FaultScore

Ford Ranger fuel system problems

547 of the 10,502 complaints filed about the Ford Ranger are about the fuel system — 5% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 1997.

547

Complaints

5%

Share of all complaints

20

Crashes

40

Fires

Fuel & Propulsion complaints by model year

1983 Ranger 1 0.2%
1984 Ranger 1 0.2%
1985 Ranger 2 0.4%
1986 Ranger 4 0.7%
1987 Ranger 7 1.3%
1988 Ranger 7 1.3%
1989 Ranger 10 1.8%

Median failure at 71,814 miles

1990 Ranger 12 2.2%

Median failure at 1,000 miles

1991 Ranger 4 0.7%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

1992 Ranger 11 2.0%

Median failure at 51,697 miles

1993 Ranger 22 4.0%

Median failure at 90,000 miles

1994 Ranger 65 11.9%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

1995 Ranger 25 4.6%

Median failure at 104,271 miles

1996 Ranger 39 7.1%

Median failure at 116,500 miles

1997 Ranger 71 13.0%

Median failure at 103,000 miles

1998 Ranger 20 3.7%

Median failure at 143,500 miles

1999 Ranger 20 3.7%

Median failure at 126,500 miles

2000 Ranger 27 4.9%

Median failure at 107,305 miles

2001 Ranger 31 5.7%

Median failure at 81,000 miles

2002 Ranger 17 3.1%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

2003 Ranger 19 3.5%

Median failure at 56,186 miles

2004 Ranger 22 4.0%

Median failure at 62,224 miles

2005 Ranger 50 9.1%

Median failure at 48,199 miles

2006 Ranger 16 2.9%

Median failure at 45,000 miles

2007 Ranger 1 0.2%

Median failure at 120,000 miles

2008 Ranger 2 0.4%

Median failure at 4,574 miles

2009 Ranger 2 0.4%

Median failure at 65,537 miles

2010 Ranger 4 0.7%

Median failure at 55,000 miles

2011 Ranger 6 1.1%

Median failure at 35,000 miles

2019 Ranger 9 1.6%

Median failure at 8,400 miles

2020 Ranger 2 0.4%
2021 Ranger 8 1.5%
2022 Ranger 2 0.4%
2023 Ranger 1 0.2%

Median failure at 50 miles

2024 Ranger 6 1.1%
2025 Ranger 1 0.2%

What owners said

2024 Ford Ranger Oak Hill, VA

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

On multiple occasions while making a left or right turn and trying to accelerate, there is no input via the gas pedal. The truck will not accelerate at all. It takes a random amount of time before any throttle input is registered, which is usually followed by rapid acceleration.

NHTSA complaint #11749997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford Ranger Quakertown, PA

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

When accelerating, occasionally there is a hesitation. This becomes dangerous when accelerating from a side street onto a 55mph road when there’s an occasional break in traffic that I need to jump into. There’s been times where I got concerned when it hesitated and there was oncoming traffic. The other day I was going under 10mph around a curve and it hesitated so much, I looked at my gas gauge, thinking I was running out of gas (but I had a half tank). I’ve seen complaints online about this problem. I’ve had it to two different dealers and they found nothing wrong. I’ve had this problem since I purchased it new and I now have 12K miles. Thank you! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11738091 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford Ranger Washington, NC

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

My 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor has been suddenly losing power or stumbling upon initial acceleration. This has been occurring intermittently since it was nearly new. My truck now has approximately 10,500 miles. The problem has become increasingly frequent. It seems to occur most often when accelerating from a complete stop. The loss of power can last for several seconds, then afterwards, normal power is regained. It poses a safety risk since it has nearly caused collisions. Several times, the truck has lost power while making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. It simply will not accelerate, and I find that I am stuck, unable to complete my turn and clear the oncoming traffic. Once when accelerating away from a stoplight, the truck lost power, and I was nearly struck by following vehicle. I have taken my truck to a local dealer who attempted to diagnose the problem and they didn’t offer a solution since they were unable to reproduce the problem during their road test. It has happened many times since then and I am scheduled to return the vehicle to the same dealership to attempt to diagnose and fix the problem again soon. The problem seems to occur, regardless of which drive mode the truck is in and also occurs with Electronic Stability Control both enabled and disabled. There are no warning lights or check engine codes shown.

NHTSA complaint #11728371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Winston, GA

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

My truck loses power at a stop, starting to accelerate is stalls in the middle of the road. It seems to be stuck in gear or not going in gear. It will finally start going and the hesitation starts a the rpm gage goes up to about 3000 rpm’s and then goes back down to 1500. This is extremely dangerous to lose power in the middle of the road. This needs to be addressed.

NHTSA complaint #11719560 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Ford Ranger Hillsboro, MO Crash

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I washed the truck and sprayed the undercarriage. I drove it about 5 miles home without any issues. I stopped at the bottom of my driveway to get the mail.My driveway is about 150’ long and has a moderate up hill grade. At the top of the driveway I had to turn left to pull into the garage.I also had to stop to open the garage door. I don’t have a garage door opener. As I started turning left the truck suddenly lunged forward as if it was floored.I had been approaching the garage very slow knowing that I had to stop to manually open the door. I was unable to stop, drove through the door taking down both garage doors and the pillar between them. I have lived here for 35 years I have pulled in and out of this garage literally thousands of times without incident.The pedals were not obstructed by anything, and I’m positive I applied the brakes and not the accelerator. There is a lot of damage to the house, truck, a new motorcycle and a large commercial type lawnmower. As bad as this is I know it could have been worse.If this had happened in traffic or around pedestrians I hate to imagine what might have happened. I was only able to find 2 other people on the internet who said they had a similar experience with the same model and year truck. If the dealership cannot find or diagnose what happened, I will not feel safe driving this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11710820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford Ranger De Soto, KS

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Loss of power/accelleration. Multiple times. Issue has always occurred when turning left quickly then trying to accellerate. to make the immediate uphill. The accellerator goes dead for 3-4 seconds, then works. Engine RPM does not speed up when commanded, but then does after several seconds. By then it has been pushed to the floor attempting to make it over the upcoming hill. This is going to cause an accident, especially when pavement is slick, then truck quickly responds to the pedal position. The truck displays no codes or lights. Dealer says they have no idea what it could be. There are multiple reports on [XXX] . [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11703525 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford Ranger Plano, TX

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I purchased a Ford Ranger truck with an EPA/NHTSA fuel economy label stating 20 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, 22 mpg combined. In reality, despite proper maintenance, the vehicle achieves only 16.26 mpg combined and as low as 14.72 mpg in city. While I understand fuel economy varies, this discrepancy is significant and may pose safety concerns. I relied on accurate fuel economy estimates to plan trips and refueling. This overstated MPG has lead me to unexpected fuel depletion, and stranding me in an unsafe condition (ran out of gas on HWY 287). I request NHTSA review whether Ford’s labeling practices meet regulatory standards and whether corrective action is warranted. I have taken the Ford Ranger to two different dealerships. One, Ford Automation, Frisco, Texas, refused to investigate what might be the issue, as they stated that was normal for the Ford Ranger. The second dealership, Five Star Ford, Dallas, Texas, reported in their tests they were averaging 26.1 mpg, combined. They did not tell me how they arrived at that figure. Your site would not allow me to upload fuel receipts to prove my statements above.

NHTSA complaint #11702371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Ranger West Columbia, SC

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

My 2019 Ford Ranger 4x4 was bought new in April of 2019 and has approxiamatly 73,400 miles. Over time a slight glitch in the transission got to be more frequent. When first starting out within the first mile of operation, the vehicle would hang between gears and act like it ran out of fuel for a few seconds at low speed, as in pulling out from a stop sign or accelerating from a dead stop. My guess is inbetween first and second or second and third gear. It just wouldn'd go. Fortunatley I was not involved in any accidents. I can see where this could easily cause a mjor accident. There are several TSB's for this transmission and I believe Ford and General Motors use this same transmission. I have had my truck at the dealer for almost a month after it got scary to drive it got scary to drive. They are repairing this and contributing to the cost. I feel ike they no there is a problem and probably should have done a recall before someone gets killed.

NHTSA complaint #11693113 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford Ranger West Palm Beach, FL

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

The truck randomly loses power, sometimes after rounding a corner, getting into turn lane, or over a speedbump the accelerator is dead for 1-2 seconds and the truck does not move forward. It has left me in a precarious position in the middle of the road with on coming traffic.

NHTSA complaint #11681991 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 Ford Ranger at 50 miles Mohawk, WV

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the fuel pump erroneously activated, sending fuel to the engine. The contact had to restart and turn off the vehicle for the fuel pump to shut off. The failure occurred intermittently, but frequently. The dealer was contacted regarding a possible recall; however, the contact was unable to speak with a representative. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

NHTSA complaint #11679805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Frisco, TX

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

When I accelerate after a stop my truck starts jerking when shifting thru lower gears and the check engine light flashes. To increase my speed I have to slowly press the gas until it shifts thru gears. After it shifts thru the lower gears it appears to be okay. It doesn't do it at each stop but is now happening more frequently. I don't know if it's a transmission problem or fuel pump. Current mileage is around 62000. If I'm on the highway it will sometimes start jerking while the using cruise control and I have hit the brakes and take over acceleration. I've now parked the truck because dealer cannot get to it for 3-4 weeks.

NHTSA complaint #11665453 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Champlain, NY

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

It started moth my vehicle losing power and chugging , dealership diagnosed as transmission (10 speed ). After all of the Ford appointed tasks to fix said problem, valves were replaced , did not work then entire transmission was replaced . After 7 times in the shop and many missed work hours . Maybe 2 weeks later truck starts bucking as I enter the highway , was close to getting rear ended . Brought vehicle to dealership 2 weeks later diagnosed with the turbo going out in it . And then Friday 3/14 driving home from work the check engine light comes on. Says emission issues ? Also says need to service engine soon . Dealership says it is fine to drive they will call me when they can figure it out ? My vehicle ha less than 25k miles these issues started when I had 17k on it Started 8/5/24

NHTSA complaint #11648759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Ranger Cleveland, SC

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

When turning on to another road and accelerating, engine will suddenly loose all power. releasing accelerator will regain some power until vehicle speed increases. Throttle control is often erratic and transmission shifting is inconsistent resulting in hard clunks during shift. Pulling into traffic with a sudden loss of power leaves me vulnerable to a collision.

NHTSA complaint #11636744 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Winslow, ME

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Oil level 1/2 quart high, and smells like gasoline.? Actual mileage on truck is 8,544 last oil change @ dealership @ Wiscasset Ford on 5/6/24 in Wiscasset, Maine. 378 Bath Road 04578-9431 I was informed this is an issue. But what is the fix.?

NHTSA complaint #11611440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Sequim, WA

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Excessive fuel in the oil. Oil smells of gas and is diluted. Almost a quart high at 3000 mile mark. Dealer and Ford admit this may be an issue on some engines but it is supposed to be normal??? We installed a pcv catch can and it will fill up with fuel in about 800-1000 miles. That is almost 8 ozs. The included photo shows oil at about 4000 miles. The second hole you see in the dipstick is above the full mark.

NHTSA complaint #11606865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Fort Smith, AR

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Water leaks into spark plug wells causing vehicle to lose power no cover is over the sparkplugs

NHTSA complaint #11605717 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Ranger Lawton, OK

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

There is insufficient shielding to prevent water from reaching the top of the engine. This results in water dripping on the coil packs and also entering the spark plug wells, causing loss of spark and reduced engine output. Over time, this issue also leads to rust in the engine head, potentially resulting in engine failure. Additionally, water can reach the EGR DPFE sensor, causing the engine to hesitate and shutter at various speeds. Both of these issues together cause a misfire when applying the accelerator and will cause the vehicle to initially hesitate then surge forward. Even with the engine cover, the venting at the base of the windshield allows water to drip down on the engine head, causing the above issues. Ford does recognize that there is an issue and have written several TSBs on the it.

NHTSA complaint #11604011 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Ford Ranger Crossville, TN

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

The critical level of FUEL DILUTION (Fuel% = 5.5) in the motor oil of this vehicle's 2.3L EcoBoost engine poses a Safety Hazard due to its system's Fuel Leaks and Fire Danger probability existing since the vehicle purchase. I am concerned for the safety of everyone because this vehicle has been evaluated to be a Fire Hazard with 104.5C via ASTM D93 Closed Cup Flash Point. The Motorcraft's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is listed as >185C. Ford Motor Company (FMC) inspected the vehicle numerous times but safety issues remain. For this reason, I took it out of service and parked at my residence until this problem would be resolved entirely in according with the law. The vehicle mustn't be driven on its power.

NHTSA complaint #11594530 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Ford Ranger Canon, GA

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

When driving between 40 & 45 miles per hour truck start jerking and skipping also burning lots more fuel.

NHTSA complaint #11592574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Ford Ranger Armada, MI

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Went on a trip with the vehicle. When returning to home put the vehicle in the garage. Came out the next day and the Garage smelled like a gas can. Looked all around could not find signs of the gas. Got in the truck and was overwhelmed by gas smell. Moved the vehicle out of the garage. Googled the issue and found 170 pages of people with the same issue. The engine is filling with gas and overfilling the engine. Lots of people have taken vehicles to the dealer and ford is advising changing the oil more often and not drive short trips. This seems to be a possible fire hazard to me. If continued driving the gas will eventually come out and pour onto the hot engine resulting in a fire?

NHTSA complaint #11582507 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Ford Ranger problems