The 2004 Ford Ranger has 16 recalls, all centered on the front airbags: the inflators in both the driver and passenger positions can rupture during deployment, sending metal fragments into the cabin and causing serious injury.
The core airbag defect involves Takata-supplied inflators that can build excessive internal pressure when triggered in a crash. Moisture intrusion and long-term exposure to heat and humidity degrade the propellant inside, making rupture more likely over time. This issue has been the subject of multiple repair campaigns, and prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the problem in all cases. Vehicles that had their inflators replaced under an earlier recall may have received an incorrectly installed replacement, which can prevent the airbag from inflating properly in a crash. There is also a separate concern for vehicles that had an inflator replaced after a collision or theft: an obsolete part may have been installed, carrying the same rupture risk.
Separate from the airbag concerns, certain regular cab models have a frame rail that can puncture the fuel tank in a side-impact collision, creating a fuel leak that can ignite if an ignition source is present.