Seats, brake and powertrain issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
People couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of a 2019 Ford Ranger. It was the first year of the revival of this mid-size pickup. As enthusiasm runs deep, the automaker claims this truck is “adventure ready.” Once the initial fervor wore off, owners realized this truck wasn’t all it was hyped up to be. In fact, this pickup suffers from defective seats, malfunctioning service brakes, a defective powertrain and glitchy vehicle speed control.
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No one expects the 2019 Ford Ranger to provide as much comfort or space as the F-150, but it is supposed to have safe seats, yet that’s not the case.
Just look at this review left on the NHTSA website. “2019 Ford Ranger XLT rear seat back locking problem. Ford has issued a TSB on the difficulty of locking the rear seat back into a locked position. Extreme closing force must be used to securely lock the seat back. If not properly locked, the seat back would probably pitch forward in an extreme braking or an accident. This could cause injury to rear seat passengers or others in the vehicle. It should not take a full size adult male using all possible force to latch the seatback. Ford forums have also expressed this problem. As it is a lifesaving issue, the NHTSA should immediately force Ford to design a proper latching mechanism before someone is seriously hurt or killed and then have it installed for free as a safety issue. Ford current solution is not a proper repair. Shaving the bumper grommets a tiny bit is not the solution. Surely Ford’s other vehicles don’t have this issue.”
It isn’t just the seat design that Ford overlooked, but also the front passenger seat belts. In fact, NHTSA Campaign Number 19V518000 highlights a recall that expresses how the improperly assembled seat belts may not restrain occupants during a crash. Between putting the passenger at risk and the rear seat occupants, Ford is only showing concern for the driver. That’s fine for owners who plan to drive alone, but what about the safety of others in the truck? This truck is only ready for an adventure taken by one person – not a group.
REAR SEAT UPPER PORTION WHEN RELEASED TO DOWNWARD POSITION, IS VERY HARD TO RELOCK IN UPPER POSITION, WHICH IF NOT LOCKED TO CAUSE SEAT BELTED PASSENGERS ND SEAT ITSELF TO FLY FORWARD IN A FRONTAL CRASH.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Seats | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
As discussed above, slamming on the brakes in the Ford Ranger could lead to injury in the back seat. With that in mind, it’s challenging to slam on the brakes at all, because this system isn’t working correctly.
Another NHTSA review states, “Pulling into a parking space and applied the brakes. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor and my foot then engaged the gas pedal also. The Ranger lunged forward and hit a store sign. I have had two instances of unintended acceleration while braking, on both occasions the engine revved and the vehicle went forward. Only have 950 miles on it. The brake pedal has a lot of travel before engaging. Ford needs to take a serious look at this.”
With five recalls already on the 2019 Ford Ranger, the automaker isn’t willing to look at anything it doesn’t need to. Otherwise, people might see how much of a lemon this truck actually is. Instead, the company has chosen to remain silent about braking concerns, leaving people to experience their own adventure.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 FORD RANGER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.
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There was a lot of criticism for Ford regarding the engine and transmission option on the 2019 Ranger. It turns out critics had a lot to say that was valid. This system isn’t functioning as it should and owners couldn’t be more displeased.
Here is a complaint that was filed with the NHTSA. “The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ranger. On several occasions, while driving and approaching a stop, the transmission failed to downshift, which made it difficult to stop the vehicle. [Dealer] was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.”
Ford has also issued some recalls related to powertrain concerns. The first recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 19V366000, specifies that the gear shift lever position might not match the transmission gear, which causes the truck to move in an unexpected direction, even when the owner thinks it is in Park. This is caused by loosened fasteners attaching the transmission shifter cable bracket and requires repair. Otherwise, the Ford Ranger might take an adventure on its own.
I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED TWICE OF A RECALL BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT BE IN THE GEAR INDICATED. CONTACTED THE DEALER TWICE AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE NOT DOING RECALL WORK FOR 2 TO 3 MONTH’S. SO IN THE MEANTIME MY TRUCK CAN ROLL AND INJURE MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE OR DAMAGE PROPERTY.
As with the other problems this truck seems to exhibit, the vehicle speed control malfunctions put owners and occupants at risk.
Here is yet another NHTSA complaint about the Ranger. It says, “The truck has about 400 miles total. I have had two instances of unintended acceleration while braking, on both occasions the engine revved and the vehicle lunged forward.”
This statement sounds like a replica of what was illustrated earlier. That’s because the internet is filled with similar reports from Ranger owners around the country. Yet, Ford won’t take the complaints seriously or fix the problems. It has chosen to turn a blind eye and continue promoting the Ranger as something it isn’t. This lemon car isn’t ready for an adventure at all but should be sent to the junkyard for scrap metal.
WHEN TRYING TO SET THE CRUISE CONTROL SPEED THE VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE ACCELERATING CONSTANTLY. THE TRUCK WILL NOT SET AT THE DESIRED SPEED AND WILL KEEP GOING FASTER AND FASTER. THE ONLY WAY STOP THE INCREASING ACCELERATION PROCESS IS STEPPING ON THE BRAKE, MAYBE TURNING THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I TRIED TO SET THE CRUISE CONTROL SPEED WITH THE BOTTOM ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WHEEL. I REPLICATED THE ISSUE TWICE IN THE PARKWAY JUST TO MAKE SURE THIS WAS NOT MY FAULT. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED, THE CAR WAS NEW.
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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I have owned two 2019 Ford ranger XLTs I bought one brand new off the lot someone running to the back of me because of the tires I had on it which were no grapplers I’ve only put a level kit on it and run 17 inch rims and 28 tires but now I have a second Ford ranger and it 9,000 miles is doing some sputtering and that does kind of make me wonder if it’s a transmission or if it’s gas problems or what The first one when it got wrecked was only at 30,000 mi but I had nitto grabber g2s and that’s what saved my life when I went sliding when the guy were into me now on the second truck I’ve noticed when I hit the brakes with even still good tires on them I slide so I don’t know if it’s attraction the brakes don’t even put something in the gas tank with the gas and clean it out this one had I think 60,000 mi on it when I got it but I have noticed the sputtering and I did slide and I put the brakes on into someone so now my insurance is going to go up but who knows if it was me or if it was the tires or if it was the truck I’ll let you know because if there’s problems how do you know what that problem is