Four problems related to carrier/rack have been reported for the 1998 Ford Ranger. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
"frame recall ? " while driving frame broke in half, both sides. Since owning I have replaced leaf spring and shock bracket,and also removed spare tire bracket before it fell off in roadway. This needs to be addressed before someone gets killed!!!.
1998 XLT 4x4. Body in great shape. Frame has rust so bad rear bumber and spare tire carrier have fallen off. Broke by the leaf shackles also. Frame was coated. Unable to repair. I am beyond upset that Ford does not have to replace the frame, something I am unable to afford.
The frame on the passenger side from about the middle of the door to the front suspension mount is almost completely gone from rust. I showed it to the Ford dealership and they advised me not to drive as it is extremely unsafe but they either could or would not do anything about it. The coil spring pocket is cracked and the spring is about to pop out. I cannot afford a new vehicle at this time. The frame is broken and cracked in several areas due to stress from flexing because of the rust. I attempted to get a local fabrication shop weld it but they will not touch it. I can take photographs if need be. Ford motor company told me they have had numerous complaints about this same problem but not enough to issue a recall. I am afraid to drive this vehicle but have no choice. I have already replaced rear spring mounts and shackles because of rust but I cannot replace the frame and no one will touch it.
The cable that supports the spare tire broke at approximately 40 mph. The fromt of the spare droped down contacting the road which resulted in the rear of the truck being lifted in the air. Luckly this happened on a secluded section of the road and there was no other traffic. I can't emagine what would have happened if this had occured on a buisy expressway during rush hour traffic. I called the dealer since I was returning home after having all four tires replaced under the recall program. The dealer informed me I should call Ford customer service. Customer service thanked me for the call but said there was no program that would cover the cost of replacing the faulty cable.