Ranger’s shaky start sorted

Early issue for some V6 Rangers under control, Ford says

GOOD vibrations from the latest Ford Ranger have rare potential to be marred by an annoying one, but Ford New Zealand knows about it and has a swift redress.

First deliveries of the new-generation model have been marred by complaints of tailshaft vibrations. 

The fault has been acknowledged by Ford New Zealand managing director Simon Rutherford.

 He did not say if any products arrived in this market have been affected but said a rectification is in place. Rebalancing the tailshaft rectifies the problem.

“It’s a simple process requiring a short period of attention.”

The issue arose in Australia, with postings in owners groups on social media. A number of early adopters reported excessive tailshaft vibrations.

One report has said the problem has potential to show on the four-cylinder biturbo diesel and V6 turbodiesel variants, but Ford has indicated it appears isolated to a batch of V6 derivatives.

The issue will not lead to a safety recall.

 Ford dealers have been advised to conduct pre-delivery test drives as a part of the quality control process. 

When Ford Australia spoke about the issue, it said there was awareness “of a small number of vehicles that have exhibited some harshness or vibration at certain times when driving. 

“As part of the normal pre-delivery process, our dealers are conducting road tests of customer vehicles and working with our technical team to resolve any concerns before they are delivered to customers.”

 Other faults noted on social media by owners include the Ford Ranger Wildtrak’s power roller shutter malfunctioning, as well as some instances of the 360-degree camera not working properly.