Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2004 record →
CONSUMER WAS ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN AND WITHOUT WARNING TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTED ON ITS OWN. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE AFTER FIVE MINUTES. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THIS SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRED MORE THAN THIRTY TIMES SINCE OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE. FOUR DIFFERENT DEALERS EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND NONE OF THEM COULD FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
REPEATEDLY HIT THE ACCELORATOR PEDAL WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. *AK
CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING UP A HILL IN ARIZONA AT 70-75 MPH AND HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR TIRE. LATER, DISCOVERED THAT DRIVER'S SIDE REAR TIRES TREAD CAME OFF. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SKID AND FLIP OVER. BOTH CONSUMER AND WIFE SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE FISH-TAILED AND CAUSED THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A DITCH AND FLIPPED ON IT'S LEFT SIDE. THE DRIVER RECEIVED MINOR SCRAPES AND BRUISES. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED THE DRIVE SHAFT ON THE REAR END WAS THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *NLM
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2004 Ford Ranger → · Every Ranger year → · How the figures are calculated →