2012 Ranger impressions/rant

[AllenB]

Bought my Ranger brand new in 2012 and have almost 60K on her. LOVE the truck don't get me wrong but there are lots of quirks I can't figure out. Here are the issues I've experienced so far. Any other 2012 owners experience the same things?

* When I hit the cruise control "On" button, no dash light comes on. ONLY after I hit the on button and THEN hit "set" does it come on. Every car I've ever owned including Fords, all had the cruise light show up once you press the "On" button. Odd

* The non-skid button that supposedly turns off traction control that is down next to the MP3 plug and little cubby hole for storage,...doesn't do jack. I was in the snow the other day, turned off the traction control, gave it hell trying to do a parking lot donut and couldn't get it to spin tires without the engine bogging down and compensating for slippage. WTH is this button for then???

* Windows chatter like a Muther when putting them down. This happened within the first few thousand miles. I've just lived with it.

* The manual tells how to shut off the seatbelt warning signal. I've tried countless times, followed the manual to a "T" and it still doesn't work. My old F150 had the same procedure and it worked fine in turning it off for good. WTF??

We won't mention that the dealer had to pick up my truck with 26 miles,...26, not 260, 2600,..but 26 miles, after I came out of the house and found all the transmission fluid leaked out (LONG STORY).

Just seems like this truck was designed and put together without much thought. I will say though she still runs like a top and have had ZERO mechanical issues (besides the tranny).

Your thoughts??

 

[adsm08]

The CC light, that's just how they are. The Ranger's have had that same dash since before they started using the amber light to indicate the system was armed but not active. The Rangers just never got some of the fancier stuff other models did.

The Trac Off button yeah, they don't help much. If you hold it down until the light flashes it supposedly disables the system at a higher level, try that. If you really want it gone unplug a wheel speed sensor.

The window is a common issue, poor regulator design. Aftermarket units usually fix the problem.

Belt minder, GFL. I have never been able to disable one of those using the procedure in the manual, only by accessing the programmable parameters with a scan tool.

 

[Curious Hound]

Hmmmm... Sounds like you're having "fun".

The seat belt thing shouldn't be too hard. Years ago, all you had to do was remove a little relay module under the dash and it would be quiet. I guess that all comes through some kind of computer module now. If it were mine and I wanted it quiet, I would go to the actual switches at the seat belts and disable them there. You would probably have to unplug the switch and install a jumper at each one.

I think I will stick with the older models and be thankful for simplicity.

 

[adsm08]

On his truck it is very very dangerous to disable the seat belt chime by doing anything other than shutting it off in the computer. Anything that makes the computer think the seat belt is being worn when it isn't could become fatal in the even of airbag deployment.

The airbags on his truck are two-stage units with a slow and a high speed. If your seat belt isn't on it will only deploy the low-speed stage. If you do something like buckle the belt behind your back, or stick a latch in it to keep it quite but don't actually wear the belt if your airbags deploy they will come out full force assuming you are properly restrained and then your neck gets broken.

 

[stmitch]

There was actually a ton of thought put into the construction of your truck. The problem is, most of that thinking/planning was done in the late 90s. They gradually added some tech stuff over the years, but they should've done a thorough redesign around 04-06 if they'd wanted the Ranger to stay relevant, but that's another topic.

What I'm saying, is that your 2012 is essentially an 01 Ranger with some added features that weren't part of the plan when the truck was originally designed. That's why things don't seem well thought out, or as refined as other vehicles of the same year.

 

[Curious Hound]

adsm08,

Those are some excellent points. Thanks for the info.

 

[Mazda]

Can't reply to your "rants" except for the transmission issue. It happens. These things are still built by humans and yes we make mistakes all the time.

My parents bought a brand new Ford Aerostar back in 1985 with no more than 40 miles on it and the transmission literally fell out of the van on the street 1 day of owning it.

Shouldn't ever happen but thinks like that happen all the time. Also heard from a Toyota dealer once he received a Land Cruiser once that the motor seized up unloading it from the car carrier because it had no oil in it. WTH!!!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

* When I hit the cruise control "On" button, no dash light comes on. ONLY after I hit the on button and THEN hit "set" does it come on. Every car I've ever owned including Fords, all had the cruise light show up once you press the "On" button. Odd

That annoys me with my 2002 F-150, you forget you didn't turn it on (who actually ever turns it off anyway, why do we have to turn it on every time we start the vehicle?) and it loses speed until you realize you goofed. Then you have to speed it back up, hit the on button and try it again.

Its a minor gripe though, I have had the thing 11 years this June and haven't met the truck I would trade it for.

One thing I LOVE about it is the seat belt alarm will only go off until you hit the seat belt release. So if you jump in it and hit the release button it shuts up. It is nice to not have the truck having a panic attack while hooking up a trailer or opening/closing gates.

I think you can lube the window tracks, you might check into it.