Okay...More Questions

[Wendy K]

I could probably do a search of the archives but I'm just going to ask. Tell me everything that's wrong first.



I've been lucky with the sport car. When everyone else was complaining about this and that I didn't have any problems. I've had 5+ relatively trouble free years.



I need to know what are the common issues to be aware of and be informed.



TIA

 

[Fudged Undies]

Most common issues seem to be:

* Vaccuum elbow (seems to be on '01's.)

* the dpfe sensor

* the first two production years the tranny (maybe not common, but there seems to be some issues).

* leather steering wheel peeling and/or getting too dirty

* interior trim fairing poorly to daily wear and tear

* poor choice in the stock goodyear tires on some models

* shocks seem to be less than adequate for the trac.

 

[scott r]

The transmission shifts SUCK and it needs a supercharger.

 

[Fer Echegaray]

some '01 & '02 brake pads are made of soap, need replacement before 20k miles...

 

[Gavin Allan]

The seat fabric wears out from just a breeze blowing on it.

 

[Deleted deleted]

1) Add the leather interior on the '01's and '02 really was lousy... very hard and cracks easily.

2) The radiator hose will rub against the transmission dipstick.

3) The tailgate will squeak LOUDLY unless regularly lubed.

4) The rear window will squeak in the vent position

5) The bed mounts crack and groan over uneven pavement.

 

[Gavin Allan]

The cruise control button lights burn out and are a pain to replace.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Anothe rcommon issue is that people stop you in the parking lot and tell you what a sweet truck you have, and they drool on the fenders. I hate when that happens! :lol:

 

[Tom Schindler]

I have a 2002.



The dipstick rubs, but I fixed it by building a bracket to hold the hose.

My tailgate doesn't squeak and I might have lubed it a long time ago.

My rear window does not squeak when in the vent position.

My bed mounts do not creak and groan over uneven pavement.

My cruise control buttons are not burned out.

My seat fabric looks good, even after 59,000 miles.

Replace the brake pads with good ones. I do that with every vehicle I own, even if they arent bad.

My tranny shifts great. I change the fluid on a regular basis and have not had one problem.

My steering wheel is dirty, but so are my hands.

All Goodyear tires suck. Every vehicle I owned with Goodyear tires, the tires were crap.

Shocks are junk. Get good ones and you will be more then happy.



People love the Trac. They see it as an SUV with a bed and not a 4 door mini pick-up. That is the best part about having a Trac.



Chicks with Trac's are hot.





Tom



Fixed what I ment to say.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Did you mean to say this Tom?

Every vehicle I owned with Goodyear tires were crap.

 

[M B]

Another common issue is that people stop you in the parking lot and tell you what a sweet truck you have, and they drool on the fenders. I hate when that happens!

My '02 just has sales men at the dealerships drooling over it. "Sorry boyz, this Sporty Trac is not for sale or trade."

 

[Mike Wilson]

My '05 has had no problems in 7,000 miles.

I know this is like brand new, but I have been keeping an eye on

the items the members on this site have said might be problem areas,

and very closely at that (at least weekly checks).

Pulleys and idler pulley, brake pads, Goodyear tires (I make regular weekly

checks with a tire tread depth guage, pressure weekly, also), oil and all

other fluids, and so far no problems.(Visualise here the sound of my fist

knocking on my wooden head!).

And I seem to be a little above average on mpg, at around 20-21 mpg.

Of course, some people say that I have inherited my grandmother's right

foot!



Good Luck, Wendy...

 

[Johnny O]

New to Trac'n, but I had two 4x4 Rangers before which are basically the same.



*My '05 Trac was getting a squeak from up front, turned out to be a loose control arm. The only warranty repair I've had in 10 months and 14,000 miles.

*In some cases the ball joints are short-lived. This happened on my second Ranger.

*In some cases there is driveline lash or vibration and Ford will replace the driveshaft with an aluminum one. Had to have that fixed on both Rangers, the Trac is fine so far.

 

[Wendy K]

I guess with any vehicle there are mixed results. I'm going back to the dealer today to see if I can get him to shave more $$$ off the price. I have my max which he thinks he hit but is mistaken.



I'm hoping if I can get him down another $3K at least, I'll sign.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Wendy,



Sport Tracs are very nice trucks. Since there will be no '06 models and your dealer probably has one of the last '05s in town, he might not come down another $3K. If you can get him down another $1500 and then get 0%-1.9% interest, you should be in good shape.



When you get the contract, make sure you read the terms carefully. The first paperwork my dealership gave me had the payment I wanted, but when I looked closer, they had bumped the length of the loan to 72 months, with a much higher interest rate than what I was expecting. I started to walk out of the place, but they assured me it was a mistake, and they had new paperwork with 60 months and 1.9% interest for me to sign within 30 minutes.

 

[Gerald Pierce]

Sport Tracs are very nice trucks. Since there will be no '06 models and your dealer probably has one of the last '05s in town, he might not come down another $3K. If you can get him down another $1500 and then get 0%-1.9% interest, you should be in good shape.

I was at a local dealer in VA last night, not even 1 new ST on the lot. They did have a used 04....



Talked to the salesdrone for about 30 minutes about the ST, basically schooling him. Kid didn't even know Merc Sable was same as Taurus Told him to call me when they can take orders for the 07 ST.

 

[Gavin Allan]

The dash panel illumination light for the headlamp switch burns out about every 9 months. sometimes the entire headlight switch has to be replaced, depending on the year. This applies to ranger, b-4000 and sporttracs.

 

[TomT]

Ditto what Caymen said for my 02. No problems at all except the oem brakes and shocks. Did have the door handles replaced because the paint was rubbing off but thats the only warranty work I ever had done. Mine came with Michelins instead of the usual Goodyears and Iv'e been happy with them Going to need to replace them sometime soon.

 

[Wendy K]

Sport Tracs are very nice trucks. Since there will be no '06 models and your dealer probably has one of the last '05s in town, he might not come down another $3K. If you can get him down another $1500 and then get 0%-1.9% interest, you should be in good shape.

Its actually a brand new '04 which is why I'm thinking I can still get him to come down a little more. He also doesn't want to give me the tonneau cover...deleted from the price quote. We were there today and test drove it. I liked it. Way different from my little sports car but very nice.



My husband is the voice of reason. He still wants to look at similar sized trucks for comparison and a station wagon or two. This gives the dealer time to wait too.



Hoping to make a decision in a week or two. They still wanted a deposit but I figure if it was meant to be it will still be there when I go back. Hey...if its been there since '04 (maybe even "03) it will be there another week. And if its gone...oh well. Keep on looking.



Thanks!

 

[Cory Richards]

I have an '01 [Job 2]:



The first issue I had was squealing brakes. I'm not sure if they were the original brake pads (I've owned it just over a year), but the Trac only had about 36,000 miles at the time. Had them reaplaced and no problems since.



The leather used on the seats isn't very high quality and is very prone to wrinkling, but I wouldn't trade leather for brand new cloth.



I replaced my shocks about 4 months after owning my Trac, not because they were shot, but because they aren't very good and I wanted a better ride.



The general consensus on the Goodyear Wrangler RT/S tires is that they aren't great all-around tires. However, I think they look better aesthetically and are of higher quality than many stock tires offered on other vehicles.



My steering wheel is leather wrapped and is beginning to deteriorate, but isn't filthy. I'll probably either get a simple wheel cover or maybe buy a Wheelskin.



Right now I think I have a timing chain problem (from my self-diagnosis), when I accelerate between 2000-3000 RPMs I get a muffled rattling sound. It's not too bothersome, just a small annoyance really. I think it is covered under warranty.



This list required some thought to create, which means overall I have had very few problems, none of them major. The Sport Trac is a great vehicle.