I bought this truck new, I have had transmission problems but now my frame is in bad, bad, bad rusting condition and my mechanic said it will not pass inspection. This truck only has 82,000 miles on it!!! Toyota stood behind their frames why isn't ford?
The worst 1998 Ford Ranger problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Tires136
- Acceleration71
- Brakes61
- Transmission59
- Engine54
- Suspension52
- Body45
- Lights35
- Airbags32
- Electrical29
- Steering19
- Fuel system18
- Visibility16
- Seat belts14
- Wheels11
- Locks7
- Seats6
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Ford Ranger
Tire blowout 53Adaptive cruise 20Fire or smoke 20Stalling 16No deployment 11Ball joint 10Brake failure 10Grinding brakes 10Headlights 8Harsh shifting 7Hesitation 7ABS 6Loss of power 6Seat belt 6Sudden acceleration 6Knocking 5
Recalls 5
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Risk
- This could result in an underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1‑888‑222‑2751.
Recall number 07V336000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: electric vehicles. The transaxle may have been manufactured with the park detent spring misaligned. If the spring is misaligned, the park mechanism may not engage when the shift lever is placed in the park position.
- Risk
- If the park mechanism does not engage and the vehicle operator has not applied the parking brake, the vehicle could roll free as if in neutral.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transaxle and any with misaligned park detent springs will be replaced.
Recall number 99V204000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain 1997-1999 rhd explorer equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc engines and cruise control built from may 29, 1996 through march 4, 1999; 1998-1999 explorer/mountaineers equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc or 5.0l engines or 1998-1999 rangers equipped with 2.5l, 3.0l ffv/efi or 4.0l engines and cruise control built from january 5, 1998 through march 4, 1999; 1998-1999 mustangs equipped with 3.8l, 4.6l 2-valve or 4-valve engines and cruise control built from march 2, 1998 through march 4, 1999; 1999 f250/f350/f450/f550 (over 8,500 lbs.) trucks equipped with 5.4l or 6.8l engines and cruise control built from march 2, 1998 through march 4, 1999; and 1999 f-53 stripped chassis equipped with 5.4l or 6.8l engines and cruise control built from march 2, 1998 through march 4, 1999. A cruise control cable can interfere with the speed control servo pulley and not allow the throttle to return to idle when disengaging the cruise control.
- Risk
- If the cruise control is used and this condition is present, a stuck throttle could result, which could potentially result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the cruise control cables. At the present time, the replacement cables are not available. Customers are being advised not to use the cruise control system until a replacement can be made.
Recall number 99V062001 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty four-wheel drive pickup trucks equipped with off-road option. The tire and rim identification information is incorrect on these vehicles. This does not comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."
- Risk
- The 16" tires could not be inflated on the specified 15x7.0j rim.
- Remedy
- Owners will be sent a safety certificaiton label partial overlay which will contain the correct rim size, and instructions for affixing this label to the vehicle. If an owner so desires, their ford dealer can install the label for them.
Recall number 98V021000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4.0l engines. The flexible section of the chassis mounted fuel line that connects to the engine was routed too close to the exhaust manifold. The line could contact the manifold.
- Risk
- This could potentially result in damage to the fuel line, or in some cases, cause a fuel leak. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install an additional clip to hold the fuel line in the intended design position.
Recall number 97V186001 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 1998 Ford Ranger
Defect investigations
Steering knuckle separations
There is no summary currently available
PE99045
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Ford Ranger 289
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4X4 or AWD. tt
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures. tt
- Revised procedure for adjusting alignment on all suspensions - new right hand upper control arm design for...
- Driveshaft thump clunk on light acceleration from stop or when braking and coming to a stop. eh
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures. tt
- Rear leaf spring noise. tt
- Low line pressure reading at wide open throttle (wot), slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements with...
- Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) P0442, P0455, P0456, P0457 or...
- Clicking/popping noise from upper steering column area when turning. 2004 e series and explorer sport trac...
- Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. tt
1998 Ford Ranger fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4‑cyl | RWD | 18-19 | 23-24 | 20-21 |
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 21 | 17 |
| 4.0L 6‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 20 | 17 |
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 14-15 | 19-20 | 16-17 |
| 4.0L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 14 | 18-19 | 16 |
What 1998 Ford Ranger owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The rear of the frame rusted causing the bumper to hang off. It will fall off if not addressed
Rear frame excessive rusting. Spare tire carrier fell off while driving. One side of bumper fell off. Noticed when I stepped on it
Frame is rotted out
4wd stopped working some time ago, servo/actuator seemed to be free, recently started making grinding noises in the front right, sounds like hub is somewhere between locked and unlocked. Sort of pops out when coming to a stop HVAC does not work, fan speed only interior courtesy stopped working
The frame has rusted so severely that the rear suspension is detaching from frame and frame is almost rusted completely through and will separate soon. The spare tire and carrier have fallen off where is was attached to the frame due to the excessive rust and the bed mounts have rusted away and no longer attach to the frame leaving the bed with no solid mount. Spare tire and carrier fell off on interstate while driving.
My fuse #27 for backup lights and the o/d keeps blowing out and now the o/d light flashes sometimes I pulled the cover off of the steering column but the o/d cord wasn't pinched or damaged also no appearance of any wire touching anything
Vehicle back bumper fell off due to excessive rust (while in motion). Ball joints, tie rods, upper and lower control arm brackets rusted out as well as holes in the frame (all identified while stationary).
My frame rotted straight thru under the cab on both left and rite frame rails y'all made toyota fix this so ford should do the same so many rangers with bad frames
"frame recall ? " while driving frame broke in half, both sides. Since owning I have replaced leaf spring and shock bracket,and also removed spare tire bracket before it fell off in roadway. This needs to be addressed before someone gets killed!!!
Compare the 1998 Ford Ranger
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Other model years
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Questions about the 1998 Ford Ranger
Is the 1998 Ford Ranger reliable?
Owners have filed 575 complaints about the 1998 Ford Ranger, 2.4 times a typical Ranger model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Ford Ranger?
Tires, with 136 complaints. Next is acceleration (71).
How many recalls does the 1998 Ford Ranger have?
5 recalls, covering vehicle speed control, power train and equipment.
What year does the Ford Ranger have bad tires?
The Ford Ranger model years with the most tires complaints are 1999 (178 complaints), 2000 (139 complaints) and 1998 (136 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1998 Ford Ranger get?
Official estimates for the 1998 Ford Ranger range from 16 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, RWD) gets 18-19 city and 23-24 highway.
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