Vehicle Data Hub

2003 Ford Ranger engine problems

Owners reported engine problems in 27 complaints for the 2003 Ford Ranger, 9% of the complaints on file.

At a glance

Complaints
27 9% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
20,000 miles 22 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
0 and 2
Injuries and deaths
0 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2003 Ford Ranger Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 20,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 11 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 1 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 2 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 3 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 0 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 0 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 3 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 1 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 1 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 20,000 miles
Based on 22 complaints that include mileage. 64% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles11
20k to 40k miles1
40k to 60k miles2
60k to 80k miles3
80k to 100k miles0
100k to 120k miles0
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles3
160k to 180k miles1
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles1

What the data shows

Of the 22 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 20,000 miles, and 64% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 2 fires.

What owners wrote

Dt: the consumer stated that his 2003 ford ranger caught on fire on 9-30-05. The vehicle started smoking while in motion. The vehicle was pulled over. The fire was viewed coming from under the hood. The fire department was called. The truck was declared a total loss. The consumer felt that the fire department was unable to determine the cause of the fire. The consumer experienced no prior problems with the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the problem. The consumer contacted his insurance company.

Reported at 18,300 miles, September 2005 Fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford ranger. The contact stated that the thermostat housing failed, causing the vehicle to leak anti-freeze. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermostat housing needed to be replaced. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

Reported at 142,000 miles, June 2010

Other problems reported for the 2003 Ford Ranger

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Ford models