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.
First time we were shopping, when we started the car it wouldn't start. We replaced the fuel pump" when it happen the next time we were driving when engine shut off, we were on a dirt road had no power steering, no power brakes only going 20 mph.the shop told us that it was the fuel shutoff valve in case of a crash. I purchased the Ranger 5/30/13 from a Ford dealer.over the past year the engine has stopped 8 to 10 times.we on a went trip last weekend it happen two times on I 84 in Idaho we were going 75 mph. I did get the truck off the freeway but wonder what if we were in boise or salt lake with all of the traffic what mite have happen.has this happen to other Ranger ????"
Driving on I75 when engine stopped. I lost all power. Was able to coast off the road and onto the shoulder. After five minutes, truck started and drove home without any further problem. Continued to have same problem, didn't matter what speed I was driving or if I was stopped at a light, and it would stop repeatedly in one week or go for months without a problem. Truck would stop and would eventually restart within a couple minutes or up to 30 minutes after it had stopped. I repeatedly had to coast or push this truck from the roadway without any power steering. In early 2011, the truck stopped three times in one day. The third time, it stopped in front of friendly Ford, monroe, mi. They kept it for two weeks but it only stopped running for them one time and it repaired itself before they could find the problem. In may of 2012, it began stopping multiple times in one day. It stopped and would not restart and I had it towed to crest Ford in flat rock, mi. They discovered the fuel shutoff inertia switch had failed and replaced it and the pig tail wiring harness. It apparently had overheated for some time and had melted the wiring harness into the switch. I paid $367.94 for these repairs. At this time the truck only had 28,370 miles on it. The truck was used very little and was always kept inside my garage. The dealer told me to contact Ford for possible reimbursement. Ford told me they did not have a recall for this problem at this time but to keep my receipt in case of a future recall. I feel this is a safety problem. This switch is designed to shut off the fuel pump during a crash so as not to feed a fire. I googled for "Ford Ranger defective inertia switch, " and found thousands of similar complaints where their Ranger would suddenly stop and eventually would require the inertia switch to be replaced and in some instances, it was replaced as many as three times during ownership. Updated 07/19/12
Driving on freeway approximately 30 to 40 minutes at 55-70mph and engine shuts down with no warning. Pull over wait a few minutes and engine starts. Drive another 30 to 40 minutes and engine shuts down. Pull over wait a few minutes - engine starts. Went to put gas in truck and engine would not start. Reset fuel inertia/shut down switch and truck started.
Driving on freeway approximately 30 to 40 minutes at 55-70 mph and engine shuts down with no warning. Pull over wait a few minutes and engine starts. Drive another 30-40 minutes and engine shuts down. Pull over wait a few minutes engine starts.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Ranger edge. The contact was driving 35 mph when the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the stalling was caused by the reset button becoming too hot and stopping the fuel flow to the engine. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the contact was advised that the fuel pump was faulty. The dealer replaced the fuel pump but the repair did not remedy the issue. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer and the dealer replaced the second fuel pump but to no avail. The failure persisted and there were no further repairs. The failure mileage was 77,000.
- North Tazewell, VA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Two times in 2 days I was driving when the vehicle suddenly stalled/shutoff. Fortunately both times I was able to pull over out of traffic. It felt like my pedal went dead, I lost my power steering as well. Since I was able to connect to the internet through my phone I was able to search "Ford Ranger suddenly dies while driving." An overwhelming amount of results indicated to reset my inertia fuel shutoff switch. I found it, reset it and the truck started again. After the second time this happened I researched Ford Ranger recalls, only to find this was not one of them. I feel very apprehensive about driving my truck, not knowing why it suddenly decides to trip the fuel shutoff switch. This is extremely dangerous and it needs to be recalled.
Fuel inertia switch malfunction, switch shorted out and caught fire. The inertia switch would trigger and shut off the fuel supply to the truck, this happened about 25times since purchasing the vehicle new, the last time it happened I was sitting still in bumper to bumper traffic and it just shut off. I reached under the passenger side of the dash board to reset it and could feel the heat from the electrical fire. I quickly shut off the vehicle and the fire died out. The safety switch is totally fried.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact was driving 55 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the fuel cutoff switch continuously caused the vehicle to stall without warning. The contact was able to reset the switch and resume driving. The dealer was contacted but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that there were no recalls for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 138,000.
The vehicle will shut down and you lose total control. Power steering gone. Engine gone. It will happen at any time. The reason it is so dangerous is because I have had it shut down on the freeway going 65mph. I was lucky enough never to have gotten hit but it was a close call. 1. the vehicle would just stall like it was running out of gas. 2. when the part was going bad it would occur every day. When the part was totally malfunctioning it would not even start. 3. the first time I had the dealer replace the part via the warranty. The second time I paid to have it replaced. The third time I replaced it myself. It lasts about a year then it goes bad.
My 19 year old son owns a 2005 Ford Ranger we purchased through a dealer last year. For the last month or so he had to reset the fuel pump inertia switch to get the vehicle started again. This is very dangerous since one time he was on the expressway going 65 and the truck turned off on him. It's happened to him about 5 times and now he is afraid to drive it. Don't know if the inertia switch is bad or if something else is causing this. I hate to take it to the dealer since they tend to throw parts at it and not fix the problem. I think this is so dangerous it should be recalled by the Ford dealer.
Driving East on I-10 near Ontario, cal at 70 mph 5/22/2010 9pm, truck died the inertia fuel switch was open. Had to drive with son holding down on the button to keep truck running to get off freeway at 4th St. Inertia switch is dead used a paper clip on wires to drive home. Also the wire connector to the inertia was melting some. First time this happen is in Oct 14 2005 and 4 or 5 times sense.
The truck would suddenly stop running. It occurred randomly, sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly, I never knew when it would happen. It would eventually restart. After replacing the fuel filter and the fuel pump (twice) to no avail, I asked my neighbor to look at the inertia switch (Ford would not; they said that "couldn't be the problem"). the switch was all fried out inside, and the connector and the wire leading to it were melted. Apparently, the connector was bad. He said that it should have caught fire already. He replaced the switch and put in a different connector and I've had no further problems. I can't believe that I never had an accident, as I mostly drive on the freeway and in the mountains.
My 2005 Ford Ranger stalled on me while driving down highway at 65mph and has done this before driving around town whenever the fuel kill switch is bumped by someone's foot while sitting in passenger seat. Whenever fuel kill switch gets bumped it stops the fuel pump then truck stalls.(very dangerous someone's going to get hurt if not fixed) the fuel kill switch is located on passenger side fire wall where your right foot is. If you stretch your leg you will hit the switch. Ford should recall this problem. Relocate switch before someone gets hurt. Very dangerous when driving and your truck stalls cause switch gets bumped. It don't take much to set switch off. I have been to tasa Ford in R.I. and explained this problem to them and they said they have had this problem with other vehicles and Ford knows about this problem but has not had a recall!! something needs to be done. Hope you can help thank you.
The inertia switch on my 2005 Ford Ranger cut the fuel supply at 55 mph on a busy highway. After pulling the switch out and pulling out the connector, I found evidence of temperatures high enough to melt the plastic. This problem first started in November of 2008 and has gotten steadily worse since then. This evidently a design flaw that needs to be fixed by Ford.
2005 Ford Ranger pickup truck. The fuel pump inertia switch trips on smooth road with no bumps. It shuts down the engine. It happened eight times this month. Once on a busy interstate beltway. I've researched many others with this problem. It should be recalled and Ford should fix it free.
I have a 2005 Ford Ranger. I was involved in a very close to an accident on the pa turnpike when a trailer truck changed lanes in front of me within inches. I hit the brakes very hard in order to avoid hitting him. The inertia switch which shut off the fuel pump actuated which it is designed to do. My problem is the inertia switch continues to actuate for no reason. I called Ford and they said vehicle was out of warranty so I would need to pay upwards of $200. I would think this is a serious safety problem. My wife refuses to drive the truck.
The fuel inertia cutoff switch in our '05 Ford Ranger pickup has had to be replaced twice since it's purchase in Aug. Of '05. One month after purchase was the first failure when driving over a speed bump at 5mph. The truck was towed to the dealership, the dealership adjusted the sensitivity. The following spring the ficos tripped again when driving on a two lane road at 25mph. The dealership replaced the switch. Dec. '08 the ficos again tripped while parked for 8 hours. Jan. '09 the ficos tripped while on a two lane road at 40mph causing the necessity to coast to the side of the road but not off the road, on a blind corner. During the Dec. '08 and Jan. '09 incident the emergency fuel injection pump, under the dash, was implemented. After several attempts over a duration of 30 min. The ficos reset and allowed the pickup to start. In Feb. '09 the ficos tripped again after the pickup was parked overnight. The pickup was again towed to the dealership. The ficos had to be replaced again. My concern is this will continue to happen and at some point I will not be in a position to avoid an accident as others have found themselves in. www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2005/Ford/Ranger.
Purchase vehicle July 2005, vehicle never had a good pull to it and I thought it was the way the truck just pulled until May 2006 when I was hit from behind by a Ford Explorer, my truck got worse. In June 2007 engine light came on wouldn't go off. Gas cap light came on wouldn't go off. Tried to tighten cap, lights still haven't went off. Took truck to mechanic found out that my truck had a cracked head that was indicated that it could have been a defect from the manufacture and or possibly due to collision also Ford manufacture had a defect call back on all 2005 Ford Ranger. In December 2005 five month after I purchase the truck and they ( Ford) did not even notify me of the defect. I do have a copy in my possession from my mechanic. Also I was told that my truck could ignite and catch a fire at any time.. updated 01/11/08. There was a cracked head on the fuel sending unit. Updated
The inertia switch on my 2005 Ford Ranger keeps tripping. I have brought it in 3 times now. Sometimes it doesn't start and sometimes it dies while I'm driving. I do not feel safe in this vehicle. I have had the inertia switch replaced once. The dealership showed me how to reset it so that I would be able to continue on my way when it dies while I'm driving.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Spanish Fork, UT, USA