10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 0 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
There is an intermitent short in the electrical system. Windshield wipers start working by themselves, air bag light flashes on and off, and faulty readings on instrument panel.
- Sunset Hills, MO, USA
The electrical problem affects three areas of operation: The windshield washer, the radio, and the dome light and chime. The most dangerous is the windshield washer. While driving it will turn itself on and blind my vision for 15 seconds while it sprays washer fluid on the windshield and then wipes it off. Under normal circumstances it is only an annoyance but if I am changing lanes or in bright sunlight or on curves it becomes a potential disaster. It started doing it the first month I bought it from a friend (01/98) and has lasted till the present date(06/00. The previous owner warned me of the electrical problem so it has been an on going situation. The second problem is electrical in nature also. It involves the factory radio/ tape deck. The radio works great but the tape deck wont work after being repaced once and worked on by Ford four times. The last issue is with the dome light and chime sound. The light remains on and the chime continues to sound for up to two minutes after the door is closed and all the seat belts have been fastened. I dont know if the three electrical problems are related but I do know that they all three originate in the electrical wiring behind the dash board. My main concern is the wiper and washer turning themselves on while I am driving. It is only a matter of time before this causes an accident since it happens at least twice a week. My frustration lies in the fact that nearly all 1995 Ranger have this same problem (according to consumer reports and every individual I meet who owns this same year of truck) and yet Ford still has not issued a statement or a recall that I am aware of at this time. Thank you for your time. Tony filley. (
- Kansa City, KS, USA
The door ajar chime and dash light stays on for long periods of time(as long as 90 minutes) and the dome light will also stay on for 5 to 10 minutes after the doors are closed. The warning lights on the dash will come on for no reason and then go out. The windshield wiper will go from intermittent to full operation while in intermittent mode.
- Ashland, KY, USA
Several months after owning the vehicle, I noticed that the warning chimes and dome lighting stayed on continously after turning the key on even before actually cranking the vehicle..also the windsheild wipers come on and sometimes go off without consumer command...Ford service bulletin #2526, bulletin sequence #357, date 9804, NHTSA item #SB603550 discusses this problem...this apparently is a widespread problem for many consumers purchasing this vehicle as I have researched several available databases and have viewed many customer concerns regarding this problem...this makes the operation of this vehicle totally unsafe as the chimes distract the driver to the point of unsafe operation and the dome light staying on continously causes impossible visibility while operating the vehicle. The use of windshield wipers that are not even close to dependable seems to warrant a recall of this vehicle...repair costs quoted at another dealer location were $275 which did not include repairs to the windshield wiper repair... the only non-shop fix is the removal of the fuse that controls these systems which also controls the speedometer and odometer of the vehicle...which disables the wipers as well....totally unsafe conditions exists as a result.
- Columbia, SC, USA
My Ford Ranger has some major electrical problems, the interior light just comes on sometimes, and the door buzzer just dings all of the time, sometimes the parking lights will stay on after I turn the lights and ignition off, and sometimes I will be driving down the road and my windshield wipers will just come on by themselves and then stop. I have another friend that has a Ford Ranger too, and hers has the same problems. Coincidence"?" I dont think so!!!
- Cleburne, TX, USA
- Mechanicsville, MD, USA