Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Ford Ranger submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 32 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 32, in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONE MINUTE AFTER STARTING, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEAR AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER, HOWEVER THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 181,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 181,760.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INDICATOR REMAINED LIT UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE SPEED WAS REDUCED, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR INSPECTION AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS RE-BUILT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,099 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 126,431. UPDATED 05/08/09 *BF THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE SEAT BROKE LOOSE. UPDATED 05/12/09.*JB UPDATED 06/09/09.*JB
THIS TRUCK ACCERLERATES BY ITSELF, IT USED TO ONLY BE BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS BUT NOW I CAN BE ON THE FREEWAY AND IN 4TH GEAR WHEN I CAN FEEL THE PEDAL GO DOWN TO THE FLOOR, I'M FORCED TO PUT IT IN NUETRAL UNTIL THE RPMS GO DOWN, TRYING TO GET IT INTO ANOTHER GEAR ONLY GRINDS BECAUSE ITS RUNNING TOO HIGH. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, IF IT HAPPENS AT THE WRONG TIME SOMEONE COULD GET HURT OR THE ENGINE WILL JUST BLOW UP! *AK
MY '97 FORD RANGER STANDARD TRANSMISSION EXHIBITS HIGH IDLE CONDITIONS WHILE SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS. MY DEALER WAS NEVER ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW. MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER BUMPER TO BUMPER AND EMISSIONS WARRANTY BUT I HAVE SAVED RECEIPTS OF THEIR ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM DURING TIME VEHICLE WAS WARRANTED BACK IN 1997. I RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS FOUND THE EXACT SAME HIGH IDLE PROBLEM WITH THEIR 1998 TO 2000 MODEL RANGERS AND THEY ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB00-3-5. WHEN I CALLED MY DEALER TO INQUIRE AND ASK THEM TO INCLUDE MY '97 RANGER IN THE BULLETIN, THEY WERE EVASIVE AND WOULDN'T HELP. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT MY OPTIONS ARE. ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. P.S. FOR YOUR INFO, THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CAN BE FOUND AT ( CASE SENSITIVE, PLEASE TYPE EXACTLY) V8SHO.COM/SHO/TSB00-3-5.HTML . *NLM
NO SUMMARY. DT
TRAMISSION KEEPS WANTING NOT TOGO INTO REVERSE AND INTO 3RD GREAR AT VARIOUS TIMES. *AK
WON'T GO IN ANY GEAR THIS MORNING SEEMED FINE YESTERDAY.THE DOME LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME EVEN WITH THE DOOR CLOSED, IT HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE AND IS VERY INCONVENIENT. *AK
REAR BRAKES PULLED, SERVICED, REPORTED UNVERIFIABLE, BEGAN LOCKING UP IN SHORT BURSTS WHEN STOPPING, REPORTED, FOUND FAULTY , REPLACED COMPLETE REAR ASSEMBLY. WINDSHIELD CRACKED ACROSS CENTER WHILE DRIVING FREEWAY AT 65 MPH, STARTED AT TOP STRIP PASSENGER SIDE SPREADING ACROSS TO DRIVERS SIDE IN JUST MINUTES. DOOR AJAR SWITCHES FAILED CAUSING DOME LIGHT TO REMAIN ON MAKING NIGHT TIME VISIBILITY IMPOSIBLE. TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIFTING ROUGH IN SECOND GEAR HARD TO DOWNSHIFT, VERIFIED, REPAIRED BEARINGS IN SHIFTER. REOCCURED A FEW MONTHS LATER, SERVICE CLAIMED UNVERIFIABLE, WORSENED STUCK IN FOURTH GEAR IN TRAFFIC, HAD TO BE PUSHED TO SHOULDER , AND DISENGAGED. FOUND TO BE FAULTY, AND TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT ,NO NOTICABLE CORRECTION , RETURNED TO SERVICE, CLAIMED UNVERIFIABLE, CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY CORPORAT OFFICE, ADVISED TO GO TO DIFERENT DEALERSHIP , WHILE INVESTIGATED INTERNALLY. DID SO, DEALER REPORTS UNVERIFIABLE, DROVE WITH SUPERVISOR OF SERVICE DEPT, WAS THEN VERIFIED, AND ORDERED REBUILT FOR 2ND TIME.EPAIR, SAME TIME AS EXTENDED WARRANTY TOOK EFFECT, REPAIRS DONE, NO NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE, IN FACT NOW WORSE, ALL GEARS NOW EFFECTED.AND AT TIMES, DIFFICULT TO SHIFT. CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CORPORATION ONCE MORE, IN EFFORT TO GET HELP WITH EXTENSIVE RENTAL CAR COSTS WHILE VEHICLE BEING SERVICED, WAS TOLD NOW THAT TWO INCIDENCES WERE IN NO WAY RELATED NOW THAT EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS IN EFFECT TOO MUCH TIME PASSED, THOUGH EVEN ONLY LESS VTHAN 1000 MILES, IS STILL UNREPAIRED TODAY. *AK
MANUFACTURER FAILED TO NOTIFY CONSUMER ABOUT TRANSMISSION, TRANSMISSION WAS MADE OF SYNTHETIC, AND IT STARTED TO WEAVE, WHEN IT REACHED BAD PROPORTION OF OIL AND AIR, AND WILL LOSE TRANSMISSION, CONTACTED DEALER AND DEALER ADMITTED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH TRANSMISSION.*AK *SLC
POWER STEERING HAD TO BE REPLACED, WAS MAKING A NOISE LIKE PUMP WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. AIR CONDITIONER PUMP REPLACED. RIGHT WINDOW IS LOOSE WHILE GOING DOWN. TRANSMISSION SLIPS OCCASIONALLY WHILE TAKING OFF. THERE ARE LOOSE BOLTS UNDERNEATH SEATS. FOG LIGHT FAILED. CONSUMER STATES OIL FROM MASTER CYLINDER DAMAGED HOOD. DOOR LOCK INSIDE DRIVER'S DOOR NEVER WORKED AND WAS REPLACED. *AK *SLC
NO SUMMARY LISTED. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED. *AK
DOME LIGHT STAYS ON AFTER STARTED AND DOOR CLOSED AND DOES NOT GO OFF. PROBLEM SEEING AT NIGHT... NO WAY TO TURN OFF WITHOUT REMOVING THE BULBS. WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT START WHEN TURNED ON THE DO NOT GO OFF WHEN SWITCHED OFF. HAVE TO TURN THE WIPERS ON THEN OFF AGAIN. SHIFT KNOB COMES OFF WHEN PULLING SHIFT LEVER FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND 3RD TO 4TH. MAKES SHIFTING DIFFICULT WHILE STARTING UP A HILL AND MERGING ON THE FREEWAY BECAUSE THE KNOB SLIPS OFF COMPLETELY AND THE SHIFTER ENDS UP IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION. *AK
WHEN PAWL IS MOVED FROM PARK TO DRIVE ENGINE WILL STALL. SOMETIMES WILL NOT START UNLESS ROLLED VEHICLE OUT OF GARAGE AND CLUTCH WAS PRESSED. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE TRANSMISSION STARTED IN OCTOBER '99 WITH A HARD DOWNSHIFT IN LOW GEAR, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 15 TO 10 MILES PER HOUR. AT THAT SPEED YOU HAVE A HARD BUMP UNDERNEATH AT YOUR TRANSMISSION AND A HUM AS YOU COME TO A STOP. BRANDON FORD CO. COMPLETELY REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION ON APRIL 25-27. A FEW DAYS AFTER, THE SAME PROBLEM CONTINUED. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY CALLED THE FORD MOTOR CO. IN MICHIGAN TO GET A COMPUTER REPROGRAMMING OF THE SHIFT, AND PROCEEDED TO DO THIS WORK ON MAY 19. THIS AUTOMOBILE IS STILL HARD DOWNSHIFTING IN LOW GEAR. IF YOU'RE COMING TO A STOP LIGHT BEHIND TRAFFIC, IT SEEMS KIND OF DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE DOWNSHIFT COULD KICK OUT OF GEAR AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE ONLY THING I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE FORD COMPANY IS A QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT THE SERVICE RECEIVED AT BRANDON FORD, NOT ABOUT MY AUTOMOBILE'S SAFETY. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/70R14 )
CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED,CLIMBING A SMALL RISE. ALSO, NEEDS TO SHIFT MANUALLY FROM 5TH TO 4TH GEAR. WHEN CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED ENGINE WILL RACE TO A WIDE OPEN THROTTLE FOR SECOND ,AND THEN IT WILL COME BACK TO IDLE.DEALER CLAIMED CRUISE CONTROL WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT DEACTIVATE BY APPLYING CLUTCH PEDAL , ONLY BY APPLYING BRAKE PEDAL AND BUTTON. THIS IS IN CONFLICT WITH OWNER'S AND SERVICE MANUAL. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED, ENGINE SURGED WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED OUT OF OVERDRIVE AND FOURTH GEAR, FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF POWER IN GEAR. NLM
SELLING DEALER NOTIFIED EACH TIME, SOME REPAIRS MADE, PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED TWICE. YH
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHICH WILL SHORT CIRCUIT. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER, THE TRANSMISSION FELL OUT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
NO SUMMARY PROVIDED BY THE CONSUMER( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/75R14 )
VEHICLE DESIGN DOES NOT CONTAIN ENOUGH TORQUE TO PROCEED FORWARD ON ANY INCLINE.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH OVERDRIVE HAS ERRATIC SHIFTS AT LOW SPEED. IT SHIFTED, FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL TWICE. THE LAST TIME THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE HAD NO FORWARD POWER.
WHILE DRIVING 45-50 MPH , IT GOES INTO NEUTRAL RATHER THAN GOING TO PASSING GEAR. WHEN FOOT IS RELEASED OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR AND STEPPING ON THE GAS AGAIN, IT WILL ENGAGE. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .