2001 Ford Ranger XLT review from North America

Guess I'll start with what drove me to this site. Would Ford please hire some engineers who have actually worked on cars before letting them design them? The heater core failed on my Ranger. No big deal, the fluid was black when I bought the truck so I'll chock that up to the previous owner, although using aluminum for a heat exchanger is just asking for trouble, they really should be using brass. So I go to change it out, should be a quick 15 minute job just like my 86 BRONCO II and 91 RANGER, Wrong! Instead, Ford took a good design and mucked it up. In order to change the heater core the ENTIRE dash has to be removed as well as the heater box. If that were not bad enough, they HID nuts between the fire wall and the blower fan case under the hood! I just cannot believe that they took such a great design and fouled it up this bad.

After looking at this site I've been reminded of other problems.

The coating on the radio surround is peeling off, exposing the shiniest cheap plastic I've ever seen.

I had a big problem with a belt squeak. I replaced the belt which fixed the problem for about 15,000 miles. Based on the reviews on this board it looks like it may be the tensioner.

The truck is making a loud rattling sound underneath, most likely a loose heat shield.

My driver's side seat back has lost most of its cushion and now jams a metal rod in my back. If I keep the truck, new seats are a must.

Does this truck have a bet light? The bulb is there, but I can't figure out how to turn it on. I asked at a ranger web site and no one else knew either.

Top speed of 92 mph? Why put a 120 MPH speedo on it if you are going to electronically limit the speed at 92?