Fuel Economy
18–23MPG
Gas & Hybrid options available
NHTSA Complaints
112
6 crash reports • 7 reporting injuries
Safety Recalls
6
6 official NHTSA recalls
NCAP Safety Rating
Not Rated / Pending

EPA Fuel Economy & Powertrain Specifications

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by powertrain configuration

Powertrain Group Engine / Drivetrain City MPG Hwy MPG Combined MPG Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Standard 2.3L 4-Cyl Regular
Automatic (S10) • Rear-Wheel Drive
19–21 18–26 18–23 MPG $2,650–$3,400 / yr

NHTSA NCAP Crash Test & Safety Ratings

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA 5-Star NCAP laboratory crash evaluations are not currently on file for the 2021 Ford Ranger.

Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Not Specified and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Not Specified in official NHTSA records for tested 2021 Ford Ranger models.
View complete 2021 Ford Ranger crash test & safety breakdown →

Reported Problems & Owner Complaints Summary (112)

Summary of 112 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
112
Crash Reports
6
Fire Reports
3
Complaints w/ Injury
7
Total Injuries
9

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Powertrain 41 complaints
Service Brakes 8 complaints
Engine 5 complaints
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance 3 complaints

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2021 Ford Ranger problems & component breakdown (40 categories) →

Official Safety Recalls (6)

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #21V765000 Active Recall
Affected Component: SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Ranger Super Cab vehicles equipped with rear seats containing fixed head restraints. The fixed head restraints may interfere with proper installation of certain types of child seats. Additionally, the child seat may not attach properly to the lower-rear anchors. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage System."

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear-lower child restraint anchorages for correct alignment and adjust as necessary. Separately, dealers will replace the non-removable head restraints with removable head restraints, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C24.
NHTSA Campaign #25V442000 Active Recall
Affected Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
NHTSA Campaign #23V379000 Active Recall
Affected Component: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Bronco, 2023 Super Duty F-250, and 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles. The Tire and Loading Information (TREAD) label states the incorrect load carrying capacity, which can result in an overloaded vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Ford will mail a new TREAD label to install over the existing label, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the new label installed, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C18.
View all 2021 Ford Ranger recalls & campaign history (6 campaigns) →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.