I drove an 04 xlt today & it drove like a tractor with 2 flat tires.

The dealership gave me the usual "it's not going to drive like your old truck, the suspension is different" jazz, but this truck felt like it only had half power steering, not to mention that it pulled badly to the left.

Do all newer Rangers handle this badly?

They're going to check the alignment first thing next week, but I doubt it has anything to do with how stiff the wheel turns & responds.

I checked under the truck as best as I could & didn't see any signs of a wreck or any damaged suspension. Truck only has 67k miles.

My old truck handles like a Caddy compared to this one.

 

my dads 04 seems to have more body roll than my 98, which is lifted, but his also rides softer. both trucks with #1 bars cranked too

 

I think my 04 handles very well i have never thought that it was bad or anything.

 

My 02 handles good. I know you asked for 04+ owners but I wanted to give my input anyways haha. Even with 33's my truck isn't hard to steer whatsoever.

 

I never had a problem with mine. It was harder to steer than anything else I had driven though.

 

My coil sprung 04 handled fine. Took corners decently enough yet rode a little firm and a touch bouncy at times

My 09 with torsion bars rides smoother (even with the prekeys and mild crank) but it doesnt take turns as well as the coil sprung truck did. I wouldnt say its handling makes me nervous or jittery though. Its perfectly fine for me. It handles like almost any other truck ive driven,.

 

My 04 fx4 is rough as hell w/ cranked #1 bars and rancho shocks and rides like a brick, but handles surprisingly well on curvy roads, even at 160 kph on the highway (extremely flat and straight) w/ aggressive tires I can take my hands off the wheel and wont pull to either side at all. It could be you just found a lemon.

 

ha when I bought mine new the steering wheel took getting use to b/c it was so stiff. I was use to a 14 year old ranger w/ the I-beams. I say the newer truck is harder to park because the steering radius.

 

my 06 rode fine, it seemed like the 06 had more body roll then my 01, but i had every trick done to the 01.... that all transfered over to my 06, and it rides,a nd handles like a sports car

 

They just have stiffer steering and suspension. I found it almost difficult to turn the wheel when I first got the newer one. coming from a worn out '96 yeah, it was a big difference. Now I love the way it handles after getting use to it, it drives itself. unlike the old one where it wore my arm out trying to keep it centered.

But no the steering should not pull.check out the steering rack for any leaks, maybe the seals are shot on one side or both.. look at the main crossmember in the front there should be two holes in the bottom of it. stick your finger and feel around for fluid, if you can't visibly check it out.

Id tell the dealer to look for leaks but you cant trust them.

or it could just be the alignment, or brakes..

 

My 04 steers well steering is a little tighter than my 93 but it handles fine. Tracks straight doesent pull.


Sounds to me like something is bent in the front end.

Also poke a tiny hole in the rack boot cause sometimes they will leak and no fluid comes out....


Does it whine at all when turning the wheel?

 

It felt to have little power steering, very tight & stiff steering wheel.
Just driving down through the lot, I thought I was going to crash into half the other cars.
I didn't give it a thorough "curvy road" test due to time constraints, but I may drive it again once they work on the alignment.

It had (I believe) 245 75R16 tires, that made the truck look like a 2wd low rider compared to the 31" on my truck... from what I've read, these tires are basically the same overall height... although they look completely different.

I'm almost afraid to see how it would ride, handle & stop on a set of bigger tires.

...the brakes were pretty soft too, I thought my foot slipped off the pedal, but it finally slowed down.

 

Yeah i would go look at a different truck cause that sounds like something is wrong with it... Mine stops quick on those same tires.

 

My 2008 Ranger drives and handles great, although it is far from stock. I used to own a 1990 Ranger and it handled great too.

 

Stock was good! My ride now blows more than a college chick.

 

My 06' handles fine and riddes great (well did till I got the wore funny BFGs on it, once I get brand new tires it will ride good again! But even still it rides good and can take curves real good! My only complaint is that it doesn't turn as sharp as my 94' coil sprung did but then again it was short wheelbase.

 

I saw no noticeable difference between my 01 and 04 and I bought both of them new.

~HJ

 

LOL!

Got her number?

 

LMAO.

 

my 04 rides great and im on 33x10.5's. I also have a 95 and its steering is real light.

 

no issues here. truck turns and handles great. even after 32k on the clock.

 

no big difference from my 99 to my 07. if anything the ride is smoother in my 07.

 

I put over 100K on my 03 up till the first of the year. Then after driving an 09 escape for 9 months , jumped in the Ranger and thought I was out of power steering . Felt like my old 64 Chevy 3/4 ton with armstrong steering . Checked everything and found nothing wrong . Wife says it drives just fine but a little tight.

 

How are the tires? It is amazing how difficult it is to turn the steering wheel when the tires are worn! Alignment can cause "hard" steering also.

 

my truck handles like ****. even with the sway bar in. but it handled better on the wider wheels and tires i had before. its not terrible. definitely bearable. could be worse lol.