1998 Ford Ranger: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1998 Ford Ranger. The newest campaign is 07V336000. NHTSA received the report on 3 Aug 2007. The NHTSA record gives the component Vehicle Speed Control. NHTSA has 576 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 07V336000, in the NHTSA record

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.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 4,512,565 units in total.

07V3360003 Aug 2007Vehicle Speed Control
99V20400028 Jul 1999Power Train / Automatic Transmission
99V06200130 Mar 1999Vehicle Speed Control
98V0210002 Feb 1998Equipment / Other / Labels
97V18600128 Oct 1997Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings

07V336000Received 3 Aug 2007. 3,600,000 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
This could result in an underhood fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 05S28. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 Aug 2007.
99V204000Received 28 Jul 1999. 326 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the transaxle and any with misaligned park detent springs will be replaced.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 99S20. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 28 Jul 1999.
99V062001Received 30 Mar 1999. 898,739 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
If the cruise control is used and this condition is present, a stuck throttle could result, which could potentially result in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 99S09.
98V021000Received 2 Feb 1998. 11,500 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: light duty four-wheel drive pickup trucks equipped with off-road option. The tire and rim identification information is incorrect on these vehicles. This does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The 16" tires could not be inflated on the specified 15x7.0j rim.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be sent a safety certificaiton label partial overlay which will contain the correct rim size, and instructions for affixing this label to the vehicle. If an owner so desires, their ford dealer can install the label for them.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 6 Jul 1998.
97V186001Received 28 Oct 1997. 2,000 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4.0l engines. The flexible section of the chassis mounted fuel line that connects to the engine was routed too close to the exhaust manifold. The line could contact the manifold.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could potentially result in damage to the fuel line, or in some cases, cause a fuel leak. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install an additional clip to hold the fuel line in the intended design position.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 1 Dec 1997.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

576 complaints, 744 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1998 Ford Ranger
All 1998 vehicles

1998 Ford Ranger: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1998 Ranger	All 1998 vehicles	Ranger, all years	Mentions
Tires	196.2	51.8	85.3	146
Vehicle Speed Control	100.8	43.2	54.8	75
Power Train	91.4	90.4	86.7	68
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	84.7	106.9	71.3	63
Suspension	76.6	82.6	62	57
Engine and Engine Cooling	72.6	123.7	45.9	54
Structure	60.5	45.8	71.5	45
Air Bags	45.7	50.6	180	34
Electrical System	44.4	82.5	64.7	33
Steering	26.9	55.8	20	20

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 26.

Complaints that report a crash: 66
Complaints that report a fire: 29
Injuries in the complaints: 40
Deaths in the complaints: 7
Date of the newest complaint: 27 Apr 2021

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Ford Ranger, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2000, with 160 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Ford Ranger
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE99045	Preliminary evaluation	STEERING KNUCKLE SEPARATIONS	Steering	6 Jul 1999	29 Oct 1999

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Ford RangerThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Ford Ranger: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/ranger/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1998 Ford Ranger?: 4,512,565 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Ranger have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 102 recall campaigns for the Ford Ranger, model years 1978 to 2026. 5 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Ford Ranger name most often?: Tires: 146 of 744 component mentions, or 196.2 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 51.8 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Ford Ranger open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.