Selling a junk Ford Ranger
Any Ranger sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Ford Ranger
NHTSA has 8,629 owner complaints on file for the Ford Ranger, model years 1995 to 2022, the 55th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (1,887, 22%), tires (749, 9%), transmission and drivetrain (723, 8%). 808 complaints involved a crash, 181 a fire, and 81 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 75,000 miles. The 1999 model year has the most complaints (966). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Ford Ranger by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 451 | Brakes | 34 | 14 | 7 | 140,000 |
| 1996 | 533 | Brakes | 53 | 22 | 8 | 117,000 |
| 1997 | 536 | Fuel system | 43 | 10 | 7 | 100,000 |
| 1998 | 744 | Tires | 85 | 38 | 11 | 109,575 |
| 1999 | 966 | Tires | 110 | 17 | 10 | 95,000 |
| 2000 | 849 | Tires | 109 | 13 | 8 | 85,000 |
| 2001 | 687 | Body and structure | 85 | 10 | 9 | 85,000 |
| 2002 | 449 | Transmission and drivetrain | 53 | 17 | 7 | 59,912 |
| 2003 | 310 | Body and structure | 51 | 14 | 5 | 61,600 |
| 2004 | 462 | Air bags | 47 | 3 | 12 | 71,000 |
| 2005 | 353 | Air bags | 29 | 6 | 11 | 59,000 |
| 2006 | 316 | Air bags | 16 | 2 | 12 | 69,000 |
| 2007 | 286 | Air bags | 12 | 1 | 6 | 65,000 |
| 2008 | 344 | Air bags | 11 | 1 | 6 | 60,000 |
| 2009 | 179 | Air bags | 4 | 0 | 8 | 37,000 |
| 2010 | 171 | Air bags | 6 | 0 | 9 | 50,000 |
| 2011 | 260 | Air bags | 14 | 2 | 6 | 50,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 1 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 355 | Transmission and drivetrain | 22 | 3 | 11 | 28,000 |
| 2020 | 160 | Transmission and drivetrain | 10 | 1 | 7 | 24,500 |
| 2021 | 163 | Transmission and drivetrain | 13 | 7 | 6 | 36,300 |
| 2022 | 52 | Transmission and drivetrain | 1 | 0 | 5 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Ford Ranger recalls
NHTSA lists 61 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (16), lights (8), fuel system (5). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2019 model year, equipment (campaign 25V685000, Oct 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 vehi…
- 2019 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V572000, Sep 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-201…
- 2019 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V442000, Jun 2025): 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 Es…
- 2019 model year, equipment (campaign 23V379000, May 2023): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Bronco, 2023 Super Duty F-250, and 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles. The Tire and Loading Information (TREAD) label states the incorrect load carrying capacity, which can…
- 2004 model year, air bags (campaign 23V306000, Apr 2023): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The replacement front passenger air bag inflators may have bee…
What a Ford Ranger is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Ranger on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car after an accident 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Ford models
- Ford F-150 44,577
- Ford Explorer 38,749
- Ford Escape 36,252
- Ford Focus 29,852
- Ford Fusion 28,862
- Ford Windstar 19,399
- Ford Edge 18,133
- Ford Taurus 16,270
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Ford Ranger worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Ranger gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Ford Ranger that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford Ranger?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Ford Ranger numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.