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3.3

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,960 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.

2001 Ford Ranger transmission problems

transmission problem

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2001 Ford Ranger Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Mar 022010

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,365 miles

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

Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I was driving my Ford Ranger, (2001 XLT automatic transmission) in an attempt to warm up the truck as the transmission had been acting up as it was not shifting as well as it should into higher gears. The truck was having trouble going past 10-15 mph before shifting gears and was going much slower than normal. As I drove around the parking lot where I work to warm up the truck, it was not going as fast as normal and it warmed up in about 20 minutes. I checked the transmission fluid and it was at a normal level. I turned off the truck and checked the oil which was in the normal range. I proceeded to go to qt and get some gas and on my way back to work, I went to stop at a red light and was almost stopped when the engine started revving up and took off at a very high rate of speed while my foot was pushing the brake pedal down as hard as I could. I then could not slow it down at the next light enough to make the right turn safely. I had to make a U turn with both feet on the brakes and after putting the truck in neutral and pushing the emergency brake, I had to put the truck into neutral and cut off the engine to turn into the parking lot where I work. I thought maybe I had hit the accelerator by accident and had a co-worker watch as I cranked up the truck in neutral. The tires were spinning like crazy and the rpms were way up. I had to turn the car off quickly as with the parking brake on and both feet on the brakes, it felt like the truck was going to take off at any time. My truck is parked with the check engine light on and I am scared to get near the [xxx] thing. I have a call into my mechanic now.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #21

Sep 212009

Ranger

  • 131,098 miles
Trans shift problem 1st to 2nd shift hard shift started about 3 months ago 2001 Ford Ranger 4X4, started only doing it on cold starts now does it all the time cold or hot have to let off accelerator to get to shift or manually shift from shift lever.overdrive light flashes as soon as it slams into gear, trans slip. Ford has had on going problems with trans. Been a auto tech for Ford for many years its time to have Ford look at the on going problems.

- Westfield, PA, USA

problem #20

Jul 012006

Ranger

  • 60,000 miles
Bought 2001 Ford Ranger in 2005, 18 months later gearbox needed rebuild due to loss of gear selection on auto box. Still the gears sometimes do not engage and the O/D light comes on and gear changes are rough. I believe this is a defect in the transmission from what I have read.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #19

Mar 072008

Ranger

  • 100,000 miles

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

After loosing the battery (power loss) my 4X4cm (4WD control module) went bad on my 2001 Ranger 4X4 truck. This caused my 4WD to not function at all. I had to replace the 4X4cm with a brand new one. Ford has updated the part. The original part number is 1L54-7H417-ac and the new updated part number is 1L5Z-7E453-ac.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #18

Aug 222007

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,800 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Ranger. After the contacts vehicle was repaired under the speed control recall, the transmission began to fail. While driving between 50 and 55 mph, the transmission automatically shifts into neutral and the engine revs. The vehicle also shifts into neutral whenever the cruise control is engaged. The vehicle has been to the dealer twice regarding this failure. The dealer stated that the speed control recall repair was not the cause of the transmission failure. They stated that he needed a new transmission, which will cost $1,300. The NHTSA recall id number for the speed control was unknown. The current mileage was 66,100 and failure mileage was 65,800. Updated 09/25/07

- Oakdale, CA, USA

problem #17

Mar 192007

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,996 miles
I was driving to work one morning, and the O/D light (over drive light) started to flash on my 2001 Ford Ranger XLT 4.0 V-6 4X4 truck. I had no idea in what that meant. I drove to work, I called around and that is a trouble condition on the transmission, I said on the tranny it only has 73 thousand miles on it. I was surprised, and the truck is very well kept up. I took it a well know transmission place to have it looked at, and test drove, along with the computer check, and it came back with a reading "incorrect gear ratio on 3". I was like what is that, he said that is ugly. So I took it and got 2 more inquiries, and 1 from a dealership. All the same 3 rd gear trouble. I contacted Ford, and spoke to heather, and needless to say she said that it was only my that has the issue with the transmission no one else does. There was a tsb message put out about this trouble in may of 01, so Ford knows there is a problem. Its going to now cost me a mim of $1500 to a max of $2100 to fix this transmission.

- Cumberland, RI, USA

problem #16

Dec 122006

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,260 miles

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

Transmission failure; 2001 Ford Ranger edge- have had problems with prior to warranty expiring. A tsb for the initial problem was performed by the dealer, but the problem persisted and when analyzed, the same error code came up.

- Gracevile, FL, USA

problem #15

Sep 022005

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 79,200 miles
Automatic transmission started shifting hard, overdrive off warning light came on and started flashing. Took car to dealer and they said transmission was bad. This vehicle only has 79000 miles on it. Showed them maint. Records, they said there was nothing they could do. $2800 repair bill for new transmission.

- Hartford, WI, USA

problem #14

Sep 012002

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 34,000 miles
Contact states: She bought a brand new Ford Ranger in 2000 and she has had to put 2 transmissions and 2 torque converters on the vehicle within 70,000 miles. The dealer said there was nothing they were going to do about it. She wrote a letter to the president of Ford and to the new motor vehicle board and to Consumer Affairs. She has talked to Consumer Affairs at Ford. She has also talked to the representative in dearborn mi. There was 34,000 miles on the first transmission she replaced. The second transmission was rebuilt. The consumer began to feel a slipping sensation when going up an incline. The brakes were replaced.

- Sugarloaf, CA, USA

problem #13

Aug 282004

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,000 miles
Consumer stated: There was a rattling noise, primarily in the power train area, it made noise when the accelerator was applied. It would happen when the consumer reached up to 2000 rmp's.

- Nigeria Falls , NY, USA

problem #12

Apr 102004

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,397 miles

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

Ford Ranger XLT 2001 transmission problems. I have owned this vehicle from new and now just outside of warranty based on mileage, the transmission is needing rebuilding or replacement. The vehicle has only 38412 miles total on it, warranty coverage only lasts until 36000 miles or 3 years. Vehicle was purchased in August of 2001. No special operating conditions have existed for this vehicle (I.e. towing, heavy equipment or item hauling). This vehicle began very early Saturday April 10, 2004 flashing the O/D off indicator light on the dash panel. I took this vehicle to a local Ford dealership where they indicated that the obdii system was registering 3 different codes having to do with the powertrain system. The codes registering were P0731, P0733 and P0735. According to the service technician who was working on the vehicle there is a tbs for the code P0733 registering. The service manager who I ended up receiving the bad news from only gave me the option of installing a remanufactured transmission at an estimated cost of roughly $2600. I have also taken this vehicle to an independant transmission mechanic to investigate the issue and see what is actually happening. This mechanic has confirmed that the transmission needs to be rebuilt, but also commented that he is seeing more of this happening with this particular transmission model in this vehicle. He also noted that the trend is that between 30-40,000 miles is the range at when this problem happens. I placed a call to Ford Motor Company's customer relations and they are 'researching' possibilities of financial assistance to repair this issue. The main concern that I have with this 'fix' is that it will be replaced with the same model of transmission and that the problem will occur again in 30-40,000 miles.

- Beaverton, OR, USA

problem #11

Jan 202004

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I have a 01 Ranger 4X4 with 4.0L engine and 4.10 rear end. I continue to have an intermitant shudder problem from 1-2 and then again from 3-4 (around 2500 rpms) and 4-5 (around 2100 rpms). I have had the transmission serviced several times and had the following repairs performed: 1. replaced driveshaft 2. overhaul valve body 3. PCM reprogrammed 4. replaced valve body 5. replaced valve body again 6. overhauled transmission replace overdrive drum due to an uneven surface so far, I have had over $2,500 in repairs (all under warranty luckily). However, the shudder is still there, although it is not as harsh as it once was. A new problem has begun in the last few weeks, now when you put it in gear, it takes several seconds before it engages. In fact, you can sit there with your foot on the gas and it won't go. Once the truck is warmed up, this is not a problem. The shudder that is felt is erratic, but can be made to shudder if driven at the correct speeds.

- Temple Terrace, FL, USA

problem #10

Aug 072003

(reported on)

Ranger

  • Automatic transmission
  • 9,000 miles
The automatic transmission performed erraticly. Transmission had a tendency to not shift into overdrive upon cold a start. After several minutes of operation, the transmissions performed normal.

- Fulton, NY, USA

problem #9

May 012002

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 32,000 miles
The consumer had problems with engine acceleration. It happened at different times. Dealer was contacted, and stated they were not able to find anything wrong with vehicle. Consumer added, the transmission shifted before the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably.

- Hatboro, PA, USA

problem #8

Feb 012002

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,000 miles
This complaint is about a Ford Ranger edge supercab 4X4. I have had this truck barely over 2 years and it has 45,000 miles on it. About one year after purchasing the vehicle I started having transmission problems, the "overdrive off" light flashing and funny shifts from first into second as well as a hesitant acceleration followed by a small jerk. I took it in to have it fixed and apparently it was. About 3 months later the transmission started acting up again in the same fashion. I took it in and once again thought it was fixed until a few months later it started doing the same thing. By this time since I thought the truck was finally fixed I decided to add a 4" suspension lift and 33" tires. When I took it in they told me I need either a new transmission or to have this one rebuilt and that the warranty would cover the cost. After about a week in the shop and torn apart they called and told me the warranty co. Did not want to pay for the rebuilt transmission because of the "extensive suspension mods" and larger tires. Let me remind you, I had it in 2 times before the lift was put on for this same problem that has not yet been fixed. After a bit of arguing I decided that I wasn't going to win and that I need a truck. So I am now paying $150 a month for the $3000+ for the work and rebuilt transmission. Now, after about 4 months after the work, I am experiencing the same problem yet again...can someone please advise me on how to take care of this problem "?" thanks, aaron.

- Keller, TX, USA

problem #7

Aug 132002

Ranger 4WD

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Consumer states the vehicle experienced transmission problems.

- Bay City, MI, USA

problem #6

Mar 242002

(reported on)

Ranger

  • miles
The tires have been a problem ever since I bought the car. I have asked the dealer to replace them to no evail. The battery went out, the power window on the driver side died, the brakes have been repaired twice the seat belts on both driver and passanger seats replaced the tramission has gone out twice the computer/brain to run the truck has gone out three times. I dont think I can take this truck breaking down all the time for to much longer. Iam in a rental car more then in my truck. Help. (dot number: W2uu ifo tiresize: P225/70R15)

- Laquinta, CA, USA

problem #5

Aug 142001

Ranger

  • miles
I have had this truck for only one year and have had many problems. First the transmission went beacause it would not go past 2nd gear and the overdrive light was flashing. It was found to be internal parts and external wiring of the transmission. That same day the alternator went and left me with a dead battery. I have taken it into the dealer about 3 times for rough idle and have been turned away saying the cannot feel anything and that not to worry because its still under warranty. Twice I have taken it in for the front suspension due to a vibration to the steering wheel and truck. All rotors were turned and the front was reallined. Also the truck seems to go through gas a bit too quickly, just about a bit over a quarter tank for every 10-15 miles.

- St. Clair Shores, MI, USA

problem #4

Aug 142001

Ranger

  • miles
I have had this truck for only one year and have had many problems. First the transmission went beacause it would not go past 2nd gear and the overdrive light was flashing. It was found to be internal parts and external wiring of the transmission. That same day the alternator went and left me with a dead battery. I have taken it into the dealer about 3 times for rough idle and have been turned away saying the cannot feel anything and that not to worry because its still under warranty. Twice I have taken it in for the front suspension due to a vibration to the steering wheel and truck. All rotors were turned and the front was reallined. Also the truck seems to go through gas a bit too quickly, just about a bit over a quarter tank for every 10-15 miles.

- St. Clair Shores, MI, USA

problem #3

Aug 172001

(reported on)

Ranger

  • miles
No summary listed for above vehicle.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

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