Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Ford Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
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? …
Was driving and the bracket and cross member that holds the spare tire bracket up broke due to the frame being all rusted/scalely and rotted out which also LED to the shackles being broken. When this bracket broke, my spare tire was hanging down and dragging on the ground which could have caused a serious accident. After the tire was taken down, this is when the deplorable condition of the frame was clearly visible. This truck should not even have been sold to me off of the wyoming valley motors dealership lot in larksville, pa. I have had the truck less than 14 months and put less than 3,000 miles on the truck. The frame and undercarriage is unfit to be on the road and should not have been sold especially at a big dealership lot. I have also contacted Ford and they will not stand behind their truck and do anything about it.
While driving at highway speed got a fuel cap loose warning light on dash board. Pulled off the highway and checked and it was tight. Took the 2006 Ford Ranger to the repair shop where it was found that the cross frame that supports the spare tire under the bed has rusted free at both ends! It was fortunate that the cable that lifts the tire into placed was still attached. Had the tire come loose it would most likely caused the rear end to lift up and at 60 MPH in morning rush hour traffic that would be spectacular! The reason for the warninglight was tha as the frame broke loose it crcked the connection to the emissions canister that is mounted on the corss framemember.
Awful banging sound while driving, inspected truck, found rear bumper hanging half off. Rear portion of both frame rails had rotten off. Rear spring shackles rotten and not attached. I pulled the bumper off with my bare hands! If it had fallen off while I was driving it could have killed someone. This is not an old beat up truck, as a matter of fact it only has 17,000 mile on it. It still looks brand new. The Ford Ranger xlt 4x4 extended cab was bought new in 2006 for $20,000, now its useless, can not even fix the spring shackles, nothing to attach them to.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while getting the vehicle inspected he was informed that the subframe was corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The consumer stated repairing the vehicle would cost more than vehicle's worth.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Ranger. While the vehicle was at a shop for routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the entire subframe was severely rusted, and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact also stated that the brake lines were rusted through. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Severe rust entire back half of truck. First the spare tire fell off while driving and the EVAP canister was broken. The bed rotted out and my gas tank was in danger of falling off. The cross members broke while driving on a town dirt road causing the cross member to rub against the drive shaft. I had to use a cargo strap to hold up the gas tank so I could get home which luckily was only about a mile.
The frame and bed is completely rusted out. So much so that the one of the leaf springs broke loose and came through the bottom of the bed while driving down a straight stretch of road. The truck is now completely not drivable. I have heard several complaints about this same make/model/year truck. Even from people where their cities don't salt the roads in the winter.
Body complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2006 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the body & structure of the 2006 Ford Ranger, 10% of the model year's 272 complaints. The component named most often is body (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Ranger body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2006 Ford Ranger, though it has 12 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Ford Ranger body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 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.