Reliable Auto DB

2026 Ford Ranger reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Ford Ranger over 1 year — 6 per year. It is too early to rank against other Ranger years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Internal engine parts, Labels, and Seat fasteners.

2024 Ford Ranger Lariat SuperCrew
Photo by HJUdall, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC0
Complaints

6

Per year

6

Recalls

7

Years on the road

1

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (2 of 6), then Electrical system (1) and Engine (1). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 32 miles. Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2025

The 2025 Ranger has 40 complaints, 20 per year.

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 2026 Ford Ranger. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2026-08-25 · NHTSA campaign 26V548000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger vehicles. The engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the engine pistons and replace the engine long block, if necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 28, 2026.
Vehicles affected 10,001
Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2026-05-27 · NHTSA campaign 26V343000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer, Ranger, and Bronco vehicles. The engine may fail, which can result in a loss of drive power.
Remedy Dealers will replace the engine long block, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in November 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S35. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 28, 2026.
Vehicles affected 1,536
Recall Labels 2026-05-26 · NHTSA campaign 26V335000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Ranger and Bronco vehicles. The vehicle specifications listed on the tire placard and safety certification labels may be incorrect, including the VIN, capacity weight, seating capacity, front and rear gross axle weight rating (GAWR), tire and rim dimensions, and recommended cold tire pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims" and 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Remedy Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the certification and TREAD labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C24. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 28, 2026.
Vehicles affected 268
Recall Seat fasteners 2026-04-28 · NHTSA campaign 26V268000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Ranger and Bronco vehicles. The front seats may have a loose or dislodged seat frame height-adjust pivot bolt.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the pivot links and bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 26S30. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 30, 2026.
Vehicles affected 179,698
Recall Sun visor 2026-04-14 · NHTSA campaign 26V238000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Ranger vehicles. The sun visor or headliner wiring harnesses may be improperly positioned or have excessive tape thickness, which can result in damaged wires.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the wiring for damage and update the body control module software. Damaged wiring harnesses will be replaced as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. This will be a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2025 model year vehicles. Owners will be notified by mail the week of 5/31/2026. Phase 2 will include 2026 model year vehicles and Phase 3 will include 2024 model year vehicles. Owners will be notified by mail the week of 6/29/2026 for Phase 2 and the week of 7/27/2026 for Phase 3. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed May 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in October 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S29. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 17, 2026.
Vehicles affected 140,201
Recall electrical system, trailer brake controller 2026-02-20 · NHTSA campaign 26V104000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 F-150, 2022-2026 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, Maverick, 2024-2026 Ranger, 2023-2026 F-600 SD, 2022-2027 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, and 2026 E-Transit vehicles. When towing a trailer, the integrated trailer module (ITRM) may lose communication with the vehicle, possibly causing a loss of brake and turn signal lights, or a loss of brake function. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy The integrated trailer module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 17, 2026.
Vehicles affected 4,381,878
Recall air bags, side and window, curtain 2025-08-22 · NHTSA campaign 25V541000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Ranger vehicles. The side curtain air bags may contact the B-Pillar inner reinforcements and tear during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Remedy Dealers will install protective shields, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 26, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C41.
Vehicles affected 100,900

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

Complaints by component (6 total)

Powertrain
2
Electrical system
1
Engine
1
Exterior lighting
1
Front seat head restraint
1
Seats
1
Wheels
1
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

The 1 complaint that includes an odometer reading reports 32 miles.

Complaints filed per year

62026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "When setting up my vehicle for neutral towing behind my motorhome and having parts installed for the proper operation of my turn signal and brake lights when vehicle is flat towed it was found that for it to happen were…"
    Exterior lighting, Electrical system · filed 2026-09-13
  • "8/4/2026 @ approximately 0630 When making a right hand turn vehicle (transmission) stalled for approximately 3-4 seconds before restarting. Reported to Corwin Ford Service Dept. here in RENO,NV who declined to…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-27
  • "While making a right turn, vehicle suddenly lost all power and shut down for several seconds. This is a safety issue, stalling out in front of oncoming traffic, etc. No warnings lamps, messages appeared. No dealer…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-07-10
  • "Description On your vehicle it is possible that the trailer module trm may lose communication at vehicle start-up. If a trm loss of communication occurs and a trailer is connected to the vehicle, trailer stop lamps and…"
    Wheels, Seats, Engine · filed 2026-06-16
  • "The contact owns a 2026 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that both rear seat headrest metel coming from the rear of the head rest. causing laceration to the. The contact discover that when firmly grabbing the rear…"
    Front seat head restraint · filed 2026-05-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2026 FORD RANGER (SUPER CREW) PU/CC N/A 4WD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2026 FORD RANGER (SUPER CREW) PU/CC N/A RWD 4 stars 5 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 25 23 MPG $2800
Ranger four-wheel drive 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 19 24 21 MPG $3100
Ranger four-wheel drive 2.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 18 23 20 MPG $3250
Ranger RAPTOR four-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 16 18 17 MPG $3800

Specs and fitment

2024 redesign (T6.2), 2024–present
Body styles SuperCrew pickup
Oil 5W-30 (2.3L, 2.7L and 3.0L EcoBoost) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 255/70R17 (XL/XLT) to 255/65R18 (Lariat); LT285/70R17 (Raptor)
Towing capacity 7,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 24V-770 (Ford 24S64), which also covers the 2024-2025 Bronco, affects certain 2024 Rangers whose front upper control arm ball joint fastener may not have been properly installed or torqued during assembly, allowing the control arm to separate from the knuckle assembly, which NHTSA says can cause a loss of vehicle steering and control; Ford's dealers inspect and replace the ball joint and knuckle assembly as necessary, free of charge.

Compare

Previous year 2025 Ford Ranger See every Ford Ranger model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2026 Ford Ranger reliable?

Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Ford Ranger over 1 year — 6 per year. It is too early to rank against other Ranger years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Internal engine parts, Labels, and Seat fasteners.

What are common problems with a 2026 Ford Ranger?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (2 of 6), then Electrical system (1) and Engine (1). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 32 miles. Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2026 Ford Ranger more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2025 Ranger has 40 complaints, 20 per year.

Has the 2026 Ford Ranger been recalled?

The 2026 Ford Ranger has 7 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 2026 Ford Ranger?

Owners have filed 6 complaints about the 2026 Ford Ranger with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2026 Ford Ranger get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2026 Ford Ranger is 20.3 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.