Recalled components: air bags, exterior lighting, fuel system, and parking brake. Most-reported area: air bags (128 complaints, 82%; median mileage when it happened: 66,000).
Fewer complaints than a typical Ranger year
The 2010 drew 10 owner complaints in its first three years, against 32 for a typical Ranger year. Best years are picked only from 2016 on, since counts for older years say less: owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s.
Years to avoid: 2019; best year: 2022. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026
Year to avoidBest year
The 2010 and 2011 Ranger is the earlier compact pickup. Ford sold no Ranger in the US for 2012 to 2018; the Ranger that returned for 2019 is a larger midsize truck.
8 safety recalls for the 2010 Ford Ranger
Parts with a do-not-drive or park-outside recall come first, then the rest, largest first. Within a part, do-not-drive and park-outside recalls come first, then the newest. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for what is wrong, the fix and the full notice.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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 frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
782,384 vehicles.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A."
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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 frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
327,796 vehicles.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A."
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
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 frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
1,892,343 vehicles.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A."
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
2,602,668 vehicles.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles.
Risk: 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.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
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.
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, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
1,067 vehicles.
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.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Components: Air bags: frontal; Air bags: frontal, driver side, inflator module; Air bags: frontal, passenger side, inflator module. Ford campaign 21S05.
Risk:Non-functioning lights could increase the risk of a crash.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
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.
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.
Fails federal standard 108 (lighting) · 26,715 vehicles.
Ford's safety recall no. 11c18. or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
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."
Risk: A sufficient fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
The engine fuel line in the area of the throttle body shield may not have a protective convolute (cover) properly installed. If the protective convolute on the fuel line is not assembled in the proper position, the edge of the shield may contact the fuel line. Over time this contact may chafe the fuel line, resulting in a fuel odor and a potential fuel leak.
Fix: Dealers will trim the throttle body shield away from the fuel line and inspect the fuel line for wear, and replace the line if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on march 4, 2011. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
23,688 vehicles.
Ford safety recallno. 11s17. or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 ford ranger trucks manufactured from october 15, 2009, through may19, 2010.
Risk: A manual transmission vehicle parked in neutral without a fully applied parking brake may have unintended movement which may cause a crash.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
It is possible for the parking brake cable to become disconnected from the right rear actuator during cold weather. This may occur when the parking brake is released if wet parking brake shoes have frozen in the applied position. If the right rear parking brake cable becomes disconnected, the pedal will have extended travel and may not fully apply the parking brake.
Fix: Dealers will install a revised right rear parking brake actuator to prevent cable disconnection free of charge. The safety recall began on may 21, 2010. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
2,934 vehicles.
Ford recall no. 10s12. or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 ranger vehicles manufactured from june 8, 2009 through february 2, 2010 equipped with manual transmission.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Ford campaign 10S12.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA also lists 1 equipment recall for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Air bags: frontal (Ford Motor Company, 21E-013).
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2010 Ford Ranger.
What owners report
Owners have filed 156 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Ranger. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Median 66,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
Body structure6 · 4%
Most named: body (3)
Engine4 · 3%
Speed control4 · 3%
Parking brake3 · 2%
Brakes2 · 1%
Electrical system2 · 1%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Ford Ranger recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2010 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Ranger drew the most (68) and the 2010 drew 10.
Owner complaints
2010: 156 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Ford Ranger
Model year
Complaints
2010
156
2011
235
2019
268
2020
128
2021
116
2022
37
2023
18
2024
84
2025
42
2026
6
Safety recalls
2010: 8 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Ford Ranger
Model year
Recalls
2010
8
2011
5
2019
11
2020
7
2021
6
2022
5
2023
4
2024
13
2025
13
2026
8
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: air bags (128), body structure (6), engine (4). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2010 Ford Ranger?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2010 Ford Ranger.
How do I check if my Ranger has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: RANGER.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.