Ford Ranger Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Ford Australia customer service chief Stephen Kruk tells me the transmission has been repaired under warranty. A loan car was supplied while the vehicle was off the road.

We have had reports of clutch troubles with the Ranger and the clutch in yours I would suggest has probably warped. They overheat quite quickly if you slip the clutch even just a little, like when you take off while the vehicles is loaded or towing a trailer, and once that happens the clutch warps and will forever shudder until it's replaced. I think Ford is clutching at straws on that one.

We have had very few reports of problems with the Ranger, and we have had none about the automatic gearbox. No doubt your dealer would be able to diagnose the problem and fix it for you.

It sounds like the seller might have known there was a problem, and decided to get out of it. There have been reports of problems with the gearbox. You could approach Ford about helping out with the repairs, but because it's out of warranty, and you bought it secondhand from a private seller I don't fancy your chances of success.

We haven’t had other reports of a problem with fifth gear in the Ranger, but we have had reports of clutch problems with the Ranger and the Mazda BT-50, as we have with a number of one-tonne utes. No one has yet to admit to a fault unfortunately, so you’re on your own should your clutch fail.

The clutch issue is not confined to the Ranger, other brands suffer the same problems, which suggests that the clutches used are marginal for towing. Your experience is not unusual, and should be a warning to everyone else looking to buy a ute to tow with. The normal fix is to install a heavy-duty aftermarket clutch, as you have done. Unfortunately carmakers have an out, in that they state quite clearly that the clutch is not covered by the warranty, and it's difficult to say what kilometres you should expect to get from a clutch before it would need replacing.

We haven’t had any other reports like yours, perhaps that’s because yours is an unusual situation and not everyone has to back up an incline on a regular basis. You might have been better off with an auto trans in your situation.

Without knowing how many kays you have done in it I would guess the clutch is on the way out. Clutches in the one-tonners that have become so popular are typically marginal and some require replacement at quite mileage. Check the clutch, and if worn to the point of needing replacement look at installing a heavy-duty clutch.

Excess sealant suggests sloppy workmanship. You might like to mention it to your dealer and suggest they disassemble the diff and put it back together without excessive sealant that could cause issues down the track, or you could let it go and hope it doesn't cause any problems later on. If it was the engine I would want to fix it, but in the case of a diff I'd be tempted to report it in case something does develop in the future, and let it go.