2008 Ford Ranger Problems

What owners report

Owner complaints for this model year are dominated by the Takata air bag inflator recalls: most sampled reports are about waiting for replacement parts or an air bag warning light, and several describe air bags that did not deploy in a crash. A smaller but consistent group concerns corrosion of the frame and bed, plus scattered electrical glitches such as a failing multi-function switch and starting problems.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag inflator recall parts unavailable / recall not

   • 292 complaints (90%)
   • median 78,000 mi at 9.9 yrs old (45 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2026

   Owners describe receiving a Takata recall notice and then being told by dealers that replacement inflators were not yet available, sometimes for a year or more. Complaints report repeated calls to dealers and the manufacturer with no repair scheduled, and some received instructions not to let anyone ride in the front passenger seat. A few owners say they never received notice and found out through a VIN check or settlement mailing. Mileage varies widely, from a few thousand to over 200,000 miles, and complaints cluster in 2016-2018 after the notices went out.

   Recall 21V158000Recall 21V081000Recall 17V024000 · DO NOT DRIVERecall 16V384000 · DO NOT DRIVE8 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for written proof that the driver and passenger inflator recalls were completed, and have a dealer run the VIN to confirm no open campaigns remain. Watch for a persistently lit air bag warning light.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall I have been trying for over 1 year to have my airbag that's under recall replaced. Everytime I call I get the same answer - we don't have the replacement part yet . My subaru that was under the airbag recall had its bag replace a year ago. I want this airbag replaced. I have tried several different Ford dealers.”

   NHTSA complaint #11011933, filed 2017-08, 115,000 miles

   “(takata recall) I got a recall letter from Ford motor company dated july 2016. The recall was for the passenger side air bag on my 2008 Ford Ranger. I took the truck into my dealer, metro Ford, independence, mo., within a few days of receiving the recall letter. The service manager told me the parts would be available the 4th quarter of this year, sometime in oct. 2016. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10914549, filed 2016-10, 43,524 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Air bags did not deploy in a crash

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe collisions and rollovers where the air bags stayed inflated-in-place and did not deploy, in some cases after heavy impact that damaged the frame. Complaints also mention the air bag warning light staying on or a passenger-side indicator showing the bag as off. Dealers are reported to have said the bags should have deployed in at least one case. Reported across the mileage range, roughly 32,000 to 133,000 miles, in crashes at speeds from about 35 to 65 mph.

   Recall 21V158000Recall 21V081000Recall 16V384000 · DO NOT DRIVE1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Verify the air bag warning light goes out after the bulb-check at start-up, and confirm the occupant classification system (seat sensor) has no stored codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata inflators I noticed my air bag light was periodically coming on and thought it was a possible bad connection somewhere. I just found out today that my truck has been on the recall list for over 6 months and was not notified by anyone including the dealership where I punched it new. What should I do”

   NHTSA complaint #10945182, filed 2017-01, 150,000 miles

   “Takata recall - I was involved in an accident involving a deer hit in october 2017 which caused my airbag to deflate improperly. The plastic ruptured, the airbag only partially inflated and the plastic came back and punctured my stomach. If I would not have had my seatbelt on, it would have gone deep into my stomach, possibly causing surgery. I never received an airbag recall notice prior to this incident. I had purchased in the truck in december 2014. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11040705, filed 2017-10, 83,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Frame, bed and underbody corrosion

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report rust on the frame and rear bed that progressed to the point where the bed felt loose or shifted while driving, and in one case the spare tire carrier broke and the spare dropped. Others describe spindles and body bolts heavily rusted even on garaged trucks. Mechanics in some complaints advised that the underbody was too rusted to be driven safely. Mostly reported between roughly 55,000 and 100,000 miles, often on trucks a decade or more old, including vehicles not exposed to road salt.

   What to check: Inspect the rear frame rails, spring hangers and bed mounts from underneath, and check whether the bed moves or sags; rust on these areas is often worse than what is visible from outside.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Frame rusting on the bed. It is loose and wobbly and may come off. Vehicle only has 55,000 miles on it. Noticed while driving down the highway and checking over my shoulder to pass. Saw the bed of the truck moving about.”

   NHTSA complaint #11240651, filed 2019-07, 55,000 miles

   “I have noticed the whole spindle (the part that the brakes are bolted to and the wheel is connected to) has excessive rust so bad if is coming off in large pieces. The truck was never in water or exposed to excessive salt on the roads, always keep in a garage or carport. From where the top ball joint bolts on, to where the bottom ball joint bolts on, its nothing but rust. So much rust has come off that it is actually getting smaller, especially up where the top ball joint bolts on because it is smaller in size. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10924931, filed 2016-11, 60,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine surging, stalling and check-engine light

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the check-engine light coming on with the engine speed climbing on its own, loss of power, or stalling in stop-and-go traffic. Complaints note repeated dealer visits, engineer involvement and a replaced dash wire harness without resolving the problem. Others report the engine stalling while driving with the instrument panel lighting up intermittently. Reported mostly on very low-mileage trucks, from a few hundred to about 49,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: During a test drive, check for idle fluctuations, any stored check-engine codes, and whether the throttle body has been serviced; ask about the electronic throttle body diagnostic bulletin if symptoms appear.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Whilst driving with cruise control on I approached a large hill. I depressed the clutch to down shift & drive up the hill to drive up the hil in a lower gear and without cruise control on. When the clutch was depressed the throttle stuck down/the cruise control clutch disconnect switch failed causing a spike in engine RPM while in neutral. The RPM raced past 6500 before I managed to control it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10607164, filed 2014-06, 45,300 miles

   “The engine light comes on every, 750-850 miles. When this happens , the trucks (rpms) goes up, 1200 rpms. If there is a car in front of me, I have to put both feet on the brake pedal. To avoid hitting the car in front of me. This truck has been in the dealer ship (4) times now. Ford has had their engineers, come out and try to fix this problem. Ford has even replaced the dash wire harness, and the truck has the same problem. At this point the truck, can cause a crash. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10230075, filed 2008-06, 751 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Multi-function switch and electrical faults

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the multi-function switch failing so that wipers quit or high beams engage on their own, and the anti-theft system engaging with a blank instrument panel and a no-start condition. Complaints mention moisture and corrosion on wire connectors found by the dealer, and a starting problem where the electrical system cut out when the brake pedal was pressed. Reported from about 23,000 to 188,300 miles, on trucks of varying age.

   Recall 11V352000

   What to check: Test the wipers, turn signals and high beams through their full range of positions, and check that the truck starts reliably with no clicking from the fuse box or anti-theft indicator activity.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Purchased used 2008 Ford Ranger that has issues with multifunction switch malfunctioning on several occasions with the windshield wipers not working or high beams engaging although the turn signals are not affected as of yet. This happens when vehicle is stationary as well as moving . The windshield wipers will just quit working while driving same with high beams. I notified and asked Ford today if this was normal .”

   NHTSA complaint #11288252, filed 2019-12, 182,500 miles

   “Monday 6/3/13 went to start car and nothing happened. You hear clicking in the fuse box on the passenger side and in the engine compartment. Put key to just before start or accessories and the lights come on and radio turns on but if you touch the breaks it all shorts out. Turn the key to start and it all shorts out and fuse area starts clicking. Drove the car sunday night and it was fine. Never had an issue with anything on this truck until monday morning when I went to go somewhere. Totally baffled on what's wrong. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10514921, filed 2013-06, 23,000 miles

Buying note. Confirm any open air bag inflator recalls are actually completed, not just noticed, before purchase, and inspect the frame and bed for rust. A pre-purchase look at the underbody and a scan for stored codes will catch most of the other reported problems.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.