Loud squeal for several days thought it was tension pulley. That was replaced with no change. A few days later going down the road. A very loud squeal from the engine area and smell of burning rubber. Later was determined the vibration dampener had come apart. The rubber had come part allowing the groove section the belt rides on to slip toward the back up against the front cover. In looking online for information it was discovered this is a common problem with explorer and rangers with the 4.0 engine. A lot occur with low miles on the vehicle and some result it major repairs as the pulley flies off taking out the radiator. I was able to replace mine because I am a mechanic and have the tools to do the job. So my repair bill was not as much as others had stated.
2005 Ford Ranger: fire, smoke or burning smell
6 of the 289 complaints about the 2005 Ford Ranger describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Fuel inertia switch malfunction, switch shorted out and caught fire. The inertia switch would trigger and shut off the fuel supply to the truck, this happened about 25times since purchasing the vehicle new, the last time it happened I was sitting still in bumper to bumper traffic and it just shut off. I reached under the passenger side of the dash board to reset it and could feel the heat from the electrical fire. I quickly shut off the vehicle and the fire died out. The safety switch is totally fried.
The truck would suddenly stop running. It occurred randomly, sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly, I never knew when it would happen. It would eventually restart. After replacing the fuel filter and the fuel pump (twice) to no avail, I asked my neighbor to look at the inertia switch (ford would not; they said that "couldn't be the problem"). The switch was all fried out inside, and the connector and the wire leading to it were melted. Apparently, the connector was bad. He said that it should have caught fire already. He replaced the switch and put in a different connector and I've had no further problems. I can't believe that I never had an accident, as I mostly drive on the freeway and in the mountains.
Stopped at a traffic signal when the engine shut off. Tried to restart engine when we smelled smoke and saw flames of fire behind us between the cab and bed of the truck. The gas tank caught on fire.
Dt*: the contact stated while stopped at an intersection, the vehicle stalled and an odor of smoke was detected. The contact looked in the rear view mirror and noticed flames. A passerby extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the dealership who determined the chemicals being hauled caused corrosion to the fuel tank, causing the fire. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who determined the fire was a result of the design of the fuel tank.
Ford 2005 ranger caught on fire around 3:00 am. It was in a parking lot. The fire started in the area of the rear tire and the truck was totally destroyed.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2005 Ford Ranger fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2005 Ford Ranger?
6 of 289 owner complaints about the 2005 Ford Ranger (2%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 1992.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Ford Ranger?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Ford Ranger
Fuel pump 21Stalling 20No deployment 8Check engine light 5Won't start 5
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