AutoUtility currently tracks 112 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Ford Ranger. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 56 complaints (50% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 7 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
56 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
21 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
15 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
4 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and shifting gear, the transmission shifted hard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was contacted and..."
"2021 ford ranger 98160 millas firts time buy 01 19 2022 transmition went out 7 2 2026, my factory defect"
"Chrome metal peeling up on 3 door handles. Started peeling around 39K miles. Cut my fingers and my daughter's fingers. Brought it to local dealer who filed a repair request and Ford said I would have to pay for ful door handle assemblies out of pocket. Truck was too new and well taken care of for..."
"Chrome metal on 3 door handles sticking up. Cut my daughter's fingers and my fingers. Was reported to Ford and local dealer but Ford said I would have to pay out of pocket to replace full handle assemblies. Ford offerred a discount, but it was still expensive. Truck was too new for the chrome to be..."
"Transmission hard shifts in low gear and sometimes slips gears or revs up engine without accelerating then slams into gear lurching forward. Had transmission oil checked by dealer and they said it looked great. Happened 29 July several times and again 5 Aug all throughout the day."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2019–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Ford Ranger | 264 | 13 | 11 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Ford Ranger | 125 | 6 | 7 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Ford Ranger Current Page | 112 | 6 | 6 | Current |
| 2022 Ford Ranger | 37 | 1 | 5 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Ford Ranger | 18 | 2 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Ford Ranger | 71 | 2 | 13 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Ford Ranger | 34 | 3 | 13 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Ford Ranger | 0 | 0 | 6 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 40 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TIRES,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Ford Ranger
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Ford Ranger is Powertrain & Transmission, appearing in 56 records (50% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (21) and Brakes & Traction Control (15).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 112 consumer defect complaints and 6 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Ford Ranger.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Ford Ranger, 6 filings cite a crash, 3 cite smoke or fire, and 7 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.