2004 Ford Ranger Problems, Recalls & Reliability
462 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Ford Ranger, alongside 12 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 49/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 89,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2004 sits among all Ranger years
What owners report
“Takata recall - local ford dealer, bartow ford, has failed to repair the repair after two phone calls.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Ranger
“Rusted and rotten out frame. The rest of the vehicle is in real good condition. Frame is cracked thru in a few places and close to were the spring is mounted to the frame.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Ranger
“Spring shackle fell off, frame is rusted, ready to break, cross member is rusted off.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Ranger
“2004 ford ranger fx4. Auto transmission slips frequently, and also seems to "float" gears even at highway speeds. Transmission cannot seem to find right gear at times and often goes into either too low or too high of a gear. Transmission makes scraping noise when put into reverse. When shifting…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Ranger
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 247 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 70,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 35,800 and 113,640 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (12)
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.
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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,…
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…
Fix: 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,…
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.
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.
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.
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.…
Fix: 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.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, THE FRAME MAY HAVE A CENTER RAIL SECTION FLANGE THAT WAS NOT FORMED PROPERLY.
Fix: 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.…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Technical service bulletins
55 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2004 Ford Ranger. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 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 2004 Ford Ranger reliable?
The 2004 Ford Ranger drew 462 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 49/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).
What are the most common 2004 Ford Ranger problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Ford Ranger are airbags (189 complaints), body & structure (48), and suspension (29).
At what mileage do 2004 Ford Ranger problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Ford Ranger problems around 70,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 35,800 and 113,640 miles.
Does the 2004 Ford Ranger have recalls?
12 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Ford Ranger. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.