Vehicle is a 1995 Ford Ranger XL. As of July 2010, the drivers side of the rear bumper had started to sag but I did not think much of it as the truck still drove fine and there were no rot holes upon visual inspection. 8 months later, I hit a pot-hole and the bumper let go completely on the drivers side. It was still held up by the passanger side although it was barely on there. I looked underneath more and the back portions of the frame were competely rotted away (non-existant). I thought I was the only one with this problem but after doing a google search, it seems like a very common problem with other Ford Ranger owners too. This is also very scary because the rot goes up to the leaf spring mounts. If the a leaf spring mount lets go, the truck will suddenly drop to one side and there is an extremely high risk of a roll over or major accident at a minimum. (I read stories about this online which scare me) I took a piece of metal and had it welded on to hold the bumper which worked but it is not that strong and will not absorb a rear end collision as the frame is gone. It also does not help the leaf spring mounts which are still very weak and will break off soon. My truck failed the state inspection because of the rot problem and I have been warned not to drive it. There is nothing you can do to correct it except replace the frame. The problem is you cant just go buy a new frame and a repair will be very costly. If this happens, you most likely have no choice but to get a new vehicle. My truck has had an easy life (no towing or excessive loads) and still has this problem. I did not see this coming and don't make enough money to get a new vehicle and cant sell this one for much since the frame is gone. Its a catch-22. This deserves a recall as it can be a very dangerous problem and people can be seriously hurt or killed if it is not caught in time. I consider myself lucky.

- Rutland, MA, USA