1989 Ford B700 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1989 Ford B700, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Steering266.7%
- Brakes133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
TWO OF THE BUSES WERE RECALLED BOTH ARE STILL LEAKING AFTER THE WORK HAD BEEN PERFORMED. ONE OF THE VIN # 1FDPJ75POKVA59531. *AK
FLEET 1990 TO 1993. MIDWAY FORD 9V4118. BENDIX WILL NOT SEND THE PART TO FORD THEREFORE THE DEALERSHIP CAN NOT HONOR THE RECALL. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE BRAKE LINE TO THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL AND THE LINE TO THE REAR BRAKES WENT THROUGH A COMMON BRACKET ALONG THE FRAME. INSIDE THIS BRACKET, COMPLETELY UNDETECTABLE, THE 2 LINES HAD RUSTED... BOTH FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. I SAW THE FLUID LEAK, BUT KNEW I HAD LOST BOTH BRAKING SYSTEMS, FRONT AND REAR, SO I CONTINUED LOOKING FOR ANOTHER LEAK. TO MY SURPRISE, BOTH LINES MADE CONTACT INSIDE THIS BOLT-ON STRAP CONNECTOR AND HAD RUSTED SIMULTANEOUSLY. ALL WARNING LIGHTS AND BUZZERS WORKED PROPERLY. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL HIT THE FLOOR, THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH RESERVE PRESSURE TO ALLOW ME TO CONTINUE TURNING. HEADING DOWNHILL AND MAKING A HARD LEFT TURN WITH VERY LITTLE CLEARANCE FROM MY HOUSE, I NEARLY HIT MY HOUSE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. MANY YEARS OF DOUBLE-BOTTOM 160K LB. GASOLINE TANKER DRIVING AND A SOUND MECHANICAL KNOWLEDGE HASTENED MY REACTION TIME AND I FLIPPED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LEVER AND RELEAVED THE PRESSURE FROM THE REAR SPRING BRAKES, WHICH BROUGHT ME TO A STOP. WITH BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES GONE AT THE SAME TIME, AND WITH ALL BUZZERS AND LIGHTS SENDING ME WARNINGS, STILL THE EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED TO APPLY THE REAR BRAKES WITHOUT MANUALLY MOVING THE PARKING BRAKE LEVER. THIS IS THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM I HAVE EVER INCURRED! A BUS LOAD OF CHILDREN WOULD BE IN DESPARATE DANGER IF THIS HAPPENED TO ONE OF THE MANY SIMULAR BUSES STILL TRANSPORTING CHILDREN TODAY. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE LINES WOULD NOT SHOW THIS PROBLEM. THE BRACKET WOULD NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY REMOVED IN ORDER TO INSPECT FOR RUST. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN! I AM REPLACING ALL LINES ON MY BUS... I NO LONGER TRUST ANY CONNECTOR UNDERNEATH THIS OTHERWISE VERY SOLID VEHICLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .