How many recalls does the 1985 Ford Ranger have?

The 1985 Ford Ranger has 1 NHTSA safety recall campaign on record.

How do I check if my 1985 Ford Ranger has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 1985 Ford Ranger?

Of 33 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is electrical system.

1985 Ford Ranger Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1985 Ford Ranger has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,250 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 85V045000 1985-04-17 1,250 affected

Defect

THE NYLON FUEL SUPPLY AND RETURN LINES ARE IMPROPERLY ROUTED ALONG THE FRAME SIDE RAIL AND COULD CONTACT THE UNIVERSAL JOINT ON THE FRONT DRIVESHAFT. CONSEQUENCE OF…

Remedy

REROUTE OR REPLACE AFFECTED FUEL LINES.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Total complaints33

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Stalls at any temperature while driving. When stopped I have to almost floor the gas pedal to get moving w/o stalling. Heater gets almost too hot.”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE · reported 2007-03-16

“Stalls at any temperature while driving. When stopped I have to almost floor the gas pedal to get moving w/o stalling. Heater gets almost too hot.”

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE · reported 2007-03-16

“Vehicle will shut off while consumer was driving. Contacted dealer, and dealer stated that vehicle was cutting off because ignition malfunctioned. *ak”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION · reported 2002-03-01

“The vehicle lost it's u joint which caused the drive shaft to break damaging the fuel tank and disabled the vehicle.(ohio traffic crash report) *yh”

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT · reported 2001-07-10

“While driving vehicle just stalled whithout a prior warning. Consumer was cranking engine, but it did not start. Consumer replaced ignition module. Then,could start vehicle without a problem.*ak”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION · reported 2001-02-01

“3 tires within 3 months had tread come off at highway speeds.*ak (dot number: auvrur351 tiresize: lt2.15/75r)”

TIRES:TREAD/BELT · reported 2000-06-01

“While vehicle was parked and not running it caught on fire under the hood on the right hand side where the battery is located. The fire department stated that fire was electrical. The vehicle was totalled.”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD · reported 1997-01-08

“Owner states upon turning heater on there is smoke coming out of the vents and there is faulty wiring and this could lead to a possible fire. *ak”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING · reported 1996-12-16

Defect investigations

Investigation DP85020 Opened 1985-04-11 · closed 1985-06-06

STALLING WHEN COLD

Sources & methodology

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 Ranger as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.