The rear bumper in my 1998 Ford Ranger (80K miles) is about to fall off, as the rear of the frame is rusted & broken. I have cables holding it on now. I found this out after the rear leaf spring shackle & bracket rusted off the frame and broke in two. The spare tire also looks like it is about to fall off from rusted brackets. I did an internet search and found that there are probably thousands of Ford Ranger in which the rear bumper actually did fall off, or the spare fell off while driving. This problem seems to be much worse that the Toyota trucks. In fact someone said that the Ford frames were bought at the same factory as the Toyota's, but I do not know fore sure. Everything else on my truck is in beautiful condition, not a speck of rust on the body, and it runs great. I bought it brand new.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

The rear axle of the vehicle fell apart while the consumer was traveling, resulting in loss of control.

- Jamestown, NY, USA

Rear end had repair.

- Elizabethton, TN, USA

Rear end (?) whines at various speeds, transmission slips. Dealer rebuilt differential, problem persists, dealer now has vehicle installing a new transmission trying to fix problem. Brake pedal pulses (not ABS)and steerings wheel shudders (left/right) when brakes are applied at all speeds. (not reported to dealer, have since found out that this is a common problem with this vehicle). Oil filter- to remove filter it must be wedged past the solenoid/starter. It come in contact with the exposed wires/lugs? on the starter. There is nothing protecting this exposed area. My dealer has been extremely courteous and understanding in dealing with the transmission/differential problem. I have not received any information from Ford regarding these problems.through research on the internet I have come to believe that the problems described here are not limited to my experiences. Thank you.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

While driving at 25 mph back end hit some gravel in the road, causing the vehicle to spin around and rollover. Consumer's child was sitting in the child seat in the rear, and the child safety seat buckle popped open, causing the child to be hanging out of seat. Fire department had to cut the strip from around the child.

- Eldorabo, AR, USA

Brakes have been examined twice for squeakiness. Dealer has stated that they cannot duplicate problem. Noises have worsened since last exam on 12/15/98. There are several areas of rust on the underside of my truck and on the outtake manifold in the enginge. Dealer has stated "that's normal" to repeated inquiries about this rust. I have already had throttle assembly piece, the "butterfly valve" replaced in Nov of 1998. I now have sqeaky noises coming from the rear axle as well, which I will schedule for exam this week, 1/11/99.

- Portland, OR, USA