Your vehicle report
2000 Ford Ranger
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 670
- Received Dec 1999 to Aug 2022
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Tires blow out or tread separates123 complaints · 18% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Frame rusts and corrodes through101 complaints · 15% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes56 complaints · 8.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #07V336000On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Recall #00V228001Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 86 crashes, 12 fires, 84 people injured, 2 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
- Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines
- Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up
- Front brake rotors warp and wear early
1 more problem
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Tires blow out or tread separates
- Coil springs break and puncture tires
- Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 |
| 2000 | 147 |
| 2001 | 104 |
| 2002 | 72 |
| 2003 | 54 |
| 2004 | 39 |
| 2005 | 28 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 15 |
| 2008 | 19 |
| 2009 | 11 |
| 2010 | 18 |
| 2011 | 27 |
| 2012 | 16 |
| 2013 | 20 |
| 2014 | 23 |
| 2015 | 19 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 670 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 123 | 18% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 101 | 15% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 56 | 8.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 21 | 3.1% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 19 | 2.8% | – | NHTSA recall #00V228001 |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 18 | 2.7% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 14 | 2.1% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 14 | 2.1% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 13 | 1.9% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 13 | 1.9% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 12 | 1.8% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 10 | 1.5% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 10 | 1.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 9 | 1.3% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 8 | 1.2% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 7 | 1.0% | – | |
| Turn signals work intermittently or fail | 7 | 1.0% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 6 | 0.9% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 6 | 0.9% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 6 | 0.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #07V336000August 3, 20073,600,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
This could result in an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact Ford at 1-888-222-2751.
NHTSA recall #00V228001August 18, 2000144,435 vehicles affected
seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began october 26, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #00V094000March 28, 200049 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: cooling system
Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with 2.5L ohc engines. Engine coolant circulation through the heater circuit is prevented because of a plugged heater return tube (water pump inlet tube) at the water pump. These vehicles do not comply with the intent of FMVSS no. 103, "windshield defrosting and defogging systems."
As a result of no heat in the heater circuit, defrost performance is compromised.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the plugged heater water return tubes.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2000 Ford Ranger.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN