Problems with 1999 Ford Ranger ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tail lights operate intermittently. while operating the vehicle on the road at night, this could pose a safety hazard. other drivers have indicated to me that the tail lights were not working even though the headlights are on and the light switch is in the on position. spot checks by me show that sometimes they are working and sometimes they are not. search engine results indicate that this is a common problem with this vehicle.

Gas gauge is inaccurate - gauge indicated almost 1/2 tank of gas when truck ran out of gas. *tr

I was driven and going about 20mph. and come to a stop light i tried to press the brakes they worked a little then i couldn't press down anymore almost rear ended another car. i called ford dealership to have it checked out and the tech. said the abs module needs to be replace he told me this item should never went bad. i asked a couple of friends about this they told me parts like this should never go bad? i was wondering if this is on the recall list because this is a safety hazard! *tr

Tl* the conytact owns a 1999 ford sports (n/a). the contact stated that there is a bad connection that could cause the vehicle to catch on fire. the contact had received a recall notice , but had not experienced and problem with the vehicle. the mileage is approximately 100,000. the vin was unavailable.

1999 ford ranger. windshield wipers activated for no reason and made shorting sound when turn signal lever was used. 2 days later while traveling home from pa. rear of truck caught fire and in a matter of 3-4 seconds was a total loss traveling into the cab area. interior was so burnt even the metal for the steering wheel was destroyed.i believe the was a short circuit in the wiring. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford ranger. the contact stated that the speed control deactivation switch will be replaced by a fused wiring harness. he stated that brake fluid leaks into the deactivation switch, which could cause an underhood fire. he received a recall letter with the numbers 05s28. there had been no failure to date. the exact nhtsa recall number was unknown. the current mileage was 37,869.

tl *the contact owns a 1999 ford ranger. the stereo would activate intermittently without warning. it also gets so hot that it is melting the plastic surrounding the stereo. as of july 31, 2008 the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. the current mileage was 190,962.

Starting in 2007 my 1999 ford ranger would not go into 4 wheel dr.. i was alerted because the 4-high light started blinking to warn of a problem. after 8 trips to3 different repair shops, it will go into 4-high but it always slips out. it appears to be irrepairable. also the 4-high light stays on even though it has dropped back into 2 wheel dr.. at 70 m.p.h., on ice and snow this is very dangerous! *tr

Dome lights stays on even when door is shut. took to local dealership 4 times, would not repair without charge. stays on even while driving and at night this can be a serious hazard. this has happened dozens of times in the last couple of years. i have to remove the fuse if i want to drive safely.*jb

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated rapidly while attempting to slow down. the vehicle's engine revved suddenly without warning. the transmission was placed in the neutral position in order to prevent from hitting the vehicle in front. the dealership determined this was a common problem with this vehicle and was caused by faulty wiring chafing from the wiring harness.

1) windshield wipers randomly start and stop 2) smoke puffs rising from steering column occasionally

There is a problem with the door switches with this vechicle. i had the door switches replaced 2 years ago because they both were saying the the door was open when in fact they were closed. a year later the car started doing it again. it has been an on going problem since i can not afford to have the problem repaired. there is also a problem with the wipers. they spontainsouly turn themselves on for no reason and at times when i try to turn them on in the rain the dont work properly.*ak

Eletrical system. my door contact pin switch says my doors are open even though i shut the door and lock them. *jb

Intermittently windshield wipers operated on their own. while driving windshield wipers malfunctioned. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the electrical relay switch needed to be replaced. *ak *nm

Anti-theft system failed and needed to be replaced. *ak

Truck was stopped & left running, driver and passenger got out to see if road too muddy to drive on. when opened door less than 1 minute later, truck filled with smoke. fire smelled electrical, battery unhooked, vehicle towed to ford dealership. apparently wire on power window on passenger side touched metal and started the fire. this vehicle has never been wrecked and door or windows worked on. what would make it short out and start fire if not factory defect. dt

Smoke from the steering column with the left turn signal _x0013_on._x0014_ while driving on the freeway, i turned _x0013_on_x0014_ the left turn signal to change lanes. initially the turn signal worked normally. after changing lanes, a column of smoke began rising from the steering column. the turn signal light on the dash board had gone from blinking on and off to a steady dim green and the turn signal arm had not fully moved to the _x0013_off_x0014_ position. i moved the turn signal arm to the _x0013_off_x0014_ position and the turn signal light went out and the smoke stopped shortly after that. at a stop sign, the same situation occurred. i did not use turn signal for the remainder of the drive.*ak

When turning on left turn signal smoke came from steering column. sometimes light won't turn off. consumer played twice with switch. please provide any further information.*ak

When turning on directional light, and at making a turn, windshield wipers will turn on by themselves. consumer believed that it was electrical related. please provide more information.*ak

I have had numerous problems with the electrical system, the "door ajar" light stays on when doors are shut. also the interior lights stay on when the doors are shut. the problems started about 3 months after i bought the truck. of course that was after the warranty ran out. *jb

Speed 25 mph traveling down icy, dirt road, lost control and struck tree on passenger side in front of door. approx. 10 min. later car burst into flames and is now total damage, although original damage was only dent to front quarter panel. *ak

Stopped at red light with left turn signal on. turn signal indicator on dash went dim, but not out completely. a few seconds later smoke started coming out from the top of the steering column around the opening for the hazard light activation switch. shut off the engine, pushed truck off to the side; waited about 15 minutes, started back up, no further indication of problem (however, did not use turn signals again for remainder of trip: ~5 miles).*ak

Within a 2 month period i have experienced 3 separate electrical problems. 1st incident was a surging when defrost was on. dealer replaced all spark plug wires and said that is was arcing and could have caused a fire or worse. 2nd was the gas gauge was not working. dealer is replacing fuel sender. 3rd was 4x4 and overdrive not working. dealer initially replaced blown fuse, but 2 days later was blown again and dealer is currently replacing "wiring" in steering column that was shorting. truck is currently at the dealers. very unsatisfied!!! very nervous about the continuing electical problems and incomplete explanations from the dealer.*ak

While driving truck cuts off. after a few minutes, truck starts back up. problem was reported to the dealership. a computer chip was ordered to correct the problem. *ak *ml

Emergency brakes will not release, and there a short in electrical system. also, dome lights do not work properly. *ak

After driving about 5 miles, vehicle was parked, and once consumer sat in vehicle for 2minutes before shutting the engine off, once off, ignition was turned to accessories, and there was a popping sound from under the hood. when vehicle was quickly exited, consumer noticed smoke from under the hood, and it suddenly burst into flames, burning the vehicle up, the fire department put the fire out. dealer has been contacted. *ak

When attempting to change the oil filter, i apparently bumped a wire on the starter causing it to engage. lucky the parking brake held letting it move only a short distance before distroying the starter. i received several injuries while attempting to get free of the vehicle to disconnect the battery. in inspecting the incident afterwards i found that by moving the wire less than ten thousands of an inch the starter can be engaged with the ignition off. if oil had been present at the time, a major fire could have occurred to repair the damage was $240 for labor and new started. the dealer has agreed to contact the ford service agent, but no assurance that it would be covered under the warranty. if nothing else please warn other owners of this problem before someone get killed. thank you. *ak

Electrical wire burned by the transmission causing 4x4 system, overdrive and back lights not to work, wire replaced now all systems working fine. *et

Whenever consumer tries to get into the vehicle or touch the vehicle, he will get an electrical shock. also, when driving can hear a knocking and clicking noise, and when putting the vehicle in reverse the noise gets very loud. *ak