Reliable Auto DB

2021 Ford Ranger reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 Ford Ranger holds 114 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 13 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Ranger years here — over the median of the other years, which is 11. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Engine block heater, Back-over prevention, software, and Labels.

2019 Ford Ranger XLT SuperCab FX4
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

114

Per year

13

Recalls

6

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (57 of 114), then Service brakes (14) and Engine (12). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 32,800 miles, and the middle half falls between 10,214 and 59,000 miles. Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Ranger has 127 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2022 has 37 complaints, 8 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2021 Ford Ranger. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall equipment, electrical, engine block heater 2025-10-10 · NHTSA campaign 25V685000
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.
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 59,006
Recall back-over prevention, software 2025-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 25V442000
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.
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 200,237
Recall Labels 2023-05-26 · NHTSA campaign 23V379000
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."
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 29,607
Recall Forward collision radar sensor 2021-12-16 · NHTSA campaign 21V982000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Ranger and Bronco vehicles. The cruise control radar module was misaligned during production.
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 839
Recall seat belts, front, webbing 2021-10-15 · NHTSA campaign 21V811000
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."
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 47,683
Recall seats, middle or rear assembly 2021-09-30 · NHTSA campaign 21V765000
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."
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 37,625

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (114 total)

Powertrain
57
Service brakes
14
Engine
12
Electrical system
7
Fuel and propulsion system
7
Speed control
7
Adaptive cruise control
3
Structure, body
3
Air bags
2
Back-over prevention
2
Camera
2
Door
2
Engine and engine cooling
2
Forward collision avoidance
2
Seats
2
Steering
2
Suspension
2
Tires
2
Warning
2
Warnings
2
Wheels
2
Accelerator pedal
1
Automatic emergency braking
1
Autonomous/self-driving system
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Interior
1
PCV system
1
Pedals and linkages
1
Pedestrian, cyclist, and object recognition software
1
Structure
1
Tire pressure monitoring
1
Show 24 more Show less
Crash-flagged

6

Fire-flagged

3

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Of the 26 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 32,800 miles. The middle half fall between 10,214 and 59,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

132021102022162023182024302025272026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "While driving from [XXX] to [XXX] on XXX my 2021 Ford Ranger's dash light came on and I noticed harsh shifting and the vehicle began jolting unpredictably while I was driving at highway speeds. To avoid imminent danger,…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-13
  • "One suspects dealership misrepresented sale. Website lists vehicle series, XL; window sticker document indicates Lariat. 2021 Ford Ranger Lariat Tremor might have been rebuilt without instrument reporting changes.…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-11
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and shifting gear, the transmission shifted hard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-14
  • "2021 ford ranger 98160 millas firts time buy 01 19 2022 transmition went out 7 2 2026, my factory defect"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-09
  • "Chrome metal on 3 door handles sticking up. Cut my daughter's fingers and my fingers. Was reported to Ford and local dealer but Ford said I would have to pay out of pocket to replace full handle assemblies. Ford…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-08-05

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab PU/EC 2WD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars
2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab PU/EC 4WD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars
2021 Ford Ranger Super Crew PU/CC 2WD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2021 Ford Ranger Super Crew PU/CC 4WD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Ranger two-wheel drive 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 26 23 MPG $2800
Ranger two-wheel drive Incomplete 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 19 18 18 MPG $3600
Ranger four-wheel drive 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 20 24 22 MPG $2950
Ranger Tremor four-wheel drive 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 19 19 19 MPG $3400

Specs and fitment

2019 US return (T6), 2019–2023
Body styles SuperCab pickup, SuperCrew pickup
Oil 2.3L EcoBoost, 5W-30 synthetic blend , 6.2 qt capacity
Tire size 255/70R16, 255/65R17, 265/65R17 or 265/60R18; LT265/65R17 with the off-road package
Towing capacity 7,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Ford's technical service bulletin 23-2078 covers a shudder or vibration when accelerating from a stop on 2019-2023 Rangers, traced to an excessive rear-axle pinion angle and corrected with a shim kit. Separately, early production also saw two rollaway-related recalls: safety recall 19S15 (NHTSA 19V-366) for loose or missing transmission shift-cable bracket fasteners on Rangers built in March 2019, and compliance recall 19C02 (NHTSA 19V-071) for misrouted shifter wiring that could keep the shift interlock from locking the transmission in Park.

Compare

Previous year 2020 Ford Ranger Next year 2022 Ford Ranger See every Ford Ranger model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Ford Ranger reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 Ford Ranger holds 114 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 13 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Ranger years here — over the median of the other years, which is 11. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Engine block heater, Back-over prevention, software, and Labels.

What are common problems with a 2021 Ford Ranger?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (57 of 114), then Service brakes (14) and Engine (12). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 32,800 miles, and the middle half falls between 10,214 and 59,000 miles. Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 Ford Ranger more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Ranger has 127 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2022 has 37 complaints, 8 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Ford Ranger been recalled?

The 2021 Ford Ranger has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 Ford Ranger?

Owners have filed 114 complaints about the 2021 Ford Ranger with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Ford Ranger get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Ford Ranger is 20.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Ford Ranger take?

2019-2023 2.3L EcoBoost: 5W-30 synthetic blend (~6.2 qt). 2024+ listings commonly use 5W-30 for 2.3L/2.7L/3.0L EcoBoost (~6.0 qt).

Does recall 24V-770 cover the Ford Ranger?

NHTSA 24V-770 (Ford 24S64) covers certain 2024 Rangers (also certain 2024-2025 Broncos): a front upper control-arm ball-joint fastener may not be properly installed or torqued; dealers inspect and correct.

What generation years does the US Ford Ranger cover here?

T6 return (2019-2023) and the 2024+ T6 refresh. There is no US Ranger model year between 2012 and 2018 in this catalog.