2009 FORD RANGER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 168 complaints · 8 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (143 complaints · 85.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 4
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2008 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints 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.

Component Problem Distribution

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

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 143 of 168 owner complaints (85.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 143 complaints, 85.1% of reports AIR BAGS 143 · 85.1% · 2 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 4 complaints, 2.4% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 2.4% ENGINE: 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports ENGINE 3 · 1.8% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 1.8% STEERING: 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports STEERING 3 · 1.8% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports STRUCTURE 3 · 1.8% FUEL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 1.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 2 · 1.2% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 2 complaints, 1.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 1.2% WHEELS: 2 complaints, 1.2% of reports WHEELS 2 · 1.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 9 complaints, 5.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 5.4% 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)
AIR BAGS 143 85.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 4 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 3 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 3 1.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 3 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 2 1.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 1.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
WHEELS 2 1.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 5.4% 0 crashes · 0 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 Apr 2009; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 2009. 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q4: 58 owner reports 58 2018-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2018-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Feb 2009 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 09V040000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V040000 Recall campaign 11V352000 ◆ Recall campaign 11V352000 Recall campaign 16V384000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V384000 Recall campaign 17V024000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V024000 Recall campaign 18V046000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V046000 Recall campaign 21E013000 ◆ Recall campaign 21E013000 Recall campaign 21V081000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V081000 Recall campaign 21V158000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V158000
  • Campaign 16V384000 was reported 562 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 17V024000 was reported 786 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V046000 was reported 1,152 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21E013000 was reported 2,284 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V081000 was reported 2,284 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V158000 was reported 2,306 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 3
2016-Q4 Owner reports 6
2017-Q1 Owner reports 11
2017-Q2 Owner reports 11
2017-Q3 Owner reports 9
2017-Q4 Owner reports 58
2018-Q1 Owner reports 15
2018-Q2 Owner reports 17
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 09V040000
Recall campaign 1 11V352000
Recall campaign 1 16V384000
Recall campaign 1 17V024000
Recall campaign 1 18V046000
Recall campaign 1 21E013000
Recall campaign 1 21V081000
Recall campaign 1 21V158000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (8)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V040000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    IF A SPINDLE FRACTURES, THE WHEEL MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SPINDLE IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 11V352000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SWITCHES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 15, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V384000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V024000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V046000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21E013000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V081000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V158000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 168 complaints · page 1 of 7

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 2026-08-22 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.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources