IllustrationTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT OF THE SIDE VIEW MIRROR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE DEALER STATED THE LAW DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO CHANGE THE MIRROR. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,000.
1999 Ford Ranger
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Ranger years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Ford Ranger are substantially higher than the model-year median of 144.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Ranger years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
100–25K
3425–50K
3450–75K
4475–100K
56100–150K
36150K+
214 reports with mileage · 541 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Tires. Review the 178 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 89 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 80 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
96 crash reports14 fire reports50 injury reports
Visibility complaints
73 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ACTIVATED WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,700 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,005.
99 FORD RANGER, WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURN ON BY THEMSELVES WHILE DRIVING. NOW WONT TURN ON AT ALL. SEEMS TO BE A DRIVING HAZARD IF YOUR DRIVING IN THE RAIN AND THEY QUIT!! *TR
(1) THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL TURN ON BY THEMSELVES WHILE I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN I HAVE NOT ACTIVATED THEM. I MAY BE TRAVELING AT 20 TO 65 MPH, SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT, OR TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION OR CORNER, AND THE WIPERS JUST COME ON BY THEMSELVES. (2) THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED 2 - 3 TIMES PER WEEK SINCE 20…
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(1) THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL TURN ON BY THEMSELVES WHILE I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN I HAVE NOT ACTIVATED THEM. I MAY BE TRAVELING AT 20 TO 65 MPH, SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT, OR TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION OR CORNER, AND THE WIPERS JUST COME ON BY THEMSELVES. (2) THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED 2 - 3 TIMES PER WEEK SINCE 2007 AND THE CONSEQUENCE IS THAT BOTH WIPERS SCRAPE ACROSS A DRY WINDSHIELD LEAVING TRACKS ON THE WINDSHIELD. AS I ONLY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 100,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, THESE INCIDENTS BEGAN WHEN I ONLY HAD APPROXIMATELY 75,000 TO 80,000 MILES ON IT. (3) TO STOP THE WIPERS, I PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND THAN RESTART THE VEHICLE--THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK. THE OTHER IS TO PUT THE WIPERS ON FAST SPEED FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS AND TURN THE WIPERS OFF. AND THIS "SOLUTION" DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK. AT TIMES DURING RAIN, WHEN I FIRST TURN THE WIPERS ON, THEY WILL NOT TURN ON AT ALL. I TURN THE WIPER KNOB OFF AND THAN PUT ON HIGH SPEED THAN BACK THE SPEED DOWN TO GET THEM WORKING. A PROFESSIONAL REPAIR HAS NOT BEEN MADE UP TO THIS DATE AS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATED ON THEIR OWN INTERMITTENTLY. THE WIPERS HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY BE SHUT OFF MANUALLY. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL REGARDING THIS FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,802. UPDATED 11/…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATED ON THEIR OWN INTERMITTENTLY. THE WIPERS HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY BE SHUT OFF MANUALLY. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL REGARDING THIS FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,802. UPDATED 11/26/08 *CN UPDATED 12/01/08. *JB
HEATER STOPPED PUTTING OUT WARM AIR. IT FELT LIKE THE A/C WAS ON. KEPT SMELLING ANTIFREEZE. UPON CHECKING THE NEXT DAY, I FOUND THE METAL TUBES ON THE CAST ALUMINUM HEAD WAS WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. HOWEVER, THE WIPERS DID NOT BEGIN TO OPERATE UNTIL 15 MINUTES AFTER THEY WERE ACTIVATED. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT DID NOT LOCATE ANY BURNT FUSES. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO T…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. HOWEVER, THE WIPERS DID NOT BEGIN TO OPERATE UNTIL 15 MINUTES AFTER THEY WERE ACTIVATED. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT DID NOT LOCATE ANY BURNT FUSES. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE OF FAILURE AS THE WIRING. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURN ON INTERMITTENTLY, THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING OR SITTING STOPPED WITH IGNITION ON LISTENING TO RADIO... ALSO SLIPPING OF TRANSMISSION WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER A TURN...THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES, TOO MANY TO COUNT IN THE YEARS SINCE I OWNED THE TRUCK...*NM
WIPERS GO ON FOR NO REASON ON HUMID DAYS, HAS HAPPENDED MANY TIMES
WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITTEMNTLY TURN ON WHEN I MAKE TURNS. ANOTHER PROBLEM: THE 'DOOR AJAR' LIGHT COMES ON AND THE DOME LIGHT WON'T TURN OFF. HAD THE TRUCK TAKEN IN BEFORE FOR THE DOMELIGHT PROBLEM.*AK
Official recalls
407V336000 · Vehicle Speed Control
Aug 3, 2007
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
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 AS AN INTERIM REPAIR. AS SOON AS REPAIR PARTS ARE AVAILABLE (EXPECTED OCTOBER 2007), OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN TO THE DEALERS FOR INSTALLATION OF A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 13, 2007, AND MAILING COMPLETED BY SEPTEMBER 19, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.
99V204000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Jul 28, 1999
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE PARK MECHANISM DOES NOT ENGAGE AND THE VEHICLE OPERATOR HAS NOT APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL FREE AS IF IN NEUTRAL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSAXLE AND ANY WITH MISALIGNED PARK DETENT SPRINGS WILL BE REPLACED.
99V062001 · Vehicle Speed Control
Mar 30, 1999
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 JANUARY 5, 1998 THROUGH MARCH 4, 1999; 1998-1999 MUSTANGS EQUIPPED WITH 3.8L, 4.6L 2-VALVE OR 4-VALVE ENGINES AND CRUISE CONTROL BUILT FROM MARCH 2, 1998 THROUGH MARCH 4, 1999; 1999 F250/F350/F450/F550 (OVER 8,500 LBS.) TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 5.4L OR 6.8L ENGINES AND CRUISE CONTROL BUILT FROM MARCH 2, 1998 THROUGH MARCH 4, 1999; AND 1999 F-53 STRIPPED CHASSIS EQUIPPED WITH 5.4L OR 6.8L ENGINES AND CRUISE CONTROL BUILT FROM MARCH 2, 1998 THROUGH MARCH 4, 1999. A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE CAN INTERFERE WITH THE SPEED CONTROL SERVO PULLEY AND NOT ALLOW THE THROTTLE TO RETURN TO IDLE WHEN DISENGAGING THE CRUISE CONTROL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE CRUISE CONTROL IS USED AND THIS CONDITION IS PRESENT, A STUCK THROTTLE COULD RESULT, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN A CRASH.
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.
98V201000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System
Sep 1, 1998
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE CAN RESULT FROM FUEL LEAKAGE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PULSE DAMPER.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.