Most common 1999 Ford Ranger problems
Share of the 755 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Ranger complaints by model year
Best Ranger years: 2023, 2022, 2020. Years to avoid: 2019, 1999, 2000, 1998, 1996. Compare all years →
1999 Ford Ranger recalls (4)
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch May, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
Power train › Automatic transmission
Vehicle description: electric vehicles. The transaxle May have been manufactured with the park detent spring misaligned. If the spring is misaligned, the park mechanism May not engage when the shift lever is placed in the park position.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the transaxle and any with misaligned park detent springs will be replaced.
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: certain 1997-1999 rhd explorer equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc engines and cruise control built from May 29, 1996 through March 4, 1999; 1998-1999 explorer/mountaineers equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc or 5.0l engines or 1998-1999 rangers equipped with 2.5l, 3.0l ffv/efi or 4.0l engines and cruise control built from…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the cruise control cables. At the present time, the replacement cables are not available. Customers are being advised not to use the cruise control system until a replacement can be made.
Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks with 3.0l engine. An 'o'-ring seal in the fuel injection pulse damper to fuel rail joint could be damaged allowing fuel leakage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the pulse damper.
What 1999 Ford Ranger owners say
Wheels & tires all 191 →
Takata recall for produce a 1999 model 4wd pick up last November I went to look at it here were no stickers about sold as is but regardles I feel it is Ford corporatin to sell a sfe vehicle by law ,, I discovered the tires were the wrong size on the vehicle when I question them they said it the way tey recived it and refused to go any further the required tires for this truck state there supposed to be 245/75/16 for had tire on the truck that are the wrong size 215 65 15 which make handling the vehicle hard in corners and created a rollover situation tires are under recall and Ford wont help on this matter I am asking for almost a yr now that some one make Ford put on the proper tires at there cost because of there lies and dishonesty,, also they sold the vehicle with bad ball joints that broke a month after I bought the vehicle so I borrowed the money and got them repaired at my own …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford Ranger with definity dakota h/t tires, size p225/70/r15. The contact stated that the driver was traveling approximately 60 MPH and lost control of the vehicle. The driver crashed into a center highway median. The driver sustained injuries to the chin and arm due to the air bag deployment. After inspecting the vehicle, the driver noticed that the tread on the rear passenger side tire was separated. The police were contacted and a police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was later towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage of the tire was unknown. The failure and current mileages of the vehicle were approximately 175,000. Updated 01/29/13 updated 1/30/2013
Body & structure all 89 →
When washing the truck I noticed a crack in the left rear frame just aft of the forward leaf spring shackle.Vertical crack approx, 6" long and separating, frame severely rusted while the rest of the body has minimal rust.
Frame rot... The frame has rusted from the inside-out in the same place on both sides of the vehicle: under the most-front part of each door (keep in mind this is the frame I'm talking about, not any kind of door support or framing... This is the section of body frame that is located underneath each door on the vehicle). The frame has rusted and begun to split horizontally (the length of the vehicle) and vertically (from the ground-up). When lifting the vehicle in certain places, the frame can be seen bending, obviously. Because of this I can only jack/lift the vehicle from the very front... All other places that I've tried to lift from result in too much weight being put on those weak points. I am now very seriously considering a new frame, which is a lot of money... …
Brakes all 88 →
On 20 January 2015, approx 11:30 pm while the vehicle was parked in the garage since the previous evening, the vehicle alarm went on it's own. I went and turned it of f and while trying to figure out why, I smelled something burning immediately there was smoke coming from under the hood. I went into action and got the hood open, I saw flames coming from the switch at the end of the master cylinder. I've noticed the switch before, I did not know what it did, I just thought it was part of the braking system. I managed to put out the fire at that point. The switch was completely burned out, the brake fluid reservoir was badly charred but did not burn through (that would have been disastrous). The following day I was searching for a replacement switch (f3ta-9f924-ca) and found out it was called: speed control deactivation switch and has to do with the cruise control system. …
I was stopping at a stop sign at the bottom of a hill behind another car and my brake pedal went to the floor and the brakes quit working. I hit the car causing approx. $1500 damage and bending my front bumper. I also got a ticket because the officer said the crash was due to driver failing to stop, he didn't even check the brakes. I towed it to 2 different shops before they determined it was a brake problem (the first shop crashed it into a car jack because of the brakes not working) and told me to take it to a Ford dealer. The Ford mechanic took it for a test drive trying to figure out what the problem was and the brakes gave out again causing him to run someone off the road. It is still at the Ford dealer and even though Ford doesn't really know what's wrong with it they quoted $800 to fix it. They think the ABS module is malfunctioning. …
1999 Ford Ranger engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | Single-speed | 2WD | 62 / 54 / 58 MPGe | 50 mi |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 19 / 24 / 21 | — |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 18 / 23 / 20 | — |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 21 / 18 | — |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 | — |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 20 / 17 | — |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 16 / 20 / 17 | — |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 | — |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 16 | — |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 19 / 16 | — |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 | — |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1999 Ford Ranger a good car?
Based on 755 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1999 Ranger rates avoid: 3.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the Ranger at the same age. It is one of the Ranger years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 Ford Ranger?
The wheels & tires — 191 complaints, 25% of all complaints for this model year, most often about tread/belt. Next are the body & structure (89) and brakes (88).
How many recalls does the 1999 Ford Ranger have?
There are 4 recalls for the 1999 Ford Ranger, the most recent from August 3, 2007 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Ranger?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2023, 2022 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 1999, 2000, 1998 and 1996. See the full Ford Ranger years comparison.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Ranger problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 89,000 miles; 21% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.