2003 Ford Ranger body problems

Filed Jun 18, 2023 · Body, Brakes · NY

Truck has no spare tire, totally missing the assembly and bracket originally used to hold the tire (have a junk one in the bed). The crossmember under the truck is about 50% intact is getting ready to fall off. Brake lines and rocker panals rotted out as well. Holes in the frame starting and a patch was already needed on the frame (drivers side rear). As well as a loose bed. The truck is very clean on top but underneath is rotting away like it has 200000 miles on it(truck is at 77,000). I want to remove the rust and coat it but im scared of punching through cause spots are brittle.

Filed Apr 14, 2023 · Body, Suspension · NJ

The frame of my truck has rotted through. The strap that holds the gas tank has nothing to connect to, i think the tank could fall to the ground under the right circumstances. The frame has a large whole in it and i fear it will break very soon. I had to remove the spare tire because i feared it would fall off the truck. I had to replace both connectors that held the leaf springs to the frame,and was told there wasn't much left to connect them to.

Filed Aug 15, 2022 · Body · 79,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, an abnormal, rattling noise began to emit from the rear of the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the rear cross members had rotted out due to severe corrosion. The contact also stated that the fuel tank was no longer being supported due to the failure. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Filed May 18, 2021 · Body · 131,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2003 ford ranger. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the spare tire detached from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was driven back to the residence and inspected. The driver noticed that the undercarriage and sub-frame were severely corroded. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic stated that the sub-frame had rusted out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000

Filed Sep 23, 2020 · Body, Electrical · 128,000 miles · OH

Body, frame and suspension have all been rusted out. Bumper recently just fell off due to rust (while parked). Doors won't shut completely due to rust, which has LED to the interior light remaining on or periodically turning on throughout the day/night and killing the battery. Entire truck is one big pile of rust on wheels.

Filed Jul 22, 2020 · Body · 120,000 miles · IN

Two years ago, a crunching noise while turning was determined to be that both rear spring brackets had rusted through and broken, leaving the rear of the leaf springs unattached to the frame. Both were replaced without incident. This week, while doing routine maintenance, I noticed the front fuel tank hanger was out of place. Upon examination, one side of the fuel tank hanger was completely disconnected from the frame. The cross member and the hanger for the fuel tank bracket is completely rusted away. The frame has no structural support in that area and nothing is supporting the front of the fuel tank. It is unacceptable that ford is allowed to produce frames that rust away right under the vehicle so quickly. This truck body looks fine, however, the bed is rusted away in two places and this frame cross member is completely gone.

Filed May 5, 2020 · Body · 141,000 miles · IL

The fuel tank strap bracket on the frame rotted out and the strap is now hanging loose. The strap looks to be rusty but wasn't the issue it is where the t-shape end on the strap hooks to the frame/bracket that is the problem if the other straps are taking up all the weight and were to break this could cause the gas tank to fall out. This may have happened while driving on city streets. Salt spread throughout the winter and wet conditions would be the best cause for this to happen resulting in rust and corrosion. Also common for the leaf spring shackles and mounts to rot out and come apart this is also another safety issue in itself. This also applies to the mazda b2300 through the b4000 series pick ups since they use the same ranger frames.

Filed Sep 21, 2019 · Body · 69,800 miles · NJ

A few weeks ago my spare tire fell off my truck while driving on lakeshore drive in hewitt, nj 07421. Thankfully it rolled off onto the side of the road so no one else hit it. Yesterday I noticed the back end of the truck looked twisted only to find that the rear passenger side frame is completely snapped. Only to further discover the entire frame, suspension, and various other components are rotting horribly. My vehicle has under 70,000 miles. I had an older toyota tacoma a few years ago that was recalled due to frame rust and it was fully handled. However, the rust and rot on this ford ranger make the 1997 tacoma frame look nearly new. I can no longer drive this vehicle as it is not safe. Ironically, it seem that this is or has happened to nearly every ford ranger from the early 2000s. Personally I feel with the overwhelming amount of web evidence (literally thousands) ford should be held responsible. Please see the photos I've attached. Thank you.

Filed Nov 21, 2018 · Body · 47,000 miles · PA

Severe frame rot (rust) at aprox. 85000 miles, already replaced left rear leaf spring mount (aprox. 2 years ago) frame cross braces are rusting through including the spare tire mount.10/10/16. My belief is that there was little or no corrosion resistant appliad to these frames upon vehicle assambly. Good usable parts are hard if not impossible to find as most are as bad or worse than my existing parts. I believe this issue exists when vehicle is stationary or in motion.

Filed Apr 29, 2018 · Body · RI

Frame in rear of vehicle has holes on both the left side and right side. Also where the spare tire is held is also rotted out , can not hold a spare tire. Also the cross member that holdes the the gas tank strap is also rotting.due to the rotted frame the truck is unable to tow anything with. Other than the frame the truck is in good condition