Ford Ranger: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Ford Ranger: 7 model years scored from 625 NHTSA owner complaints and 59 recall campaigns. Worst year 2019, best year 2011.
Ford Ranger: which years to avoid
Across 7 scored model years the Ford Ranger ranges from 47/100 in 2019 to 84/100 in 2022 — a 37-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Ranger at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Power Train (90 of them).
Avoid: 2019 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the Ranger changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2020–2022
Mean score 80/100, about 21 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (48 complaints). 6 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2024–2025
Mean score 70/100. 11 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2011 (score 75). Worst: 2019 (score 47, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69 | CAUTION | $3,180 | 0 | 12 |
| 2024 | 71 | BUY | $3,470 | 0 | 12 |
| 2022 | 84 | BUY | $3,600 | 0 | 5 |
| 2021 | 83 | BUY | $3,740 | 0 | 6 |
| 2020 | 74 | BUY | $4,279 | 126 | 7 |
| 2019 | 47 | AVOID | $4,736 | 264 | 11 |
| 2011 | 75 | BUY | $5,888 | 235 | 6 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Ranger, through the years →
Ranger sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Ranger on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Ford Ranger
Across every Ranger model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Air Bags196 complaints across all Ranger years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Power Train143 complaints across all Ranger years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System56 complaints across all Ranger years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other47 complaints across all Ranger years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Engine43 complaints across all Ranger years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Service Brakes37 complaints across all Ranger years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Ford Ranger years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2019 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2019 is the weakest at 47/100, with its complaints concentrated in Power Train.
What are the best Ford Ranger years to buy?
2011, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2022 at 84/100, on 0 complaints and 5 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Ford Ranger problem?
196 of the complaints filed against the Ranger across all its model years sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04