Most common 2006 Ford Ranger problems
Share of the 272 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Ranger complaints by model year
Best Ranger years: 2023, 2022, 2020. Years to avoid: 2019, 1999, 2000, 1998, 1996. Compare all years →
2006 Ford Ranger recalls (12)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks. Ford is requesting owners NOT TO DRIVE these vehicles until they have been repaired. On January 11, 2018, Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 2,700 model year 2006 Ranger vehicles built with driver-side air bag inflators .
Remedy: Ford will notify owners instructing them to not drive their vehicles, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks. Ford is requesting owners NOT TO DRIVE these vehicles until they have been repaired. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners instructing them to not drive their vehicles, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge.
Show 6 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: 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.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights
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,…
Remedy: 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.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
On certain trucks, passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, the windshield wiper motor May have been produced without grease being applied to the output shaft gear.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the wiper motor for the presence of grease and grease the wiper motor gears if necessary. The recall began on November 22, 2005.
What 2006 Ford Ranger owners say
Air bags all 175 →
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Ranger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V788000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, both driver and passenger front air bags deployed without impact. The contact lost control and the vehicle then crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact received shoulder and neck injuries, medical attention was needed. The second vehicle occupant also sustained a back injury and medical attention was sought. A police report was filed but the information was not available. The contact cut the air bags out with a pocket knife and the vehicle was taken to the resident. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the dealer refused to diagnose or repair the vehicle under the recall until the SRS system and passenger seat belt were repaired since it was locked. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owned a 2006 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while at a stop light, a crash occurred involving two other vehicles. During the crash, one of the other vehicles crashed into the contact's vehicle, causing severe damages to the front-end of the vehicle; however, the air bags failed to deploy. The Fire Department was called to the scene and removed the front driver's side door to free the contact from the vehicle. The contact sustained a neck injury and was later taken by her daughter to seek medical attention. A Police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V081000 (AIR BAGS). …
Body & structure all 26 →
The spare tire stabilizing bracket rusted away and fell off. The rear shackles for the springs broke on both sides, and is coming up through the bed. The frame has rusted apart and it's not possible to bolt a new shackle for the rear springs on. The body is not rusting out. They used inferior steel on the frame and it has rusted away. They should do a recall on these like other manufacturers have. This is a serious safety issue. I bought this truck new, and it only has 98000 mikes on it.
The entire rear cross member that connects the fore and aft running frame members rotted out and dropped off the truck. This includes the spare tire enclosure, the chain winch and spare tire -- broke away from the truck as it went over a bump. With it went the fuel emission control tubing that now registers as a fault on the dash board. This was a serious fault and fortunately it occurred on a rural road instead of a busy highway where it would have caused major damage to any following vehicle. Alarmingly, when speaking to my mechanic, he says this is not uncommon. In fact, he has repaired many frames on rangers -- spare tires falling off, bumpers falling off and so on.. Indeed, there is a business who specializes in repair frame parts to repair rotten Ranger frames. This is totally unacceptable. …
Suspension all 20 →
The spare tire stabilizing bracket rusted away and fell off. The rear shackles for the springs broke on both sides, and is coming up through the bed. The frame has rusted apart and it's not possible to bolt a new shackle for the rear springs on. The body is not rusting out. They used inferior steel on the frame and it has rusted away. They should do a recall on these like other manufacturers have. This is a serious safety issue. I bought this truck new, and it only has 98000 mikes on it.
Rear leaf-spring shackles and hangers on my 2006 Ford Ranger are rusted out, one of the shackles broke free from the frame while I was driving, made it harder to steer because the truck felt nowhere near as stable as it was before it broke, it caused me to swerve into the lane beside me which very well could have caused a serious accident if someone were to be there. The rest of my frame seems to have excessive rust which is not to be expected from a 10 year old truck, especially by the shackles and hangers for the leaf springs, and also all around the spare tire mount which I could see to become a very serious safety concern while driving. I mean who wants a spare tire in their windshield while following someone down the road? …
2006 Ford Ranger engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 21 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.3L 4-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 19 / 24 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 21 / 18 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 21 / 18 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 21 / 17 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 19 / 17 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 16 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Ford Ranger a good car?
Based on 272 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Ranger rates better than average: 74% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Ranger at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 Ford Ranger?
The air bags — 175 complaints, 64% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal. Next are the body & structure (26) and suspension (20).
How many recalls does the 2006 Ford Ranger have?
There are 12 recalls for the 2006 Ford Ranger, the most recent from April 28, 2023 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Ranger?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2023, 2022 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 1999, 2000, 1998 and 1996. See the full Ford Ranger years comparison.
At what mileage do 2006 Ford Ranger problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 70,000 miles; 32% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.