1999 FORD RANGER Complaints

I HAVE TAKEN MY 1999 FORD RANGER TO BOTH MULLINAX FORD IN WICKLIFFE, OHIO AND CLASSIC FORD IN MENTOR, OHIO COMPLAINING ABOUT ABNORMAL ABS ACTIVITY, THE BRAKES DO NOT ENGAGE AT SLOW SPEEDS AND BOTH DEALERS GAVE ME A PRINT OUT STATING THAT THAT IS NORMAL ABS ACTIVITY( THE TRUCK WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY DURING THIS TIME) I RECENTLY TOOK THE TRUCK TO A NON DEALER SHOP AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE ABS MODULE WAS IN FACT BAD AND WAS READING 255 MPH AT SPEEDS BELOW 50 MPH, I TOOK THIS INFORMATION TO THE DEALER AND THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR COST EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS THE PROBLEM WHEN THE TRUCK WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ABS MODULES WITH FORD TRUCKS AS WELL AS CHEVYS AND SHOULD BE PART OF A SAFETY RECALL, IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED AS A RESULT OF FORD NOT ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE, I KNOW YOU HAVE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WITH THIS ISSUE WHO HAVE RUN INTO FENCES OR GARAGE DOORS AS A RESULT OF THE ABS MODULE FAILING, IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED AS A RESULT OF FORD'S NEGLIGENCE. *NM

DOME LIGHTS STAYS ON EVEN WHEN DOOR IS SHUT. TOOK TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES, WOULD NOT REPAIR WITHOUT CHARGE. STAYS ON EVEN WHILE DRIVING AND AT NIGHT THIS CAN BE A SERIOUS HAZARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED DOZENS OF TIMES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. I HAVE TO REMOVE THE FUSE IF I WANT TO DRIVE SAFELY.*JB

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT ONE OF THE TIRE ON HIS 1999 FORD RANGER EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. THE TIRE ITSELF REMAINED INFLATED. THE LOCATION WAS THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH. THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH FIRESTONE. THE CONSUMER MAILED THE TIRE AND OTHER INFORMATION THAT THE MANUFACTURER REQUESTED. FIRESTONE DID THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION AND FOUND THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR FAULT, AND IT WAS NOT A DEFECT. THE TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE WILDERNESS HT, P205/75R14. *AK FIRESTONE CLAIMED THE MOISTURE CAUSED THE TREAD SEPARATION. *NM

BRAKE LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY FAIL WORK SOME OF THE TIME BUT NOT ALL OF THE TIME, EVEN WHEN PRESSING HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. *JB

I HAD A 1999 FORD RANGER WITH A 4.0 LITER ENGINE A V-6, IT STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AT 95,000 MILES. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE NEXT DAY I WAS TOLD THERE WAS WATER IN # 4 CYLINDER. THEY TOOK BOTH HEADS OFF AND I WAS TOLD THAT BOTH HEADS HAD CRACKS IN THEM I WENT TO LOOK FOR MYSELF I VERIFIED THAT BOTH HEADS WERE CRACKED IN THE SAME LOCATION A CRACK ON # 4 CYLINDER AND A CRACK ON # 1 CYLINDER. I WAS THEN SHOWN A CRACKED HEAD OFF A FORD EXPLORER WITH A 4.0 LITER ENGINE SAME CRACK SAME LOCATION. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT SINCE ALL THE CRACKS ARE IN THE SAME LOCATION AND FORD ALREADY HAS REDESIGNED THE CYLINDER HEADS. THIS COST ME ALMOST $4,000. *JB

WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURN ON INTERMITTENTLY, THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING OR SITTING STOPPED WITH IGNITION ON LISTENING TO RADIO... ALSO SLIPPING OF TRANSMISSION WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER A TURN...THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES, TOO MANY TO COUNT IN THE YEARS SINCE I OWNED THE TRUCK...*NM

I PURCHASED NEW, A 1999, FORD RANGER, 4-WHEEL DRIVE TRUCK ON NOVEMBER 16, 1998, [XXX]. TODAY, I ONLY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 40,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE ALTHOUGH I WILL BE REPLACING THE REAR BRAKES A SECOND TIME IN NEARLY 3 YEARS. IN JANUARY OF 2003, IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC ON A SNOWY MORNING, I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I DIDN'T FEEL THE BRAKES CATCH AND HOLD THE WAY THEY SHOULD. CONSEQUENTLY, IT TOOK A LONGER DISTANCE FOR ME TO STOP. BRAKES ARE AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO MY SAFETY AS WELL AS THE SAFETY OF ALL OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO HANKS GARAGE, INC. (5928 ACKLEY ROAD, CLEVELAND, OHIO 44105, 216-883-0345). I WAS TOLD THAT MY REAR DRUM BRAKES HAD NOT BEEN WORKING AT ALL. IN FACT, THE REAR BRAKES HAD NOT BEEN WORKING AT ALL FOR SOME TIME AS WAS EVIDENT BY THEM BEING COMPLETELY FROZEN AND RUSTED THROUGH. ALSO, THE REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS WERE NOT WORKING. MY MECHANIC SHOWED ME HOW THE SPRINGS AND SHOES WERE RUSTED AND CRUMBLED, FELLING IN TO PIECES. THAT DISCOVERY WAS UNSETTLING TO SAY THE LEAST FOR A VEHICLE THAT ONLY HAD 29,611 MILES AT THAT TIME. I AM LUCKY THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE CONCERNING REAR BRAKES ON THESE VEHICLES. AT THAT TIME THE TRUCKS ODOMETER READ ONLY 29,611 MILES. CLEARLY THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT IN THIS VEHICLES REAR DRUM BRAKING SYSTEM. THAT DEFECT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY FORD. SAFETY FOR THE DRIVER, PASSENGER AND OTHERS ON THE ROADWAYS SHOULD BE A PRIORITY. FORD SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR DESIGNS AND SAFETY QUALITY. TODAY, AGAIN, I AM HAVING A TROUBLE WITH THE REAR BRAKES. IT SEEMS TO BE TAKING ME A LONGER DISTANCE TO STOP SAFELY. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT LED ME TO TAKE THE TRUCK INTO THE REPAIR SHOP IN 2003. I HAVE ONLY PUT SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 10,000 ADDITIONAL MILES ON MY TRUCK. MY CURRENT MILEAGE IS 39,973. IT IS LOW MILEAGE TO HAVE ALL THE COMPONENTS RUST AND DETERIORATE A SECOND TIME. *JB UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDO

WHILE MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY THE 4X4 HIGH LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE SELECTOR SWITCH STILL IN THE 2-WHEEL DRIVE POSITION. STOPPED THE TRUCK IMMEDIATELY AND RESTARTED THE TRUCK. ONCE MORE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED, WHEN THE 4X4 HIGH LIGHT AGAIN FLASHED ON AND OFF. AT APPROXIMATELY 50+ MPH THE TRUCK SLAMMED INTO 4X4 LOW. THE SELECTOR SWITCH REMAINED IN THE 2-WHEEL DRIVE POSITION.

DT: THE THROTTLE GETS STUCK INTERMITTENTLY. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON OR OFF OR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT CHECKED THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, OTHER MECHANICS HAVE LOOKED AT IT BUT COULD NOT SEEM TO PIN POINT THE PROBLEM, BUT SUGGESTED TO REPLACE THE PC VALVE AND THE FILTER. CONSUMER REPLACED THEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY NOTICED SOMETHING BOUNCING DOWN THE ROAD IN MIRROR THAT APPEARED TO HAVE COME OFF OF MY VEHICLE. UPON LATER INSPECTION NOTICED THAT LEFT FRONT SWAY BAR LINK HAD FAILED. STEERING ARM WAS STILL ATTACHED TO LINK, BUT PORTION OF LINK ATTACHED TO SWAY BAR WAS COMPLETELY MISSING.