U.S. public vehicle records

2004 Ford RANGER problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

404 owner complaints analyzed

10 distinct recall campaigns

66,567 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2004 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 218 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 186 of 404 complaints (46.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	47	11.6%
Fuel system concerns	21	5.2%
Transmission and shifting	18	4.5%
Steering behavior	9	2.2%
Engine operation	7	1.7%
Electrical and battery issues	6	1.5%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

186

Structure:Body

Suspension

Electrical System

Vehicle Speed Control

Unknown Or Other

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling

Air Bags: 186; Structure:Body: 35; Suspension: 24; Electrical System: 14; Vehicle Speed Control: 14; Unknown Or Other: 13; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 11; Engine And Engine Cooling: 10

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 45; 25,000 to 49,999: 38; 50,000 to 74,999: 37; 75,000 to 99,999: 35; 100,000 to 149,999: 41; 150,000 and above: 22

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (45). 186 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2003: 1; 2004: 27; 2005: 23; 2006: 27; 2007: 13; 2008: 9; 2009: 11; 2010: 22; 2011: 10; 2012: 4; 2013: 11; 2014: 12; 2015: 19; 2016: 58; 2017: 29; 2018: 82; 2019: 15; 2020: 11; 2021: 6; 2022: 4; 2023: 3; 2024: 3; 2025: 3; 2026: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 47 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 21 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 18 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10053615 · 2004-04-01 (April 1, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THIS CAUSED THE DRIVER TO HIT A TREE. UPON IMPACT, BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED BACK AND NECK INJURIES AND WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 45 MPH, WHEN HE ROUNDED A CURVE, HIT AN ICE, VEHICLE FISH TAILED, HIT AN ICE AND WENT OVER AN EMBANKMENT AND COLLIDED HEAD ON WITH A TREE. UPON COLLISION WITH THE TREE, THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. CONSUMER SUFFERED SEVERE BRUISING OF THE CHEST. F…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10053615 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10063376 · 2004-05-11 (May 11, 2004)

THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS PEDAL BEING TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND TOUCHED THE GAS PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME ON MANY OCCASIONS. *AK *SC *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 3 miles reported. Look up ODI 10063376 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10102007 · 2004-12-02 (December 2, 2004)

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A STARTING PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10102007 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10108012 · 2005-01-27 (January 27, 2005)

TRUCK HAS BEEN SENT TO THE SHOP THREE TIMES ALREADY; 1. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, BACK WINDOW POPPED OUT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON-----PUT IN NEW VALVE BODY IN, PUT WINDOW IN AND RESET CHECK ENGINE LIGHT.*AK 2. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON------NEW PURGE VALVE CANISTER IN ENGINE, FUEL PUMP, NEW FUEL TANK. 3. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS(TRANSMISSION SLIPS), REAR WINDOW OUT AGAIN. 2. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, CHECK ENGI

Owner-reported narrative. 22,184 miles reported. Look up ODI 10108012 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10065165 · 2004-03-29 (March 29, 2004)

CONSUMER WAS ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN AND WITHOUT WARNING TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTED ON ITS OWN. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE AFTER FIVE MINUTES. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10065165 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10073621 · 2004-06-14 (June 14, 2004)

CONSUMER INSISTED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS MOUNTED TOO LOW. THE CONSUMER HIT THE STEERING WHEEL WITH HIS THIGH WHEN CHANGING FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. *AK THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH LEG ROOM TO APPLY THE BRAKES. UPON THE CONSUMERS INSPECTION OF THE PROBLEM, HE DISCOVERED A BOLT IN THE SEAT TRACK WHICH DID NOT ALLOW THE SEAT TO EXTEND FULLY TO THE REAR POSITION. THE BOLT WAS FINE THREAD 2 1/2" LONG-WEDGE IN TRACK-ONE SIDE WORN. THE BOLT WAS REMOVED AND IT WORKED FINE. *SC *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 50 miles reported. Look up ODI 10073621 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10132088 · 2005-08-30 (August 30, 2005)

DT: THERE WAS TREAD SEPARATION ON ALL FOUR TIRES. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER PRORATED THE PRICE TO REPLACE THE TIRES. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS REPLACED ON 6-21-05 AND THE OTHER THREE WERE REPLACED ON 7-26-05. *AK *NM *JB WHILE DRIVING ABOVE 35 MPH THE CONSUMER HEARD THUMPING NOISES AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK. *NM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10132088 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10114033 · 2005-03-13 (March 13, 2005)

FORD RANGER 2004 SPEED STANDARD TRANSMISSION, LOSS OF POWER AND STALLING DURING STANDARD OPERATION, KNOWN BY FORD SINCE 1997 FOR THAT TYPE OF ENGINE.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10114033 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10283414 · 2009-09-09 (September 9, 2009)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD RANGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF SWITCH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNINGS. AS A CONSEQUENCE, HER RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH INCREASED. THE REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF SWITCH AND INSTALLED A PRESSURE RESET LOCATER KIT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,400 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 67,000. UPDATED 01/05/10 *LJ WHEN THE PROBLEM RESURFACED AGAIN, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE SWITCH WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND HE WOULD NEED TO INSTALL A RELOCATOR KIT FOR THE FUEL PRESSU…

Owner-reported narrative. 48,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10283414 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10151518 · 2006-03-01 (March 1, 2006)

PROBLEM WITH LOSS OF ALL DIRECTIONAL AND ABS/BRAKE INDICATOR ON DASHBOARD ON MY 2004 FORD RANGER PICKUP. WHEN PULLING OUT OF STOP ONTO A MAIN THOROUGHFARE, MY DIRECTIONAL QUIT WORKING AS I MADE THE TURN. I TRIED TO CLICK THEM MANUALLY, BUT TO NO AVAIL...AT THE SAME TIME AS I LOST MY DIRECTIONAL, MY ABS/BRAKE FAILURE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. NOT ONLY WAS I NOT ABLE TO SIGNAL A TURN (AT 20:00 HOURS), BUT OTHER DRIVERS COULD NOT SEE MY HAND SIGNALS BECAUSE IT WAS SO DARK. IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO MAKE A TURN (TO RETURN HOME),…

Owner-reported narrative. 45,264 miles reported. Look up ODI 10151518 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10184051 · 2007-03-02 (March 2, 2007)

ON TWO OCCASIONS ALL POWER IN THIS 2004 FORD RANGER VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. THE FIRST TIME IT WOULD NOT RESTART AND AFTER CHECKING THE MANUAL I RESET THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF SWITCH LOCATED BENEATH THE GLOVE BOX AREA AND THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. 3/01/07, LATE EVENING, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER ON AN EXPRESSWAY. LUCKILY, WE WERE IN THE SLOW LANE AND COULD DRIFT TO THE SHOULDER. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION BEFORE PUSHING THE RESET BUTTON FOR THE FUEL PUMP AND IT STARTED. FORD MOTOR CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO AN ASSIGNED LOCAL DEAL…

Owner-reported narrative. 48,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10184051 at NHTSA ↗