2023 Ford Bronco Sport Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Fuel system5628.0%
- Electrical3718.5%
- Engine3216.0%
- Powertrain (other)199.5%
- Driver assistance115.5%
- Brakes105.0%
- Visibility105.0%
- Other / unspecified63.0%
- Suspension42.0%
- Airbags31.5%
- Seat belts31.5%
- Tires & wheels31.5%
- Interior & seats21.0%
- Body & structure21.0%
- Steering21.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 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, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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.
The contact owns a 2023 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. While the contact’s girlfriend was driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled. During the failure, the exterior lighting became inoperable, and several messages were displayed, including the message "No Key Detected". After exiting the vehicle, the doors locked and could not be unlocked. The child and child car seat located in the rear seat of the vehicle were manually shifted to the front driver’s side door and removed from the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,000.
We have been waiting for this solution to this recall and it’s made my family nervous to have vehicles that can catch fire at any point Our mental health has suffered
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
This vehicle has been in multiple times for major repairs and is currently in for transmission replacement and coolant replacements. Both of these have already had parts replaced. The recall on my car has been on it for a year and has yet to be addressed. I was told that my car started smoking while in ford possession and attempting repairs. When I questioned the recall I was told it wasn’t a big deal and that it was just a system thing and not a danger. This does not seem to be the case. The vehicle has had issues since 15000 miles and has been repaired 4 times but officially broke down at 96000 miles in less than 3 years.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, failed to accelerate, and then stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle’s drivetrain or all-wheel-drive system appears to be malfunctioning. During turns, the vehicle runs rough, feels as though it is binding or shuddering, and becomes harder to accelerate. The exact failed component has not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request, and I have a service appointment scheduled in approximately two weeks. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The reduced acceleration and rough operation while turning make the vehicle respond unpredictably. This could prevent me from accelerating safely through an intersection, entering traffic, or avoiding another vehicle or hazard. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. I have an appointment scheduled in approximately two weeks for inspection and diagnosis. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. The vehicle and suspected component have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. An inspection appointment is scheduled in approximately two weeks. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lamps or dashboard messages appeared. The symptoms consisted of rough running, shuddering or binding while turning, and reduced acceleration. The symptoms first appeared recently when the vehicle had approximately 48,000 miles.
My vehicle is currently experiencing drivability issues including: * Wrench warning light with “See Manual” message, * Hesitation during acceleration, * Intermittent reduced engine power, * Prior fuel odor concerns, * Unsafe acceleration response while driving.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The transmission and/or shift-by-wire control system appears to have failed. While the vehicle was in motion, the system engaged “Park” and remained stuck in this position. The vehicle immediately became immobilized and could not be shifted out of Park. The vehicle remained locked in Park for 3 weeks. The failure occurred without prior warning and eliminated essential vehicle control functions. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I could not cross the border in a tow truck with a stranger- so I had it repaired in Tijuana at a Ford Service Center. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Ford service facility (Ford Surman BC – Tijuana, Baja California), where technicians confirmed a defect-related failure and performed warranty repairs to restore functionality. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? Yes. An authorized Ford dealer inspected the vehicle and conducted the warranty repair. The manufacturer has been notified of the incident. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning indicators were displayed before the incident. After the uncommanded shift into Park and immobilization, the instrument cluster displayed multiple error messages including “Park Brake Fault – Service Now” and “Pre-Collision Assist Not Available.” Additional context: The vehicle had been serviced at an authorized Ford dealership in the United States less than one month prior to the incident and had fewer than 13,000 miles Vehicle broke down at night with my children in the vehicle. I incurred costs from tow trucks and rentals to get to work the following week. Now with this new Recall and no possible repair for it, this vehicle is extremely unsafe, I have been in communication with Ford and they claim they are going to do nothing about. Please help.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to refuel the vehicle. The contact noticed that the fuel tank did not have a lever or cap to lock the fuel tank. The contact stated that to add fuel to the vehicle, the contact just pushed open the fuel tank compartment to add fuel to the vehicle. The contact was concerned about the vehicle not having a fuel cap. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe, and the security of the fuel tank was very unsafe. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer suggested that the contact purchase an aftermarket lock for the fuel tank. The contact had received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V442000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact had not experienced an issue related to the recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 28,111.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The transmission and/or shift-by-wire control system appears to have failed. While the vehicle was in motion, the system engaged “Park” and remained stuck in this position. The vehicle immediately became immobilized and could not be shifted out of Park. The vehicle remained locked in Park for 3 weeks. The failure occurred without prior warning and eliminated essential vehicle control functions. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I could not cross the border in a tow truck with a stranger- so I had it repaired in Tijuana at a Ford Service Center. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Ford service facility (Ford Surman BC – Tijuana, Baja California), where technicians confirmed a defect-related failure and performed warranty repairs to restore functionality. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? Yes. An authorized Ford dealer inspected the vehicle and conducted the warranty repair. The manufacturer has been notified of the incident. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning indicators were displayed before the incident. After the uncommanded shift into Park and immobilization, the instrument cluster displayed multiple error messages including “Park Brake Fault – Service Now” and “Pre-Collision Assist Not Available.” Additional context: The vehicle had been serviced at an authorized Ford dealership in the United States less than one month prior to the incident and had fewer than 13,000 miles Vehicle broke down at night with my children in the vehicle. I incurred costs from tow trucks and rentals to get to work the following week. Now with this new Recall and no possible repair for it, this vehicle is extremely unsafe, I have been in communication with Ford and they claim they are going to do nothing about. Please help.
The car in front of the car ahead of me slammed on their breaks so I slammed on mine. The car directly in front of me hit their breaks last but my car never stopped until it hit the car. I was pushing on the break as hard as I possibly could and it just felt like the car wouldn’t stop
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the moon roof. The contact stated that the abnormal sound was like the moon roof was detaching from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure of the gasket between the body of the vehicle and the moon roof. The contact was informed that the internal rail assembly and the gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was provided a discounted cost for the repair. The failure mileage was 29,000.
The bronco sport badlands has a purely cosmetic strip on the dash that is a reflective bright orange. Its like a thin ribbon that travels around the drivers area, when the sun is raising or setting that strip reflects back onto the inside of the windshield blocking vision. It changes depth perception massively and creates a line straight across the drivers field of vision. When the sun is up and clear it just normal reflects and can be blocked with sun glasses or such but the reflection periods absolutely can not. I am not alone in this, reddit, ford forums etc have multiple mentions of this. I have already been hit twice (both accidents other driver at fault) but I believe I could have avoided them with clear field of visions.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
Bought this car new only 10 months ago, and have had to take it in constantly. 1. Within a few weeks after purchase, the bolts came flying off the wheels while driving on the freeway causing the wheels to nearly fly off! 2. Multiple recalls for the computer system, took it in at least 3 different times, screen was blacking out and electronics went down. 3. Tail lights went completely out. 4. 3 weeks ago while driving, the Bronco completely died in the middle of a heavy traffic intersection. All doors locked me in, had to manually push vehicle to the side and call for a tow. Towed it to Ford dealer, they said the fuel system went out, they’ve had it for 3 weeks and still don’t know what’s wrong with it!! I went to see the Gen Mgr, 2 employees there said I bought a lemon. GM said if I have a lemon then the whole fleets are lemons. This is a $43,000 car and I should not be having issue upon issue continually. I want them to replace my vehicle or give me a full refund! Very dangerous to drive a car that has severe safety issues!
I had parked and turned off my Bronco after a 2 hour drive. When I went back outside about 30 minutes later, I started the vehicle only to get an ear piercing noise coming out of the speakers. I turned off the radio and car but it lasted about 30 seconds and then stopped. Twice again I tried to start the car and the loud noise started again and lasted 30-45 seconds. My Apple Watch registered a noise at 110 decibels. I could not stay in the car as it hurt my ears. No warning lights or anything to let me know this was going to happen. I have taken it in to the dealer and they said it was a PCM module going bad.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle pulled to the right with the tire pressure warning light illuminated. The driver was forced to steer the vehicle to the left to center the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to two separate dealers where a total of four-wheel alignments were performed on the vehicle. However, after the repairs, the failure persisted. The contact then stated that after his wife had completed a right turn, there was an abnormal, popping sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into another parked vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy on impact. The driver sustained neck pain after the crash but did not seek medical attention. A Police report was not filed. Upon arriving at the scene, the contact became aware that the CV axle had snapped which dented the tie rod. Due to the failure, the front passenger tire had detached from the axle and was sticking out from the wheel well. The vehicle was towed to a body shop where the mechanic discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had extreme wear and the tread was almost bald. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
2023 Ford Bronco Sport purchased 2 years ago with only 1 minor recall. I’ve had to replace my water pump already and it’s had a fuel injector recall (amongst others) in place for over a year and FORD is unable to remedy due to not having parts. This could cause a fire in my engine and is a major safety risk. On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, yet ANOTHER recall, making that 14 TOTAL recalls on the 2023 Bronco Sport, with a DO NOT DRIVE ADVISORY due to a suspension failure, was issued. These issues are incredibly unsafe and put drivers at a very serious risk of injury or death. I attempted to work with a local Ford dealership in hopes they would buy the vehicle back however they REFUSED unless I traded it in for another vehicle on their lot. Otherwise, I would have had to PAY FORD $2,000 to make up the difference in “value” (I disputed the value as I had one KBB report and they had a “different” one) and my loan payoff. I stated several times I cannot put thousands of dollars down to purchase a new vehicle at this time; however, I do not want to drive this unsafe hazardous vehicle for another day. They would not work with me at all nor did they offer to fix it or even look at the vehicle. Under NO circumstances should an owner have to pay Ford for their negligence and poor manufacturing, especially with a recent DO NOT DRIVE ADVISORY issued, no matter how much the owner owes on their loan. This is 100% a FORD issue, not a user issue, not wear and tear issue. These recalls are wildly unsafe and defective issues that lie within FORD that we as owners, should not bear the burden for. How is FORD being held accountable and at what point will they start buying these unsafe and terrible cars back without penalizing the owners? It seems far more logical and safe to buy back and lose out on $2,000 rather than taking the risk on paying millions and millions of dollars in lawsuits. This is a disgusting business practice on behalf of FORD and they should be held accountable.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver stopped to make a turn and another vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. No warning light was illuminated. The rear-ended collision caused the front driver's side headrest to detach and fly off into the trunk of the vehicle. The contact's son suffered a sore leg, a small cut above the right ear, and confusion after the crash. Medical attention was received. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard but was not yet deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
I was at a complete stop and a car rear ended me going 45 MPH. The airbags did NOT go off. Causing me to hit my head on the steering wheel. The car then gave warning on the Ford app saying " Your air bag warning is on due to an issue with the front passenger air bag system. The front passenger airbag may not work properly." Another notification says " Your air ab warning is on because the system has detected a crash." The police and paramedics at the scene where very shocked that the airbags did not deploy. I was taken to the ER by ambulance due to this. Please look into it, I would hate for someone to get hurt or killed due to this issue.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
The middle seat belt doesn’t function and the dealership will not address this safety problem
See Illustration Overly sensitive driver’s side shoulder restraint resulting in abnormal restraint and the inability to see around the "B" pillar during normal deceleration. When I’m slowing down (from position 3 to 2) with normal deceleration, I’m blocked by trees, buildings, and signs indicated by the hash. Therefore I don’t have visibility of the oncoming traffic until I’ve reached (position 1) @ about 25 mph. That’s about when the harness locks up -- give or take 5mph. If there’s oncoming traffic there’s no issue; once at a full stop the harness releases and I’m on my way. If there isn’t any traffic (thus, no reason to stop); I still have to stop because I’m restrained by now and the “B” pillar blocks any view of potential oncoming traffic. Unlike any other vehicle I've ever driven , I’m unable to lean forward to see around the pillar and make a safe decision to stop or continue into the intersection at (position 0). Imagine you’re following me and have reached (position 1), and you don’t see any traffic so you anticipate that I will keep going but I don’t, I have no choice but to come to a full and complete stop because I don’t know that there’s no traffic. This creates mayhem on the highway and appears that I’m brake checking (or otherwise intentionally irritating other drivers behind me for no reason. This results in road rage and I’m always the culprit since I’m not yielding as the intersection is designed. (this happens frequently at this intersection) If I think about it prior to reaching (position 3 [prior to any significant deceleration]) I will try to lean forward or take hands off the wheel to put slack in the harness so that I’m able to see around the “B” pillar even after the harness locks up. Not only is that not safe, but I’m forced to intentionally override the car’s safety systems increasing the chances of injury if I am in a collision.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the TPMS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after driving for a while, the TPMS warning light turned off independently. Additionally, while the vehicle was parked and running, the horn started honking unintendedly and failed to turn off. The vehicle was driven for a while, and the horn became disabled and was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, it was not officially diagnosed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that there were no active recalls on the VIN for the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Tires are Continental 225/65 R 17 On June 18, 2024 the right rear tire went flat in less than 200 yards at 15 mph in our driveway. The dealership said it was a non reparable puncture that split the sidewall. On July 28, 2024 the left rear tire went flat in less than 200 yards at 15 mph in our driveway. The vehicle has less than 2500 miles and never carries heavy loads. I understand that there was a recall on similar Continental Tires. Fortunately both of these incidents happened in our driveway. We live near the Blue Ridge Mountains, had this occurred at higher speed on a mountain road it could have been disastrous.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
Power seat won’t move and is in the furthest position making driving difficult.
A screw came out that holds the front passenger seat to the track
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
Multiple intermittent occurrences of the following- Transmission: Shifts very rough 30-50mph. Excessively noisy. Far worse when weather is cold. Does not respond sometimes when pressing the accelerator. Feels as if the pedal is pushed and the car does nothing. Pulling back your foot and pressing again it goes. Noticed this trying to merge into traffic from a stop, pressing pedal to pass slower traffic at highway speeds. Have had two different Ford dealers look at the problem, neither has been able to diagnose an issue. Have an appointment with Ford dealer to evaluate again (third time) 2nd week of February due to dealer service dept schedule. Have been told to expect to leave the vehicle with them for 3-5 days for diagnosis. Have offered to take service mgr on test drive to show issue but not able to link schedules yet. Dealers have stated they cannot find an issue and have updated transmission software. Does not fix the issue. Electrical/body: Numerous problems with the following: Plugged in phone drops Apple CarPlay regularly or does not always recognize phone. (latest OS from Apple on both devices). Convenience features like seat memory, keyless entry (touch the door handle with key on you, door unlocks) intermittently not working. Rear hatch keyless entry has not worked in almost a year. Stereo system doesn't always display proper data in cluster, on radio screen. Does not always respond to steering wheel channel change button. Ford has updated software multiple times and above (except rear hatch) will work for a while then problems will start back up again. Vehicle has almost 30K miles and was purchased brand new in July 2023. Factory warranty expires at 36K and I do not want to be stuck with an extremely expensive repair if the transmission does go up after the warranty expires.
The hood flew up and shattered windshield while driving. It was never popped or unlocked. This car only has 1000 miles on it. A warning went on seconds before it happened.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle pulled to the right with the tire pressure warning light illuminated. The driver was forced to steer the vehicle to the left to center the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to two separate dealers where a total of four-wheel alignments were performed on the vehicle. However, after the repairs, the failure persisted. The contact then stated that after his wife had completed a right turn, there was an abnormal, popping sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into another parked vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy on impact. The driver sustained neck pain after the crash but did not seek medical attention. A Police report was not filed. Upon arriving at the scene, the contact became aware that the CV axle had snapped which dented the tie rod. Due to the failure, the front passenger tire had detached from the axle and was sticking out from the wheel well. The vehicle was towed to a body shop where the mechanic discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had extreme wear and the tread was almost bald. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Vehicle stopped running without any warnings. Lost power, power steering and I don't know what else.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .