2004 Ford Ranger Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 189 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2004 Ford Ranger, 47% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 89,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (26% of reports).
- 189air bags complaints
- 89,000median miles at failure
- 24mention a crash
- 21mention an injury
- 8related recalls
- 28%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 49 of 189 complaints (26%)
- Confirm become: mentioned in 11 of 189 complaints (6%)
- Side airbag: mentioned in 10 of 189 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 49 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 189 complaints, 24 mention a crash, 21 an injury.
Ford Ranger air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Ranger | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2024 Ranger | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Ranger | 2 | 11% | 2,000 |
| 2022 Ranger | 1 | 3% | 17,000 |
| 2021 Ranger | 2 | 2% | 19,000 |
| 2020 Ranger | 3 | 2% | 2,400 |
| 2019 Ranger | 4 | 1% | 54,000 |
| 2017 Ranger | 1 | 100% | — |
| 2016 Ranger | 1 | 100% | — |
| 2014 Ranger | 1 | 100% | — |
| 2011 Ranger | 196 | 83% | 50,000 |
| 2010 Ranger | 128 | 82% | 66,000 |
| 2009 Ranger | 144 | 85% | 60,000 |
| 2008 Ranger | 295 | 90% | 79,000 |
| 2007 Ranger | 236 | 87% | 75,000 |
| 2006 Ranger | 175 | 64% | 82,524 |
| 2005 Ranger | 132 | 46% | 83,500 |
| 2004 Ranger | 189 | 47% | 89,000 |
| 2003 Ranger | 25 | 10% | 46,800 |
| 2002 Ranger | 37 | 11% | 42,901 |
| 2001 Ranger | 62 | 12% | 58,600 |
| 2000 Ranger | 67 | 10% | 68,900 |
| 1999 Ranger | 79 | 10% | 91,000 |
| 1998 Ranger | 32 | 6% | 40,000 |
| 1997 Ranger | 22 | 5% | 53,423 |
| 1996 Ranger | 25 | 6% | 97,173 |
| 1995 Ranger | 18 | 6% | 213,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (8)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
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.
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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
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.
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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
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'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.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving on the highway in rainy weather at 60 MPH, she lost control of the vehicle and drove off the road. The contact stated that she could not recount what happened moments after she drove off the road; she did recall that she…
The contact owned a 2004 Ford Ranger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:Â 17V788000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
I dropped the vehicle off in April, Bought it off facebook marketplace in March. Since then, I have dropped the vehicle off at Big Star Ford in Pearland texas, and it has been there until today [XXX]. They FINALLy called me to tell me they cannot get parts for this 2017, or the 2023 recall that…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Ford Rangers have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 189 owner complaints about air bags for the 2004 Ford Ranger (47% of the 404 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Ford Ranger air bags?
Yes: 8 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 89,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2004 Ford Ranger?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 49 of 189 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (11).
See all 2004 Ford Ranger problems or air bags problems across all Ranger years.