2004 Ford Ranger Recalls, Complaints & Specs

10 safety recalls list the 2004 Ford Ranger, and owners have filed 404 complaints with NHTSA. At least one recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory. Check your own VIN below.

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10 safety recalls for the 2004 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. Inflator module (air bags)

   NHTSA 23V306000 Reported April 28, 2023 231,942 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement front passenger air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.…

2. Inflator module (air bags)

   NHTSA 23V125000 Reported February 24, 2023 98,550 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement frontal passenger air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.…

3. Inflator module (air bags) and air bags: frontal

   NHTSA 21V076000 Reported February 17, 2021 144,340 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

   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…

4. Inflator module (air bags) and air bags: frontal

   NHTSA 21V081000 Reported February 16, 2021 1,067 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may…

   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…

5. Inflator module (air bags) Do not drive

   NHTSA 17V787000 Reported December 11, 2017 328,213 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is superseding a previous recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to implement a final repair. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

   Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge.…

6. Inflator module (air bags) Do not drive

   NHTSA 17V788000 Reported December 11, 2017 328,213 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is superseding a previous recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to implement a final repair. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

   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's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge.…

7. Inflator module (air bags)

   NHTSA 16V036000 Reported January 25, 2016 361,692 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles manufactured March 24, 2003, to May 4, 2006. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

   Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is…

8. Inflator module (air bags)

   NHTSA 15V322000 Reported May 28, 2015 362,327 vehicles potentially affected Ford Motor Company

   Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Ranger trucks manufactured March 24, 2003, to May 4, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

   Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number…

9. Brake lights (exterior lighting) and tail lights (exterior lighting)

   NHTSA 11V352000 Reported July 13, 2011 26,715 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ranger trucks built from january 25, 2011, through april 25, 2011 at the twin cities assembly plant, and service parts distributed to dealers for certain 2004 through 2011 model year ranger trucks, 2002 through 2005 model year excursion vehicles, and 2002 through 2007 model year f-250, f-350,…

   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.

10. Underbody shields (structure)

    NHTSA 04V331000 Reported July 14, 2004 1,395 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

    On certain pickup trucks, the frame may have a center rail section flange that was not formed properly.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the frame to determine whether the frame was incorrectly manufactured. If there is a problem, the vehicle will not be repaired. Ford and the dealer will replace the vehicle. The recall began on…

404 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2004 Ford Ranger have filed 404 complaints with NHTSA; 42 describe a crash and 3 describe a fire. Reports cite 35 injuries and 2 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 74,555 miles. Complaints peaked in 2018 with 82 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Air bags186
• Structure: body35
• Suspension24
• Electrical system14
• Vehicle speed control14
• Unknown or other13
• Power train: automatic transmission11
• Engine and engine cooling10

What owners are reporting

“After driving for 45 minutes on smooth highway, my front driver's side tire blew while I was going 75mph. Had I been closer to the vehicle I had just passed, there could have easily been a bad wreck a”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, March 10, 2026 · Tires

“since 2020 i have owned this ford ranger edge and have replaced drivers side exterior door handle 4 times, interior drivers side door handle 2 times and exterior passenger door handle 2 times. they ke”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, November 19, 2025 · Unknown or other

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2004 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 2004 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.