What 89 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport Later Release

Driving on [XXX] . I smelled gasoline. My entire car smelled of it. Next I got a notification to service my vehicle soon. I immediately pulled over and called two Ford dealerships. Downers Grove and Naperville. Neither helped. I located I was close to a dealership. I went there. This is where I learned that underneath my car, wires had caught fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11733616

Our 2024 Bronco Sport Outer Banks, 1.5 liter engine, purchased new from a Ford dealer 11/2024, serviced at the dealership and driven less than 14k miles, was destroyed by a spontaneous fire 3/22/2026. After driving 12 miles, we parked in a parking lot. Upon exiting the car we noticed a burning smell and saw small plumes of steam or smoke coming from under the car hood. Within a minute a red/orange disc of heated metal became visible on the hood surface as flames came from under the hood. Seven minutes later the fire department arrived extinguishing the fire. The car was destroyed. There were no warnings of any kind. The events suggest a cracked fuel injector. Even though 15 foot flames engulfed the car it was parked and unoccupied, there were no injuries. The results of the investigation have not been reported to us. CCTV footage was obtained from the police.

NHTSA ODI 11727373

• What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection? The brake system on my 2024 Ford Bronco Sport failed to respond for approximately 2–3 seconds after I pressed the brake pedal. This occurred immediately after freeing my foot from underneath the gas pedal while cruise control was active. The vehicle is available for inspection. • How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle did not slow down when the brake pedal was fully pressed, causing me to enter an intersection while other vehicles were turning. I had to swerve to avoid a collision, but another vehicle entered my path and a crash occurred. The braking delay directly increased the risk of a serious accident. • Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? UNKNOWN. I have not yet had a dealership or service center attempt to reproduce or diagnose the issue. • Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, or others? The accident was documented by police and insurance, but the mechanical issue itself has not yet been inspected for cause. • Were there any warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the failure? When did they appear? There were no warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms before the brake failure. The brakes simply did not respond when pressed. • Description of the incident: While traveling northbound on Sterling Ave approaching Truman Rd, the light turned yellow. I attempted to brake, but my foot was caught under the accelerator due to cruise control being engaged. After freeing my foot, I pressed the brake firmly, but the brakes did not respond for approximately 2–3 seconds. I swerved left to avoid turning traffic and sounded my horn. Another vehicle continued its turn and my front passenger quarter panel struck its rear passenger quarter panel at about 15 mph. The brakes only began functioning after the vehicle jerked from evasive steering input.

NHTSA ODI 11701629

I believe the transmission has an issue. The car was started and it quickly went into reverse and sped up trapping my wife between the door and a tree as she was exiting the vehicle to swap seats for me to drive. No known warnings were issued by the vehicle prior to the incident on 6/7/2025. The previous recall for the BCM & PCM was completed on 2/27/2025 by our local Ford dealer

NHTSA ODI 11665543

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a burning odor in the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated an error message indicated service 4WD was displayed. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact noticed a burning odor on the exterior of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the failure was not duplicated. The dealer performed an oil change. The contact stated that seven days later, the failure occurred. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed fire coming from underneath the hood. The contact and her daughter were occupants of the vehicle. The contact stopped and parked the vehicle. The contact and her daughter exited the vehicle. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, which was the dealer that performed the diagnostic test and the oil change the week prior to the failure. The contact received documentation which provided several unknown parts related to the power train and electrical wiring that were replaced. The contact stated that no official failure diagnostics were provided. The vehicle manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

NHTSA ODI 11665096

My backup camera one two separate occasions has not operated properly. First time it never showed a vehicle had come up behind me. Didn’t go off with any notice. I backed into a car. Second time a man with a cart walk behind as I was backing out no notice. There is a recall on review camera but not on my vin.

NHTSA ODI 11663968

I Was in Reverse backing out and stopped with the brake and rolled the gear dial to drive until foot off brake and it stayed stuck in reverse and I moved backwards and hit a car behind me. I braked again and looked to make sure I was in drive, And I was. Then, i took my foot off thee brake and it moved forward. Also I notice a big delay in drive after having brake applied. I think the gears are sticking. Or even a 2-4 second delay to switch from gear to gear.

NHTSA ODI 11652689

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was remotely starting the vehicle, the vehicle started rolling out of the garage independently. The vehicle came to a complete stop after crashing into another that was a vehicle parked in the driveway. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the rollaway. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11646038

On [XXX], my 2024 Ford Bronco Sport spontaneously burst into flames while driven by my [XXX] son. Per a local bystander, there was smoke and fire observed around the undercarriage as he drove down the road. Multiple vehicles began honking while stopped at a red light. A driver alerted my son of the fire. He was able to evacuate along with his [XXX] sister. As they were fleeing to the median of an active highway, the vehicle burst into flames. After several explosions the vehicle continued to burn and melt until the fire dept extinguished the flames. Prior to spontaneous combustion, there were no symptoms of gas leaks or error messages. Nor were there any fluid leaks. There were no error messages or signs of vehicle distress even while my children were driving & engulfed in flames. If bystanders had not flagged down my son, my children may have still been inside the vehicle when the fire & explosions consumed them. The fire department ultimately inspected the vehicle for damage. I am still awaiting their report. Initial conversations on the scene indicated an engine fire. On June 11th, my insurer commissioned an engineer to inspect the vehicle for causation. No report currently available. The vehicle was brand new; purchased just 6 weeks ago. At the time we purchased, 2022 & 2023 models had an open safety recall for fire risk due to a fuel injection defect. There were no reported design updates for the 2024 model. Nor were the recall fixes recommended in Feb 2024 installed on my Bronco purchased late April. It is my position that both Ford & the dealership knew or should have known the 2024 models would have the same defect and fire risk. Disturbing they sold their defective vehicle to my family. The dealership claims no responsibility or obligation to disclose risks. Ford refuses to speak with me given total loss status. My only recourse now is through my insurance. My children remain traumatized by their near death experience. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11593802