2011 Ford Ranger Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2011 Ford Ranger has a complaint index of 75, ranking 5th worst among 17 model years, and carries an Avoid verdict. Airbags dominate at 83% of complaints (196 of 235), tied to two do-not-drive recalls for inflators that can fail to deploy.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 75/100
- #5 of 17 Ranger years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 235
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 5
- 2 Do Not Drive
- Crashes
- 9
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 9
- Top issue
- Airbags
- NHTSA overall rating
- 2 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 17.5
- 15.5 city / 20.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 9 / 0
Top 2011 Ford Ranger problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Airbags196 (83%)
- Electrical System11 (5%)
- Brakes8 (3%)
- Structure & Body8 (3%)
- Engine7 (3%)
- Fuel System6 (3%)
- Transmission & Powertrain5 (2%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires4 (2%)
- Other3 (1%)
- Steering1 (0%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags fail to deploy in low-speed and moderate-speed frontal or side-impact crashes.
- Front wheels have detached while driving, in some cases causing the truck to roll.
- Brake pedal has been depressed with no response or no brake light activation, leading to rear-end collisions.
- Fuel has spilled from the filler neck onto the vehicle and ground during refueling.
- An electrical fire occurred under the hood after the truck was shut off.
- Rear turn signals and stop lights have stopped working.
2011 Ford Ranger recalls
5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 21V158000Mar 10, 2021Airbags2,602,668 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: 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 replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
- 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.
- NHTSA 19V001000Jan 7, 2019Airbags782,384 vehiclesDo Not Drive
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants 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 frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
2011 Ford Ranger fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 15.5 MPG
- Highway
- 20.5 MPG
- Combined
- 17.5 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,700
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2011 compared with other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2011 Ford Ranger reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2011 Ranger ranks 5th worst out of 17 model years with a complaint index of 75, earning an Avoid verdict relative to other Ranger years.
- What is the main problem with the 2011 Ford Ranger?
- Airbags are the top problem area, making up 83% of complaints (196 of 235), including reports of non-deployment in crashes at a median mileage of 50,000.
- Does the 2011 Ford Ranger have a do-not-drive recall?
- Yes. NHTSA lists five recalls for the 2011 Ranger, two of which are do-not-drive recalls covering airbag inflator and module defects.
- How does the 2011 Ranger compare to other years?
- The 2011 Ranger's complaint index of 75 is higher than 2005 (69), 2007 (44), 2009 (63), and 2010 (31), but lower than 2008 (88) and 2019 (94).
- What is the fuel economy of the 2011 Ford Ranger?
- The 2011 Ranger gets an EPA-rated 17.5 mpg combined (15.5 city / 20.5 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,700.