1998 Ford Ranger

HAZARD OF FIRE OR EXPLOSION FROM INFERIOR PARTS. HOSES AND PIPES FROM FILLER NECK TO GAS TANK ARE BEING REPLACED BY BENEFICIAL AUTOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE IN MOORE OKLAHOMA. TANK HAS TO BE FLUSHED AND FILTER REPLACED AGAIN DUE TO GAS FUMES AND LEAKING FUEL FROM THE DECOMPOSING FILLER NECK HOSES. I JUST HAD TO HAVE THIS DONE FOR THE SAME REASON ON MY '98 FORD E250. FORD DEALER PARTS SALESPERSON SAYS THIS IS A CHRONIC PROBLEM(EVEN HE STATED HE ANTICIPATES THIS WITH HIS FORD TRUCK) AND THE REPLACEMENT PARTS HAVE BEEN RE-ENGINEERED TO CORRECT THE RUBBER DECOMPOSITION WHICH ALSO CLOGGED THE FILTERS AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM CAUSING CHRONIC STALLING AND ROUGH RUNNING ON BOTH VEHICLES. HAD TO HAVE FILTERS REPLACED AND INJECTION SYSTEM SYSTEM CLEANED NUMEROUS TIMES. FORD HAS REFUSED TO EVEN SUPPLY THE REPLACEMENT PARTS OR ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM. LEAKING GAS AND FUMES COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH IF THIS IS NOT HANDLED. THE RECENT REPAIR TO THE E250 WAS IN EXCESS OF $200 (PARTS WERE $100+ FROM DEALER. THE REENGINEERED PARTS FOR THE FORD RANGER ARE $250+ AND LABOR WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT AS THEY HAVE TO REMOVE THE TRUCK BED AND TANK TO REPLACE THE PARTS AND FLUSH THE TANK. ADDITIONALLY MY DRIVEWAY IS DAMAGED FROM THE LEAKING FUEL. REFERRED TO YOU BY CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE. LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE. SINCERELY, VINCE DENNIS. *NM

PURCHASED TRUCK USED IN MAY 1999 WITH 15,000 MILES ON IT. PROBLEM STARTED AFTER HAVING 25,000 ODOMETER MILES ON TRUCK. VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE UPON STOPPING OR SLOWING. HAD IDLE ADJUSTED NEXT SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE (30K). AS OF THIS DATE, AUGUST 19, 2005, VEHICLE STILL ACCELERATES ON VERY RARE OCCASIONS. AFTER A FEW MONTHS FROM THE 45K MAINTENANCE CHECK THE VEHICLE THEN STARTED TO STALL AT RANDOM WHEN STOPPING OR SLOWING. AT REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECKS I WOULD TELL TECH ABOUT STALLING PROBLEMS. MOST OFTEN TECH COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM ON ROAD TEST. VEHICLE WOULD BE SERVICED, STALLING PROBLEM WOULD STOP FOR A VERY SHORT TIME, AND THEN PROBLEM WOULD COME BACK. JULY 12, 2005- I WENT ON ROAD WITH TECH ON ROAD TEST AND FOUND TECH WAS DOWN-SHIFTING AT STOPS. TOLD HIM NOT TO AND THEN VEHICLE DID STALL WHEN COMING TO STOP. DEALER: INSPECTED AND VERIFIED COMPLAINT, CHECKED AND FOUND IDLE AIR CONTROL FAULTY, REMOVED AND REPLACED IAC MOTOR AND CONCERN. TECH NOTES: STILL ACTING UP. FOUND IDLE SPEED ADJUSTED TOO HIGH. READJUSTED IDLE SCREW, ROAD TESTED AND RECHECKED OK. PROBLEM WAS SOLVED FOR A BRIEF THREE WEEKS AND RESURFACED. AS OF AUGUST 19, 2005- THE STALLING PROBLEM STILLS EXISTS. IS A VERY REAL SAFETY ISSUE, AS I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CLOSE ACCIDENT CALLS. EXAMPLES: 1) TURNING OFF A VERY BUSY STREET (45MPH) INTO PARKING LOT, HAVING VEHICLE STALL AND LOSING ALL POWER STEERING INTO TURN, HAVING TO AVOID HITTING TREES, BUILDINGS, PEOPLE, AND OTHERS CARS IN PROCESS. 2) COMING TO A RED STOPLIGHT, MY VEHICLE STALLS, STOPLIGHTS CHANGING TO GREEN AS APPROACHING, CARS BEHIND ME HAVING TO AVOID HITTING MY TRUCK AS I RESTART. 3) VEHICLE STALLING AT YIELD SIGN. NO CROSS TRAFFIC AND CARS BEHIND ME EXPECTING ME TO PASS THROUGH.

THE HOLDING CAP THAT KEEPS THE GAS IN THE GAS TANK HAD BEEN BORKEN FOR A LONG TIME. I USED TO SMELL GAS FOR A LONG TIME ALMOST FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR. ONE DAY WHEN I PUSHED ON THE BRAKE LOTS OF GAS RUSHED OUT OF MY CAR AND A FRIEND NEAR BY NOTICED THIS. TALKING TO MY TENNANT, SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH HER FORS TAURAS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD CLICKING NOISE COMING FORM ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THEN SUDDENLY VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER . CONSUMER IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE, AND WIITHIN SECONDS CAB BEGAN TO FILL WITH SMOKE. CONSUMER GOT OUT, AND WITHIN 15 SECONDS FLAMES WENT THROUGH THE HOOD, AND MELTED ALL ENGINE COM PARTMENT FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME OUT, AND STATED AND CAUSE WAS POSSIBLY DUE TO FUEL PUMP OR FUEL LINES. *AK