YearToAvoid

2005 Ford Ranger Airbags Problems

NHTSA has 132 owner complaints about airbag problems in the 2005 Ford Ranger, 46% of all 289 complaints for this model year. That is #6 highest airbag complaint count among 17 Ranger model years. These complaints report 13 crashes and 11 injuries. Median mileage at failure: 87,000 miles.

Airbags complaints
132
46% of 289
Crashes reported
13
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
11
Median mileage
87,000 mi
Related recalls
8

When 2005 Ford Ranger airbag complaints were filed

First complaint Feb 12, 2007, latest May 29, 2024.

2005 Ford Ranger airbags complaints: complaints filed per quarter292007 Q12014 Q12015 Q32016 Q32017 Q32018 Q32021 Q12024 Q2
132 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2007 Q1 to 2024 Q2; peak 2018 Q1 (29).

Airbags recalls for the 2005 Ford Ranger

  1. NHTSA 23V306000Apr 28, 2023Airbags231,942 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement front passenger air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

    Risk: An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 23V-125.

  2. NHTSA 23V125000Feb 24, 2023Airbags98,550 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement frontal passenger air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

    Risk: An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 23V-306.

  3. NHTSA 21V076000Feb 17, 2021Airbags144,340 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

  4. NHTSA 21V081000Feb 16, 2021Airbags1,067 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

  5. NHTSA 17V787000Dec 11, 2017Airbags328,213 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is superseding a previous recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to implement a final repair. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V-036 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed.

  6. NHTSA 17V788000Dec 11, 2017Airbags328,213 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is superseding a previous recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to implement a final repair. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V322 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42.

  7. NHTSA 16V036000Jan 25, 2016Airbags361,692 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles manufactured March 24, 2003, to May 4, 2006. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S03. Note: This recall supersedes 14V-343 and only applies to Rangers manufactured in North America.

  8. NHTSA 15V322000May 28, 2015Airbags362,327 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Ranger trucks manufactured March 24, 2003, to May 4, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S22. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 14V-787.

Airbags complaints by Ranger model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 2005132 (46%)
  2. 2006174 (64%)
  3. 2007236 (87%)
  4. 2008295 (90%)
  5. 2009144 (85%)
  6. 2010128 (82%)
  7. 2011196 (83%)
  8. 20141 (100%)
  9. 20161 (100%)
  10. 20171 (100%)
  11. 20194 (1%)
  12. 20203 (2%)
  13. 20212 (2%)
  14. 20221 (3%)
  15. 20232 (11%)
  16. 20243 (4%)
  17. 20252 (5%)

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2005 Ford Ranger have airbag problems?
NHTSA has 132 owner complaints about the airbag in the 2005 Ford Ranger, 46% of all complaints for this model year, including 13 that report a crash. Median mileage at failure is 87,000 miles.
Which Ford Ranger year has the most airbag complaints?
The 2008 Ford Ranger has the most airbag complaints (295), compared with 132 for the 2005.
Is there a airbag recall for the 2005 Ford Ranger?
Yes — 8 NHTSA recall campaigns for the 2005 Ford Ranger concern the airbag: 23V306000, 23V125000, 21V076000, 21V081000, 17V787000, 17V788000, 16V036000, and 15V322000.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.