2021 FORD BRONCO SPORT Complaints

For over a year now my car has been making a chatter/shudder noise during low speed turning. The car even shut off completely on me once while turning on a busy highway. There is a recall out (21S02) for my exact car, but built between 10/29/2020-12/11/2020. My build is not within the range however after getting it inspected, I have this exact issue with my axle having lubricant below the minimal fill level. I am worried that I will lose control of my car again and end up in a life-threatening accident.

The contact's son owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear differential. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed vent tube and water intrusion. The contact was informed that the water intrusion damaged the clutch and gears. The contact was informed that the rear differential and vent tube needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was provided a discount on the cost of the part. In addition, the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with the model vehicle; however, a recall had not been initiated. The failure mileage was approximately 81,421.

On or about 1/16/2025 I started to have issues battery would get display on the display screen it said to turn off ignition or draw Cato conserve battery and on the ford a] it said all or some options would be disabled to save battery and also the vehicle would shudder upon slow acceleration going forward straightforward I took it to the for inspection and they said it was OK. On 11/19 -2025

While driving my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, I experienced a strong chemical/fume smell entering the cabin, which caused headache and nausea. I later found that the battery installed in the vehicle had vent holes with visible liquid residue indicating leakage. I did not authorize or install this battery — it appears the battery was changed without my knowledge while the vehicle was in a lender’s possession. This created a serious safety concern because the fumes entered the HVAC system and the vehicle became unsafe to operate. I had the vehicle towed to two separate Ford dealerships. Both refused to inspect the HVAC system or provide a proper safety diagnosis. One dealer admitted the battery had “traces of leaking fluid,” but no diagnostic inspection was performed, and they attempted to close the repair order without documenting the safety concern. I was forced to replace the battery out of pocket just to safely drive the vehicle, but the original leaking battery and the exposure incident should still be investigated. My safety was put at risk, and the dealerships refused proper inspection or remediation.

We experienced premature failure of the rear differential, which was told to us to be a "know defect" by our dealership service department. Ford has been made readily aware of this failure point and potential safety concern-- it is well-documented on the internet, including this NHTSA website, yet fails to issue the proper and appropriate recalls. Consumers are expected to foot the bill for this known manufacturing failure point, which is not only inappropriate, but also extremely dangerous. Failure of the rear differential carries a known potential risk of catastrophic failure-- an immediate recall should be issued for any models affected.

We purchased this vehicle 02/2025. The salesman stated there was a 5 point inspection and the car was good on fluids oil and brakes. We questioned the rough idle and odd sound the car made and we were told that it was normal. 07/2025 a mobile mechanic came out and repaired a recall. He stated in his notes that the car had an oil leak but he could not determine where. Fast forward to now, my car has been needing oil more than usual since we have got the car. There is a leak but it does not leak on the ground. 11/11/2025, I contacted Big Valley Ford in Stockton CA with concerns about the oil depleting rapidly and how my check engine light comes on which tells me my car has absolutely no oil. I mentioned a recall I saw online 22S21 and Greg (the man I spoke with) stated that was never a recall for my car. He saw the oil separator was replaced in 2022 but it was not for a recall. Greg then told me to make an appointment to bring the car in for a diagnostic and then an oil change. They would then mark my car where the oil is and have me come back in a few days to see how far the oil went down. I asked how much and he said 225 for the diagnostic and 135 for the oil change. Convinced he was lying to me, I called Ford in Tracy, CA and they confirmed there was a recall 22S21 for the oil separator. This car has given me so many problems and this issue clearly was never fixed and they sold me the car this way.

On November 11, 2025, my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport experienced a complete brake system failure while driving. The brake pedal suddenly became extremely hard, and there was no braking power at all. The vehicle had to be stopped using the parking brake. This same issue occurred previously in July 2025, when the brake vacuum booster failed and was replaced at the Ford dealership. The problem has now recurred less than six months later. The vehicle is not safe to drive and is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the brakes failed completely without warning while the vehicle was in motion. If traffic conditions had been heavier, a collision could have occurred. The issue has not yet been confirmed by the dealership for this most recent occurrence, but the same Ford dealer that repaired it in July handled the prior failure. The vehicle will be towed there again for inspection. No warning lamps or dashboard messages appeared before or during either failure. The only symptom was a sudden loss of brake assist and a hard, unresponsive brake pedal. This appears to be a repeated failure of the brake vacuum or brake assist system, which I understand has been part of a previous Ford recall (21C31) affecting 2021 Bronco Sport models. But my VIN number was not included in the Recall. This is my second reporting and needs to be recalled.

When I try to pump gas, I often will start the gas pump and then it will stop after only filling up about a third of a gallon. It doesn’t happen with every gas pump, but it happens frequently enough that it has become very frustrating. I end up not being able to put gas in my car at times and I have to drive to another gas station. I thought there had been a recall on this issue before and it had been resolved, but I have still been experiencing issues.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000(Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

In 2024, we had our battery replaced in our 2021 Bronco Sport by the Ford certified dealer in response to Recall Number 24S24. We did not have any issues with the previous battery. They replaced the original battery with the AGM battery, which they represented would prevent the issues that necessitated the recall - catastrophic degradation of the battery and complete loss of drive power. In mid-October 2025, my wife experienced unexpected and complete loss of drive power when exiting the interstate in the car, and was stuck in the freeway exit lane as oncoming traffic was exiting at high speeds with minimal time to avoid the stalled car. It was a dangerous situation and the car was almost struck numerous times. No warnings or messages appeared - even the hazards did not work. After about 20 minutes, we were finally able to obtain assistance from a police officer and had the car towed to a Firestone a few blocks away. Firestone confirmed that the AGM battery had failed which caused the complete loss of drive power. They replaced the battery and reprogrammed the car as best they could, but the failure of the battery also destroyed a few computer chips that needed to be replaced by Ford in order to fully reprogram it. We took it to the Ford dealership that initially replaced the battery (10 miles away) the next day, and Ford refused to refund us the costs for towing the car and replacing the battery at the Firestone, claiming our situation did not constitute an "emergency" since we could have had it towed 10 miles to the Ford dealer rather than a few blocks to the Firestone. As we did not know what was wrong with the car, we reasonably chose the Firestone as the best option, since it was only a few blocks away. Ford replaced the computer chips under the recall, but we have still paid over $600 out of pocket due to this incident that Ford refuses to pay us. The Ford dealership also took the battery when we requested the refund, and has not returned to us the battery.