RoadVitals

1981 Ford Bronco Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Aug 10, 2020
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1981 Ford Bronco, 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

  • Tires & wheels2100.0%

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

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1981 FORD BRONCO EQUIPPED WITH NEXEN TIRES, TIRE: LINE: NPRIZAH5 N/A, TIRE SIZE: 235/75R15 N/A, DOT NUMBER: 8EBN LMEL 4318. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE PURCHASED FOUR NEW TIRES A YEAR AGO, AND STATED THAT WHILE HE WAS DRIVING AT 45 MPH, WITH HIS MECHANIC GOING ON TO THE INTERSTATE, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE WAS FLAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HE AND HIS MECHANIC WERE REPLACING THE TIRE, THEY NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE WAS SLASHED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT LEFT THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE TOOK THE DAMAGED TIRE TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE TAKEN THE TIRES BACK TO CRUZ TIRE SHOP WHERE HE PURCHASED THE TIRES BECAUSE THERE WAS A WARRANTY OF 50 MILES AND ONE YEAR OF ROAD HAZER AND WAS INFORMED THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRES. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE TIRE SHOP WANTED TO PATCH THE TIRE. THE TIRE WAS NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,158 AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

NHTSA ID 11348404 · filed Aug 10, 2020

STEEL BELTS SEPARATED IN TWO PLACES: ONE CAUSED THE TREAD TO SHIFT OVER ABOUT 1 INCH; THE OTHER SEPARATION FOLDED UNDER ITSELF, AND CAUSED A KNOT THE WIDTH OF THE TREAD. *AK (DOT NUMBER: UNKK65A402 TIRESIZE: LT23575R15)

NHTSA ID 733975 · filed Oct 11, 2000

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

Data on this page last refreshed .