NHTSA campaign 16V036000 · Ford campaign 16S03

Ford Recall 16V-036: Driver Side Air Bag Inflator May Rupture

  • Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

NHTSA recall 16V036000 (Ford campaign 16S03) was reported by Ford Motor Company on January 25, 2016, with 361,692 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Ford Ranger for model years 2004–2006. Owners were notified on February 26, 2016, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 16V036000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Ford VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign
16V036000 (also written 16V-036 or 16V036)
Filed by
Ford Motor Company
Ford campaign number
16S03
Report received
Potentially affected
361,692 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component
Air Bags — Frontal — Driver Side — Inflator Module
Owners notified

Repair completion: 0.15% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

NHTSA cautions against comparing completion rates across recalls or manufacturers. How try.vin reads them.

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 16V036000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

Ford

  • Ford Ranger

    • 2004, 2005, 2006 · Vehicles built March 24, 2003 – May 4, 2006 (per NHTSA)
All Ford recalls

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 16V036000.

Defect description

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.

Safety consequence

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.

Manufacturer 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.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 16V036000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.