The 1987 Ford F-150 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 3,601,328 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
SPRING LOCK FUEL LINE COUPLING MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ENGAGED.
COUPLING COULD DISENGAGE DUE TO FUEL PRESSURE,VIBRATION, AND ENGINE MOVEMENTS; THIS WOULD CAUSE LOSS OF FUEL WHICH, INPRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, CREATES A FIRE RISK.
INSTALL RETAINER CLIPS OVER THE COUPLINGS TO PREVENT COUPLING SEPARATION AND FUEL LEAKAGE.
WHEEL LUG NUT CONE ANGLES DO NOT MATCH LUG NUT SEATING ANGLES.
NUTS COULD LOOSEN IN SERVICE CREATING POTENTIAL FORWHEELS TO SEPARATE FROM TRUCK.
REPAIR TO PREVENT LOOSENING OF LUG NUTS.
FRONT INNER WHEEL BEARINGS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LUBRICATED ADEQUATELY AT TIME OF ASSEMBLY.
IF THIS CONDITION WERE TO OCCUR, FRICTION WILL CAUSEPREMATURE DETERIORATION OF THE WHEEL BEARINGS AND STEERING CONTROL COULD BEAFFECTED ADVERSELY.
INSPECT AND REPLACE ANY BEARING OR RACE SHOWING SIGNS OF GALLING OR HEAT SPOTS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Problem with the duel fuel tanks, after filling the rear fuel tank I started smelling gas fumes while driving on city streets. I pulled over to check and gas was leaking from beneath the truck . When I opened the front tank gas cap , fuel spewed out as if it was under pressure. At that time I was…”
“Driving home, engine started sputtering, strong smell of gasoline. Gas spilling from front gas cap. I have had this in for repairs and no one seems to know what is wrong with the vehicle. Vehicle starts at times but seems to be flooding itself out and gas continues to spill from front tank. I…”
“Dt*: the contact stated that the tread on the front driver side tire separated while driving 55 mph, causing slight loss of vehicle control. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop,where the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the separation.”
“My 1987' ford f150 has dual fuel tanks, with the tank selector switch on the dashboard to the left of the steering column. I was driving home on 01/25/06 and noticed a strong fuel smell when I pulling into driveway before shutting it off. I left it running with the transmission in neutral, stepped…”
“Dt: the contact states there is nhtsa recall 87v139000 concerning the fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings. This vehicle is experiencing the same problems as indicated in the recall, but it is not included in the recall due to vin. The contact has not repaired the…”
“Shut vehicle off, then, on restart and ignition switch failed followed by smoke under hood. Fusible link caught fire by solenoid. If I had not been near the vehicle at the time of the fire it could have caused damage to property around me. If I had been driving down the interstate when this…”
“Dt: wed. June 29, 2005 caller had new tires put on after market wheels and wal-mart over torqued lugs:nuts. Should have been torqued at 84 foot pounds, instead there were torques at 100 foot pound. Asa result, lugs:nuts were stripped on driver?s side front and back. Caller was concerned about the…”
“While the vehicle was parked with a passenger sitting in the vehicle, a fire started near the front fuel tank. The fire marshall could not determine the origin of the fire. *jb”
F-SERIES FUEL TANK FIRES
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1987 Ford F-150 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.