2021 Ford Ranger: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle2021 / ford / ranger
known issues7 clusters (reviewed 2026-08-21)
complaintsnone on file
recalls6
investigations0
fars13 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

10R80 automatic transmission shifting failurePOWER TRAIN47 complaints2021-12 → 2026-08ranger-2021-10r80-transmission-failure
  • 11753464 The 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission and the gear-shift linkage module are defective, and the truck remains available for inspection. Our safety is constantly put at risk because the transmission exhibits an extremely violent, highly intermittent powertrain lunging jolt…
  • 11706677 I was driving and all of a sudden I lost acceleration in the middle of an intersection. My truck had no gears and gave me zero indication there was an issue. I then was told Ford has a newly designed part that fixes the issue and I would have to pay $7500
  • 11744440 On multiple occasions the truck suddenly and randomly stalled in the middle of the freeway and in the middle of the road, feeling as if the transmission went into neutral with no power to move the vehicle. These incidents occurred multiple times putting myself and my small child…
  • 11631609 Increasingly the transmission, when cold, was experiencing difficulty shifting between 3-4-5 and not shifting into 9-10. When the weather started reaching zero degrees overnight, the vehicle was reluctant to move and, once it began moving, would not shift out of 1st
Brake pedal soft, low, and below acceleratorSERVICE BRAKES11 complaints2021-08 → 2024-07ranger-2021-brake-pedal-soft-low
  • 11430896 Brake pedal travel is excessive, similar to a much older vehicle. Brakes to not slow the vehicle until you press past the gas pedal, which introduces significant risk as the driver often simultaneously presses the gas pedal when making emergency or even normal stops
  • 11553431 Brakes pedal is soft and keeps going down as you push on it. The peddle does not pump up. Ford dealer says that that’s the way Ford Ranger brakes feel. There are no warning lights and no noise coming from the brake system. Engine idle, the engine idles at 900+ rpm’s
  • 11443336 The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, causing the accelerator pedal to depress simultaneously, due to the brake pedal being positioned very close to the accelerator pedal. While both the brake and accelerator pedals were…
Interior door handle chrome peeling and causing cutsSTRUCTURE:BODY, STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HANDLE:INTERIOR5 complaints2023-06 → 2026-08ranger-2021-door-handle-chrome-peeling
  • 11743600 My interior door handles have chrome-plated stickers. They have started to bubble and peel to the point where my wife sliced her finger requiring an ER visit and stiches. I've seen on Reddit that other vehicle owners have had the same issues
  • 11527299 The surface of the drivers side interior door handle has peeled and created a dangerously sharp edge that WILL cause physical harm to the drivers hand. The middle finger on my left hand was sliced open on 06/15/2023
Fuel dilution in engine oilENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV), FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, POWER TRAIN5 complaints2021-11 → 2024-06ranger-2021-fuel-dilution-oil
  • 11606865 Excessive fuel in the oil. Oil smells of gas and is diluted. Almost a quart high at 3000 mile mark. Dealer and Ford admit this may be an issue on some engines but it is supposed to be normal??? We installed a pcv catch can and it will fill up with fuel in about 800-1000 miles
  • 11594530 The critical level of FUEL DILUTION (Fuel% = 5.5) in the motor oil of this vehicle's 2.3L EcoBoost engine poses a Safety Hazard due to its system's Fuel Leaks and Fire Danger probability existing since the vehicle purchase
  • 11439844 After driving a 700 mile round-trip, I got home and parked my vehicle in my garage. It have a strong smell of fuel and oil mix what's your is exceedingly strong the next morning when I woke up and went into the garage. I pulled the oil dipstick out, the level was 2 inches…
Backup camera failure and blank screenBACK OVER PREVENTION4 complaints2023-06 → 2025-11ranger-2021-backup-camera-failure
  • 11697876 The contact stated that the back over prevention camera screen was either blank, frozen, or reversed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V442000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was…
  • 11695982 Rearview Camera: Intermittent loss of rearview camera functionality when placing vehicle in Reverse. Affected roughly 50% of the time. When occurs, image is distorted for a a few seconds followed by a "camera is unavailable, please contact dealer" message on the display
Water intrusion into spark plug wellsENGINE3 complaints2023-01 → 2024-04ranger-2021-water-spark-plug-well
  • 11584030 The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was not responding when the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the vehicle was shaking from left to right. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the contact pulled to the side of the…
  • 11501301 The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal on four separate occasions, with the check engine warning light illuminated. Despite the failure, the contact managed to drive the vehicle to a local dealer…
  • 11605717 Water leaks into spark plug wells causing vehicle to lose power no cover is over the sparkplugs
False door-ajar warning light activationSTRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR 3 complaints2021-06 → 2021-06ranger-2021-door-ajar-warning
  • 11419157 Driver side rear door constantly shows as ajar and triggers alarm, even when firmly closed. Unsure if cause is improperly fit body work or electrical components but nothing fixes it and dealer doesn't have time to look at it
  • 11421200 On numerous occasions, the "rear drivers side door ajar" warning shows on the dash and the lights inside the truck stay on even when i have not used the rear drivers side door but only the front drivers side door. Vehicle currently has 754 miles on it

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

none on file

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
21V76500030/09/2021SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLYFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Ranger Super Cab vehicles equipped with rear seats containing fixed head restraints. The fixed head restraints may interfere with proper installation of certain types of child seats. Additionally, the child seat may not attach properly to the lower-rear anchors. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage System."An improperly attached child seat can increase the risk of injury in a crash.Dealers will inspect the rear-lower child restraint anchorages for correct alignment and adjust as necessary. Separately, dealers will replace the non-removable head restraints with removable head restraints, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C24.
21V98200016/12/2021FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: SENSING SYSTEM: RADARFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Ranger and Bronco vehicles. The cruise control radar module was misaligned during production.A misaligned radar module may prevent the vehicle from maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles when adaptive cruise control is active. In addition, the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system may react slowly, or not react at all, during a pre-collision assist braking event. Any of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.Dealers will adjust the angle of the cruise control radar module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S52.
21V81100015/10/2021SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBINGFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab vehicles. The front passenger outboard seat belt may not have been assembled properly, allowing the seat belt to be misrouted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."A misrouted seat belt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.Ford will provide owners with instructions to perform a preliminary inspection of their front seat belts. Owners that detect an issue with the driver's seat belt, are unsure of the results, or do not want to perform an inspection, should not drive their vehicles and contact a Ford dealership. Dealers will inspect the front row outboard seat belts and replace them, if necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C25.
23V37900026/05/2023EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELSFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Bronco, 2023 Super Duty F-250, and 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles. The Tire and Loading Information (TREAD) label states the incorrect load carrying capacity, which can result in an overloaded vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."An overloaded vehicle increases the risk of a crash.Ford will mail a new TREAD label to install over the existing label, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the new label installed, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C18.
25V44200027/06/2025BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWAREFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
25V68500010/10/2025EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATERFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-202413legacy-code0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2021 Ford Ranger vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/ford/ranger
@misc{wrenchpro_2021_ford_ranger_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2021 Ford Ranger},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/ford/ranger}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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