1999 Ford Ranger Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Ranger years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 755 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Ford Ranger. That is the most of any Ranger model year in the database (28 years). The most reported problem area is tires (178 complaints, 24%), typically at around 103,000 miles. Complaints mention 96 crashes, 14 fires, 61 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 755owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 96complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1999 Ford Ranger problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires problems | 178 | 24% | 103,000 | “firestone wilderness” (33%) | — |
| Structure problems | 89 | 12% | 111,000 | “rear frame” (17%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 80 | 11% | 55,000 | “pedal went floor” (6%) | — |
| Air Bags problems | 79 | 10% | 91,000 | “air bags deploy” (22%) | — |
| Visibility problems | 73 | 10% | 59,802 | “windshield wipers” (63%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 67 | 9% | 59,102 | “please provide” (7%) | — |
| Suspension problems | 67 | 9% | 102,000 | “rear spring” (15%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 54 | 7% | 75,000 | “cruise control” (19%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 45 | 6% | 88,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 39 | 5% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 28 | 4% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 16 | 2% | 94,160 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 15 | 2% | 127,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 14 | 2% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 13 | 2% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 13 | 2% | 36,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 12 | 2% | 47,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 6 | 1% | 15,022 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 1% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 6 | 1% | 16,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 1% | 138,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 0% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 0% | 119,989 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 0% | 166,155 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 82,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1999 Ford Ranger recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Risk: This could result in an underhood fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: Vehicle description: electric vehicles. The transaxle may have been manufactured with the park detent spring misaligned. If the spring is misaligned, the park mechanism may not engage when the shift lever is placed in the park position.
Risk: If the park mechanism does not engage and the vehicle operator has not applied the parking brake, the vehicle could roll free as if in neutral.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the transaxle and any with misaligned park detent springs will be replaced.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Vehicle description: certain 1997-1999 rhd explorer equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc engines and cruise control built from may 29, 1996 through march 4, 1999; 1998-1999 explorer/mountaineers equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc or 5.0l engines or 1998-1999 rangers equipped with 2.5l, 3.0l ffv/efi or 4.0l engines and cruise control built from january 5, 1998 through march 4, 1999; 1998-1999 mustangs equipped with 3.8l, 4.6l 2-valve or 4-valve engines and cruise control built from march 2, 1998 through march 4, 1999; 1999 f250/f350/f450/f550 (over 8,500 lbs.) trucks equipped with 5.4l or 6.8l engines and cruise control built from march 2, 1998 through march 4, 1999; and 1999 f-53 stripped chassis equipped with 5.4l or 6.8l engines and cruise control built from march 2, 1998 through march 4, 1999. A cruise control cable can interfere with the speed control servo pulley and not allow the throttle to return to idle when disengaging the cruise control.
Risk: If the cruise control is used and this condition is present, a stuck throttle could result, which could potentially result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the cruise control cables. At the present time, the replacement cables are not available. Customers are being advised not to use the cruise control system until a replacement can be made.
Fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system
Problem: Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks with 3.0l engine. An 'o'-ring seal in the fuel injection pulse damper to fuel rail joint could be damaged allowing fuel leakage.
Risk: In the presence of an ignition source, a fire can result from fuel leakage.
Fix: Dealers will replace the pulse damper.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I was driving to the store around 1 month ago and I noticed the truck was trying to tail to the side as I was driving. I thought nothing of it until my Uncle Bobby noticed my rear shock was scraping the ground. We looked underneath to investigate and found both shock mounts completely rusted off…
When washing the truck I noticed a crack in the left rear frame just aft of the forward leaf spring shackle.Vertical crack approx, 6" long and separating, frame severely rusted while the rest of the body has minimal rust.
Motor rattling, knocking in transmission, exhaust sounded louder than usual, motor cut off and unable to start
My vehicle is otherwise in very good condition but try is frame is very worrisome. The rust makes me afraid to drive the vehicle confidently.
Frame and cross members along with the spare tire carrier all rotted out?, as do all the ford rangers and ford will not do anything about it, at least toyota came to the plate for their owners. Great truck except for the rotting frame issues. Found this out by hearing a crack one day and when…
Other Ford Ranger years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Ranger | 7 | 8 |
| 2025 Ranger | 43 | 13 |
| 2024 Ranger | 93 | 13 |
| 2023 Ranger | 18 | 4 |
| 2022 Ranger | 37 | 5 |
| 2021 Ranger | 118 | 6 |
| 2020 Ranger | 130 | 7 |
| 2019 Ranger | 270 | 11 |
| 2017 Ranger | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 Ranger | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 Ranger | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 Ranger | 235 | 5 |
| 2010 Ranger | 156 | 8 |
| 2009 Ranger | 169 | 7 |
| 2008 Ranger | 326 | 5 |
| 2007 Ranger | 270 | 5 |
| 2006 Ranger | 272 | 12 |
| 2005 Ranger | 289 | 9 |
| 2004 Ranger | 404 | 10 |
| 2003 Ranger | 243 | 1 |
| 2002 Ranger | 346 | 3 |
| 2001 Ranger | 515 | 4 |
| 2000 Ranger | 670 | 3 |
| 1999 | 755 | 4 |
| 1998 Ranger | 576 | 5 |
| 1997 Ranger | 411 | 1 |
| 1996 Ranger | 413 | 2 |
| 1995 Ranger | 321 | 1 |
See all Ford Ranger problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford Ranger?
Owners most often report tires, structure, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, tires, accounts for 178 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1999 Ford Ranger?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1999 Ford Ranger a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Ranger model years, the 1999 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.