Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 15692 | 03/01/2002 | 636326 | Some vehicles may exhibit a squeak, snap, rattle, or clunk in the front end when turning or going over bumps. *tt | 11/07/2002 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||||
| 042419 | 12/13/2004 | 10014096 | Revised procedure for adjusting alignment on all suspensions - new right hand upper control arm design for torsion bar front suspensions. *tt | 04/28/2005 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| 14978 | 06/01/2001 | 622691 | Some 4x4 super cabs (with torsion bars) built from january 2001 do not have the rear sway bar as this was deleted in production. *tt | 10/22/2001 | |
| 15097 | 07/01/2001 | 621022 | Subject regarding rear alignment out of spec condition. *tt | 09/06/2001 | |
| 01133 | 07/09/2001 | 620979 | Subject regarding rear shock spacer washer usage for electronic vehicles produced after 4/1/2001 only. *tt | 09/05/2001 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 17777 | 05/01/2004 | 10008552 | Rear leaf spring noise. *tt | 08/04/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 09/18/2012 | 119000 | ||
| Symptoms included engine stall during highway and uphill driving. stopped at fuel station to fill tank; when tank approached full; sound of structural failure noted followed by large fuel spillage from tank area (saturated truck rt rear underbelly, ground, rear tire, my shoes and lower portion of pants). subsequent inspection revealed gas tank strap detached from frame due to severe and widespread frame rot. tank apparently hanging from remaining corrosion damaged strap and fuel filler neck (caused tank to tilt backwards; starving engine of fuel during uphill or dynamic driving). fuel filler neck was also severely rotted and finally failed during fuel fill causing entire tank loaded with 16 gallons fuel to become detached at sharp angle. following incident; vehicle professionally inspected revealing extensive frame and suspension component disintegration due to premature failure of ford designed sub-standard materials. large areas of material missing from both front frame members (rear of engine), large holes in frame areas forward of rear wheels (where fuel tank straps attack), severe and widespread frame and suspension component corrosion. vehicle condemned by inspection personnel; now sits idle in driveway. ranger purchased new (year end, 2001) with dealer rust-proof. vehicle regularly maintained and kept free from road salt with regular underbelly wash. vehicle only had 120,000 miles and looked very clean on exterior. i have owned many vehicles in my 35 year driving history; never have i experienced anything like this prior. ford obviously used ultra-sub standard materials in ranger critical suspension component designs; without regard for the safety of unsuspecting owners. this is criminal, it will only be a matter of time before people are injured or killed by these design defects. | |||
| 11/23/2011 | 121000 | 1 | |
| Went to rear of truck and found bumper had broken free on the drivers side. looked under the tuck and found that the entire frame in the rear is rotted and the leaf springs are in danger of coming completely off. the bumper is entirely free from the truck. the passenger side of the frame directly over the tire is cracked completely through. this is the worst frame i have ever seen and have lived through the 70's american car manufacturers mess. *tr | |||
| 11/23/2011 | 121000 | ||
| Went to rear of truck and found bumper had broken free on the drivers side. looke under the tuck and found that the entir frame in the rear is rotted and the leaf springs are in danger of coming completly off. the bumper is entirely free from the truck. the passenger side of the frame directly over the tire is cracked completly through. this is the worst frame i have ever seen and have lived through the 70's american car manufacturers mess. | |||
| 12/02/2012 | 58565 | 1 | |
| I attached a yard trailer to the receiver hitch and as i pulled out of the yard the hitch pulled right off the back of the truck. i looked under the truck and saw about a foot of the rear frame rails were completely rusted away on both sides. both rear leaf spring mounts were broken away and the springs were pushed up onto the bed of the truck. this truck has less than 60,000 miles on it and no apparent rust. if this had happened on the highway the trailer would have gone sailing down the highway possibly causing an accident. both rear springs detached from the frame and if i had been on the highway, there is a good chance i would have lost control of the truck. *tr | |||
| 12/02/2012 | 58565 | ||
| I attached a yard trailer to the receiver hitch and as i pulled out of the yard the hitch pulled right off the back of the truck. i looked under the truck and saw about a foot of the rear frame rails were completely rusted away on both sides. both rear leaf spring mounts were broken away and the springs were pushed up onto the bed of the truck. this truck has less than 60,000 miles on it and no apparent rust. if this had happened on the highway the trailer would have gone sailing down the highway possibly causing an accident. both rear springs detached from the frame and if i had been on the highway, there is a good chance i would have lost control of the truck. | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 100007 | 1 | |
| Undercarriage and frame has excessive rust problems causing parts on frame to fail and fall off. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 100007 | ||
| Undercarriage and frame has excessive rust problems causing parts on frame to fail and fall off. | |||
| 09/26/2012 | 85000 | ||
| Right rear is two inches lower than left side,,frame is rusted through | |||
| 03/13/2012 | |||
| Frame rusted to the point of breaking. | |||
| 09/14/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger. after examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the entire frame and sub frame had cracked and rusted through. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic on several occasions, where the leaf springs were replaced each time. the failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 140,000. the vin was unavailable. sm. | |||
| 09/14/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger. after examining the vehicle the contact noticed that the entire frame and sub frame had cracked and rusted through. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic on several occasions were the leaf springs were replaced each time. the current mileage is 140000 and the failure mileage was 110000. bml | |||
| 02/28/2012 | 130000 | ||
| I own a ford ranger and the frame where the leaf springs attach has completely rotted out! is there anything i can do? | |||
| 09/01/2011 | 112000 | ||
| Frame was noted to have severe rust damage to rear portion of frame, however,the front portion ofthe frame does not show such damage. i have done research on this issue and it seems to be so common that there is an after market frame repair kit for this specific vehicle. the truck has no other issues. i believe that it sould not be much to ask to have defect repaired by the manufacturer to avoid safety issues. | |||
| 12/22/2011 | |||
| Truck has 86,000 and looks like brand new condition, however, the frame is badly rusted, our auto mechanic has told me that the tucks life is coming to an end. contacted ford and they said there is an ongoing investigation and they can not comment at this time. i asked if they would help pay for a frame replacement which they declined. | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Rear frame on ranger is rusting. the slot where the gas tank strap hooks on to the frame has rusted away this caused the gas tank to drop the whole back frame looks bad | |||
| 06/11/2008 | 100000 | ||
| Noticed my truck was sitting crooked. took it to repair shop to have repaired. about 2 hours after i dropped it off the repair shop called my phone and asked me to come to their shop. the mechanic showed me the rusted spring shackles and rusted spring hangers and the rusted frame. this shop would not put my trailer hitch back on because he said my rusty frame would not hold it up. i took my truck back to a ford dealer for them to look at. they told me that the truck was paid for, warranty was out and as far as they were concerned the problem was mine. i tried to tell the dealer that this didn,t happen overnight. he didn,t care. i have had parts of the frame plated so it wouldn,t break into. gas tank brackets have rusted off. main front crossmember has rust holes in it. this truck was only 7 years old and its junk. tried to trade it off at a dealer first thing they look at is the frame. the dealers know there is a problem with the frames rusting. and mine is not the only one in the area with rusted frame problems. my son has a 2004 ford thats almost as bad as mine. i have a 1955 ford truck that has a better frame under it than my 2001. sad but true. i took excellent care of my truck for those first 7 years but who crawls under their car or truck to check for rust. you expect some but not to this extent. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Rear leaf spring hangers failed & separated from the frame due to corrosion causing the leaf spring to damage the bed of the truck as the leaf spring drove through the skin of the truck bed. | |||
| 06/11/2008 | 100000 | ||
| Noticed my truck was sitting crooked. took it to repair shop to have repaired. about 2 hours after i dropped it off the repair shop called my phone and asked me to come to their shop. the mechanic showed me the rusted spring shackles and rusted spring hangers and the rusted frame. this shop would not put my trailer hitch back on because he said my rusty frame would not hold it up. i took my truck back to a ford dealer for them to look at. they told me that the truck was paid for, warranty was out and as far as they were concerned the problem was mine. i tried to tell the dealer that this didn,t happen overnight. he didn,t care. i have had parts of the frame plated so it wouldn,t break into. gas tank brackets have rusted off. main front crossmember has rust holes in it. this truck was only 7 years old and its junk. tried to trade it off at a dealer first thing they look at is the frame. the dealers know there is a problem with the frames rusting. and mine is not the only one in the area with rusted frame problems. my son has a 2004 ford thats almost as bad as mine. i have a 1955 ford truck that has a better frame under it than my 2001. sad but true. i took excellent care of my truck for those first 7 years but who crawls under their car or truck to check for rust. you expect some but not to this extent. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Rear leaf spring hangers failed & separated from the frame due to corrosion causing the leaf spring to damage the bed of the truck as the leaf spring drove through the skin of the truck bed. | |||
| 09/21/2003 | 5000 | 1 | 06/29/2001 |
| Dt: the caller said both front ball joints were defective. the vehicle was making noises in the front end. this was the only indication that something was wrong. the dealer told the consumer that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. an independent mechanic told the consumer that the ball joints were bad. the mechanic told him that the ball joints should not go bad at that mileage. the manufacturer offered no help. the consumer did not know if the problem was with the lower joints. *ak (11/15/05) the noise was coming from the drivers side front tire. the consumer was informed that the noise was coming from both ball joints and the cv joint. *sc | |||
| 11/11/2004 | 2 | ||
| After 15,000 miles on good year tires i had strange wear of all 4 tires. i went to the ford dealership burt ford 303-643-9020 and approved through ford all tires had been replaced. (this was bought new off of ford lot with goodyear tires) they stated the tires had coupled? bad tires and replace. 20,000 miles later the same thing happened all 4 tires and i was told by ford customer care, 1-800-241- ford, and burt ford that again it was the tires and again the new tires have started coupling. i feel this is the ford ranger 2001, 4 wheel drive, build defect that is making this happen. i at this time fear the vehicle has a major defect and this will make the truck unsafe and possibly cause loss of life. ford stated they checked front end only. they are not taking this as a real issue and have now placed me and my family in danger. *jb | |||
| 05/25/2003 | 6000 | 2 | 02/09/2001 |
| At 6k mi while making right turns at speeds 30 mph and lower, there was a distinct vibration in the front end. ford replaced the steering rack. now at 23k mi same exact problem is back. *tt | |||
| 1 | 07/31/2001 | ||
| Vehicle wanders and it is difficult to control, the rear end has excessive roll at highway use, lack of control exist when the road conditions change. | |||
| 08/16/2001 | |||
| Date of purchase smelled rubber on the drivers front wheel. truck bounces all over continues to do so, this causes poor steering control as well. brakes alternates from grabbing or slow in working, pcm has been reprogrammed, yet the whinning in the engine or drive train continue. suspension very weak, vehicle leans to the right on the curves and steering control is dangerous. | |||
| 1 | 08/10/2001 | ||
| While driving 57-67 mph there is a constant vibration. engineer from ford stated it was a characteristic of the truck.*ak ford recommended and installed new goodyear wrangler tires on vehicle. *tt | |||
| 04/01/2001 | 4 | 12/01/2000 | |
| The problem is a non-compliance of the installed springs and shocks assembly. the whole truck bounces over a bump instead of the suspension compressing and absorbing the shock. the results are that the back end of the truck bounces to the right or left and makes me almost lose control of the vehicle. the vehicle ended up on two wheels on one occasion and almost rolled over. the vehicle finally settled back down on all four wheels and i was able to continue on my way.*ak | |||
| 05/15/2001 | 2 | 04/01/2001 | |
| Whenever vehicle runs over a bump or a pothole it causes rear end to kick to the right or to the left. dealer replaced front and rear shock, some improvements were made, but the problem still occurs. *ak consumer states that the vehicle oversteers when pressure is applied like during a turn, the problem seems to only occur when the left side of the vehicle hits a bump. engine light illuminated. *jb | |||
| 1 | 07/31/2001 | ||
| Vehicle wanders and it is difficult to control, the rear end has excessive roll at highway use, lack of control exist when the road conditions change. | |||
| 3 | 09/01/2001 | ||
| While driving vehicle would start to vibrate/ shimmy, higher the speed shimmying would be worse, consumer would grip steering wheel, and would be hard to maintain control, had taken vehicle to two different dealerships, each mechanic just rotated the tires, this failed to correct the problem.*ak goodyear replaced all four tires. rts wrangler p235/75r15)*jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 01/11/2011 | 47944 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger. the contact noticed that the front upper and lower ball joints had worn out. the dealer was notified who informed the contact that they needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was informed who did not offer any assistance nor was the vehicle repaired. the current and failure mileages were 47,944. bw | |||
| 09/25/2008 | 43000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger. while the vehicle was undergoing a front end alignment, the contact was informed that the front lower ball joints were defective, loose, and worn. he stated that the steering was fine and he could not tell that there was an issue prior to the repair visit. the manufacturer offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 43,000. | |||
| 06/16/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer stated that front end is wearing. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| 03/20/2002 | |||
| Vehicle is pulling to the right side. right/front tire feels as if it is going to buckle up under vehicle. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 09/18/2001 | 2 | 08/01/2001 | |
| A piece of tire flew off and made a loud thud sound in the wheel-well. tire then began to fly apart while driving at 65mph. truck began to swerve off the road when i began to apply the brakes. tire came off the rim before we could stop. bell ford and firestone dealer told me the tire was not under warranty as it happened while i was driving the vehicle. they called it a road hazard. hazardous tires would be more accurate. another couple brought in a tire just like ours with the same problem. we were both turned away. we have replaced all five tires on the vehicle because of the nature of the situation and the danger we felt. i have had flat tires on the freeway before, but i have never had a tire disintegrate into hundreds of pieces or come off the rim like that. please advice nhtsa of poor quality of this firestone product which ford motor company uses on their new vehicles. thank you for your help to the comsumers. *ak (dot number: 027476 tiresize: 70r15) | |||
| 08/14/2001 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| I have had this truck for only one year and have had many problems. first the transmission went beacause it would not go past 2nd gear and the overdrive light was flashing. it was found to be internal parts and external wiring of the transmission. that same day the alternator went and left me with a dead battery. i have taken it into the dealer about 3 times for rough idle and have been turned away saying the cannot feel anything and that not to worry because its still under warranty. twice i have taken it in for the front suspension due to a vibration to the steering wheel and truck. all rotors were turned and the front was reallined. also the truck seems to go through gas a bit too quickly, just about a bit over a quarter tank for every 10-15 miles.*ak | |||
| 3 | 09/01/2001 | ||
| While driving vehicle would start to vibrate/ shimmy, higher the speed shimmying would be worse, consumer would grip steering wheel, and would be hard to maintain control, had taken vehicle to two different dealerships, each mechanic just rotated the tires, this failed to correct the problem.*ak goodyear replaced all four tires. rts wrangler p235/75r15)*jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| While traveling up hill and making turns consumer noticed steering wheel vibrating. dealer has been contacted. dealer encouraged consumer to put more miles on vehicle. *ak vehicle has rough idle when waiting for a light or a stop sign, it doesn't matter if it is in gear or not. *yh | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 12/13/2007 | 76000 | 1 | 03/26/2001 |
| I have a 2001 ford ranger 4x that is mainly used for driving to work. it is only taken off the pavement to unload materials or remove wood, etc from the back of my property. i had new tires put on at 75,000 miles and was told that i needed wheel alignment. since i questioned this, i took it to the dealer for the alignment. they told me that my ball joints needed replacement for $500, which i also doubted. i told them to do the alignment but not the ball joint replacement. i have had no reason to suspect that the ball joints are bad but if they are then i would like to have them replaced. i am 65 and have gone through a lot of cars. i have had some for nearly 200,000 miles but this is the first time that i have been told that the ball joints need replacement. i have contacted ford and they provided not help. they said to take it to a dealer and that they will probably charge me to look at it. *tr | |||
| 06/14/2004 | 29055 | 2 | 04/24/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated upon inspection of the vehicle the ball joint boots were noticed deteriorating. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and they replaced the lower ball joints. the manufacturer was alerted. the upper ball joints failed as well. the timing cover gasket was replaced. updated 03/22/06. *jb | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front. vehicle was taken to the dealership, and mechanic notified consumer that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. however a independent mechanic determined that lower ball joint wore out.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 06/14/2004 | 29055 | 2 | 04/24/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated upon inspection of the vehicle the ball joint boots were noticed deteriorating. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and they replaced the lower ball joints. the manufacturer was alerted. the upper ball joints failed as well. the timing cover gasket was replaced. updated 03/22/06. *jb | |||
| 07/24/2003 | 51200 | 1 | 06/11/2003 |
| I have a ford ranger edge 2001. i purchased it jun 11 2003. i just started feeling weird vibrations and sounds from the front end .i took it to a mechanic and he told me both upper suspension arms need replacing.this is going to cost over a $1000.00 dollars. i was told if i don't do it soon i could loose one or both of my front tires at high speed or off road. he also told me he has a lot of ford rangers are having the same problem. please help. *ph | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||
| 11/28/2007 | 1 | 09/21/2007 | |
| I got an 2001 ford ranger used. noticed something strange with the handling. i also noticed a banging on the floor on rough roads. it took me a two months to find the problem. both bolts or the anti sway bar were broken on the front end. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 12/02/2005 | 67000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger xlt. while the vehicle was parked he noticed the rear was sitting lower to the ground than usual. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the rear suspension was repaired. a few years later the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop to be inspected where he was informed the entire under carriage was severely corroded. he was also informed the hinges which hold the fuel tank to the frame were severely corroded. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 67,000 and the current mileage was 104,000. sm. | |||
| 03/11/2003 | 19600 | 1 | |
| The rear end of the vehicle swayed, when the vehicle hit a bump in the road. *jb | |||