Two problems related to power assist brake vacuum have been reported for the 2001 Ford Ranger. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Ford Ranger based on all problems reported for the 2001 Ranger.
The brakes failed due to insufficient vacuum pressure under certain normal driving conditions. There is no brake power if the accelerator is open enough for the engine speed to reach 2500 rpm, during cold idle (after start up), frequently after rapid acceleration in an emergency situation where the brakes are then applied. Dealer agreed that this was a dangerous situation and replaced the brake booster (twice), brake master cylinder, and finally the entire engine. Condition remains the same. Dealer and Ford engineer now state that it is operating as designed - evidently designed to fail in critical situations.
When appling brakes, pedal goes all the way down to the floor and causes vehicle to pulsate, brakes do not hold. Dealership is aware of problem. The consumer applied brakes for emergency, but the vehicle went 20 ft before coming to a stop due to booster pump failur.