2002 Ford Ranger

WE ARE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF A 2002 FORD RANGER XLT NOW WITH 57,000 HIGHWAY MILES, ALWAYS GARAGED/WASHED/MAINTAINED, LITTLE DRIVING IN WINTER (MOSTLY IN SUMMER), ALWAYS FORD MAINTAINED/SERVICED AT SAME DEALERSHIP, BODY/ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IN GREAT SHAPE, WILL LIKELY FAIL INSPECTION THIS SPING BECAUSE FRAME AND FRAME COMPONENTS ARE SEVERELY RUSTED OUT. - SEVERE RUST ON THE ENTIRE FRAME INCLUDING BOTH CROSS MEMBERS (ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION), ARM BOLT POINTS AND CONTROL ARMS. - FRAME ALSO HAS SEVERE RUST DOWN BOTH SIDES TO REAR BUMPER, REAR AXLE AND DIFFERENTAL, LEAF SPRINGS AND ALL MOUNTS. - THE PASSENGER SIDE STEARING KNUCKLE IS DELAMINATING. - ALL BRAKE LINES HAVE FAILED WHILE DRIVING: FIRST THE REAR BRAKES INCLUDING ALL AXLE COUPLINGS AND DRUM COUPLINGS; SECOND THE FRONT BRAKE LINES FAILED AT THE DISK BRAKES AND RUBBER COUPLINGS. ALL BRAKE TUBES HAD TO BE REPLACED FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER TO THE WHEELS. - SERVICE MANAGER IS WORRIED ABOUT FRONT CROSS MEMBER FAILING UNDER THE ENGINE, MIDDLE CROSS MEMBER FAILING UNDER THE TRANSMISSION AND THE GAS TANK BRACKETS/STRAPS. - THE FRAME AND MEMBERS AND MOUNTS MUST BE REPLACED; THE REST OF THE VEHICLE IS MECHANICALLY SOUND. SERVICE MANAGER SAID NO REPAIR WAS POSSIBLE TO FRAME RUST IS SO BAD PICTURES CAN BE PROVIDED AND/OR VEHICAL INSPECTED BY NHTSA IF DESIRED. ALL BRAKE LINES AND COUPLINGS PERFORMED AROUND AUGUST 29, 2019.

REAR TIRE FELL OUT ONTO ROAD, ROTTED CARRIER , FRAME ROTTED AT AXLE, CRACKED IN HALF WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, REAR END SHIFTED, CAN KNOW LONGER DRIVE VEHICLE SAFELY, HAD TO BUY NEW TRUCK DAYS LATER! BODY IN GOOD SHAPE, FRAME TOTALLY ROTTED! SO MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT SAME THING ON GOOGLE SEARCH. TOYOTA TOYOTA HAD SAME THING, WE CALLED ALL THEIR TRUCKS AND REPLACED ALL TRUCK F WE CALLED ALL THEIR TRUCKS AND REPLACED ALL TRUCK FRAMES FRAMES, STILL TO THIS DAY FORD HAS NOT RECOGNIZED A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THEIR FRAMES!!! THESE VEHICLES ARE A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD ON THE ROAD AND A RECALL NEEDS TO HAPPEN !!

I BOUGHT MY RANGER NEW, IT CURRENTLY HAS 232,000 MILES. FRAME RUST IS SO BAD IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. REAR SPRING SHACKLE MOUNTS RUSTED AWAY, BED IS RESTING ON SPRINGS. RUST RAINS FROM UNDERNEATH WHEN HOOD IS ALLOWED TO CLOSE. BRAKE LINE MOUNTS ARE NEARLY GONE, AS IS GAS TANK STRAPS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN FRAME ROT THIS BAD, EVEN IN NORTHERN STATES WHERE ROAD SALT IS USED.

EXCESSIVE RUST UNDERNEATH. LEAF SPRING HANGERS FAILED AT 11 YEARS/120K MILES. SPARE TIRE WINCH SEPARATED FROM TRUCK AT 14 YEARS/155K MILES. . AN EXHAUST MOUNT HAS RUSTED AWAY LEAVING THE EXHAUST SYSTEM MARGINALLY SUPPORTED - UNCERTAIN OF WHEN THIS HAPPENED. LOGGING THIS COMPLAINT DUE TO THE GAS TANK STRAP FAILURE. ONE GAS TANK STRAP SEPARATED FROM UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK BED APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AGO - AGE 14.5 YEARS, ~160K MILES. WITH THE SPARE TIRE, I NOTICED IT HANGING LOW (3 OF 4 FASTENERS HAD PULLED AWAY FROM THEIR MOUNTS), AND WITH LITTLE EFFORT, WAS ABLE TO HAVE IT FALL OFF. HAD THE REMAINING FASTENER FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY, OBVIOUSLY BAD THINGS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. WITH THE GAS TANK STRAP, LUCKILY IT SEPARATED FROM UNDERNEATH THE BED RATHER THAN FROM THE FRAME, AND I COULD HEAR IT RUBBING AGAINST THE DRIVE SHAFT. THE OTHER STRAP WAS ABLE TO CARRY THE ENTIRE WEIGHT UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO SECURE THE GAS TANK.

WAS PULLING INTO FRIENDS DRIVEWAY WHEN I HEARD A CRACKING NOISE WHEN I CHECKED THE LEFT REAR SPRING HANGER PULLED OUT OF THE RUSTED FRAME. I PULLED OFF THE BED OF THE TRUCK AND FOUND SEVERAL AREAS WHICH WERE SEVERELY RUSTED INCLUDING THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER AND THE STRAPS WHICH HOLD UP THE GAS TANK. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVE LIVED IN PENNSYLVANIA THE WHOLE TIME.

I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK FROM A DEALERSHIP IN JAN 2010. TRUCK WAS IN GOOD SHAPE, HAD FRAME CHECK OUT BEFORE I BOUGHT IT AND LOOKED VERY GOOD. TRUCK HAD ONLY 48000 MILES ON IT. IN JAN OF 2015 THE TRUCK BED SAT A LITTLE CROOKED CHECK FRAME AND SEEN A CRACK ON FRAME 3' LONG BY FRONT SHACKLE. AT THAT TIME TRUCK ONLY HAS 94000 MILES ON IT. TOOK BED OFF AND FOUND MORE AREAS THAT WOULD NEED ADRESSING SOON. I TRIED TO KEEP TRUCK UNDER SIDE CLEAN DURING THE WINTER, I GUESS THE STUFF THE STATE USES ON THE ROAD WAS TO MUCH FOR THE TRUCK.

REAR LEAF SHACKLES REPLACED, ROTTED FROM FRAME, LAST AUG 2014 TO PASS INSPECTION. THIS WINTER 2014-2015, THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER FRAME ROTTED AND FELL FROM THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING THE SPARE TIRE. NOW, UPON INSPECTION OF THE BED APPEARING CROOKED, THE DRIVERS SIDE FRAME IN FRONT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT LEAF SPRING MOUNT IS TOTALLY ROTTED. THIS HAS CAUSED THE GAS TANK MOUNTS TO THE FRAME TO BREAK. IT HAS ALSO CAUSED THE BED TO TWIST AND THE ENTIRE REAR END OF THIS VEHICLE IS NOW ONLY SUPPORTED BY THE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME.