2023 Ford Bronco Brakes Problems

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE IN 2023 BRONCO. What happened is exactly what is described for current recall of the electronic brake booster for 2025 broncos. Mine is a 2023.

NHTSA ID

11747200

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

when engine is cold and I go down a hill to a stop sign and apply the brakes , the brakes begin to engage almost fully then release and the Bronco lurches forward 6-8" and then the brakes grab and slam the car to a stop. This only happens on an incline and when the engine is cold or has sat for awhile. THe brake pedal is fully depressed and when the bronco rolls forward, there is nothing to do to stop it since the pedal is already fully engaged. I have taken it to the dealer numerous times to diagnose, but since there is not a hill or incline near them, they are not able to reproduce the same issue. I have videos of this happening and it is a known problem that has been diagnosed in the Ford bronco online forums. The dealer suggested I call Ford Service to report the issue and I started a case complaint.There are no warning messages or codes that are present that the dealer can find to explain the problem. The car is not safe to rely on due to the brake system currently and the dealer nor Ford corporate will do anything but document my issue.

NHTSA ID

11735581

Incident

Sep 28, 2023

A couple of times on as well as off pavement when traveling on a decline I depress the brake pedal and it only very softly applied the brakes. I have to press very hard to come to a stop. Much harder than normal. Once (off pavement) they did not work until the third time I pressed them. The pedal just went to the bottom. Normally the steep decline seems to be associated to the issue.

NHTSA ID

11729240

Incident

Apr 2, 2026

1. Component/system that failed/malfunctioned — Braking system (electronic parking brake and brake control modules) combined with electrical/communication defect preventing storage of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). Vehicle available for inspection upon request. 2. How safety was put at risk — Repeated "Park Brake Fault – Service Now" and "Brake System Fault" warnings on dash while driving risk sudden loss of parking brake function, reduced braking, or unexpected behavior (e.g., transmission no-engagement beyond walking pace after cold start), impairing safe stopping/control and endangering driver and others. 3. Problem reproduced/confirmed by dealer — Yes — reproduced/confirmed multiple times by authorized Ford dealer (Town & Country Ford, Evansville, IN) across five visits (invoices attached): active brake faults visible on dash during service, yet "no codes found," "unable to verify," "NP no problem found." Examples: [XXX] (30,113 mi) brake fault while driving; [XXX]intermittent parking brake light, no codes; [XXX] transmission slip and brake fault, no codes. 4. Inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance, or others — Inspected only by dealer. Ford CX team contacted (CRM [XXX] , July 2025) but no further inspection/resolution. No police or insurance inspections. 5. Warning lamps/messages prior to failure and when first appeared — "Park Brake Error Message" and "Park Brake Fault" warnings first documented ~25,722 miles (early visits after [XXX] purchase at 13 miles). No-DTC retention defect prevented earlier alerts/diagnosis. Symptoms escalated (transmission slip, cold no-start die-out, brake faults recurring). 6. Additional notes — Out of service >60 cumulative days; loaner restricted to local driving only when provided. Part of Indiana Lemon Law claim (BBB AUTO LINE Case [XXX]). Due to 10-file/10MB upload limit, core documents attached; additional photos, full invoices, loaner agreement, BBB correspondence available upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.

NHTSA ID

11722617

Incident

Oct 5, 2023

I have a 2.7l V6 Bronco with an automatic transmission. There is a steep downhill road (22% grade) a couple blocks from my house that ends at a stop sign for a major cross street. I apply the brake pedal to slow down for the stop sign and the Bronco behaves normally and comes to a full stop, but then with no change in brake pedal pressure by me nor any pedal feedback, i notice the Bronco starts creeping forward a few feet, then abruptly stops again. When the Bronco starts creeping downhill and then abruptly stops again, there is no brake pedal feedback or movement, and the engine does not change RPM. The only sound I hear is something that sounds like service brakes releasing pressure then suddenly reapplying full pressure. I compensate by stopping early, so I don’t drift into the intersection, or a vehicle in front of me, or pedestrian. It can startle any pedestrian that starts to cross in front of my “stopped” Bronco and it suddenly starts creeping down on them. I have noticed this for months but have not taken it to a dealer for resolution yet. The problem appears to not happen after I have been driving for a few minutes. Because this is a problem that occurs on hills in the first few minutes of driving, it likely will be hard to demonstrate to a dealership for diagnosis because there are no hills near my local Ford dealership. The incident occurrence date entered below ([XXX]) is just today’s date - this problem has been present for many months, if not since new. Other uses have reported this same issue in online forums: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11681758

Incident

Aug 20, 2025

There are reports of Ford Broncos rolling forward under braking, after a full stop. This occurs most often on a hill. To be clear, the brakes are already fully depressed, the vehicle is stopped, and THEN the vehicle suddenly rolls forward while the brakes are depressed, endangering pedestrians and others. This is NOT caused by driver error. Here are some vehicle owner complaints about this issue: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11681701

Incident

Aug 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "Parking Brake Fault - Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that further diagnostic test was needed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,990.

NHTSA ID

11678726

Incident

Jul 16, 2025

Mileage

33,990 mi

“Check brake system” notification came up on dash screen. Called dealer and scheduled appt. On the way to the dealer at 70mph the brake pedal locked, pedal was incredibly hard to press and I had to kick the brake pedal to engage the brakes. Brake pedal then felt normal, but has been squishy and hard since that point. Car has 40k miles

NHTSA ID

11638732

Incident

Jan 27, 2025

A little over 10000 miles, the "Check Brake System" and "Parking" Brake Lights came on after starting the vehicle. Both Ford and the dealership were contacted and was advised that the coding through the system showed brake fluid level low with possible indication of brake fluid leaking. I asked if the vehicle was safe to drive and neither Ford or the dealership would say either way. The vehicle was taken to the dealership. For the first visit, the vehicle was at the dealership for an entire day and was told by the service advisor there wasn't anything wrong and to take it home. After leaving the dealership, the lights came on again. I took my vehicle to the dealership a second time and it sat there for another two days. Upon picking up my vehicle on the 2nd visit, I was told that the brake fluid level switch needed to be replaced and was resolved. The next day, the light comes on once again while driving. I called the dealership to talk to a service manager and was advised she would have an experienced technician dedicate their time to try and resolve the issue. The vehicle was at dealership for two days and upon pickup of the vehicle was told that the issue was due to an air bubble in the brake line and issue was resolved. I requested that the vehicle be test driven before pickup. Upon five minutes into my drive home, the lights come on once again. I've taken my vehicle to the dealership 3 times now and the dealership has had it for about 6 days during that time without resolution. I've contacted Ford customer service and the representative advised the issue would be documented, but there were currently no recalls for this issue. I've communicated with several other owners of the same vehicle experiencing the same issue without resolution. The lights are accompanied by a loud beeping noise and come on and off constantly making it a distraction when driving, and I am unable to tell if the parking brake is actually on or off since the light is constantly lit.

NHTSA ID

11627797

Incident

Oct 25, 2024

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11623600

Incident

Jul 24, 2024

I have owned my Bronco for a little over a year now, the Check Brake System light has been coming on the whole time. I have taken it to Ford 4 times now with no result of it being repaired. The dealership has no idea how to fix this issue. From reading other posts, I'm not the only owner experiencing this issue. Being its the brakes that are affected it is a serious issue.

NHTSA ID

11618785

Incident

Mar 31, 2023

Was driving on the highway, when the vehicle popped up the message and it caused either the emergency brake or the automatic collision detection brake to engage. It turned of when I applied gas. The brake issues remain, when I restarted the vehicle after 15 minutes of being off, no brake error was detected evening after pumping the brakes.

NHTSA ID

11607458

Incident

Aug 9, 2024

When driving or breaking at slower speeds, the car feels as if the transmission is “slipping” and the car jerks forward. The same thing happens when braking the car.

NHTSA ID

11591983

Incident

Apr 19, 2024

Parking Brake Fault Service Now came on. Took to dealer and no codes stored. Looked on google and multiple people are having same issue. Ford needs to look into this as it may not be safe to drive.

NHTSA ID

11572998

Incident

Feb 20, 2024

The electric parking brake sensor warning appears on the dashboard. It is a warning light that appears and stays on the dashboard. After a few days it will go away. Recently the "red" electric parking brake sensor warning has popped up displaying "parking brake failure, service now" and continues to flash. There is a feeling in the gas pedal of the emergency brake wanting to engage while driving. The issue has been unable to be diagnosed as it is an intermittent malfunction warning light. It is currently with the ford dealer to find the issue.

NHTSA ID

11570425

Incident

Sep 4, 2023

Two different times, my brakes have lost power. Both times were at slower speeds while coasting. The first time a car pulled out in front of me (about 50 feet ahead) and even though I was only going about 15 miles per hour I was barely able to stop in time. When I hit the brake pedal it felt rock hard (like when you pump the brakes with the engine off). The pedal did not go to the floor or anything like that. It stayed high in the stroke. No ABS sensation or warning lights. The next time I hit the brakes they worked normally. I couldn't reproduce the problem until about 2 months later I was leaving work and was pulling up the street at about 5 miles per hour when it did the same thing. It was almost flat ground and It was all I could do to press the brake pedal hard enough to stop in time. The symptoms were the same as the first time. The moment I hit the brake pedal again, all was normal. The weather was warm both times. The dealer cannot reproduce the problem

NHTSA ID

11555101

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Emergency brake failure. I have a very slight slope on my driveway. My car rolled halfway down my driveway. I assumed I did something wrong although I knew I had the car in gear with the E brake on. Two hours later I came back from an errand parked on my driveway was sitting in my car and my car started rolling backwards. The car was off in gear with the E brake on. I videotaped this happening every 20 seconds the car with balance, and roll back an inch or two. After 4 1/2 minutes, the car rolled the rest of the way down my driveway until it hit the street where it was flat. The car was in gear turned off with the E brake on, and nothing stopped the car from rolling. I tried putting it in an out of gear as this was happening and stomping on the break and nothing happened. I tried several times until it came to a complete stop. I have reported this to Ford. They took a complaint they don’t know what to tell me to do. They don’t have any recalls on my vehicle. This happened two times in the day. The second time was much worse. There were children riding bikes in the street behind my vehicle. I don’t know if the safe to drive this vehicle and the dealer is not able to give me any information. Ford customer service is not able to give me any information. I have video of this. I am not able to upload it to this site. I can email it or any other way that you would prefer.

NHTSA ID

11513648

Incident

Mar 23, 2023