1996 Ford Ranger Problems, Recalls & Reliability
533 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1996 Ford Ranger, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 58/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports.
Avoid this year if you can. The 1996 Ford Ranger sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1991, 2009–2010, 2020–2022.
Avoid
Where 1996 sits among all Ranger years
What owners report
“Antilock brakes failed, causing accident, also seat belt failed in accident, causing injury.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Ranger
“The turn indicator cannot be turned on when steering wheel is at the 11 and 2 o'clock positions. Additionally, the turn signal when engaged, does not allow much movement of the steering wheel before signal cancels.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Ranger
“Windshield wipers come on and go off without reason, once the headlights went out also.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Ranger
“Tires have stress cracks along tread cap and cracks all the way around the sidewalls. Relaced all four tires with another brand .( dot number: tire size: 225/70r/14 )”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Ranger
“At least 12 sets of brakes put on vehicle"4 in uder 9000 miles, resulting in 2 accidents" 3 times at turning rotors/engine rebuilt at 52000 miles still with loss of porwer. 2 egr valves/2 wiper switches/syncronizers/2 slave cylinders on transmission and oil leak. All problems still exist. Engine…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Ranger
“While driving the bracket the holds the gas pedal in place broke away from the firewall, leaving no acceleration. When applying the brakes, the pedal would not go all the way down because the accelerator pedal was dangling behind the brake pedal. Driver was able to coast safely to a stop. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Ranger
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 93 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 117,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 90,000 and 154,178 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 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…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD…
Fix: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: FORD IS REPLACING ALL FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT 15, 16, AND 17 INCH TIRES MOUNTED ON FORD TRUCKS AND…
Fix: THE REPLACEMENT/REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR THIS CAMPAIGN EXPIRED ON MARCH 31, 2002. HOWEVER, CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT FORD AT 1-877-917-3673 OR GO ON-LINE TO WWW.FORD.COM FOR POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE.
TIRE DESCRIPTION: FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT, SIZE P235/75R15, PRODUCED AT THE DECATUR, ILLINOIS TIRE PLANT AND ALL FIRESTONE RADIAL ATX AND RADIAL ATX II TIRES, SIZE P235/75R15. OPERATION OF THESE TIRES AT LOW INFLATION PRESSURES, HIGH SPEED, AND IN HOT…
Fix: THE REPLACEMENT/REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR THIS CAMPAIGN EXPIRED ON AUGUST 29, 2001. HOWEVER, CUSTOMERS SHOULD CONTACT FIRESTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-465-1904 FOR POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE.
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."
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH CORRECT CERTIFICATION LABELS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING THESE LABELS. DEALERS CAN INSTALL THIS LABEL IF THE OWNER SO DESIRES.
Technical service bulletins
176 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and engine — are on file for the 1996 Ford Ranger. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1996 Ranger TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1996 Ford Ranger reliable?
The 1996 Ford Ranger drew 533 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 58/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).
What are the most common 1996 Ford Ranger problems?
The top reported problems for the 1996 Ford Ranger are brakes & stability (83 complaints), electrical (69), and visibility & wipers (54).
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Ranger problems show up?
Owners most often report 1996 Ford Ranger problems around 117,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 90,000 and 154,178 miles.
Does the 1996 Ford Ranger have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 1996 Ford Ranger. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.