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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,932 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.

2006 Ford Ranger suspension problems

suspension problem

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2006 Ford Ranger Owner Comments

problem #18

Jun 092022

Ranger

  • miles

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

The spare tire stabilizing bracket rusted away and fell off. The rear shackles for the springs broke on both sides, and is coming up through the bed. The frame has rusted apart and it-€™s not possible to bolt a new shackle for the rear springs on. The body is not rusting out. They used inferior steel on the frame and it has rusted away. They should do a recall on these like other manufacturers have. This is a serious safety issue. I bought this truck new, and it only has 98000 mikes on it.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #17

Dec 082020

Ranger

  • 101,823 miles
The frame of my Ranger has rusted badly, causing the rear spring shackles to no longer be attached to the frame.also the bed of the truck has rusted away badly. I I spoke to a guy who specializes in frame / axle repair. After inspecting it, he told me that the only option to repair my truck was to replace the frame, because the frame is rusted too badly to be able to be welded, he said the only other option was to junk it. The truck has 102,000 miles on it and is otherwise in good condition. I had planned to own it for years to come. Now I am afraid to trust it. And I would not feel right about selling it to someone else. I use this truck to haul hay to feed my livestock, but now I am afraid to load it up and drive down the road with it.I had the tires replaced and the service center noted on the paperwork that the frame was bad and needed to have the spring mountings fixed..,

- Harvard, IL, USA

problem #16

Aug 122020

Ranger

  • 90,000 miles
Left side rear frame...where the rear spring shackle attaches to the the frame rusted away. The frame rusted away, no where else is there rust through...the leaf spring ended up being supported by the bed of truck. Spring is attached to the rear axle. Axle can become free wheeling at any time. The right side rear shackle attachment looks as if the frame is going to fail any moment...I can not believe the frame rusts away while the rest of the body is ok.....a temporary repair has been made with a 4 X 4 bolted to the frame and spring.

- Downersgrove, IL, USA

problem #15

Mar 142018

Ranger

  • 62,000 miles

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

I was going down the highway spare tire dropped down on the road causing me to lose control of my truck got the truck home and found the frame rotted only has 62,000 miles

- Claverack, NY, USA

problem #14

Nov 282017

Ranger

  • 107,000 miles
The entire frame is rusted, the rust on the frame around the rear spring shackle rusted enough that the shackle is broken free. This was noticed due to the noises the shackle makes when moving. The vehicle has less than 108,000 miles. In addition the side steps rusted through and were hanging down, I had to remove them to prevent them from falling off.

- Andover, MA, USA

problem #13

Oct 042017

Ranger

  • 100,000 miles
Severe rust entire back half of truck. First the spare tire fell off while driving and the evap canister was broken. The bed rotted out and my gas tank was in danger of falling off. The cross members broke while driving on a town dirt road causing the cross member to rub against the drive shaft. I had to use a cargo strap to hold up the gas tank so I could get home which luckily was only about a mile.

- South Woodstock, CT, USA

problem #12

Aug 142017

Ranger

  • 90,000 miles

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

The rear shackles rusted through and broke off from the leaf springs. This happened while driving home from work on city streets. When turning corners the sound of the broken shackle rolling back and forth on the back of the bumper alerted me to the situation. I am third owner and this truck has been taken care of very well

- Sherrodsville, OH, USA

problem #11

Oct 242016

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • 245,000 miles
Rear leaf-spring shackles and hangers on my 2006 Ford Ranger are rusted out, one of the shackles broke free from the frame while I was driving, made it harder to steer because the truck felt nowhere near as stable as it was before it broke, it caused me to swerve into the lane beside me which very well could have caused a serious accident if someone were to be there. The rest of my frame seems to have excessive rust which is not to be expected from a 10 year old truck, especially by the shackles and hangers for the leaf springs, and also all around the spare tire mount which I could see to become a very serious safety concern while driving. I mean who wants a spare tire in their windshield while following someone down the road? my vehicle was in motion on the highway when all of this happened im very certain that cheap frame metal was the cause of it breaking, because im generally pretty easy on my truck.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #10

Aug 022016

Ranger

  • 191,353 miles
On my 2006 Ford Ranger 4X4, I have had both left and right rear leaf spring brackets and shackles replaced, also noticed the frame and under carriage rusted, truck bed rusting through.

- Dresden, ME, USA

problem #9

Aug 112016

Ranger

  • 129,183 miles
Frame and undercarriage seems to have excessive rust, especially rear axle spring hangers.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #8

Feb 122015

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • 17,000 miles

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

Awful banging sound while driving, inspected truck, found rear bumper hanging half off. Rear portion of both frame rails had rotten off. Rear spring shackles rotten and not attached. I pulled the bumper off with my bare hands! if it had fallen off while I was driving it could have killed someone. This is not an old beat up truck, as a matter of fact it only has 17,000 mile on it. It still looks brand new. The Ford Ranger XLT 4X4 extended cab was bought new in 2006 for $20,000, now its useless, can not even fix the spring shackles, nothing to attach them to.

- Shirley, MA, USA

problem #7

Nov 282014

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • 90,700 miles
Was driving and the bracket and cross member that holds the spare tire bracket up broke due to the frame being all rusted/scalely and rotted out which also led to the shackles being broken. When this bracket broke, my spare tire was hanging down and dragging on the ground which could have caused a serious accident. After the tire was taken down, this is when the deplorable condition of the frame was clearly visible. This truck should not even have been sold to me off of the Wyoming valley motors dealership lot in larksville, pa. I have had the truck less than 14 months and put less than 3,000 miles on the truck. The frame and undercarriage is unfit to be on the road and should not have been sold especially at a big dealership lot. I have also contacted Ford and they will not stand behind their truck and do anything about it.

- Freeland, PA, USA

problem #6

Jun 202014

Ranger 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
While driving on the tch in newfoundland, I heard this unusual bang out of the rear of my Ford Ranger. I looked in the rear view mirror and seen something come from beneath the rear of my truck. I pulled over as did the vehicle traveling behind me. The spare tire assembly had rusted off which let the tire loose and fall off. The tire narrowly escaped the vehicle behind me. After closer inspection on the truck, the main frame had completely cracked off as did the spring hanger. I contacted Ford relations and there was nothing they could do. This is totally unsafe of Ford to ignore this problem with this Ford as it almost caused a family of 3 an accident. I have taken care of this truck and have had it under coated every too years. There is only 85000 kilometers on this truck and the frame is completely rusted out. My problems have been documented.

- Branch, CA, USA

problem #5

Apr 252013

Ranger 6-cyl

  • 53,000 miles
I have a 2006 Ford Ranger that I purchased new (its my second Ranger I had a 1996 that I traded in. I really like Ranger but have run into a major problem with rust on my Ranger. The spring shackles rusted and broke on both sides last week. I took my bed off to replace the shackles and found the brackets were also rusted out. The frame is very rusty and there is rusted holes through on the drivers side rear frame. I have not got to the frame under the cab or front of truck yet. Is there a recall or can I expect help from Ford. The safety factor of the frame concerns me.

- Penn Hills , PA, USA

problem #4

Apr 242014

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • 53,000 miles
Took my truck in to have wheels changed. When put on the lift, I heard to sounds from the suspension. Both spring shackle hangers and brackets were rusted. The shackles actually fell apart. I have removed the bed and found extensive rust out on the frame. The driver side rear frame is basically gone from rust out.

- Penn Hills, PA, USA

problem #3

Dec 142012

Ranger

  • 17,882 miles
I was driving down the road and I hit a bump and my spare tire fell down and out of the truck onto the highway. I stopped immediately and retrieved my wheel of the highway and saw that it was still connected to part of the mount. The next day I drove to a repair shop to put the truck on a lift to look at the damage and realized that the entire frame had rotted under the truck. I left the repair garage and was heading home when I hit a pothole the entire driver side front frame rotted and the wheel fell partially off the truck, so I had the truck towed to my office parking lot and parked it, because it is not drivable anymore. I contacted Ford they told me to have it towed to a local dealership and they would send a rep out to look at it. So I did and the rep never came out and they told me to have it removed, that the rep called them and said they would not repair anything, so the truck still sits rotted and parked, and remember it only has 17,900 miles on it, thank you.

- Cherry Hill, NJ, USA

problem #2

Jul 182013

Ranger 6-cyl

  • 94,841 miles
Rear leaf spring shackles are broken, fuel tank straps are broken rear struts are in poor condition, extensive rust on frame.

- Carmel, NY, USA

problem #1

Sep 012011

Ranger

  • 23,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Ranger. While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle began to shift sideways abnormally. In addition, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front passenger side wheel was emitting smoke and the wheel was partially detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic stated to the contact that the wheel bearing was fractured and would have to be replaced. After the repair, the contact noticed a whining noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic where the mechanic stated hat the front wheel bearing and axle would have to be replaced. The contact was not aware if the failure occurred on the driver or passenger side. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.

- Arkport, NY, USA

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