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.
1998 Ford Ranger: harsh or hard shifting
7 of the 575 complaints about the 1998 Ford Ranger describe harsh or hard shifting.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 75 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Harsh or hard shifting by model year
What owners say
Problem 1: transmission clunks when starting out from stop, or when slowing down. While this is a problem that does not develop overnight,rather manifests itself over a peroid of time, when I reported it to the dealer, the mileage was past warranty but the time( 3 years ) was not. My complaint is that this involved a part that ford knows to be defective in design. Ford has since redesigned the part, but will not replace the original because it was out of warranty. However, the poorly designed parts, known to be problem plagued, was installed as original equipment, well under the warranty-I.e. 0 miles, 0 months.problem 2&3 involve the electrical system-lane changer had bad contacts ( I could hear noise when engaging ) from almost day one, but finally failed completly after warranty. In addition the door ajar indicator has come on in wet conditions since less than 6 months old. The dealer has tried to fix many times, often failing to duplicate, until I drove directly to dealer with door ajar on. Even then they have failed to fix. I have an appointment to fix this under warranty, but the other problems they refuse to correct without charge or compromise.
Transmission is experiencing a clunking noise whenever accelerator pedal is applied from a stop position. Dealer was notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was out of its warranty, and not covered under a recall. *ak the driveshaft has been redesigned and dealer stated consumer should have his replaced with the new design, recall 99v204.
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
Rattling noise from engine. Engine replaced still rattles. Clunk when shifting from 1st gear.
Rear driveshaft exhibits a clunking noise/feeling upon acceleration from stop. Begins at around 10,000 miles on new vehicle.
Load 'squeal' heard when releasing clutch pedal between 1st-2nd, 2nd-3rd, 2wd & 4x4 high. Will be serviced for the 3rd time march 1999. First two inspections resulted in replacement of pressure plate(2) and flywheel (1).rear drum brakes failed to release after emergency lever pulled. Owner had to apply unacceptable gas pedal pressure to move vehilce, resulting in a loud 'clunk' when drum brakes finally released.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4X4 or AWD
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- Driveshaft thump clunk on light acceleration from stop or when braking and coming to a stop
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures
- Low line pressure reading at wide open throttle (WOT), slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements with...
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips
- Fluid may leak out of the front axle vent tube
- Thump type noise/vibration heard on light acceleration from a stop or when braking and coming to a stop
Related recalls
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
Questions about the 1998 Ford Ranger harsh shifting
Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 1998 Ford Ranger?
7 of 575 owner complaints about the 1998 Ford Ranger (1%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 2019.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Ford Ranger?
There is 1 recall and 75 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Ford Ranger
Tire blowout 53Adaptive cruise 20Fire or smoke 20Stalling 16No deployment 11Ball joint 10Brake failure 10Grinding brakes 10Headlights 8Hesitation 7ABS 6Loss of power 6Seat belt 6Sudden acceleration 6Knocking 5
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