Ford Ranger Complaints (2021)

112 consumer complaints on file.

#11756983August 14, 2026
POWER TRAIN
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 with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the transmission was operating as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recalls on the VIN associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755738August 9, 2026
POWER TRAIN
2021 ford ranger 98160 millas firts time buy 01 19 2022 transmition went out 7 2 2026, my factory defect
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755134August 5, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Chrome metal peeling up on 3 door handles. Started peeling around 39K miles. Cut my fingers and my daughter's fingers. Brought it to local dealer who filed a repair request and Ford said I would have to pay for ful door handle assemblies out of pocket. Truck was too new and well taken care of for me to feel comfortable paying out of pocket.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11755129August 5, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 offerred a discount, but it was still expensive. Truck was too new for the chrome to be coming off. I rarely use the back seat/doors, and those handles are peeling up just like front handles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11755122August 5, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transmission hard shifts in low gear and sometimes slips gears or revs up engine without accelerating then slams into gear lurching forward. Had transmission oil checked by dealer and they said it looked great. Happened 29 July several times and again 5 Aug all throughout the day.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11753464July 29, 2026
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission and the gear-shift linkage module are defective, and the truck remains available for inspection. Our safety is constantly put at risk because the transmission exhibits an extremely violent, highly intermittent powertrain lunging jolt during deceleration and stopping. The impact is so severe that it sounds and feels like a loud gunshot firing right next to the cabin occupants. Furthermore, the transmission simultaneously exhibits severe throttle hesitation and gear-skipping. This causes the vehicle to drop gears and completely fail to move when attempting to accelerate at busy stoplights, trapping us as a sitting duck in active traffic. Earlier in our timeline, the technician improperly reassembled the shift linkage, which caused the multi-ton vehicle to refuse to engage in Park and violently roll backward down a steep residential incline; an emergency parking brake deployment was required to prevent a catastrophic accident. The transmission defect was physically confirmed by [XXX] of Papillion, who verified scored, sticking fluid control valves inside the main control unit. Additionally, the hazard was officially confirmed by BBB AUTO LINE National Arbitrator Sharon Katt (Case XXX). The arbitrator officially signed a ruling certifying that our safety, use, and value concerns are completely valid, explicitly noting that the intermittent nature of this transmission failure does not minimize the extreme safety hazard. There were no warning lamps prior to the failure. The symptoms first appeared at ~49,000 miles. The dealer has since refused advanced diagnostics, executed an irrelevant radio reset instead, and willfully fabricated a fake service record on CARFAX on April 21, 2026, to force-close system safety alerts in their database. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749472July 10, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I've had many issue's with this vehicle's transmission: Harsh and erratic shifting. Shuddering when accelerating. Slippage. On several occasions not able to go in reverse. Issue's started at 45k miles. Had it in the shop on several occasions to address problem. I've had to replace faulty transmission at 70k miles. This is a faulty transmission due to incompetent CDF Clutch drum. This is NOT a safe vehicle to operate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11748038July 2, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The ring gear wore out and had to replace the whole rear end
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747624July 1, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping in and out of gear. There was no warning light illuminated. After approximately 3 seconds, the transmission shifted into the correct gear. The failure had occurred while driving through an intersection, placing the contact at risk of being rear-ended. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11744440June 16, 2026
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743600June 11, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11741626June 2, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
During low speed driving, mainly stop and go traffic the truck will randomly lunge forward when the brake pedal is engaged. It happens when accelerating and the truck will shift in to second gear, then if you apply the brake the truck will act like it is going to stall, the engine rpm will spike and the truck will launch forward. If you dont force the brake pedal to the floor, the truck will continue to accelerate, potentially slamming into another vehicle. This has happened multiple times, the dealer has rebuilt the transmission and that fixed the issue for the last 6-8k miles. the issue has returned and the truck is back at the dealership for diagnostics. This is becoming a serious safety concern and the potential that someone gets hurt grows every day. I have seen other complaints on the internet about this same issue in trucks with the same transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740512May 28, 2026
POWER TRAIN
truck hesitates to go into gear then slams into reverse unexpectedly with a lot of force backing up - almost ran over a family member. Same thing when cold and going from park to drive, almost drove off my driveway down a steep mountain. I believe it is related to TSB 24-2046 No warning lights or anything, dealer has not been able so far to reproduce because the weather warmed up
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740493May 27, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The 10R80 transmission CDF drum failed due to a defective bushing housing, resulting in the replacement of the 10R80 transmission. The diagnosis of the failure took 3 weeks because there were no warning lights or engine codes. The symptoms of the failure were erratic shifting in heavy highway traffic, causing harsh up/down shifts and shift patterns. The erratic shifting makes driving feel unsafe, as the vehicle may lurk or seem to lose power. Currently, with the new 10R80 transmission with the redesigned CDF drum bushing housing, similar symptoms of erratic up/down shift going between 20-40 mph and between gears 3-7 are present. The vehicle is going back in to the shop for diagnosis and potential repairs
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739912May 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Automatic transmission had a hard time finding gears and accelerating while in a parking lot. There were vehicles behind me that could have run into me during the brief failure. There was no warning light on the dash. I have not been able to replicate it since yesterday, but my spouse had it happen a few months ago as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735466May 4, 2026
POWER TRAIN
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Automatic transmission failed How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While merging into traffic the transmission would not shift and the truck lost power and began to slow down. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes the dealership experienced the same problem. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The Ford dealership is replacing the transmission at my cost. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps or messages. The transmission was working fine and then it wasn't.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734737April 30, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transmission failure at 75k miles. It downshifted from 10th gear into 4th at highway speeds and started throwing transmission codes. Almost caused me to get rid as I was on the interstate in traffic at a speed of roughly 65-70 mph. Vehicle is currently being gone over by a Ford dealership who advises a complete transmission overhaul at the cost of 7,000 or total transmission replacement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729537April 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN
While accelerating from a stop the truck went from 1st gear and then would not go into 2nd gear for a 5 seconds and then it engaged into 2nd with a harsh gear change. This happened several more times to various degrees of time out of gear and not engaging into gear.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11728611April 1, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Truck Issue Description (2021 Ford Ranger – ~93k miles): Truck makes a whining / humming noise with a slight rattling vibration. The noise occurs while accelerating in gears 1–5. The pitch stays mostly the same but gets louder under throttle. The noise goes away when I let off the gas. No noise when revving the engine in park/neutral. No loss of power and the transmission shifts normally. Gears 6–10 sound normal with no noise. At idle there is sometimes a light rattling sound. Transmission fluid was changed around 60,000 miles. Check Manual light came on yes it has been confirmed by a service center transmission is giving out. Mileage: ~93,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727558March 27, 2026
SEATS
On March 17, 2026, while my vehicle was parked, I observed light smoke coming from the rear seatback, followed by a visible burn/melt mark in the seat fabric. I believe this occurred due to concentrated reflection of sunlight from nearby house windows onto the rear seat. There were no external heat sources or open flames in the vehicle, and the truck was parked under normal residential conditions. Concerned about the risk of fire and potential harm to my family and other occupants, I immediately reported this incident to my Ford dealership and Ford customer service. The dealer inspected the vehicle, and Ford reviewed the matter, but they declined to cover the repair or acknowledge it as a safety-related defect, citing their internal analysis. As of this writing, I am not aware of any recalls or official safety communications addressing this type of sun‑induced smoking or burning of interior seats in the Ford Ranger or other Ford vehicles. My concern is that if a focused beam of reflected sunlight can cause the seat material to smoke and burn under ordinary parking conditions, this may present a fire hazard not only in my vehicle but potentially in other Ford vehicles that use the same or similar interior materials. This could pose a serious risk to consumers, especially if such an event occurred while passengers were in the rear seat or if the vehicle was parked near flammable items. I respectfully request that NHTSA: 1. Document this incident as a potential safety concern. 2. Evaluate whether the interior seat materials used in the 2021 Ford Ranger (and any related Ford models) meet appropriate safety standards when exposed to concentrated sunlight or heat. 3. Consider opening an investigation if similar complaints exist or emerge, so that consumers can be protected and appropriately informed. Vehicle information: •Year/Make/Model: 2021 Ford Ranger •VIN: [XXX] ncident: March 17, 2026 •Location of incident: XXX [XXX] ON REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION RED
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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