2021 Ford Bronco Sport Owner Complaints

RDU CLUTCH FAILURE Vehicle shutter at low speeds and during deceleration. Issue diagnosed after I had the vehicle inspected by ford dealership Ford TSB for this issue is 26-2328. I believe recall 21S02 should have been expanded to include more. My car was not manufactured during the dates listed for that recall. Ford parts have now switched manufacturers for the RDU CLUTCH which is now on back order. I suspect this issue may be related to the large amounts of PCM software issues ford has had with these vehicles and I believe this RDU failure was from faulty parts. No warning lights

NHTSA ID

11756436

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

My transmission is surging at low speeds all the way from takeoff to about 60mph. No engine or transmission codes.

NHTSA ID

11755597

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

ENGINE SPUTTERING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. RECALL IS STILL NOT RESOLVED REGARDING COMPUTER UPDATE AT THIS TIME AND DEALERSHIP SAID NO CODE NO REPAIR FOR OVER A YEAR. NOW I MUST REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE ISSUE MANY TSB ISSUED FOR THE POWERTRAIN ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11754758

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

When making a slower turn mainly when turning to the right or backing up to the right the RS rear wheel is intermittently locking upor dragging and letting loose multiple times in a row. It does it turning to the left but not as bad. This issue causes the vehicle to not want to drive correctly or want to move especially when at an intersection turning right so I have to give it excessive gas to get it going, this issue also is making it very dangerous when pulling out when on a busier road or highway . I had my Laporte, Indiana Ford dealership check it out and they agree with me on the issue it's having, they said it's the drive internals in the rear end are bad possibly due to a faulty vent tube that lets water and dirt into the rear end causing the fluid to get contaminated, Ford knows about this issue and has a update vent tube. So I'm having to pay For the repairs myself $3000.00 and the dealership said it may take a month to get the parts, I asked them what will happen if I keep driving my vehicle till/if/or whenever it gets fixed their response was it will get worse and eventually detonate and destroy itself. While pulling out onto a busy road that isn't remotely safe! This issue started about two weeks ago around the second week of July 2026 and appears to be getting progressly worse, no warning lights at all came on it started speraticly but is constant now.

NHTSA ID

11753173

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

The bronco sport was being driven, suddenly an gasoline odor was slightly noticed, it was almost dismissed because the intersection the vehicle was currently at has 4 gas stations. The SUV suddenly turned off, alerts popped up on the screen and smoke began to rise from underneath the hood. As the vehicle was exited, the gas odor was noticeable and flames began to shoot from the engine bay. Within a minute the flames had engulfed the whole front end of the vehicle into the interior.

NHTSA ID

11752828

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11752632

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

I was in another town and my car kept stalling. I was going across traffic and it stalled and almost caused an accident. When I was in a parking lot my car would not go in reverse. I had to be pushed out of the parking space. I have already went to the have this recall fixed once. I know the part is not available but I should not have to keep going every few months to keep getting this done on a vehicle that I am paying on. It is not reliable and I could have caused an accident.

NHTSA ID

11751319

Incident

Jul 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. There was an abnormal odor of exhaust fumes inside the vehicle. Initially, the driver thought it emerged from other vehicles; however, a passenger smelled exhaust fumes, became sick, and vomited once the driver pulled over. The Ford mobile app failed to display any failure codes. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where diagnostic trouble codes for the engine were cleared. The fuel vapor was purged, and the valve was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic shop, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter was fractured. The catalytic converter was replaced, and the fuel injector was serviced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 67,830.

NHTSA ID

11749362

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

Mileage

67,830 mi

The first incident was the car shifting to park while I was trying to reverse it said “system shift fault” I called ford they told me that since it wasnt coming back on I was okay to drive it hadn’t come back on so I didn’t get the diagnostic done due to not having a vehicle to use while it was being done. The second one I parked and again went to reverse and what popped up was “gear selected will engage at low speed” but as soon as I turned my car off and back on the vehicle was able to reverse and drive normally.

NHTSA ID

11747571

Incident

Jun 30, 2026

Continuously when I am driving the vehicle, it will randomly loose acceleration and come to an almost complete stop when driving, including on major interstates.

NHTSA ID

11747377

Incident

Jun 28, 2026

The vehicle was parked in my parking garage and rolled away causing a collision. There were no warning lights indicating an issue. The vehicle is currently sitting at a shop awaiting warranty paperwork for a transmission replacement that was done last year.

NHTSA ID

11746222

Incident

May 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle went forward. While in neutral, the vehicle moved forward. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V236000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The alternator had been replaced previously. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11746182

Incident

Jun 13, 2026

Mileage

125,000 mi

The vehicle failed to shift back into Drive after being placed in Park, rendering it inoperable. As a result, the vehicle had to be pushed out of a busy driveway and towed to a local repair shop. The local repair shop was unable to diagnose or repair the issue because the required diagnostic equipment is specific to Ford vehicles and was not available to them. The shop advised that the transmission may have failed. After researching the issue, transmission failure has been reported as a known concern affecting early-model Ford Bronco Sport vehicles. Because the local shop could not complete the repair, the vehicle had to be towed a second time to the nearest Ford dealership. The Ford dealership confirmed a transmission failure and determined that the transmission required replacement. The dealership replaced the transmission at a total cost of $10,971.48. At the time of failure, the vehicle had fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer. Given the relatively low mileage and the significant cost of repair, a complete transmission failure under normal operating conditions raises serious concerns regarding the reliability and durability of this component. The Ford dealership's description of the diagnosis, repairs performed, and parts replaced is provided below. 7000: *TRANSMISSION REPAIRS TRANSMISSION DIAGNOSIS (NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY, LEAKS, OTHER) - C/S: TRANS SEEMS TO NO GO INTO GEARS, WAS AT ANOTHER SHOP WHO COULD NOT REPAIR, ADVISE ON NEEDED REPAIRS PLEASE WENT FOR TEST DRIVE - VERIFIED CONCERN. PULLED VEHICLE INTO SERVICE BAY. SCANNED CODES - FOUND P07E1 UNABLE TO ENGAGE NEUTRAL. CHECKED OIL LEVEL AND CONDITION - WAS FULL BUT HAD CLUTCH AND METAL DEBRIS PRESENT. RECOMMEND TRANS REPLACEMENT. APPROVED. PULLED VEHICLE BACK INTO SERVICE BAY. REMOVED AND REPLACED TRANSMISSION. FLUSHED COOLER. PROGRAM STRATEGY AND FILL FLUID PER WSM. PERFORMED ADAPTIVE DRIVE CYCLE. TEST DROVE TWICE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTED WELL. PULLED TO BACK LOT.

NHTSA ID

11744921

Incident

May 17, 2026

The rearend is making a shuddering on tight turns . Vehicle only has 24,700 miles on it. Unknown if oil is low in differential oil or if vent hose is plugged. May be contaminated oil in differential.

NHTSA ID

11744585

Incident

Jun 9, 2026

STILL NO REMEDY AND THIS HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR AGO!!! Jul 16,2025 Manufacturer Recall Number 25S76 NHTSA Recall Number 25V467 Recall Status Recall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Summary ON YOUR VEHICLE THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A FUEL INJECTOR MAY CRACK, WHICH MAY RESULT IN FUEL ACCUMULATING ON THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. Safety Risk LIQUID FUEL ANDOR FUEL VAPOR THAT ACCUMULATES NEAR A HOT SURFACE, SUCH AS HOT ENGINE OR EXHAUST COMPONENTS MAY IGNITE RESULTING IN AN UNDER-HOOD FIRE, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.

NHTSA ID

11744520

Incident

Jul 16, 2025

The ford dealerships in Cullman and Decatur were unable to resolve my software recall and rear camera issue. They attempted 4 times

NHTSA ID

11744074

Incident

Apr 10, 2025

THIS PROBLEM CAUSES MY VEHICLE TO SPUTTER AND JERK WHEN TRAVELING. I brought it to the dealership and they said to bring it back when the recall was submitted. This is ridiculous. So many recalls on this vehicle

NHTSA ID

11744073

Incident

Feb 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that there was an abnormally loud grinding sound detected while driving, reversing, and turning the steering wheel. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, who related the failure to a recall. The mechanics referred the contact to the dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V011000 (Power Train), 21V074000 (Suspension) and 21V075000 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed there were no open recalls. The dealer diagnosed and determined that the rear clutch needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11743659

Incident

May 12, 2026

Mileage

90,000 mi

Purchased a Ford Bronco Sport brand new in 2021. I received a recall notice for my bronco sport last July. I took my vehicle to the Ford dealership and they told me there was no remedy available. The recall states that my vehicle could catch on fire and crash at any time while I’m driving it. Ford still does not have a remedy almost a year later and they don’t know when they will have one. They don’t have parts even though my VIN number is affected. Ford expects me to risk my life and the life of my passengers, who happen to be my grandsons, by driving this vehicle on a daily basis. At any time, my car can catch on fire because of the fuel injector recall. I filed a claim with the Ford buyback program, but was denied because my vehicle warranty has expired. The recall didn’t even come out until after my warranty had expired. Recall info: Campaign 25S76/25V467

NHTSA ID

11743285

Incident

Jul 16, 2025

This vehicle has had the same recall for longer than a year now that Ford doesn't seem to have any kind of remedy for. They just keep "inspecting" and "reprogramming." How many fires need to happen under the hood of these vehicles before Ford is forced to either replace the fuel injectors or compensate their customers in some way? I drive around with kids in my car. Safety is not up for negotiation and this has taken far longer than it should have.

NHTSA ID

11743230

Incident

Jul 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on two separate occasions, the turbocharger became inoperable. The contact reported hearing a knocking sound coming from the engine at the time of the failures. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the remedy was not available to complete the repair. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11742985

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

Mileage

80,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that the daughter had reported that while in a parking lot, the brakes unintendedly engaged, and then the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The driver immediately applied the brakes to stop the vehicle. The contact was able to duplicate the failure while attempting to park the vehicle. The messages "Power Train Malfunction" and "Reduced Power" were displayed, the power train warning light illuminated, and the parking brake warning light flashed continuously. The vehicle was being towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,236.

NHTSA ID

11742661

Incident

Jun 7, 2026

Mileage

108,236 mi

Vehicle was sold to me with a bad transmission. Dealer is refusing to fix it or buyback the vehicle. There is a recall for potentially cracked fuel injector which poses a significant risk of fire under the hood, however it’s been almost a year and Ford still doesn’t have a fix for it.

NHTSA ID

11742543

Incident

Dec 20, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11742338

Incident

Jun 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11742317

Incident

Jun 11, 2025