1998 Ford Ranger problems & reliability
576 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Ranger, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
34 complaints report injuries (40 injured, 7 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Ford Ranger vehicles were involved in 72 fatal crashes with 63 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | 136 | 24% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 71 | 12% |
| Power Train | 60 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 54 | 9% |
| Suspension | 52 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 51 | 9% |
| Structure | 45 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 32 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 29 | 5% |
| Interior Lighting | 19 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 102,000 miles (middle 50% between 54,461 and 147,475 miles), based on 106 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I bought this truck new, I have had transmission problems but now my frame is in bad, bad, bad rusting condition and my mechanic said it will not pass inspection. This truck only has 82,000 miles on it!!! Toyota stood behind their frames why isn't ford?”
Structure · filed Apr 27, 2021
“Rear frame excessive rusting. Spare tire carrier fell off while driving. One side of bumper fell off. Noticed when I stepped on it”
Structure · filed Oct 16, 2020
“4wd stopped working some time ago, servo/actuator seemed to be free, recently started making grinding noises in the front right, sounds like hub is somewhere between locked and unlocked. Sort of pops out when coming to a stop hvac does not work, fan speed only interior courtesy stopped working”
Power Train · filed Mar 30, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- STEERING KNUCKLE SEPARATIONS
Preliminary Evaluation PE99045 · opened Jul 6, 1999 · closed Oct 29, 1999
Technical service bulletins
289 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Ranger. The 10 most recent:
Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4x4 or awd. *tt
030508 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2005
Revised procedure for adjusting alignment on all suspensions - new right hand upper control arm design for torsion bar front suspensions. *tt
042419 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Driveshaft thump clunk on light acceleration from stop or when braking and coming to a stop. *eh
04237 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 29, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Rear leaf spring noise. *tt
17777 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2004
Low line pressure reading at wide open throttle (wot), slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements with possible diagnostic trouble codes p0732, p0733, p1762 set on vehicles built before 12/1/2001. *tt
02138 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 10, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457 or p1442 or a check fuel cap lamp illuminated with dtc p0457 for the evaporative emission system. *tt
03203 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 13, 2003
Clicking/popping noise from upper steering column area when turning. 2004 e series and explorer sport trac also included. *tt
17254 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2003
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1998 Ford Ranger has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Ford Ranger?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 102,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.