My 1998 ford ranger frame is completely rusted out. The gas tank is ready to fall off . The shock fell off. The strap for the spare tire is rusted off how could this happen?
1998 Ford Ranger suspension complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 52, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Took in for inspection. It failed because of rusted frame, shackles, shocks, brake lines and rear brake drums. It cost me $3,127.34 to replace all the parts. Before this, the spare tire fell off. Toyota replaced the frame of my neighbors pickup at no cost to him. I also have a friend who had a year 2000 mazda pickup that had a rusted frame and wouldn't pass inspection. I'm sure this isn't the first complaint on this subject. I bought fords for years and my father worked for a ford dealer ship for 40 years. Since this truck, I will not buy another ford. Thanks for your consideration.
The frame on the passenger side from about the middle of the door to the front suspension mount is almost completely gone from rust. I showed it to the ford dealership and they advised me not to drive as it is extremely unsafe but they either could or would not do anything about it. The coil spring pocket is cracked and the spring is about to pop out. I cannot afford a new vehicle at this time. The frame is broken and cracked in several areas due to stress from flexing because of the rust. I attempted to get a local fabrication shop weld it but they will not touch it. I can take photographs if need be. Ford motor company told me they have had numerous complaints about this same problem but not enough to issue a recall. I am afraid to drive this vehicle but have no choice. I have already replaced rear spring mounts and shackles because of rust but I cannot replace the frame and no one will touch it.
Rear frame has rotted out by the right rear spring hanger causing spring to go tru bed and the rear axle to be detached the truck at this time in in operable due to this will be trying to weld and replace it as best as can be but this seems to be a common complaint im reading about online sure wish ford would step up like toyota did
The frame has rusted through in spots all the way down the frame. It looks close to breaking in half in some spots. A 1998 vehicle should not have this much rust no matter where it came from. After researching this vehicle, it appears this is a common problem and I believe ford should be held responsible for this.
Severely rusted out rear frame rails that would not pass pa. Inspection codes. In the past 3 years I have replaced all the rear spring hangers and mounts. I understand that this is a major problem with the ford ranger line and is why im sending this letter and form.
Rear leaf spring mounts rotted and broken , rear bumper mounts rotted and very close to failure , spare tire mount severley rotted.
Rear section of frame that hold spare tire fell off while driving, tire and frame section just missed a vehicle behind me, at this same time the frame broke off just in front of the rear spring hanger on the driver side.
The frame is having serious and dangerous heavy rust and rot compromising the structural integrity of the truck. In fact a shock mount just broke while driving and the resulting loud bang caused me great stress while driving. After pulling over and looking I could see the shock mount had rotted so bad as to break off the axle house.am also concerned about the structures holding the spare tire,gas tank and entire support system.
The rear bumper in my 1998 ford ranger (80k miles) is about to fall off, as the rear of the frame is rusted & broken. I have cables holding it on now. I found this out after the rear leaf spring shackle & bracket rusted off the frame and broke in two. The spare tire also looks like it is about to fall off from rusted brackets. I did an internet search and found that there are probably thousands of ford rangers in which the rear bumper actually did fall off, or the spare fell off while driving. This problem seems to be much worse that the toyota trucks. In fact someone said that the ford frames were bought at the same factory as the toyota's, but I do not know fore sure. Everything else on my truck is in beautiful condition, not a speck of rust on the body, and it runs great. I bought it brand new.
At 40,000 miles and now at 81000 miles I need the ball joints replaced, I have never had to replace ball joints on any car under 150,000 miles my entire life, there is a problem here, this is a '98 ford ranger.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving at any speed a squeaking noise came from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the upper and lower control arms, tie rods and bearings were replaced.
At approximately 150,000 vehicle miles, the middle leaf on both rear springs has fractured just in front of the rear axle. Discovered 5/27/2005 when the broken piece fell out of the left spring. Subsequently discovered the identical piece was missing from the right side. Recovered piece shows fatigue failure.
While turning, the consumer would hear a loud popping noise/heavy vibration coming from the front end. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The cause was not determined.
When the brake pedal was depressed the entire vehicle vibrated. A mechanic test drove the vehicle, and indicated that something was wrong, but has to inspect the vehicle to locate the cause of the vibration.
Passenger side lower control arm joint grease protector has deteriorated allowing moisture and dirt to enter the joint.
While driving in a parking lot and making a left without warning front end of the truck malfunctioned. Investigator from ford investigated vehicle, stating that malfunction resulted in the manufacturing of the truck and not the driver.
At 30000, the first serpentine belt was replaced. The dealer said there was nothing they could do because the belt was not covered under the warranty. The belt has been replaced twice more since then, and the vehicle only has 52000 miles. Around 40000 miles, the front suspension started clunking every time you hit a bump. The mechanic who inspected the front end stated that the front suspension bushings are what is causing the clunk.
After reading other customer complaints regarding the ford ranger , I feel I must repair the front wheels on my truck. The front wheels started making loud noises when they turned left or right.. I was told the wheel bearings needed replacing. This is expensive. This car only has 27,000.00 miles on it and replacing the wheel bearings sound a little to major for a low mileage car. Yet for my safety and others I need to have this done.
The rear axle of the vehicle fell apart while the consumer was traveling, resulting in loss of control.
Defective part found during routine state inspection. Dealer declined replacement under warrenty due to > 3 years. Service technician diagnosed design defects which should result in recall. No safety defect listed.
The vehicle made a squeak noise in the front end due to lower ball joints failure.
Consumer's vehicle didn't pass inspection last year on 3-14-2000. All 4 ball joints had to be replaced. Vehicle had 29,000 miles then. Vehicle didn't pass inspection again this year at 39,570 miles. Upper ball joints need replacing. In virginia, vehicles have to be inspected every year.*ak
Was at a stop sign & had heard a loud clunk & clang. Then, there was a lot of rattling and it got worse as vehicle moved. Then, something fell. Pulled over. Noticed leaf spring had partially broken. There was some rust on it. Mechanic indicated entire rear left leaf spring needed to be replaced, had parts. *ak
Original equipment on 1998, ford, ranger with 23,000 miles, tire size p235/70r16, dot vn0811u. All 4 tires had worn out from inside and going towards the outside causing front end to come out of alignment. Tires should have lasted 50,000 miles.
Firestone wrangler p265 75 r15 tires experienced early tread wear so consumer had vehicle balanced and aligned many times and problem never corrected, dealer said the problem was the pressure of the tires were too high for large tires on a small truck, another dealer thought the problem to be the rims being to small for such big tires, another dealer replaced tires with radial atx tires that didn't do any better.
Front end alignment is out, but must purchase additional kits to be put on before alinement can be set correctly. Should have been told about this. Now cost of repair is est $120. Most people can not afford that at one time and will drive on misalined front end which can be a big saftely issue.
The vehicle shakes severely on a freeway causing a safety problem to the driver. Yh
Cab shakes side to side. Source seems to be front drive train.
Rear end (?) whines at various speeds,transmission slips. Dealer rebuilt differential, problem persists, dealer now has vehicle installing a new transmission trying to fix problem. Brake pedal pulses (not ABS)and steerings wheel shudders (left/right) when brakes are applied at all speeds. (not reported to dealer, have since found out that this is a common problem with this vehicle). Oil filter- to remove filter it must be wedged past the solenoid/starter. It come in contact with the exposed wires/lugs? On the starter. There is nothing protecting this exposed area. My dealer has been extremely courteous and understanding in dealing with the transmission/differential problem. I have not received any information from ford regarding these problems.through research on the internet I have come to believe that the problems described here are not limited to my experiences. Thank you.
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