What breaks most · 1990 to 2026 model years
Ford Ranger problems by year
Owners have filed 8,143 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Ranger across model years 1990 to 2026. Three years stand out: 1999 for tires complaints, 2000 for tires complaints and 1998 for tires complaints. The quietest years are 2014, 2016 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 2014, 2016, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 81431990 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999755 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 760240 fires · 711 injuries · 39 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 246Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 105 | 9 | 5 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 132 | 9 | 6 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 189 | 13 | 6 | Electrical system (41) | |
| 232 | 31 | 10 | Brakes (hydraulic) (41) | |
| 438 | 53 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (66) | |
| 321 | 25 | 7 | Visibility (63) | |
| 413 | 41 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (60) | |
| 411 | 40 | 7 | Tires (57) | |
| 576 | 66 | 11 | Tires (136) | |
| 755 | 96 | 10 | Tires (178) | |
| 670 | 86 | 8 | Tires (139) | |
| 515 | 62 | 9 | Body and structure (112) | |
| 346 | 43 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (61) | |
| 243 | 37 | 5 | Body and structure (43) | |
| 404 | 42 | 12 | Air bags (189) | |
| 289 | 23 | 11 | Air bags (132) | |
| 271 | 14 | 12 | Air bags (174) | |
| 270 | 10 | 6 | Air bags (236) | |
| 326 | 9 | 6 | Air bags (295) | |
| 169 | 3 | 8 | Air bags (144) | |
| 156 | 6 | 9 | Air bags (128) | |
| 235 | 9 | 6 | Air bags (196) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 265 | 13 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (91) | |
| 126 | 6 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (48) | |
| 112 | 6 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (56) | |
| 37 | 1 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (17) | |
| 18 | 2 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 75 | 2 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (28) | |
| 36 | 3 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (12) | |
| 5 | 0 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (2) |
What fails on the 1999 Ford Ranger
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 24% |
178 | 13 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 12% |
89 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1999 Ford Ranger |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
80 | 11 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Ford Ranger |
| Air bags | 10% |
79 | 60 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 10% |
73 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1999 Ford Ranger |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 9% |
67 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Ford Ranger |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
67 | 6 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1999 Ford Ranger |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
54 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1999 Ford Ranger |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
When washing the truck I noticed a crack in the left rear frame just aft of the forward leaf spring shackle.Vertical crack approx, 6" long and separating, frame severely rusted while the rest of the body has minimal rust.
-
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the entire subframe of the vehicle was corroded and was cracking and disintegrating. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
-
My fuse #27 for backup lights and the o/d keeps blowing out and now the o/d light flashes sometimes i pulled the cover off of the steering column but the o/d cord wasn't pinched or damaged also no appearance of any wire touching anything
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Ranger years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 1998 carry the most filings on the Ford Ranger. The 1999 alone has 755 complaints, led by tires.
What is the most common Ford Ranger problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is tires with 178 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Ranger problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Ranger complaints that include mileage is about 75,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.