2006 Ford Ranger Fuel System Problems

THE INERTIA FUEL CUT-OFF SWITCH RANDOMLY TRIPS CAUSING THE TRUCK TO STOP DUE TO THE FUEL PUMP CUTTING OFF. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES, TWICE ON AN INTERSTATE WHERE LUCKILY TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SLOW DUE TO AN ACCIDENT. IT HAPPENED TO MY WIFE WHILE TRAVELING IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE AND SHE WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED BY A TRACTOR AND TRAILER. SO NOW SHE REFUSES TO DRIVE IT ANY MORE. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT UNKNOWN TO FORD. I LOOKED INTO REPLACING THE SWITCH AND THE ORIGINAL SWITCH ISN'T AVAILABLE. THE REPLACEMENT IS A NEWER VERSION AND COMES WITH A "JUMPER WIRE" AND A NEW KICK PANEL COVER, WHICH IS APPARENTLY FOR RELOCATING THE SWITCH. AGAIN THIS HASN'T CAUSED AN ACCIDENT YET, BUT THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT IF THE REPLACEMENT IS DIFFERENT AND COMES WITH A RELOCATING KIT. EVERY TIME IT HAS HAPPENED THE TRUCK IS IN MOTION, I THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO WHERE THE SWITCH IS LOCATED (ON THE PASSENGERS SIDE FOOT AREA INTERIOR FIRE WALL) BUT I TRIED TO MAKE IT TRIP BY KICKING MY FEET AROUND AND IT WOULDN'T TRIP THE SWITCH. THE TIMING SEEMS TO BE RANDOM, ALTHOUGH EVERY TIME IT HAS TRIPPED IT FELT HOT TO THE TOUCH.

TRAVELING ON STATE ROUT 56 ENTERED THE OFF RAMP TO CONTINUE ON STATE RT.366, AFTER STOPPING AND ACCELERATING TO 50 MILES AN HOUR THE TRUCK JUST STALLED. WAS ABLE TO COAST TO BERM OF ROAD AND WAITED TO BE TOWED, WOULD NOT START.

THE FIRST INCIDENT I WAS DROPPING MY GRANDDAUGHTER OFF AT SCHOOL WENT OVER A SPEED BUMP AND THE TRUCK STALLED OUT HAD IT TOWED HOME AND IT STARTED ONCE OFF THE TOW TRUCK.THIE SECOND INCIDENT I WAS GOING THROUGH A PARKING LOT AND WENT OVER A SPEED BUMP AND THE TRUCK STALLED OUT, HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. THE NEXT INCIDENT I WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON A FEEDER ROAD AND IT STALLED WAS NEXT TO THE SERVICE STATION WHERE IT WAS PREVIOUSLY FIXED AND AFTER APOLICEMAN STOPPED TRAFFIC AND HAD ME PUSHED TO THE SERVICE STATION WAS TOLD BY A SENIOR TECHNICIAN THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE ON THE RANGER AND TO PUSH THIS BUTTON WHENEVER IT HAPPENED. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS A LOT SINCE THIS TIME AND HAVE HAD SOME VERY CLOSE CALLS DUE TO THE STALLING, WITH THE LATEST ALMOST CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT DUE TO OCCURRING A HIGH SPEED AFTER HITTING A ROAD BUMP. THE INERTIA SWITCH ON FORD RANGER?S 2003 THROUGH 2006 ARE DEFECTIVE IN THREE MANNERS ONE THE CONNECTORS BURN DUE TO A HIGH CURRENT DRAW, THE SWITCH ACTIVATES WITHOUT WARNING, AND DUE TO NO KICKPLATE PASSENGERS CAN ACTIVATE THE SWITCH. THIS SWITCH IS USED TO CUT THE FUEL OFF DURING A ROLL OVER CRASH SCENARIO. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET IN REGARD TO THE FIRE AND SAFETY ISSUES THIS DEFECTIVE PART HAS CAUSED. TO DATE FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL, OR NOTIFIED THE CONSUMER BASE OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS SURROUNDING THIS ISSUE, BUT HAS ISSUED A REDESIGNED SWITCH THAT NOW COMES WITH A COVER AND UPDATED CONNECTOR FOR PURCHASE WHEN REPLACING THE OLD SWITCH. PLEASE INVESTIGATE SINCE PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE BEING IMPACTED DUE TO THE MULTIPLE SAFETY ISSUES AND ALSO DUE TO THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH DIAGNOSING THIS ISSUE. MY COST TO DATE IS IN EXCESS OF $1300.00, AND I AM IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING IT MYSELF DUE TO MY CONCERNS. *TR

DRIVING DOWN NJ GSP AND 2006 FORD RANGER ENGINE STOPPED COLD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. FUEL CUT OFF SWITCH ACTIVATED. *TR

APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MONTHS AGO MY VEHICLE STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. IT WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND APPROXIMATELY $300 LATER I WAS TOLD THAT THE INERTIA SWITCH HAD FAILED AND HAD BEEN REPLACED. TWO DAYS AGO THE SAME SYMPTOMS APPEARED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AGAIN. I DID SOME INTERNET SEARCHING AND FOUND INFO AND A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT EXPLAINED WHERE TO FIND THE SWITCH AND HOW TO RESET IT. WENT TO THE DEALER AND ATTEMPTED THE RESET IN THEIR PARKING LOT BEFORE THEY COMPLETED ANY COSTLY REPAIRS. VEHICLE STARTED AND HAS WORKED FINE SINCE. POSSIBILITY OF STALLING IN TRAFFIC IS A CONCERN BUT I'LL TAKE MY CHANCES!! NOTEWORTHY THAT A CLOSE FRIEND WHO OWNS AN OLDER MODEL MAZDA PICKUP RECENTLY HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE INERTIA SWITCH REPLACED. *TR

I WAS PULLING INTO SHERRY'S MINI MART IN DOE RUN, MO WHEN I REALIZED THAT MY TRUCK WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN AS EXPECTED, EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I HAD LITTLE TIME TO REACT AS I WAS BEARING DOWN ON THE BUILDING. I PUT MY OTHER FOOT ON THE BRAKE BUT THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD, EVEN SPINNING THE TIRES TRYING TO OVERCOME THE BRAKES. I JUMPED THE CURB AND HIT THE BUILDING AT A VERY LOW SPEED. AT THIS TIME I MANAGED TO POP IT OUT OF GEAR. I DID NOT GO THROUGH THE WALL, BUT PUSHED IT IN ABOUT A FOOT. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS TO THE WALL AND THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING. THERE WAS LITTLE DAMAGE TO MY TRUCK OTHER THAN A FEW SCRATCHES ON THE BUMPER. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS WALKING IN FRONT OF ME OR NEAR THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING. THIS WAS THE ONLY TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED IN THE 50,000 MILES THAT I HAVE OWNED THIS TRUCK AND IT HAS NOT HAPPENED IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO MY FORD DEALER THE NEXT MORNING AND THEY CLAIM THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THEY COULD FIND NO FAULT CODES IN THE COMPUTER AND CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE SCRATCHES ON THE BUMPER. THEY DID IMPLY THAT I WAS HITTING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WITH THE SIDE OF MY FOOT WHILE BRAKING. I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THEIR IMPLICATION AND HAVE WITNESSES WHO SAW MY EFFORTS TO STOP THE TRUCK. *TR

INERTIA SWITCH IN 2006 FORD RANGER CAUSES TRUCK TO STALL RANDOMLY. SWITCH IS LOCATED ON PASSENGER-SIDE IN COMPARTMENT BY THE FOOT. THIS RANDOM STALLING IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHILE IN THREE LANE TRAFFIC, RAILROAD CROSSINGS, INTERSECTIONS, BRIDGES, ETC.. THIS SWITCH IS DESIGNED TO CUT ELECTRIC TO FUEL PUMP IN CRASH BUT MOST OFTEN FAILS DURING NORMAL DRIVING OPERATION. THIS IS NOT A UNIQUE COMPLAINT TO 2006, BUT BY OTHER YEARS REPORTED ON THE INTERNET. THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED FOR MANY YEARS AND IS PROBABLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE DEATHS DUE TO ERRANT OPERATION THAN IT SAVED LIVES IN A CRASH. ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHAT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD IDEA GONE BAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF SWITCH ACTIVATED WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF WHILE HE WAS DRIVING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURS WHENEVER THE SPEED INCREASED TO 30 MPH WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO ASSIST HIM SINCE ALL OF THE COMPUTERS WERE INOPERABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000. UPDATED 02/02/10 *BF UPDATED 02/05/10. *JB

I OWN A 2006 RANGER 3.0 AUTO. THAT HAS 35,300 MI. THE FUEL DELIVERY INERTIA SWITCH HAS KICKED OUT UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS TWICE. FIRST TIME AT 32,172 MI. AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN RESET THE SWITCH AND I HAD NO PROBLEMS UNTIL 35,100 MI. THIS TIME I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN A PARKING LOT, INSTEAD OF OUT IN MOVING TRAFFIC. WHEN TIS HAPPENS, THE ENGINE, OF COURSE, DIES IMMEDIATELY. THE SWITCH CANNOT BE RESET WHILE SITTING IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE AS THEY CANNOT FAIL THE SWITCH DURING " THEIR" ROAD TEST. *TR

I WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC IN MY 2006 FORD RANGER WITH APPROXIMATELY 3500 MILES ON IT WHEN ENGINE SPUTTERED AND STOPPED AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. THE GAS TANK WAS NEAR FULL AND THE TRUCK WOULD NOT RESTART AFTER I COASTED ACROSS A LANE OF MOVING TRAFFIC ONTO THE MEDIAN. HAVING EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM IN MY 1986 RANGER, I CALLED THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER TO ASK WHERE THE FUEL SAFETY SHUT OFF SWITCH WAS LOCATED. AFTER BEING ASSURED THAT THE SWITCH COULD NOT BE THE PROBLEM UNLESS I HAD BEEN IN A COLLISION OR HIT A VERY LARGE POT-HOLE, I RESET THE SWITCH AND THE TRUCK STARTED. THE SWITCHES IN THESE TRUCKS APPARENTLY HAS A DEFECT THAT HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED FOR 20 YEARS. THE SERVICE PEOPLE SEEM TO BE UNAWARE OF THE ISSUE AND I SUSPECT THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SOLD FUEL PUMPS AND OTHER RELATED ITEMS THAT WERE NOT THE PROBLEM. I AM JUST GLAD IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AT 65 MPH. *JB