Ford Ranger Towing Problems – Some Issues You Can Face

A Ford Ranger is a relatively compact truck that is thought to be all-purpose. It means that the vehicle can be used for many tasks starting with towing trailers and carrying weights and finishing with getting your kids to school. This vehicle is often bought as an all-purpose solution for the transportation problems of a family or as a helper vehicle.

We've investigated some problems of this truck to write a full article about them for you. And we were surprised that a lot of Rangers actually have towing problems. A lot of them. So, today, we'll be mainly talking about the towing issues your Ford Ranger may have. And about some ways to solve these possible problems.

Here's what we'll discuss today:

1. Towing with your Ford Ranger - what are the rules?
2. What problems can occur with a Ford Ranger when towing trailers?
3. What problems can occur when you tow your Ford Ranger?
4. Ways to solve or avoid towing problems with your Ford Ranger.

Let's get started!

How to tow safely with your Ford Ranger?

First of all, you should know that a Ranger has many generations and versions. This vehicle has been here with us since 1983. Up to 2019, it was a compact pickup truck, but since 2019 it has been a mid-sized truck. So, in 2019, Ford offered a completely new Ranger with much more towing possibilities than before.

It doesn't mean that the new Ranger will have no towing problems. It will. Just the towing capacity will be larger, so you'll have fewer chances to get your car broken in the middle of the road when you tow something.

Here's what we should say before discussing towing problems:

• the towing capacity of the Ranger is now about 3,500 pounds, before, it was up to 3,200 pounds with brakes and 1,320 pounds without brakes;
• the capacity of the new truck is calculated for a trailer that is equipped with brakes;
• also, you should know the towbar download is 350 pounds - this is important for some trailer types;
• also, the company offers a set of equipment that makes the towing capacity 7,500 pounds and offers a towbar load of about 700 pounds;
• the possible problems of towing with your Ranger can be divided into two parts: immediate problems and issues that build up over time;
• towing trailers with your Ford Ranger is only possible if they don't go over certain parameters of size (each state may have different parameters).

Towing trailers and other vehicles is basically one of the main tasks of the pickup truck, so the manufacturer knows it and does its best to provide wonderful opportunities for buyers. But in the case of the Ranger, it doesn't work really well.

We don't want to say that the truck is bad and it can't do the job it's bought for. No, it's quite a decent truck with wonderful specs and great comfort for drivers and passengers. But it still has some problems with towing and people say about it in their reviews. After studying a lot of reviews, we were surprised by the number of complaints about towing abilities of the truck.

What problems can occur when towing trailers with a Ranger?

We've found many deceiving articles on the internet saying that the Ranger has a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds. It can have this capacity after you buy a very expensive package from Ford. The ordinary truck will have only 3,500 pounds and probable this is the worst trouble.

You can read on one of the websites that the towing capacity of the truck is 7,500 lbs and you will be sure that your Ranger can do that. But, no, overloading will kill the truck pretty fast. You should consult with your dealer to understand the real towing capacity of your truck.

Otherwise, you may have these problems:

1. Total loss of power. The 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission are set to carry certain loads. If you overload the truck, they will work over their highest potential and will eventually fail to deliver torque and power.
2. Transmission failure. Unfortunately, towing can kill the automatic transmission in your Ford Ranger. This is the only option, Ford doesn't offer any manual transmissions for the Ranger, so the transmission is not the strongest part of this vehicle.
3. Rear suspension problems. These troubles usually appear when the Ranger experiences too high towbar loads. The load will press too much on the tongue and will just destroy the rear suspension after some time.
4. Engine problems. You can even see some fault codes and messages if the truck tows more than it should. The problem is that the engine has some load limitations. After passing these limitations, it goes to limp mode. And in this mode, you will not have enough power to tow anything.
5. Towbar problems. Even if you just load it to the maximum allowed capacity, the towbar can fail. The towbar itself is pretty good, but the spots of mounting it to the body can fail. And you will have big problems with the body in the end.

We've seen reviews of Ranger owners who said that they had never towed anything heavier than allowed for this vehicle. And it was still failing hard when towing. But most of the owners report the minor issues with towing.

Though, we are pretty sure that if you never overload the vehicle and check the towbar load before towing any trailer, you will not have many problems. At least, your engine and transmission will not go to limp mode and the body of your truck will not fall apart. So, the main problem is overloading and not understanding the towing capacity limitations.

Can you tow a Ford Ranger if it's broken?

One more problem with the Ranger is towing it when the vehicle is broken. You have two choices - ask someone to tow you to your garage or to a repair shop, or call a tow truck. And the second option is much better. The reason for this is the automatic transmission. If you tow your car equipped with the 10-speed automatic transmission made by Ford, you are at the risk of big problems with this unit.

Repairing the automatic transmission will cost you a lot. And you will have to wait for some time while your car will be hanging out at the repair station. These transmissions are actually good but they don't like being towed. Also, they hate towing more than they physically can.

If your Ranger is broken, better call the tow truck. Eventually, it will be cheaper for you than replacing or repairing the transmission. A tow truck should also be ready to get all four wheels of your pickup truck onto the platform. But if you have a rear-wheel-drive version of the Ranger, it can be towed with only rear wheels on the platform.

How to avoid towing problems with your Ford Ranger?

Avoiding any kinds of problems is possible if you just follow the tips and requirements the manufacturer gives in the manuals for your vehicle. Be very specific when you read some tips. You should avoid reading about towing capacity of your vehicle on some unverified website. It may lead to problems with towing.

Also, you should remember the following rules:

• you may tow something using your truck if you know how to do it, in some states you even need a special license type for this;
• be careful with towing anything that is big in size because it needs special knowledge and experience;
• be careful when towing - your truck will be under some load, so you shouldn't accelerate as if you don't tow anything;
• don't speed up too much - high speed can be dangerous because you may need to brake sharply and the trailer will push the car forward;
• be careful in turns - when you turn sharply, the towbar experiences excessive side load which can easily break it in the end;
• be careful when fastening the trailer on the tongue - if you lose a trailer, nothing good is going to happen.

These are simple rules that will help you tow trailers with your Ford Ranger and experience no problems. Or at least to reduce the chance of getting in trouble on your way. Also, always pay attention to the way your car goes. If the vehicle is too slow or the engine works with some problems, you should stop and check whether everything is fine.

Final words

You shouldn't worry much about the towing problems with your Ford Ranger if you know well that you are going to only tow trailers with the allowed weight. Also, you should be careful when you tow anything, but it is not only about the Ranger - this is a good idea for any truck at all.

Also, if you own a Ford Ranger, you should know that it's not created for heavy-duty tasks. The Ranger is a compact or a mid-sized truck for all-purpose use.