2006 Ford Ranger Problems, Recalls & Reliability
316 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Ford Ranger, alongside 12 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 29/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 76,048 miles.
Typical
Where 2006 sits among all Ranger years
What owners report
“" takata recall"waiting since 02/24/2016 for driver side airbag recall notice 16s03/nhtsa recall 16v-036”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ranger
“The frame on this 2006 ford ranger is completely rusted out and is no longer safe to drive.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ranger
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 140 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 69,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 44,000 and 110,000 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 recalling certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks. Ford is requesting owners NOT TO DRIVE these vehicles until they have been repaired. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the…
Fix: Ford will notify owners instructing them to not drive their vehicles, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall for the…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks. Ford is requesting owners NOT TO DRIVE these vehicles until they have been repaired. On January 11, 2018, Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 2,700 model…
Fix: Ford will notify owners instructing them to not drive their vehicles, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall for the…
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 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 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.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, PASSENGER CARS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITHOUT GREASE BEING APPLIED TO THE OUTPUT SHAFT GEAR.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WIPER MOTOR FOR THE PRESENCE OF GREASE AND GREASE THE WIPER MOTOR GEARS IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 22, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673 OR…
Technical service bulletins
15 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and airbags — are on file for the 2006 Ford Ranger. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 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 2006 Ford Ranger reliable?
The 2006 Ford Ranger drew 316 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 29/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).
What are the most common 2006 Ford Ranger problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Ford Ranger are airbags (174 complaints), body & structure (26), and engine (20).
At what mileage do 2006 Ford Ranger problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Ford Ranger problems around 69,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 44,000 and 110,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Ford Ranger have recalls?
12 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 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.