1996 Ford Ranger Recalls, Complaints & Specs

2 safety recalls list the 1996 Ford Ranger, and owners have filed 413 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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2 safety recalls for the 1996 Ford Ranger

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Vehicle speed control

   NHTSA 09V399000 Reported October 13, 2009 4,500,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation…

   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…

2. Labels (equipment)

   NHTSA 96V161000 Reported August 29, 1996 134,770 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The certification labels on the involved vehicles has incorrect rear tire inflation pressure designations. This does not comply with FMVSS no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."

   Remedy: Owners will be provided with correct certification labels and instructions for installing these labels. Dealers can install this label if the owner so desires.

413 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1996 Ford Ranger have filed 413 complaints with NHTSA; 41 describe a crash and 18 describe a fire. Reports cite 34 injuries and 10 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 121,597 miles. Complaints peaked in 1997 with 88 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip33
• Visibility: windshield wiper/washer29
• Tires: tread/belt22
• Air bags: frontal19
• Tires19
• Engine and engine cooling: gasoline16
• Vehicle speed control16
• Interior lighting13

What owners are reporting

“Drivers side seat belt buckle does not work. The tongue on the long strap does not lock into the buckle at the seat. I think this may be a recall problem with other models and/or years, but not 1996 F”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 26, 2023 · Seat belts

“heading back from picking up meal at pizza hut when "POP" sound from front of truck and then cabin filled with smoke. within 20-30 seconds of exiting the car it was in flames (See attached photos) rec”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, December 6, 2022 · Unknown or other

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1996 Ford Ranger (Ranger Pickup 2WD, Ranger Pickup 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Ford Ranger model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Ranger model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1996 Ford Ranger

Other Ford models

• F-15037,961 complaints
• Explorer34,566 complaints
• Escape27,430 complaints
• Fusion22,405 complaints
• Focus22,096 complaints
• Taurus18,159 complaints
• Windstar14,158 complaints
• Edge14,065 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.