988 of the 10,502 complaints filed about the Ford Ranger are about the braking system — 9% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 1994.
988
Complaints
9%
Share of all complaints
140
Crashes
14
Fires
SERVICE BRAKES
one brake rotor has warping issues from faulty made parts,truck only has 11,000 miles and should not have an issue with brake rotors.Espically just one
NHTSA complaint #11744377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
During low speed driving, mainly stop and go traffic the truck will randomly lunge forward when the brake pedal is engaged. It happens when accelerating and the truck will shift in to second gear, then if you apply the brake the truck will act like it is going to stall, the engine rpm will spike and the truck will launch forward. If you dont force the brake pedal to the floor, the truck will continue to accelerate, potentially slamming into another vehicle. This has happened multiple times, the dealer has rebuilt the transmission and that fixed the issue for the last 6-8k miles. the issue has returned and the truck is back at the dealership for diagnostics. This is becoming a serious safety concern and the potential that someone gets hurt grows every day. I have seen other complaints on the internet about this same issue in trucks with the same transmission.
NHTSA complaint #11741626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brakes failed within hours of owning the Certified, WARRANTIED VEHICLE. ALMOST had an accident. Within <5 weeks of owning this warrantied certified vehicle, was stranded on Rine Ridge Indian Reservation and on the highway. Engine jerk so bad feels like I a derby car. Then just stalls. The dont comply with their own 172 point certified inspection. They claim two keys for specified vehicle. They gave me two 1 starts the vehicle the other errors no key in ignition when you insert into ignition. NOW I have to pay bills to get a warrantied certified vehicle repaired plus loaner car because Ford McKie k owing sold an Unsafe vehicle under deceptive pretense. Multiple engine and brake failures which was supposedly certified inspected.
NHTSA complaint #11735236 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake pedal is extremely soft and routinely travels to the floor during normal driving conditons. It also catches at various levels. It is impossible to tap the brakes to slow the vehicle down when rounding a corner which has led to several scary incidents and near misses. The truck is currently at Crossroads Ford in Indian Trail NC for 3 weeks. It has been there once before and 3 times at Town and Country Ford in Charlotte. Both dealers said this is the way the brakes are supposed to work. I was also told by a service manager that this is due to the electronic braking system and they are reluctant to spend time on troubleshooting because Ford cut their renumeration. A service Field Engineer stated that the brakes were in spec and traveled 2 3/4" toward the floor. This is a subjective observation as every person uses different foot pressure. The gas pedal is at 3" off the floor and the brakes are 5". The brake pedal passes the gas pedal and many times, my foot hits both pedals. My inspection with a ruler shows the brake pedal going 1 1/2" past the gas pedal. There were no warnings the first time this happened. I have taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who bled air out of both rear brake lines which helped. This repair lasted 3 months and now the issue is back. I've been told by independent mechanics that the problem is in the ABS module (which pulls the pedal to the floor when activated).
NHTSA complaint #11734275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The brakes and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 226,000.
NHTSA complaint #11729501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
When i move my foot from the gas to the brake several times the shoe has caught the plastic trim above the gas pedal, and several times it has also caught the plastic trim piece on the right side of the gas pedal. This has kept me from braking quickly because the shoe gets stuck on the trim and i have to move the shoe away from me and down towards the gas pedal, and then keep it lower while i move it over to the brake pedal. Very unsafe and possible accident causing design.
NHTSA complaint #11726015 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The first time I drove my Ford Ranger and went to brake, I was startled by my right shoe getting tangled and wedged on something. I was able to get to the brake and come to a stop in plenty of time but it did give my heart a jump. It has happened several times with my husband as well. The clearance between the lower part of the dash and the accelerator and brake pedals needs reconfiguring as your right foot barely fits. If I am wearing my winter shoes or work boots, it is far worse. In a panic situation, one may not be able to stop the vehicle in time.
NHTSA complaint #11722392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I came up to a stop sign on a snow cover highway. When I applied the brakes my ABS brakes came on, but instead of slowing down, I felt the vehicle accelerating instead. I was pushed into the middle of the intersection and involved in an accident. An accident report was filed with the state of Wisconsin. No injuries occurred. I mentioned the problem to the Ford dealer, but they said there was no recall notice on file. An insurance adjuster inspected the damage to my vehicle last week. I have made an appointment with a body shop in February. I have not driven the vehicle since the accident. There were no warning messages before the accident.
NHTSA complaint #11710739 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake pad fell off while driving, it hasn’t been serviced by anyone else except the manufacturer. It’s a manufacturer failure and a safety issue. The dealer ship refused to provide an inspection report of the vehicle
NHTSA complaint #11700807 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I have had the truck for 2 weeks. Three times I've almost rearended a car in front because of a braking system that doesn't stop the truck quickly enough. The pedal will travel 6" at times before it engages. This is very dangerous especially when braking when travelling around curves or round a bouts. I've taken the vehicle to two dealers and an independent brake shop. Dealers say it's normal. Independent brake shop warned against driving the truck. Town and Country stated that the pedal going to the floor is normal. No warning prior to this incident.
NHTSA complaint #11683910 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
We were making a right through an intersection at a speed of 9MPH when the car in front of us hit their brakes unexpectedly. My 30 year old son was driving and felt like the brakes did not respond when he pressed them. My truck did not stop until it hit the car in front of us. It did start beeping just before impact and the dash lit up but the brakes didn’t engage until after impact.
NHTSA complaint #11681122 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
When truck was new at 400 miles Abs traction controll rear collision and all braking erro codes were displayed on dash. Brought to dealer had a bad wheel speed sensor in rear. At that time I asked about large amount of rear brakes dust on vehicle like if the brakes were dragging. Technician said just poor oem pads. Now at 14k miles rear pads at 6mm thickness back wheels are always covered in brake dust. I was at dealer asked if there is anything they could do regarding initial build quality. Dealer said no there is no fault just poorly made pads. As a consumer ths is less then except able of a vehicle to almost need new rear brakes at 14k miles. Delaer should be replacing these pads on there behalf not the customer.
NHTSA complaint #11679680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
On more than one occasion but still infrequently, I have been coming to a stop and while braking, the engine revs and lurches forward while I'm attempting to stop. It is rare that it happens but it is very scary when it does happen. No warning lights appear. I have submitted a request to the dealer who sold us the truck. But it happens to infrequently that it would be difficult to reproduced by a dealer. It has happened approximately 5 times since purchasing the vehicle in December 2020. Approximate date of most recent event below.
NHTSA complaint #11675521 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while her son was operating the vehicle, the message "Brake Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the ABS Module had failed, and a software update was needed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 100.
NHTSA complaint #11671569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there were several warning lights illuminated with an abnormal beeping sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer was informed to open the doors, turn off and restart the vehicle off to reset the system. In addition, the contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop as intended while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that recently while driving at slow speeds down a hill during inclement weather, the ABS failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the recent failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
NHTSA complaint #11670859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle randomly upon start up, shows error codes on dash, of important Safety System Tech, including: Pre-collision Assist not available Service Advance Trac Auto Hold System Fault Antilock Brake Fault Service vehicle soon Vehicle warnings make Truck unsafe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11670110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Several warning lights, which included: ABS failure, Parking Assist Failure, Lane Avoidance Failure, Traction Control Failure, as well as having steering difficulty. ( mileage 24500 ). The problem was found by dealer to be an eletrical connector underneath the vehicle at the mid point, with their belief that it was corrosion, which I believe to be a defective component and design. I contacted Ford but they were not interested in retrevale of the connector, so as to diagnose the failure. ( I am keeping the connector )
NHTSA complaint #11668605 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I nearly hit the back another vehicle stopped for a red light when my foot caught the edge of the gas pedal. The brake pedal depresses passed the height of the gas pedal. I understand this is a commonly reported Ford ranger issue . I understand a brake bleed software procedure will fix the problem . There apparently is a Ford TSB regarding soft brake pedal issue. I bought the truck new in 2021 and have less than 6000 miles on it. I thought the braking was normal . The bumper to bumper warranty I'll not cover brake issue due to the 36000 3 year coverage.
NHTSA complaint #11667128 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake pedal sits too high and there are obstructions under the dashboard. I'm a size 10.5 shoe, when transitioning from gas to brake, I need to lift my foot, then when transitioning the top of my foot left, it hits braces/panels under the dash and delays my braking. It's possible under the worst of conditions, that this could be a factor in an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11667014 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Air vent under steering wheel does not provide proper clearance for brake applications. Foot gets tangled/caught on vent. Had a few close calls during emergency situations. Problem gets worse with thicker sole shoes.
NHTSA complaint #11648889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.