Home · 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Later Release · Complaints

What 664 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Later Release

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (664)Crash / fire / injury (32)Electrical system (203)Transmission & drivetrain (171)Engine (139)Brakes (124)Fuel system (106)Visibility & wipers (26)Engine & cooling (23)Suspension (21)Driver assistance (14)Steering (14)

139 of 664 complaints match · Engine · clear filters · page 4 of 6

Jul 19, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

June 2024, I received mail for safety recall notice re: 24S24/NHTSA 24V267. July 16, 2024, went to ford to have it fixed. Ford said everything works good. [XXX] @1450, Me and my son [XXX] old) drove to freeway in [XXX] and my car just suddenly stopped. No electrical power at all. Even the hazard lights doesnt work. Need to call 911 for safety. I was in the middle of the freeway for about 15 mins. Speed limit in the freeway is 65 miles/hr. I was so scared because I have my son with me and anytime somebody might hit our car. I had to call towing and sent to the livermore ford dealership. (Thats where i bought my car). My bronco sport will be paid off this november 2024, now im scared driving in the freeway especially i drove 40 miles one way, going to my work. What if it will happen again? Especially if it happens at night time? I work 7pm-7am. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11603301

Jun 28, 2024Electrical systemEngine

Previous NHTSA ID Number. 11596944. Recall fix was run earlier this month. Car died at stoplight two days ago. Fix run again at dealership. Car died at red light again today. Was able to put car in park. Tried to restart. Multiple flashing warnings. Was able to get hazards on this time. Had car towed back to dealer. They are calling Ford. Second time this happened at busy intersection. This time at interstate on ramp. Bus driver attempting to turn got out of bud and offered to push the car but we could not get it in neutral. Tow driver had towed in a bronco sport right before us with the same issue. Someone is going to be seriously injured. Service guy showed me record of previous error messages. There were about twenty. I have a video of the screens flashing today.

NHTSA ODI 11597575

Jun 25, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

Vehicle experienced complete shut down in the middle of the road while stopped at an intersection. Could not turn on hazard lights or put the car in neutral to move out of traffic. Car made a loud thumping noise when I attempted to restart. Vehicle was towed to dealership where I was initially told the battery just needed to be charged and it was ready to pick up. When I went to the dealership to retrieve my vehicle, it would not start and had the same error messages on screen and made the same loud thumping noise. Vehicle is currently still at the dealership and no answer as to when it will be fixed or what the issue is. Today is day 5 without my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11596417

Jun 25, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngine

In March 0f 2024, while traveling down the highway at 65 mph, vehicle lost power suddenly, engine shut off, and loss of power steering with no warning, no check engine lights, no change in temperature to motor. Vehicle was towed to dealership in which they advised the engine was locked up and later determined the turbo had failed, likely leading to the engine failure. The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport only had 30,000 miles so it is apparent this motor and or turbo has some type of fault. Dealership did not cover under warranty as vehicle had branded title from front bumper damage that did not effect the engine.

NHTSA ODI 11596510

Jun 23, 2024Electrical systemSpeed controlEngine

I bought my Bronco back in January this year (2024) and everything worked great. Then fast forward the end of May (2024) and my car when I got in it and crunk it up told me my MyKey had been activated. I said what is a MyKey never heard of it before in my life. I did some Google searches and tried to figure out. Once I figured it and couldn't get it off of there myself I took it to a Ford dealership. They told me the MyKey had to have the admin key and they would have to cut one etc and then the labor all together would be 400 dollars. I was floored how did this even happen? Who put the MyKey on here? It restricts the speed which you can go, only allows the radio so high, and you have to be buckled for the radio to play its crazy. So I call the dealership which I bought it from, Hendrick, my car was used and had about 39k miles on it. They don't know about MyKey either they sell used cars, but their main cars are Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Ram. The used car guy said he would pay 200 for the key but not the labor that we had our car long enough it was time we took responsibility for it. Fast forward I reach out to Ford. The lady at Ford who said she was just a media specialist says oh just pay the money and keep the receipt. That if Ford does a recall in the future you will be reimbursed. I told her that this response was unsatisfactory as it creates a safety issue. I told her I was taking the car to Ford for recalls that needed to be fixed the next week and I would asked them how it got set. She didn't know how it got set either. The previous Ford dealership said he didn't know and that it could have been the previous owner but he couldn't confirm. So I went to the Ford dealership in Auburn this time to have the recall fixed and the lady at thr service center said yes the MyKey is only activated off the Ford app. My wife nor myself had the Ford app at the time this started which means the previous owner still had access to my key and set these limits. Google show more

NHTSA ODI 11596023

Jun 12, 2024Electrical systemEngine

On May 25, 2024 at about 12:30 am, The vehicle suffered a classic recall 24V267000 unexpected and sudden complete loss of engine and electrical power in traffic, going into default park setting with parking brake. The vehicle could not be pushed out of traffic on a busy expressway feeder road at night. Police had to be dispatched to warn oncoming traffic of the stalled vehicle with intermittently working hazard lights. The vehicle had to be towed. Sames Ford McAllen preformed the recall reprogramming on May 31 and released to vehicle. On the first trip AFTER the BCM and PCM recall protocol had been performed the vehicle suffered the exact same failure in traffic on a busy street. The vehicle again was towed to Sames Ford, where it remains today. The recall protocol failed to remedy to serious and dangerous defect.

NHTSA ODI 11593954

Jun 11, 2024Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while in reverse(R), there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions. The contact stated that unknown repairs were performed on the vehicle, but the vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained unrepaired until further repair information was provided. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

NHTSA ODI 11593670

May 25, 2024Electrical systemEngine

While idling stopped at a red light the engine suddenly shut down/stalled and the electrical system simultaneously went haywire. Specifically the dashboard alert system rapidly cycled through/flashed warning alerts for the forward collision system, then “out of fuel” then a failure with the antilock brake system. At the same time the computer touch screen went black and indicated “system restart.” The dash alerts kept cycling through the same alerts mentioned above and wouldn’t stop. I tried three different times to restart the vehicle without success. Stranded on a busy roadway, two different vehicles behind us had to take evasive action to avoid hitting us from the rear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who has called back to say the engine starts fine now. They will conduct further diagnosis.

NHTSA ODI 11590738

May 16, 2024Engine

I was driving and the car turned off while driving without warning. Luckily I was not in an area of high traffic but if I had been then it would have caused a serious crash. Car would not start again even after being jumped. Had to have towed. Ford told me there were no recalls related to this incident when I called customer service today only to find online other owners have had serious issues similar to this as well.

NHTSA ODI 11589201

May 9, 2024Electrical systemEngine

Bronco was sitting at a red light and lost all power with no warning. All electrical went down including hazard lights. The bronco would not start back and to to be towed.

NHTSA ODI 11587801

May 7, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact engaged the electric parking brake to move the vehicle to the side of the road. A mechanic was contacted and was able to restart the vehicle. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11587400

May 3, 2024Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with a charging system warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to park the vehicle and the vehicle was turned off. When the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was in a parking lot and was going to be towed to an impound lot. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586807

Apr 30, 2024Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the check engine and low engine oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who could not find a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586193

Apr 24, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

On Saturday, [XXX], my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport with approx. 33,900 miles completely shutdown and lost all power to engine and accessories while driving the vehicle in traffic. It started making a ticking sound that could not be stopped, it could not be restarted, and no accessories to include hazard lights could be turned on. I had to call the police, as my daughter and I were in the middle of traffic and cars were honking at us and I could not move the vehicle nor signal that it had died. The police arrived and since I was blocking traffic they are required to initiate a tow (which I had to pay $150 for), since they will not risk waiting hours for individual roadside assistance to arrive. The car has been towed to Ourisman Ford in Alexandria, VA, where it still presently remains as their only solution was to recommend battery replacement. There was NO warning prior to losing all power while stopped at a traffic light. I easily could have been hit while I waited for the police to arrive without any way to signal to other drivers that my car was immobilized. Ford continues to be of little assistance. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11585024

Apr 23, 2024Electrical systemEngine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Branco Sport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at the stop sign and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The lights and electrical features were inoperable. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN for the failure. The contact was referred to NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 22,768.

NHTSA ODI 11584658

Apr 22, 2024Electrical systemEngine

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The instrument cluster was blank. The speakers began to emit an abnormally loud, vibrating noise. The exterior lights started flashing and the brake pedal was firm. The contact looked underneath the hood, and then had the vehicle jumpstarted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V267000 (Electrical System, Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11584537

Apr 20, 2024SteeringElectrical systemEngine

My son and I slowed at a light to turn right. The vehicle completely shut down in traffic. We couldn’t put the car in neutral. We couldn’t turn the hazard lights on and couldn’t jump the vehicle. Luckily we were going slow traveling approx 10-15mph. Our emergency jump machine eventually worked after about 10 minutes, but the console screen remained blank and we drove straight to the dealer, but on Saturdays they don’t have any actual maintenance. The only thing they said they can do is test the battery. After a search on the internet, this has happened to lots of people. Some 2021 Ford Bronco Sports have been recalled, but mine isn’t listed. My question to Ford is, if this is a known issue why are they risking people’s lives? Again luckily we weren’t on the highway or even busier traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11584190

Apr 11, 2024Electrical systemBrakesEngine

I had driven for about 30 minutes, without turning the car off, I had just picked my fiancé up at the train and was slowing down for a stop sign. The car just stopped completely the lights flashed and powered down and I couldn’t do anything with the drive shift or even get the flashers on. Luckily we were coming to a stop anyway, but for majority of the time I was without flashers lights or anything and it was getting dark. We are in Virginia working and are usually traveling the interstate at the time but happened to do separate modes. I don’t know what could have happened had I been going 70 on the highway at night. I keep trying to start the car and was eventually able to put it in park but wasn’t able to get it into neutral or anything else. After multiple start attempts I am able to get the flashers on but as I keep trying to start it was turning the flashers off. I called for assistance through the ford app and they said it would be 2 hours before someone could come. We were able to get a jump and it came back on and when it did every single warning light was on for a moment and it went back to normal and our friend followed us over to the dealer to drop off. Before this while driving I had no errors and my app said my status was green. I had no notifications of issues from the ford app or my vehicle. Right as it was shutting down it did show a ac warning of some sort. Otherwise no errors. It is currently at a ford dealer and I am waiting to hear back with what they say.

NHTSA ODI 11582288

Apr 4, 2024Electrical systemEngine

As I was driving with my wife on our way back home, my vehicle flashed every warning light, and my dashboard went dark. I was going about 40–45 mph, the engine was still running, and we made it home, which was only less than 2 miles from my house. As I was driving on my way home, the media console had this message: "vehicle network communication error," but once home, I could not get the SUV to shift into park, and it suddenly shut off on it's own. My 2021 Bronco Sport is still under Ford's manufacturer warranty. I requested a tow from the Ford app to have it delivered to Hacienda Ford Service of Edinburg, Texas, and a payment of $201.09 was required to dispatch a tow service. A couple of days later, I got a call that my SUV was ready, the battery might of been in a low state of charge, and there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The dealership service manager claimed on the phone to have never heard of a "vehicle network communication error." I even took pictures of the error message on my phone, but the dealership had no desire to even take a look at the video or pictures of the vehicle network communication error message. If it happens again, at least I know how to temporarily fix the vehicle's malfunction. The tow truck driver disconnected the battery for 15 minutes and was able to get the vehicle to start and shift it back to park. So I ended up paying $201.09 to have the privilege for Hacienda Ford Service to tell me my battery might of been at a low state of charge while I was driving.

NHTSA ODI 11581150

Mar 29, 2024SuspensionEngineFuel system

It shakes, rattles and sound like a ship yard while backing up

NHTSA ODI 11580169

Mar 5, 2024Electrical systemBrakesEngine

On February 5, 2024, the engine of a Bronco Sport shut off while driving and the dashboard lights began flashing with multiple warnings and notifications. The car would not restart and the gear shift was locked, preventing the driver from moving the vehicle out of the road during rush hour traffic. A tow truck was called, but after 30 minutes, the driver was able to restart the car and canceled the tow truck. The car was taken to the dealership on February 6, 2024, but the cause of the incident has not been diagnosed. On February 4, 2024, the driver attempted to start the engine, but the dashboard lights began flashing with multiple warnings and notifications and the engine would not start. The driver called a tow service, who jump-started the battery and informed the driver that the battery was not completely dead. The driver also discovered that the power steering had failed. The car was taken to the dealership on February 5, 2024, where it was diagnosed as a battery cable issue. The cable was replaced and the power steering was fixed. Dealership indicated that two repairs were unrelated. On December 8, 2023, the driver drove the car approximately 20 miles home, but upon exiting the car, the dashboard lights began flashing with multiple warnings and notifications and the engine would not start. The driver had to disconnect the battery cables to turn the car off completely. The driver called a tow service on December 9, 2023, who advised trying to jump-start the car. After charging the battery for 30 minutes, the car started and stopped without issue. On July 6, 2023, the customer noticed that the car was slow to start and received a warning on the dash indicating a "powertrain malfunction." The car was taken to the dealership on July 7, 2023, where it was diagnosed as having a faulty battery, which was replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11575637

Feb 20, 2024Engine

Vehicle was taken in begore warranty expired for losing power and shutting down on road went to san tan ford they said it was a month out come back. I said this is a safety issue and got it in for service in scottsdale while still under warranty like 50k. They said nothing was wrong with it did something because it didnt stop on road until sat [XXX] white smoke started pouring out back and i was able to start it and get it into a parking lot. I called to get it towed they said that my powertrain warranty expires at 60k and im at 63k. Had it towed to san tan ford to see what the problem was and they stated the engine is no good. I need a new engine. I owe 33k purchased it new in october 2021. San tan ford is reaching out to ford to see what it will cover but they said probably only 50%. This is crazy that i have to purchase a new engine when ford was aware of these issues that placed me un danger. What can I do? Please help. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11572937

Feb 4, 2024Electrical systemEngine

[XXX] Vehicle would not start(not even crank) while parked in the garage. Could not jump start, had to be dragged out of garage(could not put in neutral) and hauled on rollback to Blaise Alexander Ford Lewisburg, Pa. Dealership kept for 4 days and charged battery and could not replicate the problem. [XXX] Vehicle while driving message of Vehicle Connection Error came up on screen and then all gauges blacked out, turned off of road and died, could not restart, could not jump start and would not crank. Again had to be drug onto rollback (could not put in neutral) and towed to Blaise Alexander Ford Lewisburg, pa , kept for 6 days and tested battery, could not charge it and replaced it at our cost. Vehicle was at 35,098miles. They could not replicate the problem. Do not feel safe driving this vehicle if it shuts down randomly at times. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11569807

Jan 2, 2024Electrical systemEngine

Slowing down at a red light, getting into a left hand turning lane there was a "thud" sound and then the car completely shut off. Nothing worked, screens went blank, no hazards, no lights. We were stuck in the middle of the road with no way to even get the car out of the way. Every once in a while the green would come on or an alarm would go off but quickly went back to black. Tow truck was able to jump it to get it on the truck but half way through the ride the engine died once more. There was no warning at all. If this would have happened on the highway, it would have been catastrophic. After learning about this happening to others and hearing that it may happen again, I will not feel safe in this car moving forward: car is a 2021 Bronco Sport, 52,000 miles. Please do something!!!

NHTSA ODI 11563170

Dec 15, 2023Electrical systemLightsEngine

Vehicle experienced catastrophic power failure while I was driving. Without warning, the vehicle shut down completely. The engine stopped, the brakes engaged, the dash went black. There was no way to communicate with the vehicle -- no way to engage emergency flashers or even to push it to the side of the road (because the brakes were locked). There was a loud "pulse" sound coming through the speakers -- "thump. . .thump. . .thump. . ." which continued for 5 - 10 minutes. A police officer who stopped to assist noted the rear tail lights were strobing. The "P" on the transmission shifter flashed continually. Over the next 30 minutes, the infotainment screen rebooted twice, but went to black within seconds. The instrument panel rebooted once, but also went black after a few seconds. The car was towed to Kings Ford in Mason/Deerfield Township OH. The service tech reported the only issue was a dead battery which he replaced. That issue has not reoccurred in my Bronco Sport. On the Bronco Sport Forum, [XXX] reported an identical event in Feb. 2023 happened to her vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11560316

← NewerOlder →

Working with the data? Download all 664 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Later Release verdict →