The 2020 Ford Ranger is one of the most affordable compact pickup trucks on the market, and as 2021 model years begin to arrive at dealership lots those prices will only decrease. There haven’t been any major reliability problems, and even though it doesn’t have the highest owner satisfaction ratings, the Ford Ranger is still a good bargain for a smaller pickup truck. So far this year there has only been one recall affecting the truck, and it seems to be a problem for more than just the Ranger, so how serious is the recall?

What is the recall on the Ford Ranger?

There is only one recall currently made on the Ford Ranger, and it’s not clear at the surface of how serious the recall actually is. The recall revolves around the truck’s automatic transmission, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. This recall was also placed on the brand’s even more popular truck, the F-150, which shares the same 10-speed automatic transmission as the Ranger, as well as the Expedition “police” package.

The issue begins with the automatic transmission’s shift cable lock clip, which can come unseated or fail to seat properly in place. When this happens, the car may be in a different gear than is actually shown or selected. What that means is that the truck might look like it’s in neutral when it is actually in reverse or drive.

Failure to accurately display what gear the car can mean unintentionally placing the car into the wrong gear. This could cause the truck to move forward or backward unexpectedly, leading to a potential accident or injury.

How Ford is working to resolve the recall

Ford is taking responsibility for the recall and doing what they can to responsibly inform owners that may be affected. The recall began in April of this year, and many owners and car dealerships were notified before the problem caused any severe problems or accidents.

If you are a current owner of the 2020 Ford Ranger or any of the affected models you can call the NHTSA Safety Hotline, or check in with your local Ford dealership. If you are looking to buy a new Ranger, you can check if the recall is necessary, and even if it has been completed, simply by providing the VIN number for the car.

Ford is instructing licensed dealerships to inspect all Ford Rangers, F-150s, and Expeditions that could be affected by this recall, and fix the problem at no cost to owners. It is suspected that as many as 55,158 models could be affected by this recall, but Ford is working to resolve the problem as quickly and effectively as possible.

If left unattended this problem with the transmission could cause accidents or injury, but it isn’t a big enough deal that it should steer you away from purchasing the Ford Ranger, or any of the other Fords that share the same transmission. In fact, with Ford’s quick response and free resolution, it’s almost not a problem at all.