Ford Ranger Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 8,487 consumer complaints across the 37 model years of the Ford Ranger (1983–2026) that have at least 5 complaints. 1999 has the most, with 755. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (1,885 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Ranger model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 32 | 8 | 22 | — | Too new |
| 2025 | 44 | 1,050 | 13 | 75 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2024 | 95 | 4,200 | 13 | 107 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,850 | 4 | 64 | — | Too new |
| 2022 | 38 | 15,500 | 5 | 87 | 26 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2021 | 119 | 32,800 | 6 | 113 | 67 · More | Rising |
| 2020 | 130 | 20,000 | 7 | 137 | 71 · More | Rising |
| 2019 | 270 | 19,500 | 11 | 139 | 90 · More | Rising |
| 2011 | 235 | 48,750 | 5 | 12 | 44 · Typical | Falling |
| 2010 | 156 | 51,000 | 8 | 15 | 41 · Typical | Falling |
| 2009 | 169 | 36,250 | 7 | 10 | 52 · Typical | Falling |
| 2008 | 326 | 62,500 | 5 | 16 | 47 · Typical | Falling |
| 2007 | 270 | 65,000 | 5 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 272 | 69,720 | 12 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2005 | 289 | 57,500 | 9 | 30 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2004 | 405 | 66,803 | 10 | 34 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 243 | 56,000 | 1 | 20 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 346 | 55,700 | 3 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2001 | 515 | 82,000 | 4 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 670 | 82,000 | 3 | 13 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1999 | 755 | 89,000 | 4 | 6 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1998 | 576 | 100,000 | 5 | 5 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1997 | 411 | 100,000 | 1 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1996 | 413 | 116,500 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1995 | 321 | 139,026 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1994 | 438 | 115,915 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 232 | 93,904 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 189 | 93,324 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 132 | 82,500 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1990 | 105 | 145,500 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 73 | 82,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1988 | 89 | 89,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1987 | 50 | 109,117 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1986 | 35 | 109,368 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1985 | 27 | 27,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1984 | 12 | 135,000 | 6 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1983 | 11 | — | 5 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags1,885 27%
- Transmission and drivetrain874 12%
- Brakes871 12%
- Tires842 12%
- Body and structure739 10%
- Electrical system654 9.3%
- Suspension629 8.9%
- Vehicle speed control564 8.0%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2005: “The passenger side module - air bag was replaced twice first 3/17/ 2017 and 8/23/2018 and the 2nd time they replaced it with outdated parts. Report recall part 573 safety - 21v-081. The replacement has not started yet but I think there should be a lawsuit also because they did the replacement anyway to satisfy the goverment and they put our lifes at risk”
NHTSA complaint #11397544, filed 2021-02, 40,909 miles2019: “I changed my oil at 5,000 miles, I have approximately 8,400 miles on my truck now. I noticed excessive fuel built up in my oil catch can. After doing some research a lot of people with the 2019 Ford Ranger are having the same issue. I checked my oil and my oil was saturated with fuel. Fuel is getting into the engine oil.”
NHTSA complaint #11394340, filed 2021-02, 8,400 miles2010: “On 9/11/2010 we were sold a Ford Ranger that had an outstanding takata air bag recall and also had a rusted through frame and body. We took pictures and returned the truck to the dealer on 9/14/2010. The dealer will not accept the truck back and will not recall the loan even though we were not made aware of the deficiencies or the outstanding recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11267181, filed 2019-10, 13,000 milesOther Ford models
38,897 complaintsFord Explorer
34,624 complaintsFord Escape
27,530 complaintsFord Fusion
22,441 complaintsFord Focus
22,107 complaintsFord Taurus
18,162 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,106 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology