Ford · Ranger · 2005
11
Recalls
289
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2005 Ford Ranger has 11 recalls and 289 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: air bags (128 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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 Status
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. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V322 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42.
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 Status
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. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V-036 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed.
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy Status
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.
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 Status
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 for this recall is 15S22. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 14V-787.
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, F-450, AND F-550 TRUCKS FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH WAS SHIPPED WITH A SUBCOMPONENT (SLIDER) THAT MAY EXPERIENCE DEFORMATION. A MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH WITH A DEFORMED SLIDER MAY MALFUNCTION CAUSING THE TURN SIGNAL, TAIL LIGHTS, HAZARD WARNING SIGNAL FLASHERS AND/OR BRAKE LIGHTS NOT TO ACTIVATE.
Remedy Status
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.
CERTAIN AJ MOTORSPORT COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy Status
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.
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 Status
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. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 23V-306.
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 Status
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.
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 Status
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. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 23V-125.
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 explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Status
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.
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 Status
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 16S03. Note: This recall supersedes 14V-343 and only applies to Rangers manufactured in North America.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that upon arriving to the residence and applying the parking brake and exiting the vehicle, the vehicle started to roll backwards. The contact stated that the vehicle came to a complete stop after rolling across the street and through the neighbor’s fence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 223,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owned a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle was rear-ended by a driver who ran the stop sign. The impact caused the vehicle to flip over multiple times. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact suffered severe head trauma and PTSD from the accident. It was unknown if the other driver sustained any injuries. The contact was taken to the local hospital where medical attention was received for his injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local salvage junkyard. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number 23V306000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was not available.
See attached document for complaint
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact had taken the vehicle to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V125000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that while the vehicle was having the air bag replaced, the contact became aware that the passenger’s side air bag had not been seated correctly. The contact asked the Service Manager to return the vehicle to have the mechanic properly seat the air bag and secure the air bag correctly. The contact stated that the Service Manager attempted to adjust and tighten the air bag. The contact stated that the vehicle had been repaired but not in a safe manner. The manufacturer had been informed of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 228,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V306000 (Air Bags) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list because the vehicle was totaled. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted.
The contact owned a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle struck the rear of another vehicle causing a fender bender. The contact stated that the front air bags deployed, and a powdery substance and metal fragments flew out of the air bag and landed on the contact. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and deemed a total loss. The contact stated that he then received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V880000 (Air Bags). An unnamed dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 205,000.
I was in an accident and the airbags did not inflate. I was going 30-35 MPH, there was a patch of ice, and I hit a tree. The truck was totaled. I smashed my face on the steering wheel, fracturing a bone. Some weeks later I received a letter in the mail from Ford Motor Company with regards to a passenger side airbag recall. I am afraid that this could perhaps be a bigger problem than just passenger side airbags.
At 200k miles I got an air bag light on my guage cluster. The blinking code corresponded to a bad connection at the CLOCKSPRING. I also noticed my cruise control and horn were also inoperable, also an indicator of a bad CLOCKSPRING. Ford part number 1l5z-14a664-ab is the replacement part and is currently unavailable, for the last 6 months. This part covers a few different models and has been exhausted by the dealers when correcting the Airbag recall. The dealer can not give me a date on a replacement part.
The contact owned a 2005 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH during rain weather conditions, the contact lost control of the vehicle while going around a curve, causing the vehicle to crash into a ditch. No air bags deployed. The contact suffered a head injury and several other unknown injuries due to the seat belt. The paramedic had to cut the seat belt to release the contact from the vehicle. The contact was taken to the hospital to seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
My daughter called me screaming when her 2005 Ford Ranger FX4 Level 2 had unexplained runaway throttle while driving back to college in January 2022. The vehicle had the cruise control on for a couple hours and without warning, began to accelerate to the point that it was at the rev limiter, traveling at 90 miles an hour. She called me hysterical and I advised her to shut off the cruise and hit the brakes but nothing would stop her or turn off the cruise. I advised her to turn off the vehicle to ACC position and coast to the shoulder. When she had calmed down, I asked her to restart the truck, it started wide open throttle, so she immediately shut it off. I told my daughter then to mash the gas pedal a few times and restart the vehicle. It restarted at normal idle speed. 1/28/2022- my daughter came home from school today for a visit, the same thing happened again on her drive home. She was able to coast to the shoulder and restart after mashing the pedal a few times. I am advising her not to use the cruise control and to get it into a Ford shop to inspect. There are no lamps or warnings to indicate there is an issue or code/CEL. This is a deadly situation that apparently has occurred with Ford Explorers that have the 4.0 Liter engine and 5.0L engine. It appears from other forums (https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/threads/full-throttle-runaway-vehicle.442563/) that a throttle control cable may have an issue or defect that is causing the throttle spring to not release, or the cable is hanging up. Please see included Explorer forum link above.
Incident was reported to me by an employee. Driving in traffic on a highway with normal, dry road conditions the accelerator pedal started moving down on its own. The truck accelerated on its own from 50 mph to 70+ mph. Applying the brakes the truck did NOT slow down. Eventually, the accelerator pedal corrected itself and started working normally. There was no indication on the dashboard of the issue. This could have resulted in a serious accident or death. The truck is waiting to be towed to the Ford garage for repair. Thank you, Wendy McNeill
TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE STILL BACKORDERED FOR MY 2005 FORD RANGER WHEN IT WAS TAKEN TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER.
I HAVE LEARNED THE HARD WAY THAT THE SHIFTER ON THE 2005 FORD RANGER EXTENDED CAB WILL JUMP OUT OF PARK TO REVERSE. THIS HAPPEN TO ME (JUST RECENTLY) AND CAUSED ME TO TEAR UP MY DOOR AND FENDER ON THE VEHICLE (WHICH WILL BE COSTLY)...
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE, THE GEAR SHIFTER SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION INDEPENDENTLY AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED DOWNHILL AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. BOTH THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 116,732. *BF*JB
TRUCK IS IN GOOD SHAPE W/123,600 MILES. FRAME ROTTED THROUGH AT REAR AXLE. SPARE TIRE AND HOLDER DROPPED RIGHT OUT OF IT AND WAS HANGING BY A THREAD. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO SHOP AND CUT SPARE TIRE AND HOLDER COMPLETELY OFF. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DOING A ROUTINE CHECK UNDER THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SUBFRAME UNDER THE VEHICLE WAS SEVERELY RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE INSPECTED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000.
THE REAR PORTION OF THE FRAME IS RUSTING AWAY AND THE LEAF SPRING SHACKLE FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET CAUSING THE BED OF THE TRUCK TO FALL ONTO THE BUSTED SHACKLE. THE SPARE TIRE MOUNT IS RUSTED SO BAD THAT WE REMOVED THE SPARE TIRE TO AVOID LOOSING THE SPARE WHILE DRIVING. THE REAR BUMPER SEEMS UNSTABLE AS THE FRAME IS RUSTED AND FALLING APART FROM THE REAR SHACKLE MOUNT ON BACK. THE FRONT PORTION OF THE FRAME SEEMS TO BE HOLDING UP OK.
I BOUGHT A USED 2005 FORD RANGER XLT 4X4 IN JULY OF 2018 BEING A ONE OWNER VEHICLE AND LOW MILAGE AT THE TIME WHICH WAS ABOUT 65000 MILES I SAW IT ONLINE IN ONE OF THE LOCAL DEALERSHIPS IN TOWN. HE HAD A GREAT REPUTATION AND I WENT TO SEE HIM GOT A GREAT DEAL SO I BOUGHT IT.. THE TRUCK PASSED MA STATE INSPECTION WITH NO ISSUES. I KEPT GETTING NOTICES FROM FORD FOR AN AIR BAG RECALL SO I WENT TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER TO HAVE MY AIRBAGS REPLACED FOR RECALL AND WANTED THEM TO CHECK THE UNDERCARRIDE AS WELL AS I HAVE SEEN HORROR STORIES ONLINE AS HOW BAD THESE UNDERCARRIDGES WERE ON THE FORD RANGERS. THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP DID A SAFETY INSPECTION AND FOUND THAT MY ENTIRE UNDERCARRIDGE HAS BEEN RUSTED OUT. THERE IS A MISSING CROSSMEMBER BAR WHICH I GUESS SUPPORTS THE VEHICLE THAT IS COMPLETELY GONE AND ALL HOIST POINTS ARE BAD VEHICLE IS COMPRIMISED DUE TO ALL THE RUST AND IS NOT SAFE FOR DRIVING. A CERTIFIED FORD DEALER GAVE ME THIS WRITTEN ESTIMATE AND I ASKED IF FORD WOULD HELP ME HERE ABOUT MAYBE RECALLING THE FRAMES AS I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF ONLINE STUFF THAT THESE FRAMES WERE AS BAD AS THE TOYOTA TUNDRAS AND TOYOTA AT LEAST RE-CALLED THE FRAMES CAN FORD DO THE SAME THEY SAID NO. I WOULD THINK A REPUTABLE FORD DEALER WHO GAVE ME THIS ESTIMATE WOULD AT LEAST TRY TO HELP ME BUT NO. I HAVE WRITTEN TO FORD BUT NO ANSWER AS OF YET. I AM FIGHTING NOW WITH THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD ME THE VEHICLE IN THE FIRST PLACE AS IT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN SOLD AND ALSO LOOKING INTO ANY RECOURSE I HAVE WITHIN MA LAW. THIS DOESNT SEEM RIGHT YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE UNDERCARRIDGE THAT HAS BEEN ROTTED OUT FOD KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT OR EVEN DIE IN AN ACCIDENT HERE. THES TRUCKS SHOULD BE RECALLED.
THE FRAME IS BADLY RUSTED, ESPECIALLY IN THE REAR. THE DRIVER SIDE REAR LEAF SPRING SHACKLE FELL OFF ABOUT 12 MONTHS AGO. WITHING THE LAST WEEK , THE REAR BUMPER BECAME DETACHED ON THE DRIVER SIDE. THE PASSENGER SIDE IS NOT FAR BEHIND EITHER. THE LEAF SPRING SHACKLE PROBABLY HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING, BUT DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT VEHICLE PERFORMANCE. THE REAR BUMPER FELL OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
THE REPAIR SHOP INFORMED ME MY LEAF SPRING SHACKLES COULD NOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO SEVERE ROT OF THE FRAME IN THE REAR.TRUCK ONLY HAS 59000 MILES ON IT AND WAS WELL TAKEN CARE OF.THE REST OF THE TRUCK IS IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IS THERE A RECALL I DONT NO ABOUT? THANKYOU
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2005 Ford Ranger has 11 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 289 owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Ford Ranger.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2005 Ford Ranger.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2005 Ford Ranger are air bags (128 reports), fuel system, gasoline (21 reports), structure (19 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 11 recalls on record for the 2005 Ford Ranger. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.