1999 Ford Ranger problems & reliability
755 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 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.
50 complaints report injuries (61 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford Ranger vehicles were involved in 107 fatal crashes with 79 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 | 178 | 24% |
| Structure | 89 | 12% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 80 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 79 | 10% |
| Visibility | 73 | 10% |
| Power Train | 67 | 9% |
| Suspension | 67 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 54 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 45 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 39 | 5% |
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 89,000 miles (middle 50% between 55,750 and 126,250 miles), based on 212 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was driving to the store around 1 month ago and I noticed the truck was trying to tail to the side as I was driving. I thought nothing of it until my Uncle Bobby noticed my rear shock was scraping the ground. We looked underneath to investigate and found both shock mounts completely rusted off and the frame in…”
Suspension · filed Oct 22, 2021
“When washing the truck I noticed a crack in the left rear frame just aft of the forward leaf spring shackle.Vertical crack approx, 6" long and separating, frame severely rusted while the rest of the body has minimal rust.”
Structure · filed Jul 24, 2021
“Motor rattling, knocking in transmission, exhaust sounded louder than usual, motor cut off and unable to start”
Engine · filed Jun 24, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
301 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Ranger. The 10 most recent:
Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission…
CSP-08B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2008
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
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 1999 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 1999 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 89,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.