IllustrationWINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AUTOMATICALLY WHILE VEHICLE IS PARKED OR BEING DRIVEN. WIPERS ALSO STOP WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN USE.
1996 Ford Ranger
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Ranger years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Ford Ranger are substantially higher than the model-year median of 144.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Ranger years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 80 of 413 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
41 crash reports18 fire reports30 injury reports
What owners actually said
413 reportsWHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLS OUT, INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES. CONSUMER'S SPEED VARIES BETWEEN 25-65MPH WHEN DRIVING. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
BRAKES GRAB CONSTANTLY, WORSE IN DAMP WEATHER.
CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM CONCERNING VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN WHILE DRIVING AT RANDOM. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP. CONSUMER FEELS THAT THE DEALER PUT MORE MILES ON VEHICLE THEN THE CONSUMER FOR TEST DRIVING. BUT YET THE CONDITION CANNOT BE CORRECTED. ALL COSTS STILL GO TO THE CONSUMER. *AK
STEERING WHEEL JERKS WHEN VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ON ANY ROUGH ROAD SURFACE.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT AT 20 MPH IN WHICH THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS. ALSO, MOTOR MOUNTS BROKE IN LOW SPEED CRASH. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
AFTER TRUCK WAS INVOLVED IN AN INTERSECTIONAL CRASH, DRIVER WENT TO GET OUT OF THE TRUCK AND THE AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DEPLOYED, AND BURNED DRIVER'S RIGHT ARM. THE AIR BAG WILL BE REPLACED. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND GO OFF WITHOUT REASON, ONCE THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT ALSO.
FRON TAND REAR ABS BRAKES FAILED. ALSO REPLACED FRONT BRAKE PADS AND SHOES.
WHILE DRIVING THE BRACKET THE HOLDS THE GAS PEDAL IN PLACE BROKE AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL, LEAVING NO ACCELERATION. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL WOULD NOT GO ALL THE WAY DOWN BECAUSE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DANGLING BEHIND THE BRAKE PEDAL. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO COAST SAFELY TO A STOP. THE PROLBEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED.
Official recalls
209V399000 · Vehicle Speed Control
Oct 13, 2009
FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND 1994 F53 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH (SCDS). THE SCDS MAY LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.
Remedy: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE CONNECTOR AND REPAIR AS NECESSARY. REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 27, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-888-222-2751.
96V161000 · Equipment:other:labels
Aug 29, 1996
THE CERTIFICATION LABELS ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES HAS INCORRECT REAR TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE DESIGNATIONS. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: INCORRECT INFLATION PRESSURES COULD CAUSE PREMATURE WEAR OF THE REAR TIRES. .
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH CORRECT CERTIFICATION LABELS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING THESE LABELS. DEALERS CAN INSTALL THIS LABEL IF THE OWNER SO DESIRES.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.