1990 Ford Bronco problems & reliability
56 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Ford Bronco. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1990 Ford Bronco vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 0 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 18 | 32% |
| Seats | 9 | 16% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 16% |
| Structure | 7 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 11% |
| Power Train | 4 | 7% |
| Suspension | 4 | 7% |
| Tires | 4 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Seats · filed Mar 7, 2017
“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…”
Seats · filed Jun 6, 2016
“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”
Structure · filed Aug 10, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL EXPULSION
Engineering Analysis EA93001 · opened Jan 7, 1993 · closed Aug 20, 1993 · led to recall 93V125000
- FUEL EXPULSION
Preliminary Evaluation PE92077 · opened Sep 9, 1992 · closed Jan 7, 1993
- FRONT SEAT BACK FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA92029 · opened Aug 27, 1992 · closed Oct 29, 1993
- FNT RECLNING SEAT BCK FAIL
Preliminary Evaluation PE92042 · opened Apr 17, 1992 · closed Aug 27, 1992
- FORD TRUCK INCONSISTENT VEHICLE CONTROL.
Preliminary Evaluation PE91017 · opened Nov 27, 1990 · closed Apr 17, 1991
- FLOORBOARD FRACTURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE90036 · opened Jan 23, 1990 · closed Jul 26, 1990
Technical service bulletins
43 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 Ford Bronco. The 10 most recent:
Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *slc
01157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc
01156 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Subject regarding contamination from prior transmission concerns or excess wear may be trapped in the transmission fluid cooling system. *tt
002310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 13, 2000
Transmission- e40d/4r100-1989-99-main controls, separator plates and separator plate gaskets usage chart. Yd
98168 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2000
Transmission-e40d-no 2-3 upshift. Some vehicles may exhibit a no 2-3 upshift condition. *ak
98167 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2000
Vehicles may experience solid particle contaminants from prior transmission concerns or excess wear, may be trapped in the transmission fluid cooling system is not properly flushed, fluid in-line filter kit. *mjs
0038 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2000
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000
Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses. *tt
99222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 1999
Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems. *tt
99196 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 1999
Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda. *tt
99152 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 26, 1999
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Ford Bronco in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Ford Bronco?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.