More Vietnamese users complain about rust on the new Ford Ranger.

Following reports of Vietnamese customers being shocked to find rusty Ford Ranger vehicles, a number of other owners of this model have also come forward, claiming their cars are experiencing the same problem despite being relatively new. Most of the affected vehicles are from the 2021 or 2022 model years. Whether domestically assembled or imported, consumers have discovered this issue.

Reportedly, the American brand began selling Ford Ranger models assembled in Vietnam again last year, instead of importing them as complete units from Thailand. However, all assembly components are still imported, so the Ford Ranger remains essentially an imported vehicle; the localization only applies to the assembly process.

Statistics show that around 100 consumers using Ford Ranger pickup trucks, spanning various provinces and cities across the country, have experienced rust in the engine compartment. Instead of trying to thoroughly resolve the issue and maintain the manufacturer's reputation, Ford dealerships that sell vehicles directly to consumers often take superficial and ineffective actions.

A typical example is the case of Mr. S., residing in Binh Thuan province. He currently owns a 2022 Ford Ranger showing extensive rust on parts under the hood. He purchased the vehicle from the Ford Binh Thuan dealership on April 30, 2022, for 870 million VND, and only discovered the severe rust on May 20, 2022, despite it having only traveled 3,200 km to date.

Mr. S.'s new Ford Ranger has extensive rust.

After discovering the problem, he contacted the Ford dealership in Binh Thuan to investigate the cause and fix the issue. However, Mr. S. later stated: "When they heard my complaint, the dealership came to my house but only did a quick inspection and sprayed a cleaning solution on the yellow stains. Temporarily, the rust stains have faded somewhat, but I don't know how long this will last because the dealership didn't give any specific reason."

Similarly, another car owner named NV also reported rust issues on his Ford Ranger pickup truck. He bought it from Hanoi Ford dealership, located at 13 Truong Chinh Street, Khuong Mai Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, for 750 million VND. Currently, his vehicle has traveled 25,000 km and he has discovered similar rust spots to those on Mr. S.'s vehicle. His biggest concern is the safety of his vehicle, especially since many other car owners have reported the same problem.

The rust condition on Mr. NV's car.

Not only domestically assembled vehicles but even those imported from Thailand are affected by this issue. This is evidenced by the case of Mr. D.XT, who works in Bao Thang district, Lao Cai province. He bought a 2021 Ford Ranger imported from Thailand for 680 million VND at the Ford Thu Do dealership, located at 5 Ngoc Hoi Street, Hoang Mai district, Hanoi. Currently, the car has only traveled nearly 8,000 km and is still very new, but it has already developed rust in the engine compartment.

Based on the mileage, Mr. D.XT's car is still in good condition.

After reading a newspaper article about numerous Ford vehicles rusting, the owner personally inspected the car and responded to the reporter on May 26th. He then contacted the dealership to report the issue. Recounting the dealership's response, Mr. T. said: "Initially, when I reported the problem with the car, Ford asked me to bring it from Lao Cai to Hanoi for inspection. But how could I trust them to drive the car over 300 km without knowing what the problem was? So I decided not to accept the request. Later, Ford Thu Do contacted me again, but the person on the other end just laughed and gave a very vague explanation, saying it wasn't a serious problem."

Severe rust stains have appeared on Mr. D.XT's car.

Currently, Mr. T. still uses his Ford Ranger pickup truck for his daily commute. However, his biggest worry is that once the warranty expires, the rust will seriously affect the vehicle, and he will have to bear all the repair costs himself.

Following a series of articles exposing rust issues in Ford vehicles and the careless handling of problems by dealerships, many readers of Tien Phong newspaper voiced their concerns about some car dealerships lacking responsibility. A reader with the display name Karache said: "I'm planning to buy a Ford Everest, but with the sellers refusing to take responsibility when the car has problems, I'm giving up."

Another reader also spoke out strongly: "Dealers who handle situations like that should be avoided. Don't buy anything from them anymore!"

In addition, some readers continued to comment on the quality of the American brand. One person even claimed that his vehicle, which he had been using for 15 years, did not have the engine compartment parts rusting as severely as many newer Ford Ranger pickup trucks today.

In the Vietnamese market, the Ford Ranger remains one of the most prominent names in the pickup truck segment. However, it faces fierce sales competition from rivals such as the Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux, and Mitsubishi Triton. Therefore, the deliberate price gouging by some dealerships and the superficial handling of customer feedback regarding product quality could significantly impact the manufacturer's reputation. No one wants to spend nearly a billion VND on a vehicle only to be met with dismissive smiles and vague explanations from the seller when they discover any abnormalities.