1998 Ford Ranger Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the 1998 Ford Ranger, 9% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 114,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “spare tire” (19% of reports).
- 52suspension complaints
- 114,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Spare tire: mentioned in 10 of 52 complaints (19%)
- Front end: mentioned in 10 of 52 complaints (19%)
- Fell off: mentioned in 8 of 52 complaints (15%)
- Rear frame: mentioned in 5 of 52 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 23 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 52 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Ford Ranger suspension complaints by model year
| Model year | Suspension complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Ranger | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2024 Ranger | 4 | 4% | — |
| 2023 Ranger | 1 | 6% | 10,000 |
| 2021 Ranger | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2020 Ranger | 5 | 4% | — |
| 2019 Ranger | 19 | 7% | 21,000 |
| 2011 Ranger | 1 | 0% | 31,159 |
| 2010 Ranger | 2 | 1% | 1,600 |
| 2009 Ranger | 1 | 1% | 37,000 |
| 2008 Ranger | 3 | 1% | 8,300 |
| 2007 Ranger | 4 | 1% | 28,000 |
| 2006 Ranger | 20 | 7% | 90,000 |
| 2005 Ranger | 26 | 9% | 60,000 |
| 2004 Ranger | 29 | 7% | 80,756 |
| 2003 Ranger | 23 | 9% | 98,120 |
| 2002 Ranger | 36 | 10% | 94,000 |
| 2001 Ranger | 87 | 17% | 106,500 |
| 2000 Ranger | 72 | 11% | 90,000 |
| 1999 Ranger | 67 | 9% | 102,000 |
| 1998 Ranger | 52 | 9% | 114,000 |
| 1997 Ranger | 25 | 6% | 121,000 |
| 1996 Ranger | 21 | 5% | 200,000 |
| 1995 Ranger | 21 | 7% | 194,032 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists suspension for the 1998 Ford Ranger. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The rear of the frame rusted causing the bumper to hang off. It will fall off if not addressed
4wd stopped working some time ago, servo/actuator seemed to be free, recently started making grinding noises in the front right, sounds like hub is somewhere between locked and unlocked. Sort of pops out when coming to a stop hvac does not work, fan speed only interior courtesy stopped working
The frame has rusted so severely that the rear suspension is detaching from frame and frame is almost rusted completely through and will separate soon. The spare tire and carrier have fallen off where is was attached to the frame due to the excessive rust and the bed mounts have rusted away and no…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Ford Rangers have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 52 owner complaints about suspension for the 1998 Ford Ranger (9% of the 576 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Ford Ranger suspension?
No recall currently lists suspension for this vehicle.
At what mileage do suspension problems start?
The median reported mileage is 114,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the 1998 Ford Ranger?
The most frequent phrase is “spare tire”, in 10 of 52 complaints, followed by “front end” (10).
Other 1998 Ford Ranger problems
See all 1998 Ford Ranger problems or suspension problems across all Ranger years.