VehicleVerdict

2006 Ford Ranger airbags problems

The 2006 Ford Ranger has 174 airbags complaints filed with NHTSA — 55% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

174

Airbags complaints

55%

Share of year

10

Crash-involved

10

Related recalls

Airbags complaints by year

Related recalls

23V306000AirbagsApril 28, 2023 · 231,942 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

23V125000AirbagsFebruary 24, 2023 · 98,550 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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 This recall has been fully superseded by recall 23V-306.

21V076000AirbagsFebruary 17, 2021 · 144,340 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

21V081000AirbagsFebruary 16, 2021 · 1,067 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

18V023000AirbagsJanuary 11, 2018 · 33,310 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks. Ford is requesting owners NOT TO DRIVE these vehicles until they have been repaired. On January 11, 2018, Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 2,700 model year 2006 Ranger vehicles built with driver-side air bag inflators . As of February 9, 2018, Ford is expanding the recall to a total of 33,310 model year 2006 Ranger vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Consequence

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

Remedy

Ford will notify owners instructing them to not drive their vehicles, and dealers will replace the front driver side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall for the original population began on January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S02.

18V022000AirbagsJanuary 11, 2018 · 33,310 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006 Ford Ranger trucks. Ford is requesting owners NOT TO DRIVE these vehicles until they have been repaired. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode. On January 11, 2018, Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 2,700 model year 2006 Ranger vehicles built with passenger-side air bag inflators. As of February 9, 2018, Ford is expanding the recall to a total of 33,310 model year 2006 Ranger vehicles built with passenger-side air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Consequence

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

Remedy

Ford will notify owners instructing them to not drive their vehicles, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall for the original population began on January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S02.

17V788000AirbagsDecember 11, 2017 · 328,213 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

17V787000AirbagsDecember 11, 2017 · 328,213 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

16V036000AirbagsJanuary 25, 2016 · 361,692 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

15V322000AirbagsMay 28, 2015 · 362,327 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

What owners report

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 FORD RANGER XLT WHEN I LOST CONTROL AND ROLLED THE VEHICLE 4 - 5 TIMES. I WAS WEARING MY SEAT BELT/SHOULDER HARNESS, BUT THE AIRBAGS ON NEITHER SIDE DEPLOYED, EVEN THOUGHT THE FRONT END AND CAB WAS DESTROYED. THE TRUCK WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS AND I AM NOW FACED WITH REHAB…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Airbags · August 3, 2006 · crash

Common questions

How many airbags complaints does the 2006 Ford Ranger have?

NHTSA has 174 complaints about the 2006 Ford Ranger airbags — 55% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2006 Ford Ranger airbags?

Yes — 10 NHTSA recall campaigns for this model year are tied to the airbags: 15V322000, 16V036000, 17V787000, 17V788000, 18V022000, 18V023000, 21V076000, 21V081000, 23V125000, 23V306000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.