Mechanical Jack Problems of Ford Ranger

The jack which comes as standard equipment with this vehicle, when fully extended to its maximum height, is incapable of elevating the chassis to a height sufficient to install a spare tire. I had my first flat tire last night and found this out. The spare I was trying to mount was the original spare which came with the truck, and it was inflated properly. The jack was mounted properly per the written instructions attached to it, and at full elevation the chassis of the truck was still about 3 inches too low for the wheel studs to line up with the wheel. The truck was parked on a level concrete pavement, and I had a clerk from an auto parts store assisting me with changing the tire/wheel. If I had gotten this flat on some sparsely travelled rural road in the desert 25 miles from here, I could have been stranded and died of heat exhaustion or dehydration. Doesn't the manufacturer have an obligation to supply a jack which is mechanically capable of lifting the chassis of the vehicle to a sufficient height to allow for the mounting of a spare tire/wheel? nlm.

See all problems of the 1998 Ford Ranger 🔎.

Had a right front tire go flat. With the tire flat, the vehicle jack would not fit under the shock absorber as the owners manual describes proper jacking of the vehicle. I contacted the local Ford dealer who said to just move the jack to a nearby location. I did this but was very uneasy doing so as it didn't seem especially secure and I was worried the car could slip off the jack. Odd that with a flat tire, the jack is too tall to place it where the manufacturer recommends.

See all problems of the 1997 Ford Ranger 🔎.

Upon having a flat tire I discovered that the jack was not the proper size for the vehicle. The vehicle is a 4wd and the jack would not raise the vehicle high enough to change the tire. This could cause someone to use unsafe methods to change the tire.

Jack that comes with truck is too small causing vehicle instability.

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Ranger 🔎.

The jack broke when the consumer was changing a tire. The spare tire was a different size from the regular tires which caused rear end noise. The brakes locked up when the consumer attempted to stop which caused an accident. The dealer replaced the brake shoes. The rear door and speakers vibrated when the radio was in use. The dealer repositioned the loose insulation. When the cruise control was activated the vehicle made noise and the accelerator pedal vibrated. The dealer replaced the accelerator cable and pedal. When accelerating the vehicle made a loud noise.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Ranger 🔎.

The tire-jack (bottle-jack) provided with this vehicle, when purchased new, will not fit under the approved front-end jacking point of my Ford Ranger pick-up truck under full flat conditions! there appears to be no safe alternative jacking position to be used with the supplied bottle-jack! this recently caused me to be in danger far longer than would have been otherwise necessary had my vehicle been provided with an adequate jack! I discovered this fact on the narrow paved shoulder of a busy interstate highway during continuous heavy rain and lowered visibility conditions. I was unsuccessful at changing my tire (embarassing to a commercial semi-trailer truck driver) and had to call and wait for assistance, this after already getting soaked on a cold day in a futile attempt to change my tire with inadequate new-vehicle equipment! from talking to others, I have been told that inadequate jacks are quite often provided with other pick-up trucks, and that this type jack problem is not unique to the Ford range pick-up!.