2003 Ford Ranger XLT review from North America

The Gas Pedal TORE loose from the fire wall.

The truck has 255,000 miles on it, and it has not been ABUSED, but has been driven.

Looking at the shape of the pedal assembly, it is slightly less than a "C" shape, with the top of the "C" being connected to the Accelerator cable, and the bottom of the "c" being where the foot pushes, and the middle of the "bend" being where the bracket (that is spot welded to the fire-wall) is supporting the pedal assembly.

Initially, the pedal shifted to the left (the inboard side of the "C"), and I lost power. If I pushed the pedal to the right, I was able to continue. BUT, Before I was able to maneuvere through HOUSTON traffic, the pedal fell off, and I lost all power.

I did get to the side of the road without being KILLED, and identified the problem of the torn medal on the bracket, attached to the gas pedal in my hand.

I got to a FORD dealer, (by tying a rope to the accelerator cable), and they looked cross-eyed at me and exclaimed that they had never seen that.

[The business card of the "Collision Director" 's, was only SLIGHTLY thinner than the piece of fire-wall still attached to the Pedal's bracket.]

I am an Engineer, and have rebuilt more engines than I can count, and can understand the reason for this failure, and can recognize that it is NOT an isolated problem.