KnownCarProblems2021 Ford Ranger Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 118 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Ranger, most often about the transmission (51% of complaints, typically around 77,500 miles). It is 15th of 23 Ranger model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2021 Ford Ranger problems
Transmission
60 complaints · 51%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash due to unintended acceleration, which caused the contact to rear-end another vehicle. The vehicle had body and paint repairs performed; however, the vehicle later experienced jerking, and the transmission…
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, with an abnormal sound coming from the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle functioned as intended afterwards. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was…
Engine
16 complaints · 14%Parts named most often: exhaust system.
The contact owns the 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, he started to smell smoke inside the vehicle. While stopped at a traffic light, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood, and then flames started rising from underneath the hood. Another driver also had pulled up…
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. 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 where a…
Brakes
15 complaints · 13%Parts named most often: pedals and linkages.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. 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…
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the brakes were inspected. The dealer informed the contact that the brakes were in good condition; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was…
Other or unspecified
13 complaints · 11%Driver assistance
9 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: adaptive cruise control, warning, software, warnings.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the pre-collision assists beeping alarm engaged while there were no vehicles or objects around. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving and the pre-collision assist…
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the pre- collision warning light illuminated, and the vehicle would abruptly decelerated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that during the failure, there were no…
Electrical
8 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: adas.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the message "trailer connected" was displayed; however, there was no trailer connected to the vehicle. The contact pressed ok and messages indicating that the driver's side and the passenger's side trailer bulbs were faulty were…
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while in the reverse gear, the rear cross-traffic warning did not alert the contact that the vehicle was close to an object. As a result, the contact crashed into a pole. No injuries were sustained. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to the…
Speed control
8 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while his wife was pulling into a parking space at approximately 5 MPH with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the building. The contact stated that there was a camera view which showed that the brake lights…
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. 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…
Fuel system
8 complaints · 7%
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2021 Ford Ranger recalls
Equipment: engine block heater
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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
Full defect summary
Ford 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.
Backup camera: software
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Ford 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.
Equipment: labels
Risk: An overloaded vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Ford 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."
Driver assistance: radar
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2021 ranger and bronco vehicles. The cruise control radar module was misaligned during production.
Seat belts: webbing
Risk: A misrouted seat belt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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
Full defect summary
Ford 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."
Child Seat: vehicle latch anchor
Risk: An improperly attached child seat can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
Ford 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."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2021 Ford Ranger
- What are the most common problems with the 2021 Ford Ranger?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (60 complaints, typically around 77,500 miles); engine (16 complaints); brakes (15 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2021 Ford Ranger have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 10, 2025 (equipment). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2021 a bad year for the Ford Ranger?
- It is 15th of 23 Ranger model years by number of complaints, with 118 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.