Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford ranger. While driving at various speeds, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed that the rear spring suspension failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 237,000.
1999 Ford Ranger suspension complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 67, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 1999 ford ranger frame is rusting in several location which will make it very unsafe the body looks brand new but the front frame and rear frame are rusting away. The shocks on the front right side are about the break through the support and the upper control arm is about the break off.
My frame has rusted/ rotted almost completely off where it connects to my rear bumper. The bumper is now attached by one of two brackets and is soon to fall off where as it may cause a fatal injury to another driver or pedestrians.
Upon inspection mechanic said "shackles , frame, leafsprings, all rusted and truck will not last. Motor runs great, body no rust.
My repair garage called me in to look at the frame on my 1999 ford ranger. The frame was deteriorated so badly from rust near the front engine and by the rear spring hangers and shackles it is unsafe to drive. Mechanically it runs and drives great and the sheet metal and interior is excellent. The frame is a major safety issue for a vehicle which has been garaged, well cared for, and has been driven only an average of 6,125 miles annually. Ford should be held accountable for this!
I have owned 4 rangers over the past 15 years, a 1995, 1998,1999,and a 2001 and all 4 trucks have had the leaf spring hangers rot off . My latest truck the leaf spring hanger and now the frame has rotted away there is no way this is an isolated incident. The internet is full of comments about this problem. It is my understanding that tundras had a recall on this same issue. Why is it different for a ranger?
For the second time as far as I know the rear frame (rear spring shackles and spear tire holder specifically) have and are being replaced because they have rusted and they tore apart. As I was driving I hit a regular bump in the road. I was driving about 35 to 45 MPH on the way to work. Well it sounded like it hit pretty hard, as I was driving I noticed the trucks performance was lacking. So, went to work, got out of work and on the way back home I noticed the samething with the performance of the truck. It was lacking in a big way. As I was pulling into the driveway I heard a large clunk sound. The next day I had a prior appointment at my transmission shop. As the mechanics put it on the lift "the rear axle dropped to the full extent of the shock absorber and busting their seals. Because the shackle broke it was causing the axle to twist while I was driving given the truck the bad performance, bad steering, and giving the transmission a pulsating affect. Also the engine lost the power giving the truck resistance and using more gas. So I am replacing both shackles, both shock absorbers, and the spear tire mechanism. At the same time I will be sanding the frame down, and coating all parts (cleaning and coating parts) with bedliner coating to hopefully stop the rust. The parts that I am replacing are also replacement parts because they are bolted on to the frame instead of riveted like the originals were. Also the steel seams to be thinner in the rear than the front and middle.
I tried to get my 99 ranger inspected when they put it on the lift a big chunk of the frame fell to the ground .upon further inspection there were holes in the right side frame next to the rear spring shackles and the gas tank straps were rusted out of the frame .the garage owner taped the frame with a ball peen hammer and found more holes on the left side and the right front under the air conditioner .I could not drive the truck home it was so unsafe I can't believe the frame did not brake when I was driving it .if I was to get into an accident with the truck in that condition the frame would have crumpled up like tin foil .reading the complaints here I'm not alone .the truck was taken care of washed all the time if ford is going to sell trucks in new york they better be safer .I will never buy another ford .
I noticed a hole in the rear of my truck bed. Upon further inspection I found spring shackles and frame mounts were rusted away and not holding the springs anymore. They were coming through my truck bed! This made my truck unsafe to drive. The rest of my truck is in very good shape. This kind of rust is not normal and is not safe! As I checked on the internet I've found that I'm not the only one that has had this problem with the 1999 ford ranger!
I noticed heavy rust scale on ground and inspected to see my spare tire was missing, there is a large hole rusted all the way thru the frame in front of the left rear spring shackle and a crack in the frame in front of the front shackle almost all the way around the channel. Further investigation showed all cross members, gas tank strap and bed supports are severely rusted and the right side frame rail following suit with the left frame rail. The remainder of the truck is in very good condition this should not happen to a truck with this age and mileage.
While driving on the highway, I was having difficulty steering. The car was pulling to the left and I had to pull over because it was too difficult to manage. Upon inspection, the right front tire was toed-in and the upper tire stabilizer arm broke away from the frame at the bracket. The bracket attaching the arm to the frame had snapped. The frame itself just below that bracket was cracked with severe rot on both sides. The rest of the truck is in perfect condition except for the frame. I was told that this cannot be fixed.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford ranger. The contact stated that the bolts behind the rear wheels that were connected to the bed of the vehicle were completely rusted. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a routine inspection when the dealer advised him of the failure. The dealer stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 102,000.
The far rear right spring shackle and mount fell out of the truck. I felt the body fall and heard a bang and in the mirror saw something fall on the ground. After investigating I found that those parts had rotted out and fell out. The spring was resting on the bottom of the truck bed. I'm a mechanic, so I got the parts to fix it, but found that as I took apart the frame parts, the frame had rusted through on both sides of the spring mount. The left side, though the shackle mount had not rotted off yet, was in bad shape. When I got the left side spring mount off, the frame was rotted through behind it and had rusted through on both sides of the spring mount. This isn't going to last long. Infact I'm looking into my options for repair. Ford should be made responsible for this. There is no way a truck frame should melt like this. To remove the rivots used from the factory to mount the frame parts, I used an air chisel. The vibration caused massive amounts of rust flakes to fall off of other parts of the frame, some an eighth in thick and the size of a large tire patch. This makes me wonder if the rest of the frame is safe to use.! If you go to a junk yard you can find truck frames that are 40 years old that don't have this kind of rot!!! Please press ford to do something about this...thank you.
I was driving on the highway and noticed that the steering was pulling to the left. After a short while I could not manage the steering. When I pulled over in the brakedown lane I noticed that the right front tire was toed in. When the tow truck came we noticed that the frame was cracked and rotted at both wheel mounts and the the right front mount was the worse. We also noticed that the motor mounts were all rotted and the overall front section of the frame was rotted which prevented any repair.
Structure, frame rusted, front bumper rusted from inside. Rear spring suport rusted. Gas filler door rusted.
Shackles, frame ,frame brackets and bumpers rusted . Shackle brackets and rear frame brackets broke into when raising truck on lift.
1999 ford ranger rear frame section rotted behind rear shackle mount. Broke off and caused rear axle to become disconnected from the rear frame section. Bumper fell to the ground.
Frame rusted through near spring hanger replaced spring hangers now frame has so many holes spring hangers may come loose. Rear bumber is falling off.
We have had numerous rangers and every one of them has had a rusted frame!! We currently have 2 a 1999 and a 1998 and both frames are rusted. Why can ford not man up like toyota? Talk about a [xxx] company who will not admit they screwed up on these frames. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
You guys should make ford motors replace every single frame on ford ranger pick ups. I have one now that I am trying to fix and it is just incredible the amount of rust and holes that are in a truck that is barely ten years old.
It was revealed to me that my bumper appeared to be falling off. A closer inspection showed that the rear portion of the frame has rotted. The bumper mount has deteriorated and no longer supports the bumper. The shock mounts appear to be hazardous as well. The vehicle has been garage kept and has never been involved in a rear end collision. As I have researched this problem online, it seems to be a major problem with this years model of the ford ranger. *tr
1999 ford ranger with 130,000 miles. Leaf springs rusted out (both sides) and mounting brackets also rusted. Went to 3 autobody shops and nobody would touch it. Bumper just rusted out on both sides and spare tire well is completely rusted. Bumper and spare currently being held together with 2, 1900 lb chains. Ranger runs fine just body falling apart. Very concerned tire, bumper may become dislodged and cause further damage to myself or others. Gas tank also rusted but not leaking so far.
Truck lost brakes while going downhill. Frame corrosion had caused right spring hanger to fail, and corroded brake line burst. I was able to pump the brake pedal and avoid an accident. Brake warning light came on after the incident. Mechanic put the truck on a lift, and identified severe corrosion to the brake lines, differential, frame, and several other undercarriage components. Truck had been undercoated and washed regularly, and has less than 105,000 miles. Mechanic suggested all new brake lines, total frame, and rear end replacement.
Excessive under carriage/frame rust. Spare tire mount rusted completely through and fell off at 30,000 miles. Ladder frame cross members completely rusted through and fell off after 35000, front part of ladder frame where engine mounts is rusted 80% through by 41,000 miles. Most of frame is heavily damaged by excessive rust. Upper body looks fine, no rust on main body, only under carriage and frame. Vehicle is about to collapse.
Rear leaf spring supports completely rusted away. Before replacement support brackets could be mounted, steel plates had to be welded to the frame for support because part of the frame had rusted away also.
My grandfather bought this truck new and replaced the rear spring hangers in10/2009. I have the truck now. After pressure washing the frame I noticed the frame cross member has a hole in it at the muffler. Front spring hangers are extremely rusty as is the shock mounts. The frame from the cab to rear is extremely rusty and thin looking. The spare tire holding area has a hole in it. This truck has never been off road or in the mud. Very little time on the road in the winter. The body is in excellent shape as is the frame from cab to front. Truck has only 98,000 miles on it now. Could this be a frame issue as it was with toyota? Same manufacture maybe? Just a thought because they are plenty of the same complaints in the same area.
First failure was where leaf springs attach to frame (rear shackles) failed due to rust and put hole in truck bed. Replaced parts. Second failure is when filling tank with fuel; gas has started to run out on the ground at the gas station. Just received filler neck today to replace current rusted one. While under vehicle noticed tank strap is hanging loose not attached due to connection point rusted off (similar failure to the federal safety agency recall campaign #11v385000 fuel tank strap failure). Also noticed severe rust like little or no rust inhibitor was applied to frame and components. Shield above muffler is almost non-existent, frame cross member is flaking away due to rust. I am not qualified to provide full details of problems or cause but rust is becoming a safety issue with this vehicle. Contacted ford and they say vehicle is not part of recall.
The shackle on the left rear spring totally broke off of vehicle. The shackle on the right side is almost totally detached. There is no way to attach new shackles because the truck frame is totally rotted away. Also much to my amazement the spare tire which was suspended underneath the pickup bed is gone. Where it was attached is all rotted away so at some point it just fell off when we were driving, don't know where or when. Today I talked to the service dept of the ford dealer where the truck was purchased and ford is not doing anything about this. They said we have this problem with shackles all the time. They rust out. My mechanic, who discovered the problem said he see this a lot on all models of fords pickups. My brother in law has a toyota tacoma pickup which just failed a safety inspection because of a rotted frame. Toyota is replacing his frame free of charge. I feel that is what ford should be forced to do. I thank god the other shackle didn't give way while my wife was driving it on the highway and have a serious accident.
Rear spring shackles and rear spring hangers rusted out allowing rear of spring to become disconnected from the vehicle. Loss of rear suspension stability loss of control.
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.
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