2021 Ford Bronco Sport Electrical Problems

Which parts fail

• Instrument cluster/panel
  6
• 12V/24V/48V battery
  5
• Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
  1

Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1218%
• 25k–50k
  2944%
• 50k–75k
  1929%
• 75k–100k
  46%
• 100k–150k
  23%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Ford Bronco Sport owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 60 MPH and entering the base at 15 MPH, the overheating message was displayed. The driver pulled over, and the light turned off. After exiting the vehicle, he noticed the vehicle had caught fire. The driver disconnected the battery. There were no reported injuries. Another driver stopped with a fire extinguisher to assist with putting out the fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was contacted, who initially was sending an inspector but changed to viewing the photos. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

On morning of Sept 2, 2021 I was driving home from my overnight shift as a nurse getting off about 0635, driving down a major street in the downtown area. I was approx 6 blocks from my hospital approaching a busy intersection and my Bronco Sport [2021] lost all power. Because my speed was only 30mph, it was easy to just come to a stop after a short roll Anytime the Bronco Sport shuts off it automatically goes into Park. So I had no power, not even flashers and could not put it into neutral to push it out of the intersection onto a side street. So I sat in my dead vehicle blocking traffic, just before dawn without flashers that worked, and directly in front of a bus stop, unable to move it at all. There were no warning lights or messages that came on prior to the loss of power on the dash. My radio was working fine, vehicle seemed to be running normal. …

When trying to start the vehicle, it would not crank. Instead, all dash indicator lights, interior lights, and exterior lights began flashing. Numerous random error messages began flashing on the dashboard screen. Then a large plume of smoke began coming out from under the hood and there was an acrid burning smell. No flames were visible so the fire department would not respond when called and advised to have it towed. After much difficulty loading onto a tow truck (the parking brake would not disengage--dash indicated a parking brake fault as one of the many errors--so it had to be dragged onto the flatbed tow truck) the vehicle was towed to the local dealership in Dothan, AL. Per the dealership, there was an underhood fire involving the starter and battery. We are unable to inspect the damaged components. …

My 2021 Bronco failed our family on Friday. The Bronco failed to start upon pressing the start and brake pedal. The main console panel started flashing then cycling through all kinds of failure alerts. There was a series loud noises from the engine, the headlights flashed off and on for over 3 minutes and then the engine started smoking. The doors would not open and we were stuck inside while the engine was smoking. That smoke came through the air vents as well. Finally, I was able to get my door open though couldn't open my son's rear passenger side door from the outside. He was stuck inside for what seemed like forever. He was able to open it finally and I carried him inside. My son's legs are paralyzed and he does not walk. My main concern was getting him to a safe place as I was scared to death that the engine was going to explode in that moment. …

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that after a year of driving the vehicle, the battery was drained upon an attempt to start the vehicle. The contact was forced to jumpstart the battery to drive the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and paid out-of-pocket to replace the battery. The contact stated that almost two weeks later, the battery failure returned and the was taken back to the same dealer. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle while the dealer inspected the battery. The vehicle was returned several days later because the dealer found no defect with the battery. The contact recently stated that upon starting the vehicle, the failure returned. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. …

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut off. The message "Charging System Shutting Down" was displayed. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the instrument cluster was inoperable. The vehicle was pulled to the residence. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle later, the vehicle responded as needed and was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired because the recall remedy was not yet available. …

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power and was shaking abnormally. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the RPM became elevated; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to exit the high and parked in a parking lot. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and became aware that the wrench symbol was displayed. The contact shifted into reverse to exit the parking lot and "Low Power Mode" warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer at speeds below 30 MPH. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the infotainment screen went black or displayed a half-operating screen. An unknown warning light was illuminated with the message "Attention Needed - Service Engine Soon" displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was determined that Part Number: BE52 needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced after retrieving DTC: P0496. The vehicle was not repaired. While the vehicle was parked, the vehicle hesitated while starting. …

Pre-Collision System warning activated unexpectedly. The vehicle then accelerated by itself unexpectedly and the accelerator/throttle was engaged by itself. Breaks were then hard to push and vertically impossible to slow down. At the time, there was no vehicle or obstruction immediately around the vehicle other than a possible box, or small obstruction in the road. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Due to the unexpected activation of the pre-collision system followed by unexpected acceleration by itself, caused the vehicle to move unexpectedly and resulted in a collision with another vehicle, creating a safety risk to the occupants of both vehicles. No. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. No. …

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); 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 dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the accelerator was pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Charge System Soon" was displayed. The vehicle stalled and lost power. The contact called Roadside Assistance, and Roadside Assistance jumpstarted the vehicle and the contact was referred to Auto Zone. The contact purchased a battery. The dealer contacted the contact about an unknown recall. …

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Electrical complaints in other Bronco Sport years