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Comments
Vince,
Can't you say something good about the 4 door or quad cab? Seriously, if you did not go off roading or rarely would you consider the quad cab?
Engaged.
Off the property I go. Disengage.
MY GOD THE LIGHT WAS STILL ON!!!!! I WAS STILL IN 4XLOW 125 MILES FROM STARBASE!!!!
WHAT TO DO... NOWHERE NEAR MY COMPUTER TO FILE A SERVICE BULLETIN... MY GOD WHAT DO I DOOOOOO!!!!
Trash the vehicle...buy a Toyota...sit and die of starvation...go to the nearest HOUSE and file a Service Bulletin................Or,
Reselect 4Xlow, drive 1 foot, deselect 4Xlow and drive to a happy day of hunting, including additional, error free 4 wheeling.
Which does the board think I did?
Oh by the way, I have some rear squeaks. Any bets it has something to do with the coat of dirt from the weekend of 4 wheeling? Gonna try the hose and a oil can tonight.
Yes kiddys, sometimes you actually have to crawl under your vehicle and get your hands dirty.
CP, you have quite the sense of humor.
I have a few squeaks once in a while from my rearend but only if i am going over a bump or somthing of that sort. I also have dirt caked under my truck, guess I should spray it off someday, huh? I wonder how many Tacoma owners really take their trucks offroad?
I am about to find out. This weekend a buddy who is an avid rockclimber, snorkler, owns a CJ that is decked with everykind of offroad accessory type of guy and I are going to the Tillamook Forest on the Oregon Coast. He tells me this is a hot spot for offroading. I plan on taking the grocery getter out and seeing what it can do. I don't however plan on rolling, denting or scratching my 98 truck. Wish I had a scanner or digital camara so I could post some pics. Let you know how it goes.
See you in the hills.
Got Target stores out there? You can put in regular photos in One Hour Photo at Target and for an additional 6 bucks get a digitized diskette or for 9 bucks a CD but you need WIN 98 for that. Actually, anyplace that does Kodak processing will do that for you. Thats how I got mine up on:
http://members.aol.com/Cpousnr/index1.html
If you want to do that, would love to see some pics of the NW and, if your willing, would be happy to put them out on my web site for you for a while.
Vince,
Where are the rear seats on the quad cab?
You got the locker on your tacoma? Sounds like the trip I had over Medano Pass with my wife. I still do not really like mud that much, rough road ok though.
The rear jump seats are attached to the door on the quad. You can delete them for a credit option. I tend to agree with vince as I have heard there is wind noise etc on that option but it sure does open up the cab for stuff. A couple of the trees I raise for the property are in 5 gal pots, a bit hard to put in the back cab area. The doors would help.
Glad you let the squirrels live another day. I have a bunch of squirrels at my house that I feed all year round. Seriously, how can anyone eat squirrels?
Yep have a locker and used it on that day. I don't mind the mud too much, but the only thing is that you should do is to hose down the drive shaft & tires since it may cause a component imbalance.
What happens to the person sitting in that rear seat mounted on the door when it gets impacted from that side?
Had a great time on the Coast this weekend. Like I said, I was not about to trash a 98 Ranger XLT. I took it up some nice inclines, through some rough ruts, and culverts, but not a scratch. Just a whole bunch of mud, grass, and bugs. Sprayed it off when I got home and walla, good as new. Did some pretty hairy stuff with my friends Jeep. This is a true 4x4 offroader monster vehicle. He has 32" tires on it along with every kind of aftermarket this and that. At one point I thought the damn thing was going to tip over on its side! Did some quading also. The days are getting shorter up here, the nights colder. Summer is coming to an end for sure. See ya in the hills.
Put enough pepper on anything and its ok but I do draw the line on possum and woodchuck...kewl targets but bad buritto mix meat. They have big black squirrels, white belly out here called Abert's. I hunt them with .410 for sport, quite a challenge with so small a shotgun. About 3-4 lbs, 3 times the size of a grey or red one. Use a 16 gage 26" bbl full choke Winchester model 12 made in 1945 for all others.
Well, you can in a pinch seat someone there but not the best, even in the 2 door. You do get more leg room side to side but i would take the discount and get a nice storage area. I store my spare tools (ha! as if there is anything you can fix w/o a dealer, well can unbolt a bent fender. . .), tie straps, rope and a lost kit (bags, matches, solar blanket etc) in the well of the seats.
"Hi Yo Silver, away!"
With his faithful foreign companion Tacoma, the daring and resourceful masked truck of the hills and plains, led the fight 4 wheel fun in the west. Return with us now to those trips from yesterday.
The Ford Ranger rides again!
" the other white meat...Put enough pepper on anything and its ok but I do
draw the line on possum and woodchuck...kewl
targets but bad buritto mix meat. They have big
black squirrels, white belly out here called
Abert's. I hunt them with .410 for sport, quite a
challenge with so small a shotgun. About 3-4 lbs,"
YOu actually shoot critters and then don't utilize the carcass?
Well I store most of my stuff in the bed of the truck since I have a cap on it. In the lower NY region there are a lot of parkways and in order to drive on them you are require to have a cap and regular plates.
My rear end has the locker and I have no idea exactly what others here have. Both the Ranger and Tacoma should perform about the same on the street and off road.
Does the Ranger have the analog or digitial odometer?
If it is a coyote, a species that decimates small game, rabbits, hare, partridge, squirrels, grouse, domesticated dogs/cats, the hide will be utilized, the rest is fertilizer. If it is prairie dogs that dig holes that break the legs of big game and cattle, they enter the relm of fertilizer.
Possum and chipmunk, nah they are too cute, I was just kidding. Woodchuck, I believe hindsite will support that eastern farmers will beg you to come take them out as they are the prairie dog of the east. When I lived in NJ my dad tried to cook one once. Worst thing I have ever tasted.
Gophers, they are eating my trees on the property and I trap them, but it is not a gopher friendly trap. In ND a friend of mine as a kid was paid $1 a tail for them as they also cause cattle and big game to break their legs.
I look at it as game management.
Here you go hindsite, hompage for squirrels: http://members.tripod.com/~srl2/
Abert is the one on the left. Like I said, it is the largest thing I have seen, 3 times the size of a gray or red. Now dont shed too many tears for the squirrel. If one is taken, dozens are there to take its place. They are a very resilent species.
One way or the other the carcass will be utilized. Eagles, crows, starlings bobcats, cougars all will scavange. I have hit but missed gathering some game sometimes (they crawled into nests in the ground) but as it it at the base of trees/bushes at that point nature will do it's thing and create nice fertilizer. Without the balance of hunting animals will suffer. Colo does a good job of that balance by limited licences etc and different Game Mgt Units to avoid over harvesting.
Whats wrong with squirrel?!? I have some good recipes some in cooking bags with potatos, carrots and fava beans. . .Taste kinda pine coney but not bad stuff. Some of my uncles in SC like some of the parts I throw away.
Im sorry, but that is just sad.
As for Colorado's Wildlife problem, its due to lack of high end predators such as wolves and grizzlies, which no longer exist in the state.
As you know, Colorado has the largest elk herd in the lower 48. These overpopulated elk
are creating backwoods highways, with thoroughly compacted game trails. They are eating everything in site.
Too many ungulates lead to disease, and unhealthy herds. The wolf and in some cases the griz were the balancers of Colorados wildlife. Everything filtered down from them.
Game management is best left to those in the know, not some small lot owner with a knack for killing anything that moves.
I strongly suggest you take another look at your actions.
I will, if presented with the opportunity, shoot a coyote as, to repeat myself, it is a very destructive species of game animals that I and others, a lot of others, hunt. The prairie dogs are also very destructive to not only big game but cattle which is very frustrating to land owners that raise them for a living. Some Boulder county groups tried to buy land down near Springfield Co to transplant prairie dogs from Boulder. They were forcefully informed by the local land owners that prairie dogs do not stay in the place that they are put and will migrate to their, the cattlemans, property and end up killing their cattle by braking legs.
You would prefer a 1200lb steer or a 100 lb antelope be limping around in pain and have to be destroyed, i.e. good for no one because a 1.5 lb prairie dogs was saved? Or that elk that you have your sites on hopefully getting die a horrible death because it snapped its leg in a prairie dog hole or was run to death by a pack of coyote's (and they do that as I have seen it done with a deer)?
What you say is part true about the elk, but a lower percentage of elk was taken last year also because many hunters did not go back into the woods to get them, they road hunted. Also, I for one would like to see the wolf re-introduced. Just one trip to Mission Wolf in Westcliffe and seeing 45 of those magnificant canine's is enough to convince me of that desire.
No spoog I don't hunt just to shoot something. But there is a pecking order and I for one want to see the correct species managed and have the better protections, the game animals.
1. I would not survive the winter and is not improving the gene pool.
2. The meat is tougher on a 6X7 bull.
3. My cheap little Ranger can only haul 1200 lbs.
Do not take personal offense but part of the issue in Colo is pressure by out of state hunters that come here wanting to take the big 6X6 or 7X7 bull. The state had trophy years a few back on both deer and elk. The result was a weaker herd. And if you remember from last year, the qality of the hunter was such that 29 or so Moose were shot during elk season and left in the field.
Idiot hunters.
Went to the squirrel site and loved it. So you have squirrel recipes, but how often do you eat those cute creatures? How much edible meat is in a Abert squirrel? What about squirrel jerky . . . kinda of like beef jerky I guess.
Just my 2 cents. Ranger seats are not attached to the door in the quad cabs. They are attached to the rear of the cab and fold down then flip up. Same seating position as the reg xcab, but different mounting location. The only reason i bring this up is that they take up a lot of room when mouting them this way. One of the things i did like about my old truck (94 Ranger) was that the seats when folded up were out of the way completely. Not the case in the quad cab.....
-wsn
PS My 98 Tacoma has 16k on it and it has been off road more than once and still has no squeaks or problems for that matter.......
Thought you would like the site. Now in fairness, I love the little reds that run thru my back yard. Concerned about one that is favoring his left front paw. I feed them too but if they got into my attic, I would trap and relocate them.
Also, my style of hunting is this way. I use the .410, now the 54 year old 16 gage and also a Marlin 1892 32-20 on small game and I do it for the sport and skills associated. If I miss, no big deal. The 32-20 was used by my great-grandfather, an emigrant from England, in the 1920s-30s in the Caton/Elmira NY area where he was a brakeman on the Erie and NY Central Rail Road. He used it to shoot for food for the train crew. It was handed down to me from my grand-father. Last year while antelope hunting with a .300 Winchester, I pulled up on 2 shots because I could not get a clear shot that would not risk hitting multiple animals or the wrong sex for which I was licensed. I did not harvest one mostly because of that but had 6 nice stalks/views of them, one interupted by a coyote that ran them over a hill and killed a little one. And I certainly know the difference between a moose and an elk. And if you recall from previous posts I do love to go out just to see the game and take pictures.
Thats mighty small pieces of jerky for squirrels.
I see your point on dogs and some in W. Col just shoot them for fun, something I do not subscribe to. But they are destructive little critters and do carry disease that can be transmitted to game animals/humans.
"No I do not shoot animals just to shoot them.
Read what I said again."
Sure you do. Shooting animals because you
deem them "pests" is shooting an animal just to shoot it.
CS writes:
"I will, if presented with the opportunity, shoot a
coyote as, to repeat myself, it is a very
destructive species of game animals "
This is a load. the reason why coyotes are a problem in Colorado is because there are NO wolves. The mountain lion cant fill the wolves niche, and neither can the coyotes. But the coyotes try. They try by mating like crazy.
I find it quite ignorant for non-wildlife officials to try and manage wildlife by killing anything they deem undesireable.
What game animals has the coyote devestated? None in Colorado. And heres a shocker for ya.
The coyote is one of the prarie dogs main predators. GO FIGURE. Cite some examples of the yotes devestation in SW colorado.
CS writes:
"that I and
others, a lot of others, hunt. The prairie dogs
are also very destructive to not only big game but
cattle which is very frustrating to land owners
that raise them for a living. "
LOL~!!!!! And when you shoot every coyote you see, the prarie dog population goes even higher. how completely ignorant.
This is too funny. Maybe if the ignorant landowners and 1/2 acre lot owners didn't try to wipe out "undesireable" species, the prarie dog population would go down. Dont forget that hawks and eagles prey on cracasses left over by coyotes also. this allows greater food for the hawks, hence a larger population of hawks to eat prarie dogs.
CS WRITES:
"
Some Boulder county
groups tried to buy land down near Springfield Co
to transplant prairie dogs from Boulder. They were
forcefully informed by the local land owners that
prairie dogs do not stay in the place that they are
put and will migrate to their, the cattlemans,
property and end up killing their cattle by braking
legs."
Oh well. Thats one of the dangers of being in the cattle business. They knew that going in to it.
CS writes:
"
You would prefer a 1200lb steer or a 100 lb
antelope be limping around in pain and have to be
destroyed, i.e. good for no one because a 1.5 lb
prairie dogs was saved? Or that elk that you have
your sites on hopefully getting die a horrible
death because it snapped its leg in a prairie dog
hole or was run to death by a pack of coyote's (and
they do that as I have seen it done with a deer)?
"
You really don't seem to grasp the concept that wiping out sections of the web of life impacts the whole chain. you can't go around killing all the coyotes because they eat your game, and then claim the prarie dogs are too numerous. Man o man! LOL! how hypocrital and well, basically ignorant.
It's impossible to protect your precious game animals in an island ecosystem. You only damge the very game you seek to protect. As for coyotes running deer to death, so what. Thats mother nature. Thats what happens in the woods.
If you don't like it, your obviously in the wrong place.
CS writes:
"
What you say is part true about the elk, but a
lower percentage of elk was taken last year also
because many hunters did not go back into the woods
to get them, they road hunted. Also, I for one
would like to see the wolf re-introduced. Just one
trip to Mission Wolf in Westcliffe and seeing 45
of those magnificant canine's is enough to convince
me of that desire."
Well I agree with you on this part whole heartedly.
My family has a 40 acre hunting fishing parcel in Michigans Upper Peninsula. Its about 3 miles from lake superior. Its on a real nice brook trout stream that has a barrier falls. The stream flows into Superior, and we get runs of almon and steelhead. You can see them jumping the falls.
The U>P> of Michigan has always had wolves. Along with Minnesota and Wisconsin. When they were gon from the rest of the country, they hung on here in the deep woods. These arent introduced wolves like the Yellowstone wolves.
Theres about 300 wolves in the U.P. as of now.
Sometimes, about once or twice a year, I can hear them howling far off in the valley, by the waterfall. The coyotes here are kept in check big time by the wolves. In fact, I havent seen one in quite awhile. I have seen moose and one lone wolf on my property though while hunting from a stand, overlooking our meadow.
On a side note, saw a moose walking down a fine sand beach on the shore of Superior during fall. what a site. Full rack and all. Not to mention the northern lights(aurora borealis) man, they were intense last year.
CS writes:
"
No spoog I don't hunt just to shoot something.
But there is a pecking order and I for one want to
see the correct species managed and have the better
protections, the game animals."
Sorry. You are just plain wrong. If ALL species are managed with care, the game species would benefit. You cant put desireable game species in an "island" of protection and excpect them to benefit from it. If every species flourish, so will the game species.
"Actually to put it in perspective, if I were
hunting elk and was presented with the opportunity
of seeing a 6X7 healthy trophy quality bull or a
2X2, slightly limping smaller bull I would harvest
the 2X2 for a few reasons:
1. I would not survive the winter and is not
improving the gene pool.
2. The meat is tougher on a 6X7 bull.
3. My cheap little Ranger can only haul 1200 lbs."
hhahaha. I would go for the weaker bull also.
Much like a wolf would.
CS writes:
"Do not take personal offense but part of the issue
in Colo is pressure by out of state hunters that
come here wanting to take the big 6X6 or 7X7 bull. "
I have gotten one bull there, 3 years ago. In fact, in certain times I just lay down my rifle and enjy the scenery."
cs writes:
"
The state had trophy years a few back on both deer
and elk. The result was a weaker herd. And if
you remember from last year, the qality of the
hunter was such that 29 or so Moose were shot
during elk season and left in the field.
Idiot hunters."
Well i bet you would like to know WHY moose were even planted in SW colorado a few years ago.
See, moose are not native to southern Colorado.
In fact, they are only native in northernmost colorado.
They were planted in the weminuche area a few years back. They were taken from alberta I beleive.
The reason why moose were introduced to SW colorado?
Big game hunting dollars. Big hunters voiced up and requested moose be available.
While I enjoy the mighty moose, I think it might better served to reintroduce the wolverine, or lynx. Both species which are either gone
or bordering extinction in SW colorado.
Also, I have two very good book reccomendations about the grizz in SW colorado.
ONe is Ghost of the San Juans, and the ghost grizzlies? I know one of the books was by Rick bass.
Both deal in the hunt for the lost colorado griz, and if it still exists.
The area where the last one was shot in 79 is right up the mountain from my friends place.
very interesting reads if you enjoythat area.
1. According to the 1999 Small Game Brochure, hunting season for coyote is 1 Jan- 31 Dec, all lands public/private, bag limit unlimited./ Same for the prairie dog, unlimited season, unlimited bag/possession. That is the regulation. Off the Div of Wildlife page it is stated that estimates show the coyote population to be IN EXCESS of the numbers that were here when colo was settled in the 1850s-60s. They are far from endangered. Of note too is a reference to the 1979 grizzly kill in the San Juans that you told me about.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/
2. Thought I stated that game animals are also a target of coyotes and saw one chasing a herd of antelope I stalked last year. They all went over a hill so do not know the outcome. Grouse, Rabbit, squirrel, antelope, deer, elk calfs, prairie dog, cats, dogs. . . and I do hunt the first 6, are targets of the coyote.
3. Many articles in the Westcliffe Tribune regarding coyotes attacking and killing peoples pets and running deer and elk to death and then just eating a small part.
4. The moose was introduced near south of Walden in North Park, north of Granby area and has done very well. Lynx was introduced in South Fork area of W. San Louis valley and is not doing that well. But around 50 are being introduced from Canada.
I do not disagree at all with you regarding the wolf and yes a certain loss of animals by ranches is expected. I agree about the prolific nature of the coyote and also those cute prairie dogs. Do not disagree regarding eagles and hawks. Nor with the facts that nature will dispose of all cracasses after a while be it by bird or coyote. However, since prairie dogs live mostly at lower altitudes, the meal ticket for the coyote is the animals I listed in #2, the game animals I and others hunt for food and sport. Now I am of enough financial means that I do not have to hunt for food, but I choose to for also the sport and skills associated with it. However, there are some poor people living in San Louis valley and Wet Mtn valley that DO hunt small and large game for food.
Well, in closing, we have established that I hunt legally, the coyote competes with me for game animals. Last time I looked, humans were a bit higher on the food chain and, if you believe biblical quotes, all flora/fauna was placed here for our use.
Now coyotes and prairie dogs will do their thing as they are animals and I never hunt just to destroy a species. Lets get that clear.
Now it is rather unfair, given the statistics that there are more coyotes now than in the 1800s, to accuse me of decimating a species. Also, there are MANY LESS people that are hunting now that earlier when uncontrolled decimation of species, like the buffalo. I have seen 2 coyotes and shot one. It is however control of a species of which I am a participant. I will however, if given the opportunity to harvest a coyote, turn the meat over to Mission Wolf. It is a neet place located on Gardner Rd about 20 miles S. of Westcliffe.
I am happy now that I have a reliable 4X that will get me to the back areas where the game is more prolific. I KNOW my state and the issues associated with game management. Kinda know some people in the DOW and Colorado State Univ. that develop the statistics.
Did you hear of the 575lb 8'+ Black Bear taken last week in the Sangre de Cristo's? Looks like a state record.
I forgot to mention, with my chip installed the Ranger has more torque hands down. With my truck loaded with some gear I normally use it took hills with much greater ease. Also was able to climb smoother and steadier.
Hey hindsite, does the TRD package also come with the 2.7?
John
Vince,
I suppose there are some 2.7 TRD's, but if you look in the lot you will see mostly 3.4's.
Barlitz,
I guess that would put you on the edge. Nice truck you have either way.
John
I went to the property watering/hunting. Went to the West side of Wet MTNS looking for good sites. While hunting heard a bugle must have been less than 14/mile away. Ran to the truck, got the camera, went looking and then realized it was not tooo wise to be near a rutting elk with a 16 gage # 8 shot low brass and a .22LR even though the 22 had CCI stingers. Almost hit 2 turkeys heading out and NO did not shoot them/hit them as I am not licenced.
Hit a few 200-300ft stretches of very soft mud, selected 4low wound it up to 4000rpm, shifted to 2nd, held it around 3000 and went on thru with NO problems. MAN, those BFGs were slingin mud everywhere, mudflaps, side of truck, side windows, front of truck. They are fantastic tires. The truck is an absolute mess but I have access to where I want to go thanks to Ford. 340 miles, lots of 1st 2nd gear on forest service roads, some 4xlow on around 16 gal of gas.
Saw 2 archery hunters that saw, a week ago, the 5 pt buck I saw last year when grouse hunting. Saw them about 1-2 miles from where I hunted last year. He is running with 2 3 points and a 2 point. Oh boy, oh boy thats where my tag is for deer.
hindsite, was not condeming. Remember, the written word conveys no tone. Am considering one JUSSST in case. But prefer the old way. I wse the DeLorme Gazetteer which has the gps grids. Great map, always in the truck.
Just leave the other topic that I'm licensed, I use sufficient means for quick kills, i.e. the 300 Win Mag and 16 gage and, knowing now the Wolf preserve, waste nothing. However, consider my $90 last year and $55 this year license fees, part goes to wildlife management and the fact I planted 100+ trees in the past 2 years, always take a bag to clear out garbage left by thoughtless campers, me an Mother Nature are working real well together. I give and she gives and I recieve her bounties.
Sooo what did spoog/hindsite/vince do to help mother nature the last few years? Just curious.
(zigster38) and your contribution to the topic for the last 3 months was. . .?
So what have I done for mother nature in the last year? I volunteer a great deal of my time each year along the South Shore of Long Island to help prevent beach erosion. I also do volunteer work for the park in my area and of course I feed the squirrels. This has no tone . . . okay?
Good for you. It was a challenge more than anything as I think 90% of people using the outdoors put back in more than they receive.
Oh, illegal to hunt Bambi, no antlers in the classic view of Bambi.
October 99 Consumer reports highlighted one of the 2 vehicles in this topic. Subject was "Is there a hidden Warranty on your car?" Lots of references to using the NHTSA datadase a system that has been used on this board often.
Give all the press on this board of quality issues on the Ranger, can we guess which vehicle was cited by Consumer Reports?
Also, had an article on GPS receivers for autos. Convert to 4X4s?!?
What A Toyota problem?? I thought they were all perfect??
Note: The above paragraph is an opinion express by Hindsite with no tone.
Dont even try to bring up safety recalls and technical bulletin reports Cspousner. You know better.
Shall I repost the 290 Ranger Bulletins and the 70 Toyota Bulletins?
Shall I compare the safety recalls again?
I don't feel like it. So lets just leave it at that.
On a brighter note, anyone see the commercial that included thet new Ford Explorer track(?).
Looked like a cozy REAL 4 door pickup with a short bed. I thought it looked pretty interesting.
As for my contributions to mother nature, I pick up litter, am a member of the sierra club, and donate money to several states non-game wildlife fund.
My question really was, did Toyota replace the head? I thought it was a bad gasket design. If it was just the gasket someone who had it done should write CR a nasty.
spoog my man finally figured out your handle:
S_ure P_issed O_ff O_ur G_uests
No spoog please do not repeat the load of data you sent. I THINK the reason CR selected the Toy was because of the number of vehicle effected and potential damage to engine. The article did note that many of the notices effect a very small number of vehicle.
It also gave NHTSA, Center for Auto Safety, Lemon-Aid and other sites, like this, to network and get info.
spoog, that was a joke by the way. . .
Agency says it kept defect information
BY JANET L. FIX
Detroit Free Press Washington Staff
WASHINGTON -- For the third time this year, Ford Motor Co. is in trouble with federal safety officials for withholding information or failing to disclose promptly and fully details of potential safety defects in vehicles.
And Ford's problems aren't over, even after two public rebukes and a $50,000 fine.
Federal safety officials are investigating charges by State Farm, the nation's largest auto insurer, that Ford kept secret for years an ignition-switch problem that caused fires in dozens of vehicle models. Not until 1996 did Ford recall more than eight million vehicles in the largest safety recall by a manufacturer. State Farm alleges Ford should have recalled millions more vehicles. Ford's problems raise questions about the ability of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to count on the timely and accurate disclosure by automakers, sources within the agency say. Automakers are required by law to report potential safety problems promptly to the agency for review. In the latest case, NHTSA rebuked Ford in a June 26 letter for failing to turn over documents -- requested more than a decade ago -- pertaining to stalling in 1984 and 1985 model vehicles. Ford could have been hit with civil penalties of $7,000, but was not because of the age of the case. Public rebukes by NHTSA of any automaker are rare. But Ford has received two written rebukes from NHTSA this year. In May, NHTSA criticized Ford for selective disclosure of documents demanded in a defect investigation of the rollover propensity of its Bronco II. Fines against automakers are even rarer. But in March, NHTSA ordered Ford to pay $50,000 in penalties to settle charges it failed to promptly disclose the failure and corrosion of studs in the brake system in 1991 to 1994 Ford Explorer and Ranger vehicles. NHTSA found Ford did not fraudulently conceal documents in that case. But "Ford was aware of the condition necessitating the recall at least two years before the company notified NHTSA that it had formally determined the existence of a safety-related defect," wrote Enid Rubenstein, NHTSA's acting assistant chief counsel for litigation. The Justice Department reviewed the latest case involving Ford's stalling problem but declined to pursue a criminal case, said NHTSA spokesman Tim Hurd. NHTSA investigated Ford's handling of documents in that case after receiving a complaint from Jeffrey Fazio, a San Francisco attorney who is pursuing a class-action suit against Ford. He alleged that Ford failed to turn over to NHTSA documents he had received in that case. After investigating, NHTSA found Ford had withheld seven documents requested by the agency..James Cain, a Ford spokesman, said Monday, "we withheld nothing from NHTSA" because NHTSA got the information requested in other documents -- if not in exactly the documents requested. But "manufacturers cannot pick and choose among relevant documents that are within the scope of an inquiry," Frank Seales Jr., NHTSA's chief counsel, wrote in the letter to Ford dated last week. State Farm expects NHTSA to find that Ford should have begun its ignition-switch recall six years sooner and recalled 15 million other vehicles that had the problem switch.
It says about 887,000 vans made from 1992 through 1997 have potentially defective electrical parts that could short-circuit and cause a fire, The Associated Press reports.Ford says there have been 168 reports of the problem, with 55 involving fires. Another 29,000 Aerostars from 1994 and 1995 are being recalled because of a potential problem with the electrical connection at the fuel pump. Ford says there had been no reports of accidents or injuries attributed to either problem, the AP reports. Ford says owners will be notified to take their van to a Ford dealer who will fix the problem for free.
"Ford Recalls Thousands Of Cars And Trucks"
...Taurus, Sable And F-150...
Aerostar minivans...Ford says owners will be notified to take their van to a Ford dealer who will fix the problem
for free.
Ahhem. So Ranger was where in this article? And at least they are not charging owners like Toyota tried to do to me on my 81 pickup that was experiencing a major design flaw, like a fuel injection system and tranny going TU.
hindisite, you are correct that all vehicles break. Just some more often than others and Toyota is the latter overall.
Good Luck with your ranger's and tacoma's.
John
Noone has answered me why, after 13 years the Ranger is still the BEST SELLING truck in its class? If it is so terrible, don't you think its sales would have fallen sharply and Tacoma's would have risen sharply?
And another point. If Fords are so terrible all around why are they they still even in business after how many years? Why is Ford the number 2 producer of vehicles in the U.S., soon to be number 1? After 20 years of the Japanese vehicles being sold in the U.S., everyone knowing of their "superior quality and reliability" Why are GM/Ford and Dodge even still around?
I have heard the excuses of "patriotic pride" to "rental fleets" I say Bull....! Consumers make the choice.
Consumer reports was very clear in stating that not all vehicles are usually effected by recalls service bulletins. Because the Toyota V6 experienced a problem does not make it a bad vehicle.
Now I have heard here comments regarding squeaks etc on the Ranger. If your bedroom door squeaks is your first reaction to badmouth the manufacturer and rip out the door and go buy a perceived higher quality door? No, you oil the hinges.
Now that was tone. LOL
Seriously for a compact pickup truck I like the Frontier, Mazda, and Tacoma. If you guys had to pick the top 3 compact truck between Chevy, Izuzu, Ford, Dodge, Nissan, Mazda, and Toyota which would you pick?
In the news the F150 is coming out with a LEV engine
Vince,
Personally I like the big 3 automakers and I am especially fond of GM, since I have two of their vehicles. Actaully I think that the German cars are superior.
We all have stories of reliability. Like my Ranger I used as a truck, 94K still ran great, came back for more. At sale it still ran fine. But it was new truck time.
I personally can't see why I should spend another 3-4K for a perceived quality/reliability advantage. I didn't "settle" for a Ranger. I paid 19,600 for a LOADED Ranger 4.0 XLT supercab stepside. I compared option for option the Toyota Tacoma V6 and was shocked at the 23-24K price tag at 3 - 4 different dealers.
So far I have about 20K on my 98 Ranger and no problems. Plese scroll back and you will see I use my truck as a 4x4 in the great outdoors of the Northwest.
Vince8
Before you get "defensive" with me. I will briefly answer your question again.
1) Intial price of ownership
2) Patriotism
3) Gov + Fleet Sales
4) Leasing factor
1) People see less $$ when they buy a Ranger, but do not consider the long term cost of ownership
2) It has been proven in many cases on this Conf and many others on this site
3) Hertz and Budget are fine examples of this
4) People who lease mostly care about the monthly number, not the long term quality of a vehicle because they don't own the vehicle in the end.
Vince i'm not trying to be hasty, but you keep saying knowone will answer your question, but you refuse all answers given. If you don't want to except the answers given, STOP ASKING the question
-wsn
Good price you quote for the Toy but consider:
"maybe some people are "settling" on Rangers because someone told them that the Ranger had Toyota Parts in it."
Doubtfull. Talk to my wife that had a 3.0 Mitsubishi V6 in a LeBaron self destruct at 35K or my 81 Toyota 4 banger diesel that destructed at 38K. Talk to me about Japaneese quality in their engines.
On other Ranger sites, people are reporting 150-190K on their 4.0L Rangers. Check Ranger Station http://www.homestead.com/therangerstation/index.html and Ford Ranger .com: Http://www.fordranger.com/.
Most, and this is from my experience as I have owned 71 Landcruiser, 73 Celica, 76 Corola, 78 Corona, two 87 Celica's, the Toyota engines will begin to show thier age 130-160K i.e. better check the oil with each fillup cause they are starting to go.