The Ford Ranger, a perennial favourite among Australians and the best-selling car in August 2025 with 4,942 units sold, has come under the spotlight in the United States for the wrong reasons. Ford has issued a stop-sale order for the Ranger after regulators flagged a critical side curtain airbag defect, prompting a recall of more than 100,000 vehicles. This latest action marks the fifth recall for the US-built Ranger in just four months.
What happened in the US?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ordered a recall of 100,900 Rangers built between 2024 and newer in the US. The issue centres around the side curtain airbags, which could split and lose pressure during a crash, reducing protection for occupants and failing to meet federal safety standards.
American owners will be notified starting from September 8, 2025, but Ford has stated that it won’t have enough parts to repair all vehicles until December 2025.
Why Australian Rangers are not affected
Australia’s Ford Ranger is built in different factories than the US versions.
- The US-market Ranger comes from Ford’s Michigan plant.
- The Australian-market Ranger is built in Thailand, while the plug-in hybrid Ranger PHEV is sourced from South Africa.
That difference in origins means this recall does not impact Australian buyers. Ford has also reassured that the Everest SUV, which shares many components with the Ranger, is unaffected.
It is still unclear whether the airbags fitted in the US Rangers are the same as those used in other markets, or if they are specific to American-built models.
Recalls closer to home
While this particular recall does not apply here, Ford Australia has had to issue its own share of recalls recently, such as:
- August 2025: Ranger and Everest recalled for a transmission problem.
- July 2025: Both models recalled for a reversing camera software fault affecting 36,000 vehicles. That campaign also extended to the Mustang, Focus, Escape and Endura.
Despite these hiccups, the Ford Ranger remains the king of Australian sales, consistently outselling the Toyota HiLux in both 2023 and 2024. In fact, the Ranger and Everest together make up nearly 90 per cent of Ford Australia’s sales volume, underlining their popularity in the local market.
What Australian owners should know
For now, Australian Ford Ranger and Ford Everest drivers don’t need to take any action regarding the US recall. However, they should continue to monitor local recall notices from Ford Australia to ensure their vehicles remain compliant and safe.
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