Ford Ranger is a nameplate that has been used on three distinct model lines of vehicles sold by Ford. The name originated in 1958 when the Edsel Ranger was intoduced as the base trim level of the Edsel model range. From 1965 to 1981, Ranger denoted various trim packages of the Ford F-Series (and Ford Bronco), serving as a mid- to top-level trim.

For the 1983 model year, the Ford Ranger nameplate was applied to a model range, as Ford introduced its own compact pickup truck, replacing the 1972-1982 Ford Courier in North America. In global markets, Ford began use of the Ranger nameplate in 1998 in place of Courier, with all compact trucks named Ranger by 2006.

For 2011, the Ranger was discontinued in the United States and Canada.[1] The same year, Ford commenced production of a mid-size Ford Ranger; sold globally (with the exception of the United States and Canada prior to 2018), production was revived in the United States in 2018.

Model revival (2019–present)

After an eight-year hiatus, the Ford Ranger returns to the Ford model range in North America for the 2019 model year, with the first example rolling off the assembly line at Michigan Assembly Plant on October 22, 2018.[3] The revived Ranger is the global Ranger T6, adapted slightly to accommodate American government regulations. Similar in size to the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, the 2019 Ranger is the first generation produced as a mid-size pickup for the North American market. The Ranger is sold in two configurations, SuperCab (2+2 door extended cab with 6-foot bed) and SuperCrew (4-door crew cab with 5-foot bed); the two-door standard cab is not produced for North American sale.

As the 1983–2012 Ranger served as a basis for several Ford/Mercury/Mazda vehicles during its production, the current mid-size Ranger will serve as the basis for the revived Ford Bronco (slated for a 2020 introduction).