Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Ford Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving to the store around 1 month ago and I noticed the truck was trying to tail to the side as I was driving. I thought nothing of it until my Uncle Bobby noticed my rear shock was scraping the ground. We looked underneath to investigate and found both shock mounts completely rusted off and the frame in terrible shape. The truck itself barely has any rust other than the tailgate and bed floor. Also thought I should include that the hose that connect the gas tank and where you pump the gas is rusted to where every time I pump gas, a little drips out onto the floor. I was trying to find videos on how to fix it but came across a page that says Rangers have been recalled from the years 1995 to 2000 because of Toyota starting to make frames for them. …
Like most of the other complaints, rear frame is just discentergrating. First noticed at about 54000 miles, did some repairs and now at around 90000 I noticed both sides are going bad, have cracks and holes, and the crossmembers are in bad shape. I'm not a wealthy person and cannot just afford to buy another vehicle. I don't understand why the government or Ford doesn't realize what a safety concern this is. Does someone's life have to end because a frame brakes off while driving on the street or interstate. Doesn't' anyone read the complaints on this vehicle and understand how dangerous this could be. I know Ford is aware of the rear frames rotting on this model year and others of the Ranger. I contacted them personally. What makes Ford better than Toyota? I always say buy American, but I'm having second thoughts.
I was driving was about 20 MPH and hit a small pot hole. I heard a loud pop bang noise and the left side of truck dropped about 2 or 3 inches. I thought the front end fell off. The frame is rusted so bad you can punch holes is the frame with a screw driver, the driver side torsion bar has collapsed due to rust on the frame that holds it in place, the crossmember to transmission is barley holding transmission up, the spare tire area is rusted in half, all main crossmembers are rusted in half and the frame is rusted in half behind fuel tank. Truck has 127K miles and the body body has little to no rust, upper and lower control arms are unsafe from rust. I do not understand how the body can be so good but frame and suspension is completely rusted to no return.
My repair garage called me in to look at the frame on my 1999 Ford Ranger. The frame was deteriorated so badly from rust near the front engine and by the rear spring hangers and shackles it is unsafe to drive. Mechanically it runs and drives great and the sheet metal and interior is excellent. The frame is a major safety issue for a vehicle which has been garaged, well cared for, and has been driven only an average of 6,125 miles annually. Ford should be held accountable for this!
The frame at the right front suspension pocket rusted out. Upper control arm rear bracket is completely detached. Drove the truck to my destination with no issues, on the return trip it felt "floaty" as if it was out of alignment while I was driving down a town road. There was no bump or audible noise prior to or accompanying the issue. Body has very minimal rust, the rest of the frame appears solid. Truck has 104,660 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford Ranger. While driving at various speeds, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed that the rear spring suspension failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 237,000.
My 1999 Ford Ranger frame is rusting in several location which will make it very unsafe the body looks brand new but the front frame and rear frame are rusting away. The shocks on the front right side are about the break through the support and the upper control arm is about the break off.
The far rear right spring shackle and mount fell out of the truck. I felt the body fall and heard a bang and in the mirror saw something fall on the ground. After investigating I found that those parts had rotted out and fell out. The spring was resting on the bottom of the truck bed. I'm a mechanic, so I got the parts to fix it, but found that as I took apart the frame parts, the frame had rusted through on both sides of the spring mount. The left side, though the shackle mount had not rotted off yet, was in bad shape. When I got the left side spring mount off, the frame was rotted through behind it and had rusted through on both sides of the spring mount. This isn't going to last long. Infact I'm looking into my options for repair. Ford should be made responsible for this. There is no way a truck frame should melt like this. …
For the second time as far as I know the rear frame (rear spring shackles and spear tire holder specifically) have and are being replaced because they have rusted and they tore apart. As I was driving I hit a regular bump in the road. I was driving about 35 to 45 MPH on the way to work. Well it sounded like it hit pretty hard, as I was driving I noticed the trucks performance was lacking. So, went to work, got out of work and on the way back home I noticed the samething with the performance of the truck. It was lacking in a big way. As I was pulling into the driveway I heard a large clunk sound. The next day I had a prior appointment at my transmission shop. As the mechanics put it on the lift "the rear axle dropped to the full extent of the shock absorber and busting their seals. …
The shackle on the left rear spring totally broke off of vehicle. The shackle on the right side is almost totally detached. There is no way to attach new shackles because the truck frame is totally rotted away. Also much to my amazement the spare tire which was suspended underneath the pickup bed is gone. Where it was attached is all rotted away so at some point it just fell off when we were driving, don't know where or when. Today I talked to the service dept of the Ford dealer where the truck was purchased and Ford is not doing anything about this. They said we have this problem with shackles all the time. They rust out. My mechanic, who discovered the problem said he see this a lot on all models of fords pickups. My brother in law has a Toyota tacoma pickup which just failed a safety inspection because of a rotted frame. Toyota is replacing his frame free of charge. …
Suspension complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1999 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 67 complaints about the suspension of the 1999 Ford Ranger, 9% of the model year's 755 complaints. The component named most often is front (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford Ranger suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 1999 Ford Ranger, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Ranger suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.