2021 Ford Bronco

No clear pattern

1.3% of complaints about the 2021 Ford Bronco arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2021 vehicle, but with only 303 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine (68 complaints), typically at 1.7 yr or about 6,000 miles.

Complaints: 303
Median age at failure: 3.7 yr
Median mileage: 28,000 n=46
Crash / fire / tow: 8.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 10

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

68 reports · 6,000 mi

1.7 yr

8.8%

Electrical system

29 reports · 28,000 mi

4.7 yr

3.4%

Other

28 reports

2.7 yr

3.6%

Suspension

24 reports · 40,000 mi

4.5 yr

12.5%

Back over prevention

23 reports · 6,000 mi

4.3 yr

Fuel / propulsion

21 reports

4.7 yr

Service brakes

19 reports · 40,000 mi

1.8 yr

10.5%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

26V468000 2026-07-20

Engine

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Bronco and Bronco Raptor vehicles. The engine compartment wiring harness may become damaged and short circuit.

A short circuit in the engine compartment can create heat or spark, increasing the risk of a fire.

26V299000 2026-05-12

Structure:body:roof and pillars

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Bronco vehicles. The 3-door and 5-door Molded-In-Color (MIC) hardtop roof panels may have been manufactured improperly, which can allow sections of the outer roof panel to separate and detach from the vehicle.

A detached section of roof can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

26V236000 2026-04-14

Power train:automatic transmission

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Bronco vehicles. The transmission to transfer case joint may be misaligned due to an incorrectly performed previous repair, which could lead to wear of the transmission output shaft splines and transfer case input splines.

Excessive wear of the transmission and transfer case splines may result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

26V124000 2026-03-03

Back over prevention:software

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Ford Bronco and 2021-2024 Ford Edge vehicles. The Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) may overheat and shutdown, which can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended.

A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V888000 2025-12-18

Back over prevention: sensing system: camera

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Bronco vehicles equipped with 8-inch SYNC infotainment screens that were previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V165. The rearview camera image may still be displayed after a backing event has ended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V721000 2025-10-23

Seats:critical fasteners

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco vehicles. The front seats may have a loose or dislodged seat frame height-adjust pivot bolt.

A seat with a dislodged bolt may not properly restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

25V685000 2025-10-10

Equipment:electrical:engine block heater

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

25V455000 2025-07-07

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco, Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, 2021-2022 Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-150, and 2022 Expedition vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump may fail, which can result in an engine stall while driving.

An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

25V315000 2025-05-09

Back over prevention:software

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco, F-150, 2021-2024 Edge, 2022-2025 Escape, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, F-600, 2022-2024 Expedition, 2022-2025 Transit, 2021-2023 Mach-E, 2024 Ranger, Mustang, 2021-2023 Lincoln Nautilus, 2022-2024 Navigator, and 2023-2024 Corsair vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to delay, freeze, or not display when the vehicle is in reverse.

A frozen or missing rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V312000 2025-05-09

Back over prevention: sensing system: camera

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Bronco vehicles equipped with 8-inch SYNC infotainment screens that were repaired incorrectly under recall 22V-825. The rearview camera image may still be displayed after a backing event has ended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Other mileage not reported 1.1 yr in service

MY FRONT WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED IN A MANNER THAT IS UNSAFE. IT HAS 2 IDENTICAL CRACKS ON EACH SIDE. SMALL ROCKS HIT THE GLASS AND CAUSED INSTANT CRACKS WELL OVER 8 INCHES IN LENGTH. I FEEL THAT THE GLASS IS NOT IMPACT RATED CORRECTLY OR TOO THIN. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A WINDSHIELD CRACK LIKE THIS FROM THE IMPACT OF A SMALL ROCK. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ON ONLINE FORUMS OF THESE WINDSHIELDS CRACKING ON THE NEW BRONCO.

Other mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service

Rear glass lift gate exploded. Wind advisory was in effect but no surrounding cars were disturbed. The vehicle was parked and fully secure.

Other mileage not reported 1.4 yr in service

The soft top is ripping and shredding apart, causing unbearable and distracting road noise. The middle bar inside, where the fabric connects, is unable to withstand normal daily operation and is ripping at 6,5000 miles on the odometer.

Engine mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service

The 2.7 L engine failed going down the interstate in the middle lane. Complete loss of power. Was fortunate to be able to coast to the shoulder. Dealer says the engine failed and needs to be replaced.

Other Bronco model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.