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Research · Small Pickup Trucks 2WD

2011 Ford RangerRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 235 owner complaints for the 2011 Ford Ranger. Most complaints involve air bags (196) and exterior lighting (9). The EPA rates it 16–24 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 2 stars overall.

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Combined MPG
16–24mpg
EPA · 6 versions
NHTSA overall
2of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
6campaigns
Latest Mar 2021
Owner complaints
235
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$2,700est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

6 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveFree remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jan 7, 2019NHTSA 19V001000

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveRemedy pending

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported May 31, 2016NHTSA 16V384000

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Mar 10, 2021NHTSA 21V158000
See all 6 recalls with remedies
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 5, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

235 complaints filed with NHTSA · Aug 2011 – Jun 2026
  1. Air bags196
  2. Exterior lighting9
  3. Structure8
  4. Service brakes8
  5. Electrical system5
  6. Power train5
  7. Fuel/propulsion system4
  8. Vehicle speed control4
  9. Wheels2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Ranger model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
1996430
1997427
1998597
1999785
2000729
2001558
2002389
2003243
2004405
2005289
2006272
2007270
2008326
2009169
2010164
2011235
2019272
2020130
2021119
202238
202319
202497
202545
20260
Crashes reported
9
Fires reported
1
Injuries reported
9
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 5, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

196 reports6 crashes
“I received a letter from FORD identifying my Ranger as in need of an airbag replacement under recall, for free installation and parts. I called the only Ford dealer in town, Capitol Ford, Santa Fe, NM, and was told they were unable to replace my airbag because they did not have the parts for it and did not know when they would get the parts. That was about 4 years ago. Recently, I called the same FORD dealer and made an appointment via a text message to get the airbag replaced under recall. When I took my Ranger in for service at the time arranged, the dealer did not give me any paperwork or receipt or work order. The service dept. personnel just asked for my keys and agreed that I would wait in the lobby. After 2 hours I asked the service personnel whether my airbag had been replaced and a staff member informed me that I would need to leave it all day to get the airbag replaced. I was not prepared to wait all day for this, so I informed this person I needed to reschedule the air bag replacement appointment. He then told me he would not give me my Ranger until I agreed not to request Capitol Ford to replace my airbag, he said I had to agree to take it to…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 15, 2026Air bagsODI 11744306

Exterior lighting

9 reports1 crash
“HIGH BEAM LIGHTS FAILED ON, THE HI-LO BEAM SWITCH IN TURN, HAZARD, WIPER COMBO SWITCH LATER OVERHEATED, BURN UP, SMOKE IN CABIN CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF LAMPS, WIPERS AT NIGHT IN RAIN. CLEARLY A COMMON ISSUE BASED ON WEB. IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEND FULL LOAD CURRENT WITH NO CONTROL RELAYS FORCE A HIGHER STANDARD ON DESIGN MARGINS AND AND MTTF. YOU HAVE (4) HEAD LAMPS ON A CAR NO REASON A DESIGN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO CAUSE ALL (4) TO FAILURE. FORCE MULTIPLE RELAYS, MODULES, AND CONTACTS, WIRING CIRCUITS AND FUSES. ALSO FIX THE BLINDING HEADLIGHT ISSUES. I SEE ALMOST NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LO AND HI BEAMS ON NEW CARS AND SEE SPOTS FOR 30 SECONDS AFTER PASSING CARS ON LO. SET STANDARDS AND FORCE CERTS ON EVERY NEW HEAD LIGHT DESIGN. DOT/NHTSA SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR ANY CRASHES RELATED TO BEING BLINDED WITH HEADLIGHTS”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 7, 2024Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiperODI 11618410

Structure

8 reports
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the front bumper detached from the vehicle without incident. The first time the failure occurred, the contact noticed the failure before entering the vehicle. The contact placed the bumper into the bed of his truck and drove to the dealer where he had the bumper re-attached. Despite the repair, the failure occurred again and also discovered that the bumper was only repaired with duct tape. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 77,983.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 28, 2022StructureODI 11458629
All 2011 Ranger problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 5, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

6 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Small Pickup Trucks 2WD, Small Pickup Trucks 4WD
Engines
2.3L 4-cyl · 4.0L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Manual 5-spd · Automatic 5-spd
Drive
Rear-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 5, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Ranger 2WD
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.3 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
222724$2,700370
Ranger 2WD
Auto 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.3 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
192320$3,200444
Ranger 2WD
Man 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
162118$3,550494
Ranger 2WD
Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
152017$3,800523
Ranger 4WD
Man 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L · 4-Wheel Drive
151917$3,800523
Ranger 4WD
Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L · 4-Wheel Drive
151816$4,000555
  • Ranger 2WD
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.3 L
    22 city · 27 hwy · $2,700/yr
    24
    mpg comb.
  • Ranger 2WD
    Auto 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.3 L
    19 city · 23 hwy · $3,200/yr
    20
    mpg comb.
  • Ranger 2WD
    Man 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L
    16 city · 21 hwy · $3,550/yr
    18
    mpg comb.
  • Ranger 2WD
    Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L
    15 city · 20 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Ranger 4WD
    Man 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L
    15 city · 19 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Ranger 4WD
    Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 4.0 L
    15 city · 18 hwy · $4,000/yr
    16
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 5, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

3 tested variants
Overall rating
2/ 5
2 of 5
Ford Ranger Super Cab PU/EC 4x4
Frontal crash
2 of 5
Side crash
3 of 5
Side pole
1 of 5
Rollover
3 of 5
Rollover risk
26.7%
Overall
2 / 5
Ford Ranger Regular Cab PU/RC 4x2
Frontal crash
2 of 5
Side crash
3 of 5
Side pole
1 of 5
Rollover
3 of 5
Rollover risk
21.9%
Overall
2 / 5
Ford Ranger Super Cab PU/EC 4x2
Frontal crash
2 of 5
Side crash
3 of 5
Side pole
1 of 5
Rollover
3 of 5
Rollover risk
21.9%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 5, 2026Vehicle 593Vehicle 170Vehicle 169
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2011 Ranger questions

How many recalls does the 2011 Ford Ranger have?

6 safety recalls as of Nov 5, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2011 Ford Ranger problems?

Owners filed 235 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (196), exterior lighting (9), structure (8). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2011 Ford Ranger get?

The EPA rates the 2011 Ford Ranger at 16–24 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (6 versions rated).

How safe is the 2011 Ford Ranger?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2011 Ford Ranger 2 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 5, 2026