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3.1

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
43,575 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Ford Ranger engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Ford Ranger Owner Comments

problem #4

Jul 062016

Ranger

  • 57,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The dash lights would blink intermediately and if the truck was turned off while that is happening, the engine immobilizer would engage and the truck would not start. I drove the truck this way for a while and just let it run and not shut it off. Ford didn;T know what was causing it. Eventually I found out that the wiring harness that came together in a Y shape, and was supposed to be securely taped only had one strand of tape wrapped around the wires. The metal, where the wires went through had rubbed through the one strand of electrical tape and into one of the wires occasionally shorting it out, thus setting off the engine immobilizer. I bought the truck new so it had to have came from the factory that way. It had less than 50 thousand miles when it started and you would never know when it was going to do it, sitting, driving, city, highway, but usually always running, unless it was shut off while it was doing it and then tried starting it again. It would not crank over, just like there was no battery in it. It was my first new vehicle and what a disappointment. The truck was wired for fog lights but no lights themselves in it, just plastic covers. The short was on the fog light wire where the wires went through the front metal pannel the radiator was bolted on. I wrote in before complaining about this but had not found out what it was then. Ford said it may be the cluster, but it wasn't. they also said they didnt know for sure what it was. It went on last year till I fixed it this year with a roll of electrical tape that Ford was either too cheap to use or poor workmanship. It started last year and took me till this year to fix it.

- Macksburg, OH, USA

problem #3

Jun 172015

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Ranger. While driving various speeds, the engine stalled and the entire instrument panel illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000. MA 08/13/15 updated 10/25/2017

- Macksburg , OH, USA

problem #2

Apr 122014

Ranger 6-cyl

  • 45,300 miles
Whilst driving with cruise control on I approached a large hill. I depressed the clutch to down shift & drive up the hill to drive up the hil in a lower gear and without cruise control on. When the clutch was depressed the throttle stuck down/the cruise control clutch disconnect switch failed causing a spike in engine RPM while in neutral. The RPM raced past 6500 before I managed to control it. This brief spike caused a probable blown headgasket and pressure in my coolant system blowing my coolant out of a stripped block heater venting my coolant overboard and causing an over temp situation. I managed to get it to a shop in slave lake and after $520 in repairs I managed to get the vehicle back home. Upon further inspection at my mechanics, he determined the head gaskets were not the failure point. Due to the remoteness of my town and a lack of cylinder head testing facilities, I opted to get a engine pulled from a similar Ranger put in to my Ranger. Now I have oxygen sensor issues I have replaced them once already and now I have the same check engine code. I have contacted Ford regarding this issue and they offered no help. Please note: I am a Canadian resident my town is actually fort smith nt postal code X0E 0P0. I have sent your department this complaint because Transport Canada here takes some time with these complaints due to lack of staff, and I am worried that someone will get hurt with this issue in the meantime. Thank you

- Fairbanks, AK, USA

problem #1

Jun 022013

Ranger

  • 23,000 miles
Monday 6/3/13 went to start car and nothing happened. You hear clicking in the fuse box on the passenger side and in the engine compartment. Put key to just before start or accessories and the lights come on and radio turns on but if you touch the breaks it all shorts out. Turn the key to start and it all shorts out and fuse area starts clicking. Drove the car Sunday night and it was fine. Never had an issue with anything on this truck until Monday morning when I went to go somewhere. Totally baffled on what's wrong. Only thing I know is it rained on Sunday night Monday am"????" its seems like the ground is shorting things out.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

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