2002 FORD RANGER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 323 complaints · 7 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (53 complaints · 16.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 36
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 34
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 2001 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 53 of 323 owner complaints (16.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 53 complaints, 16.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 53 · 16.4% · 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 42 complaints, 13.0% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 42 · 13.0% · 4 crash reports 3 fire reports STRUCTURE: 37 complaints, 11.5% of reports STRUCTURE 37 · 11.5% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 36 complaints, 11.2% of reports ENGINE 36 · 11.2% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 30 complaints, 9.3% of reports AIR BAGS 30 · 9.3% · 19 crash reports SUSPENSION: 18 complaints, 5.6% of reports SUSPENSION 18 · 5.6% SEAT BELTS: 15 complaints, 4.6% of reports SEAT BELTS 15 · 4.6% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 14 complaints, 4.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 14 · 4.3% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 4.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 13 · 4.0% · 2 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 193 complaints, 59.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 193 · 59.8% · 23 crash reports 4 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 53 16.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 42 13.0% 4 crashes · 3 fires
STRUCTURE 37 11.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 36 11.2% 1 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 30 9.3% 19 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 18 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 15 4.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 14 4.3% 4 crashes · 1 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 13 4.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 193 59.8% 23 crashes · 4 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 2002. 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 2002-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2004-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2004-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 16 owner reports 16 2008-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2008-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2001 Jul 2025 Recall campaign 02V035000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V035000 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Recall campaign 06E065000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E065000 Recall campaign 07V336000 ◆ Recall campaign 07V336000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Recall campaign 09V399000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V399000
  • Campaign 02V035000 was reported 50 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 2,684 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 6
2002-Q2 Owner reports 8
2002-Q3 Owner reports 15
2002-Q4 Owner reports 14
2003-Q1 Owner reports 7
2003-Q2 Owner reports 6
2003-Q3 Owner reports 14
2003-Q4 Owner reports 12
2004-Q1 Owner reports 13
2004-Q2 Owner reports 9
2004-Q3 Owner reports 6
2004-Q4 Owner reports 5
2005-Q1 Owner reports 11
2005-Q2 Owner reports 3
2005-Q3 Owner reports 3
2005-Q4 Owner reports 3
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 6
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 6
2007-Q1 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 16
2008-Q1 Owner reports 18
2008-Q2 Owner reports 4
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2008-Q4 Owner reports 3
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 6
2010-Q1 Owner reports 6
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 5
2011-Q2 Owner reports 5
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 3
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 4
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 4
2014-Q3 Owner reports 6
2014-Q4 Owner reports 4
2015-Q1 Owner reports 7
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 3
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 3
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 4
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V035000
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Recall campaign 1 06E065000
Recall campaign 1 07V336000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Recall campaign 1 09V399000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V035000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    DIFFERENTIAL FRACTURES COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN WHEEL LOCK-UP.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 29, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E065000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07V336000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. OWNERS OF THE PASSENGER CARS INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLES TO THEIR DEALERS TO HAVE THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH DISCONNECTED AS AN INTERIM REPAIR. AS SOON AS REPAIR PARTS ARE AVAILABLE (EXPECTED OCTOBER 2007), OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN TO THE DEALERS FOR INSTALLATION OF A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 13, 2007, AND MAILING COMPLETED BY SEPTEMBER 19, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V399000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.
    Remedy:
    FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE CONNECTOR AND REPAIR AS NECESSARY. REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 323 complaints · page 1 of 13

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources