"How reliable is the 2003 Ford Ranger?"

"Based on 307 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Ford Ranger has a median complaint mileage of 56186 miles. The most common issue is Vehicle Speed Control."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Ford Ranger?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Ford Ranger is Vehicle Speed Control, accounting for a significant portion of the 307 total complaints filed."

2003 Ford Ranger: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 307 complaints

307

Total Complaints

56,186mi

Median Mileage

Vehicle Speed Control

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

15,000 25th Percentile

56,186 Median Mileage

104,850 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Vehicle Speed Control

Body

Suspension

Air Bags

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Electrical System

Unknown Or Other

Engine

Structure

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TREAD IS SEPARATING ON THREE OF THE TIRES. DT"

"CONSUMER STATES THAT SEATBELTS ARE INOPRATIVE IN AN EVENT OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT, BECAUSE SEATBELTS ARE ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE DOORS. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS"

"THE SEAT BELT(S) WHICH ARE IN THE REAR, (IF IN AN ACCIDENT/ROLL OVER), THE REAR DOOR(S) MAY OPEN AND THROW A PERSON OUT. SCC"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Vehicle Speed Control 30 complaints

25th: 5,500 mi Median: 59,000 mi 75th: 98,250 mi

Body 25 complaints

25th: 71,305 mi Median: 101,260 mi 75th: 129,750 mi

Suspension 21 complaints

25th: 57,450 mi Median: 103,560 mi 75th: 128,250 mi

Air Bags 18 complaints

25th: 15,240 mi Median: 63,000 mi 75th: 123,750 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 16 complaints

25th: 15,250 mi Median: 58,600 mi 75th: 62,390 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 38 OH: 23 TX: 22 NY: 16 MI: 16 FL: 12 NJ: 10 KY: 9 PA: 9 GA: 9

Who Files Complaints?

28.3%

Original Owners

71.7%

Second+ Owners

Ford Ranger — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	141	60,000	Switch	10
1991	145	100,000	Exterior	10
1992	231	97,000	Exterior	16
1993	272	93,000	Tires	40
1994	531	110,000	Conventional	57
1995	451	140,000	Windshield Wiper/Washer	34
1996	533	117,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	53
1997	536	100,000	Interior Lighting	43
1998	744	100,000	Tires	85
1999	966	95,000	Tires	110
2000	848	85,000	Tires	109
2001	685	84,000	Suspension	85
2002	449	57,000	Vehicle Speed Control	53
2004	462	66,803	Air Bags	47
2005	353	58,500	Air Bags	29
2006	315	63,600	Air Bags	16
2007	281	61,150	Air Bags	12
2008	334	57,000	Air Bags	8
2009	178	36,250	Air Bags	4
2010	170	45,000	Air Bags	5
2011	259	50,000	Air Bags	14
2019	327	19,000	Power Train	22
2020	139	20,000	Power Train	10
2021	132	19,408	Power Train	13
2022	49	12,000	Power Train	1
2024	67	2,000	Power Train	2
2025	24	-	Service Brakes	4

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28