2024 Ford Ranger Owner Complaints

The truck randomly starts changing drive modes while at speed. It moves from normal mode and goes into baja mode then trys going into 4H and 4L, Rock Crawl mode, etc. Safety problem is that you are at speed and it tries to put itself into 4L or Rock crawl or any 4 wheel mode. This happens on pavement which can create catastrophic traction problems. The problem is random and has not been reproduced. It has been to the dealer a couple of times for this issue. They say that it is probably related to the Drive Mode Selector. They ordered the part in June and still have not received it. The problem exposes itself by showing the changes to drive modes going across the speedometer area and on the drive mode selector.

NHTSA ID

11767113

Incident

Sep 3, 2026

My truck has selectable drive modes. These drive modes control steering effort, suspension, shift points, the four-wheel drive system, ABS, and exhaust. My truck changes drive modes on its own without any input. Going down the highway, my truck is tried to go into rock crawl modes several times. If this happens, my truck will go into four low and the components above will be affected. A cursory Google search leads to a forum where 10 pages of people have reported this problem. It is scary to think that my truck has the potential to change drive modes on its own. This could lead to loss of steering control, sudden acceleration, or a locked differential can make me lose control of the vehicle. Here is the page referenced above: [XXX] Despite having an effect on the powertrain, Ford does not consider this to be covered under the 36,000 mile powertrain warranty, of which my vehicle is beyond. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11766512

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

Filed a complaint that Rangers had a recall on wiring harness and this vehicle was made in the Michigan plant where other Rangers had the recall. This particular Ranger should have been included in the recall. The dealership refused to do their due diligence. I filled a complaint and have a case number. CXH09344864X2D6B2. These issue needs to be resolved in a timely manner as it can cause fires and children are riding in this vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11765333

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

The drive mode suddenly changes without input from the driver. Sometimes the vehicle will change from 2H to 4H without touching the mode selector knob. this is dangerous for the vehicle to randomly change drive settings without the driver knowing. There is an electrical issue or short in the mode selector dial.

NHTSA ID

11765273

Incident

Sep 18, 2026

The Drive mode changes without any input. Driving down the road it randomly changes from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive. Since it's random, it can't be reproduced by dealership. It's dangerous.

NHTSA ID

11765204

Incident

Sep 11, 2026

The truck changes drive modes and will shift from 2wd to 4wd randomly, including on the freeway. i have had it change from 2wd to 4wd suddenly on the freewway at 65+ MPH. Attempted to take to Lithia Ford in Fresno awhile back and they could not reproduce the issue

NHTSA ID

11764826

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

The drive mode selector, which changes vehicle handling behavior, can change modes without driver intervention causing the vehicle to shift between 2 and 4 wheel drive unexpectedly causing a crash or injury. Widespread reports of the issue exist online as well: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11764615

Incident

Sep 16, 2026

The consumer owns a 2024 Ford Ranger. The consumer received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V238000 (Structure, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and stated that the parts were unavailable, even though the recall notification stated that parts were available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired since June 22, 2026. The contact stated that the interior lights, including the dome light and the sun visor lights, were inoperable. The dealer confirmed the failure.

NHTSA ID

11763428

Incident

Sep 10, 2026

lariat ranger 2024 changes modes without input from driver. This has happened dozen times btu not consistent It has happened at 80mph on interstate ,35 mph on road, leaving parking space, and turning corner after stopping for stop light This time went in to 4wheel drive low on dry pavement very difficult to steer until stopped and put back into 2 wheel drive. Has happened in dry weather and rainy weather. 50 degrees and 100 degrees dealer says ford has no reported problems to dealers. dealer says can not do anything without replicating problem while they test drive I am not leaving my Ranger with them to test drive for weeks. It is an inconsistent problem that can not be replicated by any one action

NHTSA ID

11763219

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

vehicle has a reoccurring no throttle response issue on turns only, not in a traction/stability loss scenario. not during any abnormal body roll scenario's . has happened many times with no related codes present. the vehicle now has 13k miles but first started around 2k miles. the issues typically happens when driving at normal speeds, if the throttle is let off then throttle is depressed again there is no throttle response and the vehicle will not accelerate ranging from 2 seconds up to 10 seconds on one instance, before it figures out what gear it should be in and then acceleration is back to normal. sometimes when power is returned, the transmission will slam into gear. during these occurrence's , the engine does not shut off and there are no loss to other functions besides a dead pedal. I am considering this a major safety issue being that once of these occurrences was making a left turn on a green arrow, when i was slowing down for the light, light turned to a green arrow and had a lot of time to safely make the turn before the on coming car in heading the opposite direction, except the throttle did not respond at all and was left coasting through the turn with the oncoming car getting dangerously close. a large risk for a accident is present in a lot of scenarios. the vehicle has been inspected with no issues found and cannot duplicate at the time being that the issue is very inconsistent and may happen twice in 2 weeks, or once in 5 months, each time no codes present in vehicle modules.

NHTSA ID

11761443

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

This 2024 Ford Ranger Pickup is part of recall # 26V238. The vehicle has been at the dealer since 6/20/2026. Today is 8/30/2026. There have been several dates given for the release of the fix for this recall and all have come and gone. Ford does not seem to be acting in a timely manner to correct this issue. Since i purchased the vehicle used, I do not qualify for a buy back nor does it fall under lemon laws. Ford has provided a loaner vehicle but it is a compact SUV not the truck that I need for my daily needs. PLEASE do what you can to get Ford to correct this issue soon. Thank you

NHTSA ID

11760789

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

The vehicle occasionally will change drive modes while in motion. In the past three months, it has switched from Normal to Baja mode three times and from Normal to Rock Crawl mode one time. The issues occured while driving on the freeway in construction traffic, driving slowly down rural county roads, and driving slowly in my subdivision.

NHTSA ID

11760253

Incident

Jun 7, 2026

On multiple occasions while driving the vehicle will randomly change drive modes by its self. It will try to go into 4x4 low gear (rock crawl mode) at highway speeds. This has happened a dozen times since I purchased the vehicle new.

NHTSA ID

11760214

Incident

May 1, 2024

The transmission under several circumstances will just stall out. Will NOT allow the vehicle to accelerate. Flooring the gas pedal does not do anything. RPM may go up a couple hundred RPM (not thousand) but the truck just will not move. After this now happening several times I can tell you that it happens when making a left or right hand turn without coming to a complete stop and the area turning into is an up hill section. Watching the gear indicator normally shows a very high gear of 8 or higher. Trans needs to down shift but it will not. Stomping accelerator to the floor does nothing. On and off to the floor does nothing. Pulling the shifter to manual and flicking the change gear does work and if you don't have on coming traffic bearing down that's fine. But if you have on coming traffic and you can't move it is a major safety issue in my mind. The vehicle feels like you have pulled up to a parking curb and after stopping you try to go over it with little to no power being applied. This has happened now seven times. Ford dealer says the vehicle shows no codes.

NHTSA ID

11758986

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Ranger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V238000 (Structure, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor inside the vehicle, and the instrument cluster flickered while driving. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a second letter would be sent once the remedy was available, and parts were anticipated by the end of August 2026. The failure mileage was approximately 323.

NHTSA ID

11758045

Incident

Apr 19, 2026

Mileage

323 mi

The drive mode randomly changes by itself while drive. When this occurs it can shift to 4 wheel drive will moving on dry pavement. This this not been checked out by the dealer because based on online forums others have the same issue and Ford can not reproduce or provide any fixes. I'm assuming there have been other complaints for this same issue reported to NHTSA. I'm adding a date for when this happened below, but it has happened at least six times since I have owned the truck online forums [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11757275

Incident

Aug 3, 2026

Please refer to Problema Espaldar de Asiento -Jun 07, 2026 - Attached Safety Concern Description: The rear seat backrest has a manufacturing defect that prevents the seat from properly locking into the secured position. The seat backrest remains loose and does not provide confidence that it is fully latched. To close or secure the seat, excessive force is required. Even after applying force, the issue persists, and the mechanism causes damage to the rear interior area of the vehicle. This condition may represent a safety risk because the rear seat backrest may not remain properly secured during vehicle operation or in the event of a crash. I am requesting a safety evaluation of this condition as a potential manufacturing defect.

NHTSA ID

11756252

Incident

Jun 15, 2025

Hello, I have a 24-ford ranger raptor, this incident happened twice, I was driving approximately 60 MPH and vehicle on its own started changing drive modes. It switched itself to baja mode which is 4-wheel drive and very dangerous at these speeds. I took my truck to local ford dealer in Valencia Ca, Dealer stated no codes or issues found. This is deeply concerning to me; I Have family that also drives this vehicle. I have read online that other same vehicle owners are experiencing same symptoms and heavy concerns. Not sure where to go from here, any help or feedback would greatly appreciated. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11755976

Incident

Aug 2, 2026

There's no remedy to this recall in a timely manner. Ford has provided a remedy for the 2025 and 2026 model, but not my 2024. They need to do better.

NHTSA ID

11755179

Incident

Aug 6, 2026

While driving at 60 MPH Drive Mode Selector changed to Baja Mode and switched to 4WDHI. Had to stop and shut off truck to resume normal driving. While driving at 25-30 MPH in Normal Mode, Drive Mode changed to Rock Crawl Mode, engaged rear axel lock, and attempted to engage 4WD Low Range (several times). My local dealer Service Dept. is unaware of any other instances of this, although it appears to be fairly common according to posts on internet forums.

NHTSA ID

11754162

Incident

Jul 29, 2026

The vehicle changed it's drive mode on it's own without user interaction. The event happened while driving at 70MPH on the Interstate. Vehicle changed to the Baja drive mode by itself which also tries to change from 2H to 4H at speed. I was able to quickly move drive selector back to Normal drive mode before the 4H change occurred, but it also tried to change to the Rock Crawl mode which would result in a 4L mode. Severe damage to the drivetrain could have occurred and could also result in loss of control of vehicle if it was able to slam into 4H or 4L at speed. This type of behavior has been reported by many other drivers at the Ranger6G forum. [XXX] I will be scheduling a service appointment with my local dealer for inspection and documentation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11753943

Incident

Jul 31, 2026

When turning vehicle will intermittently lose power for 1 to 2 seconds, and then it suddenly returns.

NHTSA ID

11753907

Incident

Jul 31, 2026

The vehicle went into BAJA Mode 4wd high then 4wd low range out of nowhere while driving. It shot me off the road , and ive been researching it. There is a 6 page thread about new rangers and ranger raptors doing this on 6G ranger forum, tons of people with the same issue. Super scary. Fear injury or fatality will happen from this as it shoots you hard off the road

NHTSA ID

11752831

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

Making turn at approximately 10 mph, and as I applied the throttle to resume acceleration, the vehicle seemed to "stall." Engine was still running, but no response to throttle input for 2-3 seconds. This has happened twice, and my truck only has 30,000 miles

NHTSA ID

11752374

Incident

Jul 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the 4WD message was displayed and the 4H warning light illuminated before the screen went blank, and the rear wheels locked up, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and drive into a ditch. The vehicle came to a stop after driving into the ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was winched out of the ditch and towed to a Collision Center. The contact stated that the drivetrain and the front end needed to be replaced, and the passenger’s side fender and driver’s side front fender were damaged, and the front driver’s side step was bent. No injuries were reported. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in another crash in March 2026. The contact stated that while driving in the rain and coming to a stop, the screen displayed the message “Slippery”, and the vehicle shifted into 4H independently and the rear wheels locked up, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and the vehicle drove into a ditch. The vehicle came to a stop 20 feet away from the road in the ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not towed. The front bumper and the passenger’s and driver’s side fender wheel openings were damaged. No property damage was reported. The message “Slippery” was displayed, and the 4H warning light was illuminated. A Police report was not filed. No injuries were reported. The failure had occurred several times. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer prior to the crash; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was repaired by the insurance provider. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 3,000.

NHTSA ID

11751668

Incident

Jan 10, 2025

Mileage

3,000 mi