1996 Ford Ranger LX review from North America

400 miles, light oil leak. Dealer replaced oil pan gasket under warranty. Apparently when the gasket was installed at the factory, there was a small crimp in the material, which caused the leak.

Plastic window crank covers broke off.

Seat belt retainer on floor gets stuck in door, it fails to hold belt close to seat and out of the way.

60,000 miles, engine knock with 87 octane began, (due to carbon build up in the engine.) This is typical with the 4-cylinder Fords I have owned. I have to put 91 octane in to keep it from knocking.

93,000 miles, "Check Engine Light" turned on. Mechanic charged $75 to download error codes. He said, the computer responded with "no error". So, the mechanic reset the computer and the "check engine" light stayed off for a week. It came back on, but I have just ignored it. The truck runs fine.

The truck gets great gas mileage, (about 25 mpg per tankful.) However, it is somewhat underpowered with the 4-cylinder motor. I think next time I will opt for the 3.0 L 6-cylinder.

The exterior paint is great! It is a nice metallic green color. We put a Perma Plate coating on it, which has kept it looking nice.

The interior is a good tan color. Ford did well with the color scheme.

I wish the dashboard had a tachometer, (RPM gauge). It didn't come with one.

The vehicle has been maintained regularly. Manual transmission fluid, coolant and engine oil are all replaced at scheduled intervals. The motor runs well after 113,000 miles.

Accident History: Rear-ended by a Honda Civic going 35 mph when I was stopped at a red light. The Honda dove *under* the back end of the truck. I must have been lifted about 3 feet in the air when I was hit! I was pushed into the vehicle 6-feet in front of me. Other than having the rear bumper replaced, the front bumper mounts and the muffler replaced, the truck was fine. This is a very crash-worthy vehicle in my opinion.