2025 Ford Bronco Sport problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (6) · Air Bags (4) · Suspension (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Bronco Sport model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (7)
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint 2026-05-27 · campaign 26V340000 · 4,653 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles. The front lower control arm ball joints may have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly repaired at the vehicle assembly plant, allowing the control arm to disconnect from the front wheel knuckle.
Risk: A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and repair the front lower control arm ball joints as necessary, free of charge.Owner notification letters were mailed September 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S36. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 29, 2026.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2026-03-31 · campaign 26V201000 · 3,170 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles. The Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) unit may fail to correctly detect the presence of an adult or child in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Failure to correctly detect a passenger may result in the air bag not deploying as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger seat occupant classification sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C19. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 2, 2026.
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:gas Recirculation Valve (Egr Valve) 2026-03-03 · campaign 26V122000 · 47,804 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may fail, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power.
Risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the EGR valves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 31, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 4, 2026.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2025-11-14 · campaign 25V788000 · 229,609 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.
Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or vehicle speed, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The instrument panel cluster software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC3.
Engine 2025-06-03 · campaign 25V372000 · 404 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Escape, and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak can result in loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, an oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the cylinder head assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S61.
Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater 2025-05-23 · campaign 25V343000 · 6,781 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2023-2025 Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2025 Lincoln Corsair, Maverick, and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L or 2.0L MPC engine and an engine block heater. The engine block heater may overheat when the vehicle is parked with the block heater plugged in.
Risk: An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the block heater element and inspect the electrical cord, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug coupled, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2025-01-31 · campaign 25V049000 · 298 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Bronco Sport, Escape, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may not illuminate at startup or while driving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" as well as FMVSS numbers 126, 108, 135, 138, 208, and 305.
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C02.
Service bulletins (73)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-14 · TSB 26-2442 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes 26-2297. reason for update: add 2022-2025 transit vehicles. some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above equipped with sync4 may experience a blank center display screen or black center display screen after welcome animation. the rear-view camera will still funct
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-06 · SSM 55221 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2022 2026 vehicles equipped with a 8f35 transmission, a revision to the road testing vehicle procedure has been made in the wsm, section 307-01 > diagnosis and testing. this updated procedure improves the diagnosis of customer reported transmission concerns and aids in locating the proper root c
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-02 · SSM 55211 · Over The Air
2023-2026 escape and 2025-2026 bronco sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5l ecoboost engine may require removal of the turbocharger wastegate control actuator linkage for various reasons. the workshop manual (wsm), section 303-04 fuel charging and controls - turbocharger - 1.5l ecoboost > removal and
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-22 · TSB 26-2092 V2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this article supersedes tsb 25-2466 to add bronco sport, escape, maverick and corsair, as well as removing expedition and navigator. one time use parts for corsair and bronco sport were also added to the parts list. some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may exhibit a headliner rat
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · TSB 26-2414 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this article supersedes 26-2058 reason for update: update the tsb title and tsb issue to include new dtcs some of the vehicles listed in the model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * intermittent or permanent no reverse (r) engagement * illuminated mil with dtc p0767 or p0
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-22 · SSM 55100 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for various ford and lincoln vehicles, if diagnostics lead to the replacement of the front seat cushion cover j-clips, lower-level service parts are now available. use service part w709919-s901 if the j-clip is completely detached from the seat cover and w715386-s424 if the clip is still partially a
Showing the 6 most recent of 73 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Unknown Or Other“the sunroof exploded and the glass shattered. the safety risk is from the glass shattering and the trauma from the noise of the explosion. the 2025 ford bronco was towed to the ford dealership and has been inspected and repaired. the service manager submitted the claim to the ford motor company under the warranty. pictures and the inspection re…”
2026-10-23 · Visibility/Wiper“on xxx, while driving unimpeded on xxx in [xxx] at ~65 mph in clear, mild weather, the tempered rear liftgate glass spontaneously imploded without warning, producing an explosive bang and showering the cargo area and passenger cabin with shattered glass fragments. key safety and technical facts: 1. no external impact: traveling on an open stretch…”
2026-10-04 · Fuel/Propulsion System“on about 5 or 6 occasions over the course of one year, my brand new 2025 ford bronco sport with the big bend trim with the vin number in this report has completely lost engine power with severe engine hesitation with a highly rhythmic / even-patterned computer-controlled-like clicking and severe engine shaking (!!!) and a near stall while traveling…”
2026-09-16 · Power Train“vehicle was taken to bowen [xxx] ([xxx]) for a transmission rebuild under ro #xxx, following repeated transmission failures. dealer performed a complete teardown and rebuild of the transmission (replacing clutch components, seals, gaskets, fluid, reprogramming solenoids), and the repair order states the vehicle was road tested after repair with no…”
2026-09-15 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 6,900 mi“the contact owns a 2025 ford bronco sport. the contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. upon returning to the residence, the contact received notification of nh…”
2026-09-09 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control“the contact owns a 2025 ford bronco sport. the contact stated that while driving downhill on the freeway with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the transmission independently shifted into neutral, the vehicle lost power, and failed to accelerate as needed. the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and shifted back into drive. the conta…”
2026-09-01 · Suspension“both front lower control arm ball joints on my 2025 bronco sport failed prematurely at approximately 13,000 miles. upon removal, both ball studs showed heavy corrosion and clear evidence of water intrusion past the factory boot seals. one boot's upper metal retainer was visibly deformed, allowing water into the joint. this level of corrosion should…”
2026-08-02 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“the car breaks without warning until it’s already hit them when no one is behind us as we’re backing up it just hits the breaks. …”
2026-08-02 · Steering“1. the electronic power assisted steering (epas) module and/or the front passenger-side suspension components failed, causing a complete loss of steering control and an un-commanded, continuous violent pull to the right. yes, the vehicle and all malfunctioning components are completely intact and available for immediate inspection upon request. 2. …”
2026-07-29 · Forward Collision Avoidance · 20,500 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2025 ford bronco sport. while the contact’s brother-in-law was driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle, causing the vehicle to flip over and slide between 50 and 75 yards. during the crash, the forward collision avoidance system failed to activate, and the front driver’s side air bags d…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.