2026 Ford Bronco Sport problems, complaints & recalls

2026 Ford Bronco Sport recalls (6)

• Recall 26V548000Aug 25, 202610,001 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger vehicles. The engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power.

  Risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine pistons and replace the engine long block, if necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 28, 2026.

• Recall 26V550000Aug 25, 202623 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Maverick, F-150, and Bronco Sport vehicles. Certain vehicle joints may be improperly tightened. This can lead to detached parts, unsecured cargo, degraded crash protection, electrical system failure, or a loss of vehicle stability.

  Risk: Improperly tightened vehicle joints may lead to a loss of vehicle control, electrical failure, or detached parts, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the vehicle joints or repair and replace the joint retention mechanisms as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications letters are expected to be mailed September 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 26, 2026.

• Recall 26V340000May 27, 20264,653 vehiclesDo not drive
  SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 26V239000Apr 14, 202655 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Maverick and 2026 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.

  Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, and inspect and replace the electrical cord if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have an alternative option to replace the engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 10, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V343. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 14, 2026.

• Recall 26V201000Mar 31, 20263,170 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 25V788000Nov 14, 2025229,609 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

Recent 2026 Ford Bronco Sport complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 15, 2026IAOther / Unknown

   We were driving our 2026 Ford Bronco Sport (Badlands Edition) on [XXX] in the [XXX] area of [XXX]. The location was in town and the speed was 45 mph. The day was Friday, XXX, at 5:10pm, when the closed moonroof glass suddently, without any warning, completley exploded. The moonroof exploded upward and pieces of glass flew as it shattered completely. Fortunately, we had the fabric shade closed at the time so the glass did not hit my wife and I. If the shade had been open, I'm…

   NHTSA complaint #11764441 · source
2. Filed Sep 8, 2026NJEngine

   The contact owns a 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V548000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 contact had not experienced a failure.

   NHTSA complaint #11762809 · source
3. Filed Sep 6, 2026MDOther / UnknownWheels & Tires

   I was stranded on the side of the road due to a routine tire puncture on the morning of Sept. 5, 2026. I immediately called AAA for emergency roadside assistance. AAA explicitly informed me that their safety policy prevents them from plugging tires on the roadside, however they offered to change the flat out for my spare tire. When I went to the trunk to look for the spare tire, I discovered that there was no spare tire, wheel jack or lug wrench in the vehicle. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11762418 · source
4. Filed Aug 31, 2026TNOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain

   2026 Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch edition with less than three-thousand miles that we purchased brand new had a major transmission failure and was rendered inoperable. The Bronco Sport transmission pan cracked and the gasket failed upon driving home from a routine, ten minute trip to the grocery store resulting in sudden loss of transmission fluid. The transmission fluid blew all over the engine compartment when this occurred The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership…

   NHTSA complaint #11761016 · source
5. Filed Aug 2, 2026TXOther / Unknown

   Information panel warning lights on dash or wiring system short I was driving at a slow speed and without warning my hood flies up and shatters the windshield and truck flies open dropping all my luggage out

   NHTSA complaint #11754239 · source
6. Filed Jun 12, 2026CAElectrical SystemEngineOther / Unknown

   2026 Bronco SportDescription Your vehicle may display a blank instrument panel cluster ipc screen upon startup. This may occur when the vehicle is restarted within a specific time interval after turning the vehicle off. Safety Risk A blank ipc screen will prevent the driver from seeing critical vehicle information such as the speedometer, warning lights, and warning messages. The inability to see this information increases the risk of a crash. Remedy Software is now…

   NHTSA complaint #11743715 · source
7. Filed May 19, 2026NYDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   Adaptive +predictive cruise control malfunction causing 1) sudden vehicle acceleration and 2) Cruise on but disengaged suddenly engaged and set a higher speed than originally set. Merged into light traffic on 4 lane interstate, no other vehicles within 200yds or so. Turned on, then set cruise control at 70mph, about 10 seconds later I felt the car surge, I looked down, saw the cruise indicator now showed 80, tapped the brakes to disengage. About 2 miles later repeated the…

   NHTSA complaint #11738770 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology