Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My daughter was driving my 2002 Ford Ranger on the freeway. It was rush hour traffic, clear skies, sun out and no rain. She felt the truck violently veered to the right, and thought the passenger side front tire had a blown out. But the truck was thrown into the guard rail, a witness behind her said the wheel flew off the truck, then it went airborne and flew back to the left over three lanes of traffic. Fortunately, my daughter had only mild injuries and was transported to the e.r. Via ambulance. In addition, there were no other vehicles involved with the truck or the flying wheel. When I saw the car at the wrecker yard, I noted the whole wheel and part of the axle were missing. My daughter's boyfriend found the tire on the side of the road with the axle and part of the brake components still attached. Has there been any other reports of a wheel breaking off of a Ford Ranger? …
The tire is bf goodrich p245/75 r16 109s. I was unable to select the correct tire on drop down box. Report as follows. While driving on I-74 I felt a bit of a bump, as if I had run over something. The steering wheel shifted in my hands then went sharply into the right lane. The truck was out of control. As the truck was flipping I saw the guardrail through a side window, the airbags had been deployed by then. The truck kept flipping. The truck then landed on the drivers side door and spun several times, then finally stopped. I was able to remove my seat belt then stand in the truck. I was able to open the passenger door that was in the air, about 10 inches, enough to look out, scream for help and wave my arm. A man then pried the door open enough for me to climb the truck seats and console like a ladder then squeeze out of the door and jump down. …
Brevard county sheriff and florida highway patrol verified the left rearcooper tire on my '02 Ford pick-up truck delaminated causing me to loose control of the truck on hwy 95 and go airborn and roll over three (3) time, landing in the median strip of hwy 95 in a construction zone, totally destroying my truck. I was removed from the truck with jaws of life, transported to the hospital. My injuries were considered minor, treated and managed in the emergency room at an area hospital. Follow up care with vero beach, fl physicians followed. The delamination of the cooper tire was due to a defective tire. Tire size was 31" x 10.5 , tire line: owl all terrain tires; vehicle info: Ford Ranger 2002 pick-up truck.
Bracket for spare tire rotted, tire dropped off, no car in back of me, didn't know what happen at the time, that happened 6 month after I bought it, the other day the frame cracked in half. Car dealer ship sold truck to me roughly 15 month ago truck is totaled. Insurance adjuster said whole frame and under carriage is rotted? Help. Exterior of truck looks brand new? Help
Firestone wilderness ht p225/70r15 tire on right front of 2002 Ford Ranger xlt 4 door extended cab truck blows and causes loss of control of vehicle resulting in severe damage to vehicle and injuries to driver and passenger
Steel rim came apart while adding air to tire causing severe injuries to hands leg and foot only 20 psi in tire pressure when rim blew apart !
I am having multiple problems with my 6 month old truck. A strange oil loss that was loosing 1-2 quarts of oil a week, now fixed for the moment. The clutch disengages if any pressure is applied to the clutch pedal and will not engage until the pedal is fully released, dealer claims its normal. Various electrical problems with this heap, including failing sensors, interior light coming on when it wants to, and the check engine light comes on occasionally. This truck has starting problems sometimes, you have to crank the engine for a long time(up to 30 seconds sometimes) before it will start. Had to have a tire replaced with 1066 miles on the vehicle because some of the tread was beginning to come off, vehicle was realigned at the same time to cure a pull to the right which did nothing still pulls to the right. …
The tires started to wear in an odd cupping shape after checking tire pressure constantly to verify this was not the cause of the wear. Additionally multiple alignments had been performed to also verify this was not the cause of the wear. After driving for weeks later, the tire failed at 35 MPH in a busy suburban state route intersection. After pulling aside and replacing the tire, I discovered a delamination of the tread. I had inspected the tires and had seen another starting to show signs of delamination. I immediately started to price tires. I contacted Firestone about the issue and was told the tire is not on the recall. Three days later, and the other tire is clearly delaminated. I feel because of the low miles on the tires, the constant and proper preventable maintenance performed, the tires should be replaced.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Ranger with two front Firestone destination le p245/75r16 tires. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating. The contact decreased the speed expecting the vibration to stop; however, while driving 55 MPH, the front driver side tire blew out. The impact caused the left front fender to extend outward approximately one inch. A local repair facility mechanic stated that the blow out was caused by road hazard materials. The contact was concerned that the vibration caused the tire blow out. The manufacturer stated that they inspected the tires and since they were unable to determine how long the tires were on the vehicle they were unable to replace them free of charge. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 45,000. Updated 10/06/09
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Ranger equipped with Goodyear wrangler radial (p) tires, size p235/75r15. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle began to shake. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road and noticed that all four tires had bubbles on the sidewalls. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the tires were replaced with another set of the same tires. The contact mentioned that a week later the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that all four tires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000 and the current mileage was 50,000.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2002 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2002 Ford Ranger, 10% of the model year's 346 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Ranger wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2002 Ford Ranger, though it has 3 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 2002 Ford Ranger wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries and 1 death to wheels & tires 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.