2005 Ford Ranger: recalls and complaints

NHTSA advisory: do not driveCampaign 17V787000. NHTSA received the report on 11 Dec 2017. 328,213 units. Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module

Remedy of campaign 17V787000, in the NHTSA record

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 inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V-036 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed.

NHTSA advisory: do not driveCampaign 17V788000. NHTSA received the report on 11 Dec 2017. 328,213 units. Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

Remedy of campaign 17V788000, in the NHTSA record

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 inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V322 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42.

Do-not-drive advisory: A mark on a recall campaign in the NHTSA recall file. This site shows the mark as NHTSA sets it.

NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for the 2005 Ford Ranger. The newest campaign is 23V306000. NHTSA received the report on 28 Apr 2023. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module. NHTSA has 61 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 23V306000, in the NHTSA record

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 at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 23V-125.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

9 campaigns, newest first. 1,883,059 units in total.

23V30600028 Apr 2023Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
23V12500024 Feb 2023Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
21V07600017 Feb 2021Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
21V08100016 Feb 2021Air Bags / Frontal
17V78700011 Dec 2017Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator ModuleAdvisory
17V78800011 Dec 2017Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator ModuleAdvisory
16V03600025 Jan 2016Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
15V32200028 May 2015Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
11V35200013 Jul 2011Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights

23V306000Received 28 Apr 2023. 231,942 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 23V-125.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 23S08. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 22 May 2023.
23V125000Received 24 Feb 2023. 98,550 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 23V-306.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 23S08. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Apr 2023.
21V076000Received 17 Feb 2021. 144,340 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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 exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 21S05. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 Mar 2021.
21V081000Received 16 Feb 2021. 1,067 units.
Air Bags / Frontal
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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 passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 21S05. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 Mar 2021.
17V787000Received 11 Dec 2017. 328,213 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator ModuleDo-not-drive advisory
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V-036 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 17S42. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 16 Jan 2018.
17V788000Received 11 Dec 2017. 328,213 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator ModuleDo-not-drive advisory
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V322 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 17S42. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 22 Dec 2017.
16V036000Received 25 Jan 2016. 361,692 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 number for this recall is 16S03. Note: This recall supersedes 14V-343 and only applies to Rangers manufactured in North America.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 16S03. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 26 Feb 2016.
15V322000Received 28 May 2015. 362,327 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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 time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S22. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 14V-787.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 15S22. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Dec 2015.
11V352000Received 13 Jul 2011. 26,715 units.
Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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 model year excursion vehicles, and 2002 through 2007 model year f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the multi-function switch was shipped with a subcomponent (slider) that may experience deformation. A multi-function switch with a deformed slider may malfunction causing the turn signal, tail lights, hazard warning signal flashers and/or brake lights not to activate.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Non-functioning lights could increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 11C18. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Aug 2011.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

61 complaints, 75 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2005 Ford Ranger
All 2005 vehicles

2005 Ford Ranger: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2005 Ranger	All 2005 vehicles	Ranger, all years	Mentions
Fuel System, Gasoline	280	60.7	54.9	21
Fuel System, Other	93.3	13.4	6.4	7
Engine and Engine Cooling	93.3	91.7	71.4	7
Electrical System	80	115.9	76	6
Tires	80	33	136.7	6
Suspension	40	48.1	50	3
Power Train	40	115.8	92.3	3
Unknown or Other	40	11.1	14.5	3
Structure	40	45.7	32	3
Air Bags	40	49.8	57.9	3

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 18.

Complaints that report a crash: 8
Complaints that report a fire: 3
Injuries in the complaints: 10
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 18 Sep 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2005 Ford Ranger, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2010, with 15 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2005 Ford Ranger
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA15001	Engineering analysis	Air Bag Inflator Rupture	Air Bags / Frontal	24 Feb 2015	Open	14V668
PE14016	Preliminary evaluation	Air Bag Inflator Rupture	Air Bags / Frontal	11 Jun 2014	2 Mar 2015	13V172000
PE05066	Preliminary evaluation	BRAKE LIGHTS INOPERATIVE	Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights	5 Dec 2005	24 Mar 2006

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Follow by RSS:Ford recallsVehicle recalls

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2005 Ford RangerThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2005 Ford Ranger: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/ranger/2005/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Ford Motor Company

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2005 Ford Ranger?: 1,883,059 units in 9 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Ranger have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 102 recall campaigns for the Ford Ranger, model years 1978 to 2026. 9 of them name the 2005 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2005 Ford Ranger name most often?: Fuel System, Gasoline: 21 of 75 component mentions, or 280 per 1,000. For all 2005 vehicles the figure is 60.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2005 Ford Ranger open?: 1 investigation has no closing date in the NHTSA file, of 3 that name this model year.