2001 Ford Ranger power train problems

“ON THE DATE LISTED, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO GO INTO REVERSE. THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT THE FORD RANGER IS NOTORIUS FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS THAT INCLUDE: 1. FAILING TO GO INTO REVERSE, 2. FAILING TO GO INTO FORWARD AFTER STOPPING, 3. JUMPING GEARS, OR SLOW GEAR CHANGES. THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY OTHER SHOPS AS WELL AS A GOOGLE SEARCH. IN FACT, THE PROBLEM MAY BE SEVERLY UNDER REPORTED AS FORD DEALERSHIPS MAY LIST AS OTHER PROBLEMS AND SMALLER SHOPS MAY NOT LINK THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR, SO I'M SURE FORD DOES NOT WANT TO BE FORCED TO RECALL ALL OF THE RANGERS, AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS PROBLEM DOES AFFECT SEVERAL YEARS OF RANGERS ON THE MARKET. PLEASE GOOGLE FORD RANGER TRANSMISSIONS, AND LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS. LOOK AT THE BLOGS AND GROUPS THAT ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE, WHICH IF IT INVOLVES THE VEHICLE MOVING FORWARD, COULD IMPACT THE PASSENGERS IF THE PROBLEM OCCURS ON A FREEWAY ENTRANCE RAMP OR SUBDIVISION STREETS. THIS IS A WIDEPSREAD PROBLEM THAT IS UNDER REPORTED AND IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED, AND IT NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED IN MORE DETAIL. *TR”

“I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 FORD RANGER DOWN THE ROAD, I PUSHED IN THE CLUTCH TO CHANGE GEARS AND SOMETHING POPPED. MY CLUTCH PEDAL WAS NOW INCAPABLE OF ACTUATING THE CLUTCH TO CHANGE GEARS OR PUT IT IN GEAR AFTER I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. I HAD TO JERK THE GEARSHIFT OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL AND STOP AS TRAFFIC HAD STOPPED FOR A RED LIGHT. WE HAD TO PUSH THE TRUCK OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. AFTER EXAMINING THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, I SAW THAT THE CLUTCH HYDRAULIC LINE THAT ATTACHES TO THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER HAD POPPED OFF. THE ROLL PIN THAT SECURES THAT PARTICULAR CONNECTION HAD WORKED ITSELF LOOSE AND ALLOWED THE LINE TO POP OFF. THE NEXT DAY I REMOVED THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER, RESERVOIR, AND HYDRAULIC LINE. ALL THE PARTS WERE STILL GOOD, SO I BENCH BLED THE ASSEMBLY, INSTALLED, AND BLED THE CLUTCH SLAVE CYLINDER. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I READ THAT FORD HAD ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THIS EXACT PROBLEM AND ISSUED A FREE FIX IF A CUSTOMER HAS THIS PROBLEM AND THE TRUCK IS UNDER WARRANTY. WELL, MY TRUCK ISN'T UNDER WARRANTY AND FIXING IT MYSELF WAS A HASSLE. I DON'T NEED MY CLUTCH PARTS FAILING LIKE THIS WHEN I'M CROSSING AN INTERSECTION NOR…”

“I WAS DRIVING MY FORD RANGER, (2001 XLT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) IN AN ATTEMPT TO WARM UP THE TRUCK AS THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN ACTING UP AS IT WAS NOT SHIFTING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD INTO HIGHER GEARS. THE TRUCK WAS HAVING TROUBLE GOING PAST 10-15 MPH BEFORE SHIFTING GEARS AND WAS GOING MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL. AS I DROVE AROUND THE PARKING LOT WHERE I WORK TO WARM UP THE TRUCK, IT WAS NOT GOING AS FAST AS NORMAL AND IT WARMED UP IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. I CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND IT WAS AT A NORMAL LEVEL. I TURNED OFF THE TRUCK AND CHECKED THE OIL WHICH WAS IN THE NORMAL RANGE. I PROCEEDED TO GO TO QT AND GET SOME GAS AND ON MY WAY BACK TO WORK, I WENT TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND WAS ALMOST STOPPED WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING UP AND TOOK OFF AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED WHILE MY FOOT WAS PUSHING THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN AS HARD AS I COULD. I THEN COULD NOT SLOW IT DOWN AT THE NEXT LIGHT ENOUGH TO MAKE THE RIGHT TURN SAFELY. I HAD TO MAKE A U TURN WITH BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES AND AFTER PUTTING THE TRUCK IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, I HAD TO PUT THE TRUCK INTO NEUTRAL AND CUT OFF THE ENGINE TO TURN INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE I WORK. I THOUGHT…”

“TRANS SHIFT PROBLEM 1ST TO 2ND SHIFT HARD SHIFT STARTED ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO 2001 FORD RANGER 4X4 ,STARTED ONLY DOING IT ON COLD STARTS NOW DOES IT ALL THE TIME COLD OR HOT HAVE TO LET OFF ACCELERATOR TO GET TO SHIFT OR MANUALLY SHIFT FROM SHIFT LEVER.OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHES AS SOON AS IT SLAMS INTO GEAR ,TRANS SLIP. FORD HAS HAD ON GOING PROBLEMS WITH TRANS. BEEN A AUTO TECH FOR FORD FOR MANY YEARS ITS TIME TO HAVE FORD LOOK AT THE ON GOING PROBLEMS. *TR”

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD RANGER EV. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DRIVE AT A NORMAL EXPECTANCY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND INSPECTED BY A TECHNICIAN, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE BODY TSB MODIFICATION AND SHIFT SOLENOID FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THE COST OF $612.38. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT UNDER RECALL; THEREFORE, NO COMPENSATION WOULD BE PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 57,980.”

“BOUGHT 2001 FORD RANGER IN 2005, 18 MONTHS LATER GEARBOX NEEDED REBUILD DUE TO LOSS OF GEAR SELECTION ON AUTO BOX. STILL THE GEARS SOMETIMES DO NOT ENGAGE AND THE O/D LIGHT COMES ON AND GEAR CHANGES ARE ROUGH. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION FROM WHAT I HAVE READ. *TR”