2001 FORD RANGER Complaints

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED*AK. *SLC

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN MY JOB IN BUFFALO, NY, AND MY HOME IN LEXINGTON, OH, I SUFFERED A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND WAS FORCED TO LIMP INTO A LOCAL FORD TRUCK SALES PLACE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY ADVANCED WARNING AND LEFT ME LIMPING ALONG AT ABOUT 35-40 MPH ON THE I-90 THRUWAY DURING RUSH HOUR WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC TRAVELING 65-70 MPH. BY THE TIME I TRAVELED THE APPROXIMATE 10 MILES, I HAD TOTALLY LOST REVERSE GEAR AND HAD SUBSTANTIAL SLIPPAGE OCCURING IN FORWARD GEARS. MECHANICS INSPECTED THE TRANSMISSION AND DISCOVERED SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION REQUIRING IT TO BE REPLACED. FORD TECH CONSULTANTS REVEALED THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO MANY FORD RANGERS, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. APPARENTLY, THE TORQUE ON THE TRANSMISSION WAS INCREASED WITHOUT REDESIGNING THE TRANSMISSION OR SEALS TO BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE HIGHER TORQUE. THEREFORE, TRANSMISSION SEALS ARE FAILING UNDER USE, LEADING TO SEVERE DAMAGE OF THE TRANSMISSION. FURTHERMORE, FORD HAS NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE --- EVEN THOUGH THE DAMAGE OCCURRED ON 4/11/01, A NEW REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WON'T BE AVAILABLE UNTIL AT LEAST 4/20/01, AN UNACCEPTABLE SITUATION. APPARENTLY MY TRUCK WON'T BE ABLE TO BE RETURNED TO ME FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. FORD TECH CONSULTANTS REVEALED THAT THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT A RECALL, BUT HAVEN'T DECIDED YET. MY TRUCK ONLY HAS 9,200 MILES ON IT --- I HAVE HAD IT LESS THAN 4 MONTHS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND REQUIRE FORD TO ASSUME ITS RESPONSIBILITIES BY REQUIRING A RECALL, BY REQUIRING TIMELY REPAIRS, AND BY ASSUMING FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. I CANNOT PROVIDE THE VIN NUMBER CURRENTLY BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE VEHICLE, ALTHOUGH IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE RETRIEVED FROM HUNTER ERIE FORD TRUCK SALES OF ERIE, PA OR MARK FORD OF BELLVILE, OH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.*AK

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN RPMS JUMPED FROM 2800 TO 5000 FOR ABOUT 3 SECONDS, IT OCCURRED 3 TIMES IN 30 MINUTES. HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES, AND WAS NOT LIMITED TO ANY GIVEN SPEED. DEALERSHIP HAS LOOKED AT VEHICLE, AND PROCESSER (D99) HAS FAILED. DEALER INFORMED COMSUMER THAT THIS PART WAS NO LONGER BEING MADE, AND NEWER PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE YET. *AK

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE DOES NOT LOCK INTO LATCH MECHANISM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

THIS PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY MEMORY SHORTING IN THE ENGINE COMPUTER AND IS PARTIALLY CORRECTED BY DISCONNECTING POS BATTERY TERMINAL SWITCHING IGNITION ON/OF SEVERAL TIMES THAN RECONNECTING POS BATTERY TERMINAL AND STARTING ENGINE WITHOUT TOUCHING THROTTLE . THAN LET MOTOR WARM UP COMPLETLY , THAN DRIVE GENTLY UNTIL COMPUTER MEMORY IS REPROGRAMED. THIS PARTIAL FIX CAME FROM JACOBS ELECTRONICS NOT FORD WHICH CHARGED ME $75 TO TELL ME IT WAS A MEMORY SHORT IN THE COMPUTER. THEY ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE SPARK BOOSTER CAUSED THE PROBLEM WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE IT OCCURED WHEN THE TRUCK WAS NEW TO ME AT 22 MILES. THIS MEMORY PROBLEM IF NOT CORRECTED REQUIRES EXCESSIVE THROTTLE INPUT TO START THE TRUCK IN FIRST GEAR TO AVOID STALLING WHICH IS A SAFTY HAZARD. ADDITIONALLY THE COMPUTER HAS CALIBRATION DIFFICULTIES WHICH RESULT IN SLIGHT MISSING OR ROUGHNESS WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY EVEN WITH THE SPARK BOOSTER WHICH GREATLY HELPS ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND REDUCES EMMISIONS. THE TAIL PIPE HAS NO CARBON DEPOSITS IN IT. WHEN EVER AND IF AN AFTER MARKET COMPUTER BECOMES AVAILABLE FOR THIS VEHICLE I WILL INSTALL IT. *AK

DOOR WILL CLOSE, BUT WILL NOT REMAIN SECURE , IT OPENS WHEN CONSUMER DRIVES AROUND A SHARP TURN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK

THE VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH A SPARE TIRE THAT WAS NOT THE SAME SIZE OF THE TIRES THAT WERE ALREADY ON THE VEHICLE, ALSO THE SPARE TIRE DOES NOT FIT PROPERLY UNDER THE VEHICLE, THE TIRE BINDS UP ON BOTHS SIDES AND IS WITHIN AN INCH OF THE EXHAUST PIPE. *SLC

WHILE DRIVING 65 MP CONSUMER HAD TO APPLY BRAKES, AND THEY LOCKED UP. WOULD NOT RELEASE UNTIL ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. DUE TO ABS LOCKING UP, VEHICLE SPUN AND HIT A GUARDRAIL. *AK

FUEL TANK OVER FLOWS WHEN FILLED, CAUSING GAS TO RUN ONTO THE GROUND. THIS. IN TURN, CREATES A SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD. *AK

FUEL TANK LEVEL SENSOR DOES NOT ACCURATELY INDICATE LEVEL. FORD CLAIMS THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT CANNOT TELL ME WHEN THEY WILL PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT PART AND FIX THE VEHICLE. *AK