One problem related to gas tank strap has been reported for the 1997 Ford Ranger. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Looked under my Ford Ranger and saw that both of the metal straps that hold the fuel tank to the vehicle had rusted through and broken in half. I saw that there was a recall for the same issues on my year, but only for the Ford f150, not the Ford Ranger, even though the issue is the same.