By John Lloyd 
An $85,000 pickup truck marketed as rugged, capable, and adventure-ready has instead become a rolling warning label for what happens when marketing outpaces reality.
Ford’s Massive Recall History: Why Are They #1 in Car Recalls?
An Adelaide man is demanding a refund for his 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak after what he describes as a cascade of mechanical failures that began almost immediately after purchase. With just 23,000 kilometers on the odometer, the truck has already required five separate warranty visits. This wasn’t routine maintenance. It was repeated, fundamental repair work on a vehicle sold as premium-grade and off-road capable.
The list of failures is hard to ignore. The Ranger has needed a replacement tail shaft, suffered a Diesel Particulate Filter problem, and developed four oil leaks. One of those leaks reappeared just 100 kilometers after a previous repair. That kind of turnaround doesn’t signal bad luck. It signals a vehicle that was not ready for the role it was sold to perform.
The owner has now asked Ford for a full refund of the purchase price, making clear he no longer trusts the product. He has already sunk roughly $12,000 into accessories but is not even seeking reimbursement for those costs. His confidence in the platform is gone, and he has stated that even a replacement vehicle would be immediately sold.
That reaction cuts to the core of the issue. The Ranger Wildtrak was promoted as a capable off-road truck suited for long-distance travel and remote terrain. Instead, the owner now doubts it could complete a major highway trip, let alone venture into isolated areas. What was sold as a dependable four-wheel-drive has become something he feels requires backup communications, diagnostic tools, and constant monitoring just to operate.
This is not what buyers expect when they pay top dollar for a new vehicle. The promise of modern trucks has been technology-enhanced reliability. What this case exposes is the downside of turning vehicles into complex, software-heavy machines without delivering the durability that branding implies.
The situation mirrors another recent dispute involving a similarly priced Ranger variant that escalated into court. Together, these cases point to a broader reckoning. Consumers are paying luxury-level prices for trucks that cannot meet basic expectations of reliability.
The takeaway is unavoidable. When a vehicle designed for exploration leaves its owner afraid to drive it, the problem is not the customer. It’s the product. And this time, the failure is loud enough that it’s forcing uncomfortable questions Ford and the industry can no longer ignore.
Eve Nowell