2021 Ford Ranger problems
NHTSA has received 164 complaints about the 2021 Ford Ranger, and 37% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (10%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 164 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 37% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 13 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 30,000 miles 33 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 33 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 30,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 78,000 miles (10 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 13 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 28 model years of the Ford Ranger with enough data (164 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The contact owns the 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, he started to smell smoke inside the vehicle. While stopped at a traffic light, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood, and then flames started rising from underneath the hood. Another driver also had pulled up to notify him that his vehicle was on fire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to safely pull off the roadway and he and his passenger exited the vehicle.
As I was pulling out of Zip's Car into a parking spot to vacuum truck. I was barely moving when the truck accelerated at a high rate of speed and hit the wall in front of me. It was like the truck had a mind of its own. I just knew I wasn't doing it. If someone had been walking in front of me it would have killed them. My air bag did not come out. My chest hit the steering wheel very hard. The police showed up and did a report. I did not get a ticket. The truck was towed and looked over.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while his wife was pulling into a parking space at approximately 5 MPH with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the building. The contact stated that there was a camera view which showed that the brake lights were illuminated during the failure. The contact stated that the driver’s side air bag deployed. There were no injuries sustained.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the messages “Pre-collision Assist Not Available" and "Cruise Control Not Available" were displayed. Additionally, the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a local dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.