Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2021 Ford Ranger.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
Vehicle: 2021 Ford Ranger. Mileage: 44,000 my 2021 Ford Ranger begin experiencing dangerous transmission shifting issues with absolutely no warning signs or indicator lights prior to the incidents. On multiple occasions the truck suddenly and randomly stalled in the middle of the freeway and in the middle of the road, feeling as if the transmission went into neutral with no power to move the vehicle. These incidents occurred multiple times putting myself and my small child at serious risk of injury or death. At no point did any warning lights illuminate or any indication appeared on the dashboard to alert me of a problem before these dangerous events occurred. The truck was taken to a Ford dealership where it was diagnosed with an electrical fault in the transmission solenoids. The final diagnosis is a full transmission r&I and overhaul at only 44,000 miles. This issue is covered under Ford TSB 21-2315 which acknowledges that the 10-speed automatic transmission may exhibit harsh engagement, delayed shifts, and shifting problems due to known defects. My 5yr/60,000-mile powertrain warranty expired 3 months ago by time only. I am well under the mileage limit at 44,000 miles. Ford has agreed to cover only $2,097. 06 of the $5,242. 65 repair, leaving me responsible for $3,145. 59 for a known manufacturing defect. When I contacted Ford requesting full goodwill warranty coverage, I received poor customer service a manger (luis) promised to call back multiple times with additional coverage options and never did. A full transmission overhaul at 44,000 miles is not consistent normal wear and tear and is clearly the result of a manufacturing defect that Ford has already acknowledged through TSB 21-2315. The sudden and unexpected nature of these failures with no warning, combined with the serious safety risk posed to myself and my child, makes this matter extremely urgent. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this matter and Ford's handling of this known defect.
The boot material surrounding the parking brake bunches up and does not allow the handle to properly seat. When using the cruise control, the parking brake handle will raise up on its own, due to the boot material, causing the cruise control to abruptly disengage. This causes the vehicle to mildly to moderately deaccelerate without warning. This could cause rear end collision.
The factory driver's side floor mat does not stay snapped in. This causes the floor mat to slide forward towards the pedals. This causes the floor mat to lodge underneath the accelerator pedal, which can cause an inability to accelerate. The fllor mat could also lodge undermeath the brake pedal, not allowing the full use of the brakes.
My interior door handles have chrome-plated stickers. They have started to bubble and peel to the point where my wife sliced her finger requiring an er visit and stiches. I've seen on reddit that other vehicle owners have had the same issues. I noticed on June 9th, 2026 Ford issued a recall for its for expedition, for a similar issue but with its center console, not the door handles. I believe this is a serious issue that could easily cause bodily harm. This should be investigated. Thank you.
The wrap material on the front driver side and passenger inside door handles is separating and is very sharp. I noticed it a couple of days ago when I went to get out of the vehicle and I reached to open the door, and it sliced open my finger. I told my passenger what had happened, and he checked the passenger side inside door handle, and he said that his was the same way.
Wiring for back up camera failed and short circuited - will attempt to retain the components for inspection needs. Safety concern - when wire short circuited, it burned the wire at the control module in the dash board, causing the control module to also fail - according the the Ford service advisor at my dealership. Issue was diagnosed and inspected by titus will Ford service center at 11503 pacific hwy sw, lakewood, wa 98499 - phone # (253) 753-1253. No warning lamps/messages/symptoms.
The two rear brake rotors were 75% rusted through, this truck only had 5,642 miles on it at the time. Brake pedal was soft, went to the floor to stop. Asked local Ford dealer to look at and they wanted to charge me for two rear rotors and brake shoes. I informed them that I thought this would be a factory defect, they determined it wasn’t. This was unexceptable to me. So I took it to dealership where I purchased truck and they agreed that this was a factory defect and replaced. The only reason I’m writing you is due to all the complaints listed on your site for this truck, not one issue about rusted (badly) rotors. Unless this is an issue but just not being found. ? I did read quite a few complaints about soft brake pedals though.
Rearview camera: intermittent loss of rearview camera functionality when placing vehicle in reverse. Affected roughly 50% of the time. When occurs, image is distorted for a a few seconds followed by a "camera is unavailable, please contact dealer" message on the display. Started occurring at around the 45,000 mile mark and has continued to occur with increasing frequency now at the 90,000 mile mark.
When using the steering wheel button to go from am/fm/usb/bluetooth/sirius, the display stops at the first sirius station asking to either subscribe or close. This causes the driver to have to take his/her eyes off the road to close the screen. It happens three times in a row, once for each sirius band, and has caused me to hard brake twice so far. Sirius says it's a Ford issue and Ford does not deny it but does not have a solution. Customer perception is that Ford cares more about the kickback they get from sirius that they do about customer safety. It has not caused an accident yet, but if others have the same issue then it's hard to believe that no one else is complaining. Shame on Ford.
Door ajar warning stays on despite checking and ensuring the doors are all closed. Indicating front passenger door only at this time.