Three problems related to rear suspension springs have been reported for the 1999 Ford Ranger. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I noticed a hole in the rear of my truck bed. Upon further inspection I found spring shackles and frame mounts were rusted away and not holding the springs anymore. They were coming through my truck bed! this made my truck unsafe to drive. The rest of my truck is in very good shape. This kind of rust is not normal and is not safe! as I checked on the internet I've found that I'm not the only one that has had this problem with the 1999 Ford Ranger!.
First failure was where leaf springs attach to frame (rear shackles) failed due to rust and put hole in truck bed. Replaced parts. Second failure is when filling tank with fuel; gas has started to run out on the ground at the gas station. Just received filler neck today to replace current rusted one. While under vehicle noticed tank strap is hanging loose not attached due to connection point rusted off (similar failure to NHTSA recall campaign #11v385000 fuel tank strap failure). Also noticed severe rust like little or no rust inhibitor was applied to frame and components. Shield above muffler is almost non-existent, frame cross member is flaking away due to rust. I am not qualified to provide full details of problems or cause but rust is becoming a safety issue with this vehicle. Contacted Ford and they say vehicle is not part of recall.
While driving, vehicle swerves or pulls to the left over road. More speed the worse it gets. Vehicle originally brought in dealer for dog tracking, dealer replaced rear springs and bushings, but consumer states dog tracking still exists, dealer could not find anything further and states that vehicle is well within specs.