2021 FORD BRONCO SPORT Complaints

This is a correction and expansion to complaint #11650564. My 2021 Ford Bronco Sport has now experienced complete transmission failure at approx. 86,000 miles, following earlier rear differential (RDU) failure at 60,600 miles. Both major drivetrain components failed well before expected lifespan under normal, mostly interstate driving. The vehicle has never been off-roaded. Transmission symptoms include shuddering, fluttering, failure to engage park, and severe gear engagement issues. Critically, the vehicle would power forward while placed in neutral — it was not rolling. The wheels received torque while in neutral, which should not happen. Reverse gear would also engage forward motion, and drive would fail to engage at all unless I toggled 4WD low. Park would not hold the vehicle, requiring the parking brake to prevent movement. One serious safety incident occurred when stop-start activated at a red light and the car failed to re-engage drive, leaving me stranded in live traffic. In another case, reverse engaged late and suddenly surged backward near a building. I scanned the vehicle using FORScan and found a code for stuck solenoid A (failure to engage park). I asked the dealer to check the valve body — they refused, claiming the transmission was “shot” without verifying the issue. Ford issued SSM 49930, internally on Aug 5 2022 acknowledging these behaviors in this transmission. These are not just mechanical issues — they are dangerous. I respectfully request NHTSA investigate the 8F35 transmission used in the 2021 Bronco Sport.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an alarm was intermittently activated associated with the Forward Collision Avoidance system while there were no other vehicles nor objects nearby. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the radar sensor system was replaced previously. Upon further investigation, the contact related to failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V982000 (Forward Collision Avoidance); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 25 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter was attempting to slow down while coming to a corner and the vehicle suddenly stopped. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power and was unable to shift into gear. The vehicle was taken to a service center and the battery was replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer but was not yet repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Purchased the Bronco Sport brand new in September 2021. Almost from the outset, the vehicle has been a nightmare. We just purchased our third battery. The vehicle died at an intersection and had to be towed to the dealership. They replaced the battery but it again failed. We have experienced numerous electrical issues with the vehicle as well as with the brakes and the power train. We have had the shift system fault notification come on several times. We took it in to the dealership who made some repairs and the notification went away for awhile. However, most recently, we were driving the vehicle down the interstate when it suddenly would not accelerate. We were very lucky to be able to maneuver the vehicle onto the shoulder. After a few minutes, the vehicle started and we were able to drive it home very slowly on side roads. We took the Bronco Sport to the dealership again and notified them of the multiple trips we had made there to fix this code issue. The dealership did a diagnostic and had a transmission specialist look at the car. The conclusion was that we needed a brand new transmission to the tune of $11K. Additionally, the dealership stated that we likely had rear differential issues as well - the subject of one of the many recalls on this lemon of a vehicle. We have not had the diagnostic performed as we are waiting on Ford to let us know if they will buy back the vehicle. Again, we purchased the car new and it has about 80K miles on it. There is no discernible reason for the transmission to fail on a car this new which has primarily been driven to and from work. A quick Google and social media search shows this is a pervasive problem with the 2021 Bronco Sport - many owners are experiencing electrical, power train and transmission issues. NHTSA needs to investigate this matter before someone is seriously injured or killed because of the failure of Ford in manufacturing the 2021 Bronco Sport.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 25V019000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact stated that after depressing the brake pedal several times, the vehicle was able to come to a stop. The message "Brakes Applied - Acceleration Reduced" was displayed. The contact had experienced the failure approximately 10 times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Ford has a battery that corrodes while driving and can shut off car. This is dangerous. On top of that, they had to extend warranty on drivers seat belt and fuel injector but will only allow those to be replaced once they break. My car is unsafe to drive. Imagine, car shuts off and seat belt breaks. This is dangerous.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull off the highway but was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not yet repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (Electrical System). The contact had received the recall notification however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The vehicle sometimes ran a little rough while idle at drive thru. Then week later the push start did not work... engine turned over but not start. After 6 times it finally started and ran good on way home. Later that week, kept having traffic lights in town turn red... constant slow so stop and go. Vehicle started sputtering and stalled out in the highway and died in middle of road and would not start. Had to let it sit several minutes and it finally started. We immediately turned around and went home. Made appointment at dealership. Tried to start vehicle to drop off for appointment but would not start. Had towed in. They claim fuel pump replacement required. Drove home and ran ok. Next day power inconsistent and runs rough at start and slow speed with one push start did not work. Reporting since my spouse is in a wheelchair and can not walk. This vehicle is only one we have that my spouse can get in due to disability and I am seriously concerned if vehicle stalls out on public highway again it is likely to result in an accident and he gets seriously hurt. Never had a vehicle I felt unsafe to have my family be in before and do not think it is safe for this vehicle be on the highway.

The water pump has been replaced twice already and the water pump needs to be replaced again at 105,000 miles. This will be the fourth water pump this vehicle has. The originally came with, two replacements, and now the one that it needs because it is leaking like the previous three. The turbo charger failed and was burning oil. That was replaced. A month later it is back at the dealership being replaced again

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the accelerator was pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The message “Charge System Soon” was displayed. The vehicle stalled and lost power. The contact called Roadside Assistance, and Roadside Assistance jumpstarted the vehicle and the contact was referred to Auto Zone. The contact purchased a battery. The dealer contacted the contact about an unknown recall. The contact informed the service technician that the instrument panel had become inoperable, and the sensors were not activated. The contact then received a notification letter and contacted the dealer and was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.