Six problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 1998 Ford Ranger. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I was driving on the freeway and the truck started smoking and caught on fire, I pulled off the freeway and the whole front of the truck burst into flames.
While in bed at 2:00 am truck caught fire.
Tl-the contact owns a 1998 Ford Ranger extra cab. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated and the water reservoir was low. The vehicle was inspected by a private mechanic who stated that the number four spark plug was burnt. The hatch had cracked and leaked water to the number four spark plug. The failure recurred frequently and had to replace the spark plug every 3,000 miles. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,000. The current mileage was 146,329. Yn.
Every 4 months I have to change my spark plugs because the ceramic part keeps breaking.
Pulled my 1998 Ford Ranger into a store parking lot. I was getting ready to park when I could smell something burning. Stopped the truck. Smoke was coming from under the hood. I popped the hood and saw an electrical plug burning with flames. I was able to blow the flames out before much else was damaged. I was able to drive it to a Ford dealership. They told me that the cruise control plug is what caught fire. It also damaged my reservoir for the brake fluid. They are replacing the master cylinder and the cruise control plug. Of course, this is at my own expense, not Fords.
Temprature gauge failed. Yh.