NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 127 owner complaints for the 2020 Ford Ranger.
7Safety recalls
127Owner complaints
6Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: equipment, backover prevention and rearview camera, seat belts, seats, and 1 more. Most-reported area: powertrain (48 complaints, 38%). The Ranger returned to the US for 2019.
7 safety recalls for the 2020 Ford Ranger
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles.
A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Ford campaign 25S72.
Equipment
May 26, 2023
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
The Tire and Loading Information (TREAD) label states the incorrect load carrying capacity, which can result in an overloaded vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An overloaded vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Ford will mail a new TREAD label to install over the existing label, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the new label installed, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C18.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Bronco, 2023 Super Duty F-250, and 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Ford campaign 23C18.
Seat belts
Oct 15, 2021
front · webbing
Fails federal standard 208 (occupant crash protection)
The front passenger outboard seat belt may not have been assembled properly, allowing the seat belt to be misrouted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Risk: A misrouted seat belt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Ford will provide owners with instructions to perform a preliminary inspection of their front seat belts. Owners that detect an issue with the driver's seat belt, are unsure of the results, or do not want to perform an inspection, should not drive their vehicles and contact a Ford dealership. Dealers will inspect the front row outboard seat belts and replace them, if necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C25.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab vehicles.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Ford campaign 21C25.
Seats
Sep 30, 2021
mid/rear assembly
Fails federal standard 225 (child seat anchorages)
The fixed head restraints may interfere with proper installation of certain types of child seats. Additionally, the child seat may not attach properly to the lower-rear anchors. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage System."
Risk: An improperly attached child seat can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear-lower child restraint anchorages for correct alignment and adjust as necessary. Separately, dealers will replace the non-removable head restraints with removable head restraints, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C24.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Ranger Super Cab vehicles equipped with rear seats containing fixed head restraints.
Due to a poor electrical connection, the rearview camera may intermittently display a blank or distorted image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: Reduced rearward visibility can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2020. Remedy became available on February 1, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C19.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford F-150,F-250,F-350,F-450,F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Ford campaign 20C19.
Powertrain
Apr 3, 2020
automatic transmission · gear position indication (prndl)
The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.
Risk: If the transmission selection does not match the indicated gear selection, and the parking brake is not applied, unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package.
NHTSA listing: RANGER. Ford campaign 20S18.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 127 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Ranger. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Powertrain48 · 38%
Engine16 · 13%
Electrical system11 · 9%
Brakes9 · 7%
Forward collision avoidance7 · 6%
Most named: warnings (5)
Exterior lighting6 · 5%
Seat belts6 · 5%
Unknown or other13 · 10%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Ford Ranger recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2020 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Ranger drew the most (68) and the 2020 drew 32.
Owner complaints
2020: 127 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Ford Ranger
Model year
Complaints
2019
267
2020
127
2021
114
2022
37
2023
18
2024
83
2025
40
2026
6
Safety recalls
2020: 7 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Ford Ranger
Model year
Recalls
2019
11
2020
7
2021
6
2022
5
2023
4
2024
13
2025
13
2026
8
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Ford Ranger Super Cab PU/EC 2WD
Rollover risk 29.2%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Ford Ranger Super Cab PU/EC 4WD
Rollover risk 25.6%
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Ford Ranger Super Crew PU/CC 2WD
Rollover risk 29.2%
Ford Ranger Super Crew PU/CC 4WD
Rollover risk 25.6%
Questions
What are the most common 2020 Ranger problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: powertrain (48), engine (16), electrical system (11). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2020 Ford Ranger safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Ford Ranger earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Ranger has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: RANGER.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.