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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 1
Average Mileage:
47,489 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Ford Ranger seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2003 Ford Ranger Owner Comments

problem #18

Apr 042023

Ranger

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Airbag warning light always on.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #17

Aug 102019

Ranger

  • 129,000 miles
The contact owned a 2003 Ford Ranger. While driving at 35 mph, the spindle on the driver side tire rod broke. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle swerved from lane to lane the vehicle went off the road. The vehicle became air born and crashed in a tree. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belts wouldn't buckle. The contact sustained a cut from their ear to their throat from the seat belt, the contact also had a burn mark from the seat belt. The contact sought medical attention. The contact's brother was in the vehicle was as well. They sustained an injury but didn't receive medical attention. The contact's brother sustained a cracked rib. The contact's vehicle was the only vehicle evolved in this crash. No other medical attention was needed. A police report was made. The vehicle was totaled. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 129,000.

- Wentworth, MO, USA

problem #16

Aug 212019

Ranger 6-cyl

  • miles
I bought this truck used, is there a recall on the airbags or any other recalls of any kind ?? thanks

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #15

Jan 182018

Ranger

  • 4,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. The contact took the vehicle to friendly Ford (2800 N telegraph rd, monroe, mi 48162) to be repaired per an unknown air bag recall. Upon arriving at the dealer, the contact was charged a fee to replace wires that were cut during the air bag replacement. The contact received another recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 17V788000 (air bags). The contact had not taken the vehicle back to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 4,000.

- Monroe, MI, USA

problem #14

Sep 132017

Ranger

  • 180,000 miles
Air bag light keeps coming on and the dealership says that it is a defect with the airbag. I do not want to pay for the price of replacing it ~ if it is the companies fault that made the airbag.

- Doniphan, NE, USA

problem #13

Oct 232017

Ranger

  • 155,680 miles
I was recently an accident during which 3 things occurred that contributed to my injuries. The first thing that happened was steering wheel lockup preventing me from turning out of the way. The 2nd & 3rd things occurred when the truck was in free fall. First of all the seatbelt failed to restrained my body during the accident sending me straight into the steering wheel during which time the air bag failed to deploy. So there was nothing to brake my impact to said steering wheel. All of the this took place on a freeway at high speeds I was lucky that my injuries were not worse then they are and in time they will heal. I was lucky, but the next person may not be so, you need to look into this matter thoroughly because the next person may die as a result of these safety failures, and that is something none us want.

- Spring Valley, CA, USA

problem #12

Oct 272017

Ranger

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall

- Waller, TX, USA

problem #11

Feb 052016

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V036000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. Updated 06/14/16 updated 06/29/16.

- Hilo, HI, USA

problem #10

Feb 022016

Ranger

  • 78,000 miles
Tacata recall airbag light is flashing the stays on.not sure what is causing it but it could be serious if the bags do not work when needed. It came on about 1 month ago. Starts as soon as you start truck. Other light that just started flashing today over drive light started flashing but has now stopped.this is a 03 Ford Ranger

- Apple Valley, CA, USA

problem #9

Jan 092016

Ranger

  • miles
My uncle was driving 60 mph when he swerved & loss control of his Ford Ranger. He crossed over the oncoming traffic lane going off the road hitting a sign, then hit an embankment, then flipped over several times. The airbags did not deploy & my uncle died as a result.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #8

Oct 132011

Ranger

  • 122,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hit a car on the freeway at approximately 50-55 mph. Front end and left front tire damaged, hood tented, tripped failsafe in fuel line, but neither driver nor passenger airbag deployed.

- Norwalk, CA, USA

problem #7

Apr 072008

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that his air bags were not functioning correctly because the air bag light constantly remained illuminated. The failure was noticed while driving 30 mph. He has scheduled an appointment with the dealer for April 14, 2008 to have the vehicle diagnosed. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were approximately 48,000.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #6

Oct 042007

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 79,384 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Ranger. While driving 35 mph, the gravel road caused the vehicle to swerve to the right and then quickly to the left. The contact drove into an embankment and rolled over numerous times. The vehicle landed on its roof. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed. The driver sustained lacerations to the scalp, right side of the face, and bruising to the left shoulder. The passenger sustained lacerations to the scalp, a fracture of the T-2 vertebrae, a hernia to the abdomen, and bleeding between the scalp and skull. The passenger's left eye was filled with blood, resulting in a black eye. The police arrived at the scene and filed a report. Ford Motor Company stated that they were performing an inquiry. The failure and current mileages were 79,384. Updated 03-05-08

- Craig, CO, USA

problem #5

Apr 032005

Ranger 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Vehicle was traveling on the road at about 65 mph when driver swerved to the right to avoid debris. This caused the driver to lose control, and vehicle flipped over four times. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy.

- Beaumont, TX, USA

problem #4

Jan 202004

Ranger

  • 15,240 miles
The air bag warning light remained illuminated while driving. The dealer replaced the pre-tensioner and retractor circuit.

- Imperial Beach, CA, USA

problem #3

Apr 212004

(reported on)

Ranger

  • 18,264 miles
While driving air bag light illuminated and stayed on the remainder of the time that vehicle was being operated. The dealership tried to repair vehicle twice, but same problem recurred.

- Imperial Beach, CA, USA

problem #2

Apr 212004

Ranger 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 15,240 miles
The air bag light continuously illuminated on the dashboard. As a result, air bags were inoperative, and wouldn't deploy when needed. Dealership inspected and fixed the air bags three times. However, the problem recurred twice.

- Imperial Beach, CA, USA

problem #1

Mar 092004

Ranger 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 10,000 miles
I was envolved in a vehicle accident on 3/9/04 and the air bag did not deploy. The median wall was hit head on at approximately 45 to 50 mph.

- Monroe, MI, USA

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