The 2003 Ford Ranger has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 4,500,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 310 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND 1994 F53 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SPEED…
Consequence
A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.
Remedy
FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE CONNECTOR AND REPAIR AS NECESSARY. REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 27,…
Complaints by component
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
31
11crashes19injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
25
1crashes
SUSPENSION
21
3crashes2injuries
AIR BAGS
18
7crashes6injuries1deaths
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
17
3crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
14
6fires2injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
12
ENGINE
9
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
9
1fires
STRUCTURE
9
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints310
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Ford knows about the problems with the dual clutch and they are refusing to fix them. I have been giving the run around om trying to get my car fixed. I am a disabled veteran and all I get is they can't help. I just found out about these cars have this problem and ford has know about his problem…”
“Truck has no spare tire, totally missing the assembly and bracket originally used to hold the tire (have a junk one in the bed). The crossmember under the truck is about 50% intact is getting ready to fall off. Brake lines and rocker panals rotted out as well. Holes in the frame starting and a…”
“Truck has no spare tire, totally missing the assembly and bracket originally used to hold the tire (have a junk one in the bed). The crossmember under the truck is about 50% intact is getting ready to fall off. Brake lines and rocker panals rotted out as well. Holes in the frame starting and a…”
“Truck has no spare tire, totally missing the assembly and bracket originally used to hold the tire (have a junk one in the bed). The crossmember under the truck is about 50% intact is getting ready to fall off. Brake lines and rocker panals rotted out as well. Holes in the frame starting and a…”
“Airbag warning light always on.”
“Airbag warning light always on.”
“Airbag warning light always on.”
“The frame of my truck has rotted through. The strap that holds the gas tank has nothing to connect to, I think the tank could fall to the ground under the right circumstances. The frame has a large whole in it and I fear it will break very soon. I had to remove the spare tire because I feared it…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE05066 Opened 2005-12-05 · closed 2006-03-24
BRAKE LIGHTS INOPERATIVE
THIS PE WAS OPENED BASED ON TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) #05-6-19 ISSUED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND SERVICE BULLETIN #09-008/5 ISSUED BY MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION TO ADDRESS CONCERNS OF THE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LIGHT (CHMSL) WIRING HARNESS CHAFFING. THE TSB'S AFFECTED THE FORD SUPER CAB AND MAZDA CAB PLUS…
InvestigationPE05066 Opened 2005-12-05 · closed 2006-03-24
BRAKE LIGHTS INOPERATIVE
THIS PE WAS OPENED BASED ON TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) #05-6-19 ISSUED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND SERVICE BULLETIN #09-008/5 ISSUED BY MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION TO ADDRESS CONCERNS OF THE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LIGHT (CHMSL) WIRING HARNESS CHAFFING. THE TSB'S AFFECTED THE FORD SUPER CAB AND MAZDA CAB PLUS…
InvestigationPE05066 Opened 2005-12-05 · closed 2006-03-24
BRAKE LIGHTS INOPERATIVE
THIS PE WAS OPENED BASED ON TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) #05-6-19 ISSUED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND SERVICE BULLETIN #09-008/5 ISSUED BY MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION TO ADDRESS CONCERNS OF THE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LIGHT (CHMSL) WIRING HARNESS CHAFFING. THE TSB'S AFFECTED THE FORD SUPER CAB AND MAZDA CAB PLUS…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Ford Ranger as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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