2011 Ford Ranger Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 196 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2011 Ford Ranger, 83% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 50,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (26% of reports).
- 196air bags complaints
- 50,000median miles at failure
- 6mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 4related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 51 of 196 complaints (26%)
- Confirm become: mentioned in 14 of 196 complaints (7%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 12 of 196 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 36 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 196 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 4 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 (4)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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. 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.
Risk: 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 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.
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 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." 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants 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 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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." 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.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants 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 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I received a letter from FORD identifying my Ranger as in need of an airbag replacement under recall, for free installation and parts. I called the only Ford dealer in town, Capitol Ford, Santa Fe, NM, and was told they were unable to replace my airbag because they did not have the parts for it and…
I'm looking to buy this truck from a private sale. If I do, and the recall has not been completed, will the manufacturer still fix it for free?
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Ranger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer wanted to charge the contact to complete the repair because the air bag was deployed. The contact stated that prior to the recall appointment, he had a crash…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2011 Ford Rangers have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 196 owner complaints about air bags for the 2011 Ford Ranger (83% of the 235 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 2011 Ford Ranger air bags?
Yes: 4 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 50,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2011 Ford Ranger?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 51 of 196 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (14).
See all 2011 Ford Ranger problems or air bags problems across all Ranger years.