Our 2024 Ford Ranger's Rear Doors Don't Always Close

• We added a 2024 Ford Ranger to our long-term test fleet earlier this year.
• It's mostly been a good ride ...
• But closing the back doors has proven to be a pain in the butt.

Is it possible you need to lift some weights?

Yes, almost certainly. I am a weak, pasty middle-aged man. As I looked at my flabby reflection in the Ranger's window, I certainly thought, "Am I the problem?" But I'm happy (I guess) to report that this is not solely a Jake problem. Let's hear from — *checks logbook* — a lot of other people.

"You have to slam everything in this truck," wrote director of editorial content Steven Ewing. "The doors require a slam — otherwise the truck thinks they're open — and if you fold the rear seatbacks down, you have to really slam them to get them to latch back to the wall of the cabin. The seatbacks require such a hard slam that I was legit worried I'd break the truck."

Social media content strategist Ryan Greger concurred: "The doors are strangely difficult to close all the way — you really have to pull hard to get them to latch properly. A deal-breaker, no, but a bit annoying on a daily basis."

Director of written content Brent Romans added further backup: "I agree with my co-workers that one needs to use an unusually firm push or tug to fully close our Ranger's doors. Otherwise, they end up slightly ajar and the truck gives you a warning in the instrument panel. The question is whether it's a flaw specific to our truck or if every Ranger is like this. Without a dealer visit, it's hard to say."

Never one to leave a question unanswered, Romans investigated the matter a bit further.

"I did a search of Ranger forums for this issue and didn't come up with much," he wrote. "But I did try one owner's suggestion of slightly opening a window to help relieve air pressure as you close the doors. The hard-to-close issue might be because of built-up air pressure, and having an open window lets the air out more easily. True enough, the doors close more easily with a window or two opened. But obviously this is more of a 'that's interesting' observation rather than an always-helpful work-around."

And, just to round things out, here are two more editors fed up with the rear doors.

Senior news editor Nick Yekikian: "Why, oh, why do the back doors refuse to close unless you absolutely slam them? I can’t recall how many times I’ve attempted to get something from the back and closed the door with a normal amount of force, only to realize it didn’t shut. Doors should not be this irritating to operate."

Manager of video Will Kaufman: "The driver's side door takes a bit more force to close than I expected. Little thing, but I find myself re-closing it about 20% of the time after I get in the truck."

Is it possible all of you need to hit the gym?

At least two of the people quoted above take offense to that statement. Besides, weaklings should be able to close the doors on their pickup truck without issue. We deserve that much!

Is this annoying enough to put you off the Ranger?

No, probably not. But I've long held that the paper cuts of vehicle ownership cause the majority of sour relationships. Would I prefer to have doors that don't close correctly over, say, multiple tows in one year? Duh. But this would drive me absolutely nuts if I owned it.