The 1985 Ford F-150 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 246 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 45 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
METAL BURRS AND SHARP EDGES ON FUEL RAILS MAY HAVE DAMAGED ADJACENT O-RING SEALS DURING ASSEMBLY. THE DEFECT COULD CAUSE FUEL LEAKAGE WHEN ENGINE IS OPERATING.
FUEL RAILS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR LEAKS, WETNESS OR SEEPAGE OF FUEL AND, IF NECESSARY, FUEL RAILS AND RELATED COMPONENTS WILL BE REPLACED WITHOUT COST TO THE OWNER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“1985 ford f-150 headlights failed and vehicle shut off. *kb when the vehicle shut off, the consumer drifted off to the right side of the roadway and struck a guard rail. *jb”
“The vehicle experienced tire tread separation on 2 different occasions. While driving on 04/10/03 the passenger rear tire experienced partial tread separation which resulted in a blow out. While driving 70 mph on 04/12/03 the driver's rear tire tread completely separated and almost caused a…”
“This cause's loud poping and cracking noise when turning and excessive tire wear on the out side of tire. Ford rep. Told me that there was not a recall on this and that even if there was due to age of the truck that they would not pay towards fixing it. I pointed out that this is a safety issue,…”
“While driving the vehicle it began to smoke under the hood, the vehicle cut off then suddenly caught fire (ohio traffic crash report). Nlm”
“00 t 005 000/tread separation: right rear firestone firehawk atx tire experienced tread separation while traveling at 70 mph with driver and one passenger in a 1985 ford f150, aftermarket equipment installed at 65070 miles; 31x10.5/r15, dot# vd60ap352. Vehicle lost control/ fishtailed and rolled…”
“Company vehicle. Rear leaf springs keep breaking. If springs break completely, the entire rear end of vehicle would fall out. Dealer contacted and cannot remedy the problem. *akrepairwork done at owners expense. Provide further information.”
“Ignition control module failed intermittently numerous times before the problem could be identified. Engine stall was instantaneous and without warning; dangerous traffic situations resulted. Hot ambient temperature aggravated the problem, but the heat factor was not known until the problem was…”
“While the truck was parked the engine department and near the passenger's side caught on fire. Owner does not know what caused the fire. *ak”
F-SERIES FUEL TANK FIRES
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:INSTANCES WERE FOUND WHERESPRING LOCK COUPLINGS FAILED CAUSING GASOLINE TO BE RELEASED THROUGHOUTTHE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUSING FIRES.LEAKS FROM FUEL LINES MAY ALSO BE ACONTRIBUTING CAUSE TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1985 Ford F-150 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.