Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 21v081000 (air bags). The vehicle was taken to stearns ford inc., (602 alamance rd, burlington, nc 27215) where it was diagnosed that the air bags needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
2004 Ford Ranger: airbag warning light
11 of the 405 complaints about the 2004 Ford Ranger describe airbag warning light.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 100,000
- recalls
- 8
Is there a fix? There are 8 recalls and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Airbag warning light by model year
What owners say
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated, which was a safety concern. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v787000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called a local dealer (mac haik ford lincoln, 7201 s. Interstate hwy 35, georgetown, tx 78626) and was informed that the parts were not available. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 16,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated, which was a safety concern. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v788000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called david wilson's villa ford (2550 n tustin st, orange, ca 92865, (714) 916-5630) and was informed that the parts were not available. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The failure mileage was 200,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v036000 (air bags) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair. The contact received the recall notification in february of 2016. The manufacturer stated that the parts were unavailable and was unsure when the parts would become available for repair. The contact believed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact received notification for the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 16v036000 (air bags) and 15v322000 (air bags); however, the parts needed were not available. The dealer confirmed that the parts were available for one of the recalls and would perform a temporary remedy for the other recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the delay. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available. Updated 06/15/16*lj the consumer stated the passenger side air bag was replaced. However, the driver's side needed to be replaced. Updated 06/28/16.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v322000 (air bags) exceeded a reasonable time for repair. The contact received the recall notification in july of 2015. The dealer advised that the part was not available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. In addition, the air bag warning light illuminated. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp started flashing and then remained illuminated. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v343000 (air bags). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 14v787000 (air bags) and 14v343000 (air bags) however, the parts needed to repair the vehicle were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated and the air bag alarm sounded continuously. The failures recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was made aware of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v787000 (air bags); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
The SRS passenger airbag on/off switch has a lightbulb that is hard wired into the board inside the switch module. It has a relatively short life span, and when the bulb burns out is causes the module to deactivate the SRS airbags in both the driver's side and the passengers side. This causes the occupant(s) to be unprotected as the airbags cannot deploy in the event of a collision. This is the 2nd occurrence of this in my vehicle in the last 4 years, and from what I have been able to glean in online research, this is a "known" problem...and no doubt one that ford motor company is aware of, or should be aware of the existence of the problem, as I personally have reported this to ford motor company. Ford motor company's willful neglect to remedy this situation by not changing the switch to allow for the easy and inexpensive replacement of a $1.00 LED lightbulb to allow either the owner of the vehicle or a qualified automobile mechanic with the capabilities of testing for the continuity of the device is being done for the greed of the bottom line, and their total lack of care for the safety of the vehicle occupant(s). I have personally placed a call, and left a voice message on 10/29/13, for [xxx], ford motor company's general counsel, to call me to discuss the issue, without the decency of a return call in over 24 hours. In the event that ford motor company does not acknowledge this defect as a major safety defect...which to correct each time costs the owner of the vehicle somewhere in the neighborhood of $150.00 to $200.00 for the replacement "oem" part and labor, and also does not reimburse me for these (2) expenses, I will file a suit in u.s.federal court for the northern district of new hampshire for the recovery of the actual, compensatory and punitive damages, as well as the possibility of expanding this to be a "class" filing.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford ranger. He stated that the passenger on and off switch remains in the on position and that it has failed. The light air bag light is illuminated on the dashboard; however, no one has turned the air bag switch on. The mechanic performed a diagnostic test and confirmed that the switch has failed. The contact stated that the air bags have also malfunctioned. The ford manufacturer has been contacted and they stated that there were no related recalls for his year, make and model vehicle. Ford has also stated that the repair parts are not available. The failure continued to occur. The repairs will be done at the owners expense. The failure and current mileages were 60000. Updated 02/17/10.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2005-2006 GT, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion and MKZ/Zephyr, 2006-2011...
- Certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2005-2006 GT, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion & MKZ/Zephyr, 2006-2011 Milan,...
- Ford: 2005-2006 ford gt, 2005-2008 mustang, and 2004-2005 ranger vehicles operated in florida, hawaii,...
- Squeak or rattle from the passenger air bag
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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 been installed incorrectly.
- Risk
- An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 23V‑125.
Recall number 23V306000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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 frontal passenger air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.
- Risk
- An incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S08. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 23V‑306.
Recall number 23V125000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles that may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Recall number 21V076000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Recall number 21V081000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is superseding a previous recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to implement a final repair. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V‑036 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed.
Recall number 17V787000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is superseding a previous recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to implement a final repair. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V322 which was an interim repair. Vehicles that received a replacement air bag inflator under the previous campaign need to return to a dealer to have an alternate inflator installed. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42.
Recall number 17V788000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Ranger vehicles manufactured March 24, 2003, to May 4, 2006. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S03. Note: This recall supersedes 14V‑343 and only applies to Rangers manufactured in North America.
Recall number 16V036000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Ranger trucks manufactured March 24, 2003, to May 4, 2006. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S22. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 14V‑787.
Recall number 15V322000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2004 Ford Ranger airbag light
Is airbag warning light a common problem on the 2004 Ford Ranger?
11 of 405 owner complaints about the 2004 Ford Ranger (3%) mention airbag warning light. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Ford Ranger?
There are 8 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Ford Ranger
No deployment 15Check engine light 10Fuel pump 8Loss of power 7Stalling 6Sudden acceleration 6Tire blowout 6Ball joint 5Engine failure 5Wipers 5
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