Problems · NHTSA complaints
2011 Ford Ranger problems
Owners filed 235 complaints about the 2011 Ford Ranger with NHTSA between Aug 2011 and Jun 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (196).
Complaints
235
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
9
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags196
- Exterior lighting9
- Structure8
- Service brakes8
- Electrical system5
- Power train5
- Fuel/propulsion system4
- Vehicle speed control4
- Wheels2
- Engine2
- Engine and engine cooling2
- Fuel system, gasoline2
- Visibility/wiper1
- Tires1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 5, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
3
4
2
3
6
34
91
45
16
7
5
11
4
2
1
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 6 |
| 2016 | 34 |
| 2017 | 91 |
| 2018 | 45 |
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
196 reports6 crashes5 related recalls
“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…”
Exterior lighting
9 reports1 crash1 related recall
“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”
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.”
Service brakes
8 reports3 crashes
“THE ADVANCED TRAC LIGHT STAYED ON ALL THE TIME. TOOK TO FORD DEALER AND COSTED 100.00 TO CHECK LIGHT, THEY SAID WAS RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE, IT AFFECTED BRAKES, ADVANCED TRAC, AIR BAGS AND ANTI-TIP OVER DEVICE. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 3500 MILES ON IT. THE PART IS REDICULOUSLY PRICED!! 650.00 IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!”
Electrical system
5 reports1 fire
“2011 FORD RANGER COULD BE RELATED TO FORD'S SAFETY RECALL NO. 11C18. : ON 09-06-19, DURING NIGHT TIME, A CO-WORKER FOLLOWING THIS VEHICLE REPORTED TO THE OWNER THAT ALL REAR TAIL LIGHTS; BRAKE LIGHTS, AND EMERGENCY FLASHERS HAVE STOPPED WORKING. ON-09-07- 2019, THE FUSES WERE CHECKED AND APPEAR TO BE GOOD. BACK UP LIGHTS WORK AND ALL DASH LIGHTS AND LIGHTS TO THE VEHICLE FRONT WORK. THE VIN FOR THIS 2011 TRUCK APPARENTLY IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WILL BE TAKEN TO A FORD DEALER THE WEEK OF 09-09-2019 FOR REPAIR.”
Power train
5 reports
“MY TRUCK HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN BABIED AND NOT DRIVEN HARD AND HAS A TRANSMISSION LEAK LOCATED ON MY GARAGE FLOOR ' I FEEL THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED ' I LOCATED THE LEAK THIS MORNING ON MY GARAGE FLOOR ON 4/14/2019”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 5, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.