1997 Ford Ranger Power Train

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.

THE ENGINE OCCASIONALLY RACES (RUNAWAY ACCELERATION) ON MY 1997 FORD RANGER 4X4 WITH STANDARD TRANSMISSION AND OVERDRIVE AND 3.0L ENGINE. THE ACCELERATION TENDS TO OCCUR AFTER I HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70 MPH) AND THEN DRIVE AT SLOWER SPEEDS SUCH AS IN AN URBAN SETTING. AT SUCH TIMES, THE IDLE REMAINS RATHER HIGH AND ENGINE RACING OCCURS WHEN I ENGAGE THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT INTO SECOND OR THIRD GEAR. THE ENGINE RACING CAUSES THE GEARS TO CLASH (GRIND) AND RESIST SHIFTING; I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED SEVERAL TIMES DUE TO THIS SLOWING OF FORWARD MOTION SINCE THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON TO INDICATE IT. SOMETIMES THE ACCELERATION RUNS AWAY, AND I HAVE HAD TO QUICKLY PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE IGNITION TO PREVENT BLOWING THE ENGINE. I HAVE TAKEN THE PROBLEM TO SEVERAL MECHANICS INCLUDING FORD, BUT NONE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE. THERE EVIDENTLY WAS A RECALL FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM BUT NOT FOR STANDARD TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

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

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE ODOMETER WILL MOVE BACK AND FORTH CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO HAVE THE WRONG ODOMETER READINGS. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR

TRAMISSION KEEPS WANTING NOT TOGO INTO REVERSE AND INTO 3RD GREAR AT VARIOUS TIMES. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 35 MPH DRIVER HEARD A LOUD POP. THEN, LOST CONTROL AND HIT A CLIFF. FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED AXLE HAD BROKEN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*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

NO SUMMARY LISTED. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED. *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

LOUD NOISE IN REAR RIGHT AXLE CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL AND WENT OFF I 35 INTO CENTER MEDIUM ROLLING THE PICKUP ACROSS THE UNCOMING LINE OF TRAFFIC ON TO THE OUTSIDE SHOLDER OF HYW, TOTAL LOSS OF PICKUP, WHEEL WITH TIRE ON IT WAS RECOVERED IN MEDIUM OF HYW , AXEL WAS BROKEN AT BRAKE DRUM, WHEEL AND TIRE STILL GOOD. ALL THREE OTHER WHEELS AND TIRES ARE BROKEN AND FLAT. *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 )

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

TRANSMISSION FAILED TWICE. YH

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.

WHEN TRYING TO PASS OTHER CARS OR WHEN GOING INTO PASSING GEAR TRANSMISSION GOES INTO NETURAL, YOU HAVE TO TAKE FOOT OF GAS PADEL AND STEP ON GAS PEDAL AND THE TRUCK GOES BACK INTO GEAR. TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED AND DEALER WILL NOT MAKE ANY MORE REPAIRS.

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

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL HANG UP BETWEEN SHIFTS ACTS LIKE IT IS IN NEUTRAL OR DRAG OUT THE SHIFT IF AT LOW SPEED LIKE 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. TRANSMISSION WILL ALSO MAKE A LOUD NOISE WHEN DOWN SHIFTING TO 1ST GEAR AT LOW SPEEDS.

REAR AXLE LOCKED UP, CAUSING ACCIDENT DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL.

WHILE THE KEY IS OUT OF THE IGNITION, THE DEFECTIVE MANUAL TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED, THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING VIBRATION.