Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
1713209/01/200310004049Anti-lock braking system (abs) diagnostic trouble code (dtc) c1233 and c1234 reversed in abs module. *tt11/17/2003
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
04161009/06/20040417910011169Grabbing condition from rear drum brakes. *ar *tt01/07/2005

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SERVICE BRAKES
11/05/2012728951
 On november 2, 2012, i went to the place where i purchased my tires to have them rotated and the mechanic reported to me that my rear drum brakes where metal to metal. the next day i pulled the driver's side rear tire and drum and verified that there was no lining on one of the shoes. i purchased a new set of brake shoes (10) at autozone and on november 5, 2012 drove to my father's home to replace the defective shoes. upon removal of the old shoes, we discovered that the lining of the shoe on the other side of that same wheel was cracked down the middle and coming off on one end. we also noted that the missing lining was a bonded shoe and the cracked lining was a riveted shoe. this was confirmed after inspecting the shoes on the passenger side which appeared to be wearing normally but that side also had one bonded shoe and one riveted shoe. don't know why there would be a mix match of brake shoe types. the replacement shoes purchased from autozone were riveted only. i kept the original shoes for anyone's inspection. i recall having my vehicle being stuck from movement after sitting in my driveway, even after removal of the parking brake, on several different occasions. i had to shift from drive to reverse several times to get it to break free. the brake shoe problem could have been the reason behind that happening. *tr
11/05/201272895
 On november 2, 2012, i went to the place where i purchased my tires to have them rotated and the mechanic reported to me that my rear drum brakes where metal to metal. the next day i pulled the driver's side rear tire and drum and verified that there was no lining on one of the shoes. i purchased a new set of brake shoes (10) at autozone and on november 5, 2012 drove to my father's home to replace the defective shoes. upon removal of the old shoes, we discovered that the lining of the shoe on the other side of that same wheel was cracked down the middle and coming off on one end. we also noted that the missing lining was a bonded shoe and the cracked lining was a riveted shoe. this was confirmed after inspecting the shoes on the passenger side which appeared to be wearing normally but that side also had one bonded shoe and one riveted shoe. don't know why there would be a mix match of brake shoe types. the replacement shoes purchased from autozone were riveted only. i kept the original shoes for anyone's inspection. i recall having my vehicle being stuck from movement after sitting in my driveway, even after removal of the parking brake, on several different occasions. i had to shift from drive to reverse several times to get it to break free. the brake shoe problem could have been the reason behind that happening.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK
05/14/200512400107/31/2004
 Was backing down part of my driveway which is fairly steep. when reaching point where wanted to stop, brake pedal would not budge so 2004 ford ranger continued rolling backwards until hitting tree in its path. it stopped then! damage was $4,000 and some. truck is less than a year old with a little more than 12,000 miles use. ford said couldnt find anything wrong with brakes. body shop repaired bed.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
09/01/201148000
 Rear brakes rusted, holding springs rusted, support pins fell out and caused brakes to drag and become worn and overheated way before their time causing replacement about 30,000 miles before they should have been. could have caused brakes to lock while driving.
09/14/201081000
 Recently i encountered a problem with my 2004 ford ranger. the harmonic balance pulley came apart. the website carcomplaints.com has at least 14 incidence of harmonic balance failure on other ford models. can you investigate this issue and verify my findings? in my opinion, the problem has serious safety ramifications because of the systems involved. the harmonic balance pulley driving the serpentine belt that power the steering and brake pumps. the loss of both pumps has the potential of causing an accident. the loss of the serpentine belt will also cause over heating. i believe ford should inspect and make repairs to this component on its vehicles without charge to the customer.
06/20/2009600001
 On saturday, june 20th my wife drove down our driveway and lost her brakes. the driveway is pitched about 15 degrees so the truck, a 2004 ranger with 60,000 miles, picked up speed. pumping didn't help. she steered the curve thereby not flying into the shed; she aimed at a 10 foot deep flowering bush to avoid the stone wall and the truck went through, missed the ash tree, and came to a halt 200 feet down in the meadow. there had been no warning that the brakes were about to fail, no softness that either of us noticed, no warning light. the diagnosis at the dealership is that the master cylinder
12/30/2006209/01/2003
 04 ford truck ranger( ford refused to honor warranty)**cc the consumer reported a binding/seizing problem with the rear brakes. the dealer was unable to duplicate the consumers concern. the second incident the rear brakes seized to the point where the consumer was unable to drive the vehicle. the vehicle had to be towed to the dealer. the cost for new brakes was $777.96. the dealer replaced the wheel cylinders, brake shoes and drums. the emergency brake cable was replaced *jb
01/23/20051
 When the consumer attempted to apply the brakes, the vehicle failed to stop completely. the consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pulled over. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the cause has not been determined at this time. please provide further details. *jb
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK
10/01/200635000106/10/2004
 Anti-lock brake failure caused excessive wear to front brakes of the vehicle. dealer and manufacturer are refusing responsibility for repair. *jb
01/19/200630000306/01/2004
 Dt*: the contact stated while approaching an intersection at 40mph the vehicle in front stopped short. when the brakes were depressed the vehicle seemed to accelerate rather than slow down. the contact swerved to avoid a direct rear end collision, but clipped the vehicle in the right rear bumper. both vehicles sustained only minor damage. the police filed a report at the scene. the contact experienced two previous failures with the brakes, but no accidents resulted in the other incidents. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the problem could not be duplicated. however, the dealer replaced the brake pads.
09/02/200522000107/12/2004
 Dt: the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger edge. the contact stated he has been having brake problems with this vehicle. while driving at 65 mph and applying the brakes the vehicle would not stop. the pedal had a spongy feel when it was pressed down. the service dealer replaced the cap on the reservoir to the master cylinder. this did not remedy the problem. then, the dealership replaced the reservoir, this still did not remedy the problem. the dealer replaced the seals, and this seemed to stop the leak of the brake fluid, but did not help the braking capability. the braking problem resulted in an accident because he could not avoid an animal in the road. when he applied the brakes the vehicle skidded and he could not gain complete control of the vehicle. the vehicle flipped over six to seven times. the consumer was driving 75 mph when the accident occurred. there was one fatality, and two injuries as a result of this accident. the consumer has not contacted the manufacturer or the service dealer because of injuries sustained from the accident. the consumer left the vehicle in a tow yard in winslow, arizona. *ak
07/15/2004101/30/2004
 Traveling down lakeshore parkway at approx. 30 mph and noticed the car in front of me braking to avoid an accident. i hit my brakes with normal braking pressure, the brakes locked-up. i tried to steer to the left to avoid hitting the car in front of me, but when the brakes locked-up the truck kept going staight causing me to collide with the car in front of me. when the vehicle is repaired i will take it to the dealer to inspect.
08/06/2004120001204/23/2004
 Dt: 2004, ford, ranger xlt, front brakes on driver's side are grabbing. the vehicle has been in repair shop twice. consumer can mash the brakes down, and hears a grinding sound. dealership has looked at the truck, and they could not find any problems. when the weather is cool the brakes feel like they are freezing up. also, has been inspected by the dealership, who still could not find the cause of the problem. in addition, the front seal on the transmission was defective. the truck was having problems with the seal when it was taken to dealer for brake problems. the owner told the dealership to fix what ever necessary, and the seal was not fixed. the vehicle has 40,000 miles.
11/15/20044500410/15/2004
 Vehicle experienced problems with the rear brakes locking up intermittently without warning during normal braking. this caused the vehicle to skid out of control. vehicle had been to the dealer on three separate occasions. the dealer replaced various parts, but problem recurred. *ak when the bralkes locked up the truck went skidding into the middle of the intersection almost causing a wreck. the dealer cleaned the brake shoes and resealed with silicon on the backing plate. the dealer also cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes. . *bf *nm
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR
02/02/20065106/20/2005
 I have a 2004 ford ranger with 12000 miles and the front brakes started to pulse very much. after taking it to a mechanic i was told that the front rotors were shot. the mechanic told me that the rotors metal was peeling off. i had the rotors replaced. i did save the old rotors.*nm
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM - SHOES/LININGS
11/16/200647278105/24/2004
 I recently had to repair (at my cost) to have my rear brakes redone due to them locking up. upon removal of the drums it was very evident that the brake shoes were delaminated (separated) causing my rear end of my truck to lock up and not move. this because this is not a wear issue. this is a safety issue. truck has 46k miles. i am looking to trade it in on a toyota, which will be the first japanese vehicle that i have ever considered. rust is also starting to form between the bed and the gate. *nm
09/13/200637270202/16/2004
 I just had a conversation with a man by the name of brian at the phone number 1800-392-ford (that the dealer gave me) about my problem. i am very upset and will be filing a complaint about this as a safety issue to the safer cargov website. among others. this is in regards to my 2004 for ranger edge 4x4. i just recently had to repair (at my cost) to have my rear brakes redone due to them locking up. upon removal of the drums it was very evident that the brake shoes were delaminated (separated) causing my rear end of my truck to lock up and not move. knowing that ford does not cover wear items i figured that they would cover this because this is not a wear issue. this is a safety issue. brake shoes should not separate (wear yes, separate no). a truck with 37 k miles should not have rear brake pads come apart period. if this is what ford calls quality then im very disappointed in my purchase. and as of now i am disappointed about the lack of concern of the potential safety problem this could cause. its a good thing that i was not going 50 mph or higher when it locked up. or on top of that have another person in the vehicle ..safety? or wear? your call quality ? *nm
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM - WHEEL CYLINDERS
01/01/1901480002
 2004 ford ranger truck customer states that the truck was under warranty when he brought the truck to the service department an complained about the brakes both times the technicians found nothing. customer wants to be reimbursed**cc the consumer stated the front and rear wheels were never removed to expose the leaking wheel cylinders. over a period of time, the following year, brake fluid leaked at a slow pace and dissolved the brake lining and caused all the other springs and componets to rust and break. *jb
03/03/2007204952
 Brakes were improperly inspected by dealership service dept. on two occasions while under warranty, which led to undo repair bills. the rear brakes and wheel cylinders of my 2004 ford ranger truck leaked fluid which caused the brake lining and all other springs & components to rust, break and parts to deteriorate. *jb
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES
07/28/20066438
 I would like to report poor design of brake and gas pedals , when wearing work boots if not careful you will push on gas pedal as you apply brake causing vehicle to not slow down and at times actually excelerating, this has happened twice , once resulting in accident during highway panic stop
03/02/200630000110/01/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated while brake pressure was applied at a stop sign, due to the placement of the brake and accelerator pedal the two were pressed at the same time which caused the vehicle to lurch forward resulting in a rear impact collision. no one was injured and seat belts were used. minor damage was sustained to both vehicles. the police were contacted and a report was taken. the vehicle was not seen by a dealer. updated 04/06/06. *jb
312
 The consumer complained about the brake pedal and gas pedal being too close together. the consumer applied the brake pedal and touched the gas pedal at the same time on many occasions. *ak *sc *jb