1996 Ford Ranger Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 25about this part
- Share
- 6%of 413 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 97,172miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the air bags of the 1996 Ford Ranger, 6% of the 413 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 97,172 miles. 19 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Takata recall. I crashed my 1996 Ford Ranger in 2010. Both airbags deployed. My collision shop replaced the airbags with unknown year Ford Ranger airbags, buying some new parts from Ford to complete the install. There is no way to know if these are recalled takata airbags without an inspection. My local Ford dealership, varsity Ford in ann arbor mi, is refusing to do anything without a recall notice. Any inspection, even if these are recalled airbags, will be at my cost because this is a 1996 truck. …”
NHTSA complaint #11176583, filed 2019-02, 200,000 miles“I hit a small deer doing about 35 miles per hour and pulled over to the side of the road about three minutes later another auto came up from behind and rear ended me my air bag deployed then. Why did it deploy then and not when I hit the deer. The only damage I did to the front end to my truck was cracked the gill and others around it. The damage that the other auto did was bent the bumper under my truck along with the brackets too, the impact from the other auto was loud and was heard from about a mile away. The auto that rear ended me was going about 55 to 60 miles per hour.”
NHTSA complaint #10184214, filed 2007-03, 97,345 miles“- the contact stated that hit a deer on 09/24/06, with the 1996 Ford Ranger extended cab while driving at 35 MPH. The weather was clear and dry. The contact's vehicle hit the deer on the driver' front side , and the air bag didn't deploy. He pulled the vehicle to the side of the road, put on the hazard lights, and before getting out of the vehicle another vehicle came by and hit the vehicle from the back at the speed of 55-60 MPH. The contact stated that's is when the air did bag deployed. The contact stated that there has never been any indication that there was a problem with the air bags. …”
NHTSA complaint #10185084, filed 2007-03, 97,000 miles“Vehicle was at a complete stop and was hit on the driver side by another vehicle, and only the driver side air bag deployed, and burnt the driver face. Please provide more details. Ts”
NHTSA complaint #10001390, filed 2002-12, 93,000 miles“The drivers side airbag deployed in a rear end crash that pushed my vehicle into another vehicle. When the airbag deployed something was aparently was ejected from the bag assembly that struck the interior roof of truck doing noticable damage to the headline and roof. The servicing dealer, berge Ford in mesa az is not willing to admit that the damage was caused by the airbag. I do not agree with that.”
NHTSA complaint #711364, filed 1999-09Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 4% |
| 2024 | 4 | 4% |
| 2023 | 2 | 11% |
| 2022 | 1 | 3% |
| 2021 | 2 | 2% |
| 2020 | 3 | 2% |
| 2019 | 4 | 1% |
| 2011 | 196 | 83% |
| 2010 | 128 | 82% |
| 2009 | 144 | 85% |
| 2008 | 295 | 90% |
| 2007 | 236 | 87% |
| 2006 | 175 | 64% |
| 2005 | 132 | 46% |
| 2004 | 189 | 47% |
| 2003 | 25 | 10% |
| 2002 | 37 | 11% |
| 2001 | 62 | 12% |
| 2000 | 67 | 10% |
| 1999 | 79 | 10% |
| 1998 | 32 | 6% |
| 1997 | 22 | 5% |
| 1996 | 25 | 6% |
| 1995 | 18 | 6% |
| 1994 | 3 | 1% |
| 1992 | 1 | 1% |
| 1990 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 1996 Ford Ranger
69 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
52 complaintsTires
41 complaintsElectrical system
38 complaintsFuel system
35 complaintsVehicle speed control
34 complaintsEngine cooling
31 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
28 complaintsSeat belts
26 complaintsSuspension
21 complaintsExterior lighting
17 complaintsSteering
17 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Ford Ranger
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology