial inspection charge done by the dealership in some computer record when they turned in their inspection claim, but they do not or at least will not admit to it. There appears to be a computer issue with my vin, because obviously the repair was not performed and I have demonstrated with the second safety notice on the ignition switch (fsa 95s28) that I immediately brought the vehicle into the dealership for repair at which time they also did not make the seat pan repair on november 22, 1996. I have copies of that notice and the benson ford dealership (same dealership location, different owner) invoice to prove I am diligent about such matters. All I am looking for is to ford to recognize that this design flaw was relevant to my vehicle and make the repair, especially sine now the seat pan has about an 8 inch crack.
Cracked seat mounts on floor board. 1990 Bronco, bucket seats, have the same problem as the 89-90 broncos with captians chairs, the floor board cracks around the bolts. This makes the front seats wobble, bounce, and move, increasing the stress on the floor pan, untill the floor pan breaks and the bolt no lon get holds anything. Existing recall for models with captians chair, do not apply to bucket seats, it needs to be expanded or a new recall put out. This is very unsafe, and is clearly a manufacturing defect, attached images show no rust or other corrosion that could have caused this.
I was heading to the store when my gas pedal for stuck. I pressed the brakes and held them down to no avail. I ended up crashing through someones yard and hitting their property. My bronco finally stopped about 15 seconds later. The whole incident was about two minutes long. *Tr
Floor pan under drivers seat has cracked where the seat is attached in 1990 bronco. Causes seat to shift, sink and bounce and not feel secure to vehicle. Identical problem in my 1989 ford bronco and was repaired by dealer as a recall defect. Cannot find any recall information regarding the 1990 bronco with this issue or for 1989 bronco despite dealers repair. *Tr
1990 Bronco equipment failed causing an engine compartment fire. *Ts a new power steering pump had been installed prior to the fire. *Nm
A pattern of same size chunks on the same circular column of the tires are breaking off. Tire psi and balancing are excellent. No off road or aggressive driving. Tire only 6 months old. *Jb
1990 Ford bronco ignition switch failed. (Safety recall #96v071000 of nov95) ford dealer said no recalls on this vehicle and charged me $476.00. I checked the ford website and they only list recalls from jan96, is there a staute of limitations on saftey recalls and how long?
1990 Ford bronco I brought this vehicle in to jim doyle ford on delaware avenue in kenmore n.Y, last week. The ignition switch broke, and was to be replaced via recall. The ignition switch malfunctioned, and I smelled fire.Saw smoke. Turned key off to no avail, immediately ran in the house, grabbed fire extinguisher, called fire dept (car was parked between 2 houses) and ran out and cut battery cable. After determining problem (defective ignition switch) I had the vehicle towed to jim doyle ford. They offered...
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the free repair, and called me stating that something inside the ignition column was broken, and they would charge me 60 dollars plus tax just to diagnose. I declined, went to the dealer, and the ignition switch was just hanging out from the harness under the dash, the mechanic used a screwdriver to push the switch and started the vehicle for me. I then took the vehicle to buffalo key and lock, and the technician (ron chase) found that the internal mechanism in the steering column had broken, and he stated that it is a common problem since the defective (recalled) ignitions generally melt and weld themselves in the "start" position, when the driver attempts to turn it off it causes the rack and rods inside of the steering column to break, rendering the ignition key etc inoperable. This is directly attributable to the defective ignition switch that was recalled. Ford stated that they would not pay for this since the only thing covered was the ignition switch itself. $295.00 Later, my ignition switch and internal works are replaced, they broke due to a recalled item covered by ford, and ford will not re-imburse me. This is unfair, my truck is in excellent condition, extremely well maintained and the ignition switch was directly the cause of the other damage. Plus, my vehicle was in the dealer shop for 3-4 hours and I got it back in deplorable condition (oil/grease all over it, seats and dash covered with grease, steering wheel cover torn off.*Ak
1990 Ford bronco destroyed in fire. Spontaneous fire orginated in engine compartment or under dash inside vehicle while parked on street. Vehicle was not running at the time. Vehicle is a total loss.
While driving the vehicle at 10mph, the vehicle suffered sudden acceleration, and had a front collision with a garage door. Mr the dealer stated that this was caused by the throttle body injection being dirty. Scc
Consumer states the thick film ignition module is not usable unless the temperature is 70 degress or cooler, otherwise there is an uncontrollable stall that occurs, consumer has contacted the manufacturer on several occasions to try and get the part repaired or replaced.*Jb
Vehicle stalls intermittently at any speed/in warm weather/or on inclines, and down grades. Dealer replaced the fuel pump, which did not remedy the problem. *Ak the consumer states that ford has never provided any data or service to solve the problem-by their use of distributor mounted thick film ignition module. (Tfi problem) the vehicle will crank but won't start. *Scc
A vehicle fire started under the dash while driving. Dealer and manufacturer were notified. Feel free to provide any further information, and please fill in vehicle mileage.*Ak
Consumer was traveling about 65mph on highway and heard a noise coming from underneath of vehicle. Entire front of car dropped down/. It was left axle. Dealership was aware of problem. *Ak
I have done research on the pump. There is a upgrade but the price is not right. I belive the dealer should replace it free of charge or at least lower the cost. It has been knowen to melt the plug on top but somtimes it well spark and start a fire. *Ak
Entire left side of dash completed burnt/melted. Total burn damage to left front seat, left interior of door, roof, floor. No damage to engine.
NO SUMMARY
Tred completely stpiped, tread looked bran new. *Ak (dot number: w2ul1m399 tiresize: 205/75r15)
Tire blew,fits description of current recall- thread separates,lost of control. These are new tires,less than 2 years old. Local firestone refused to replace all 4. States no defect with others.( Dot number: vdvkaxc147 tire size: 32x11.5X15 )
Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 50mph on highway and vehicle started to shake. About ten seconds left rear tire tread separated, and then tire ripped rear bumper/ passenger's door, and then slid into one lane to the left, and five lanes into traffic. There were no injuries involved. Tire was a firestone wilderness. Consumer will fill additional information.*Ak
Vehicle caught on fire. Consumer was unaware of the cause. Also, was not sure if there was a recall, but will have the insurance company look into it. *Ak *ml
While vehicle was parked in the driveway it caught on fire. Vehicle was completely burned. Owner believed that fire started in the ignition switch area. Please provide any further information. *Ak
While making a left turn seat came loose and fell over. Consumer lost control of vehicle, but didn't hit anything. Dealer was contacted, but won't acknowledge the recall letter. Consumer is the 2nd owner of the vehicle. *Ak
Floor pan, where driver/passenger seats are attached, cracked. Seat would wobble & crack more if someone sits in it. Contacted mfg & informed no major problem with floor pan. Seating in seat the cracking sound could be heard. Seat is sinking further into frame. Dealership indicated a recall but not on this vehicle. *Ak
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Ford Bronco: every year compared
All Bronco years1990 Ford Bronco vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 Ford Bronco | 57 | 1 | D | |
| 1990 Jeep Wrangler | 80 | 7 | A | Compare |
| 1990 Toyota 4RUNNER | 79 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 1990 Land Rover Defender | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 1990 Ford Aerostar | 197 | 7 | D | Compare |
| 1990 Ford Bronco II | 27 | 2 | D | Compare |
| 1990 Ford B700 | 1 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 1990 Ford Cargo | 1 | 0 | B | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 1990 Ford Bronco
Does the 1990 Ford Bronco have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 1990 Ford Bronco: ignition (April 1996). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Ford Bronco?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the electrical system (18), seats & seat belts (9), brakes (8).
How many complaints has the 1990 Ford Bronco had?
57 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on December 19, 1994 and the latest on March 7, 2017. Of these, 4 describe a crash and 13 a fire, and together they report 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Is the 1990 Ford Bronco a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 29 out of 100 (grade D: more problems than a typical Ford Bronco year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Ford Bronco years have the most complaints?
2022 (390), 2023 (236), 2021 (232). See every Ford Bronco year compared.
What should I do if my 1990 Ford Bronco has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data