Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2023 Ford Bronco submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 20 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
My husband was sitting at a stop light when he noticed what appeared to be steam/smoke coming out from under the hood of the Bronco. Then smoke came into the vehicle through the air vents. When he looked up, flames were coming out from under the hood. He got out and the whole front of the car burst into flames and torched the car.
Going 80 on the fwy. It stared shaking, engine light came on. Immediately go off the fwy as soon as I stopped it died and wouldn’t start.
The vehicle experienced recurring electrical system failures beginning in December 2023. The vehicle intermittently would not start and on several occasions lost power unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken multiple times to an authorized Ford dealership for diagnosis while still under the manufacturer warranty. The dealership repeatedly reported that no issue could be identified despite the recurring electrical malfunction. The vehicle battery was replaced more than once within three years, however the underlying electrical issue persisted. In August 2025 the dealership instructed that the vehicle remain at the service center for extended diagnosis. The vehicle remained at the dealership for more than 40 consecutive days before being returned on October 8, 2025. Because the vehicle intermittently fails to start and has experienced electrical system malfunction, this creates a potential safety risk if the vehicle stalls or loses power while operating in traffic. Additionally, the vehicle currently has two outstanding manufacturer safety recalls that remain unresolved after nearly three years of ownership. This complaint is being submitted because the defect remains unresolved despite multiple repair attempts while the vehicle was under the manufacturer warranty.
Check engine light stayed on, constant. Code run showed cylinder 4 misfire. Bronco still under warranty so took to dealership. Mechanic said coolant was inside cylinder so he requested recommended remedy from Ford and would probably be engine replacement.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and flat towing an RV, the Flat-Tow mode inadvertently disengaged and the contact smelled a burning odor permeating the interior of the vehicle with the message "Stop vehicle immediately, excessive temperature detected" displayed. The transmission temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was damage to the transmission and turbocharger due to the Flat-Tow mode not being engaged properly during towing. The contact was informed that the transmission and turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 22-7086. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact was later informed that the manufacturer concluded that the disengagement of Flat-Tow mode was the result of user error. The manufacturer declined to cover the cost of the repair. The contact contested the manufacturer’s findings as inconceivable, stating that the Flat-Tow mode was still engaged after arriving at his destination. The failure mileage was 50,200.
Engine began to leak air in intake where this is a faulty problem in the previous two models years and is an active recall on them also, 23 Ford Bronco, began to misfire causing to have to get engine replaced
My engine has had a knocking problem since 3000 miles. Everytime I take it to Ford they agreed it has a knock but won't fix the problem stating it's normal and some engine knock more than others. The engine knocks at low rpm when stepping on the accelerator then smooths out about 1500 to 2000 rpm. One mechanic said it's an issue but they won't fix it unless it has a catastrophic failure this is unacceptable to me as they just want the vehicle to fall out of warranty when the engine finally gives way and doesn't turn on anymore. There are multiple Ford vehicles that have this issue and Ford does not seem to look into it and fix it please investigate the issues with knocking on all the Ford vehicles with the EcoBoost engines.
My vehicle has the 2.7L V6 Ecoboost engine. This engine apparently has a design defect that results in repeated cam phaser failure. My engine recently had cam phaser failure and I had them replaced. A week later I was driving at speed on a highway when my engine completely died. I had to pull to the side of the road and could not restart my engine. I ended up being towed to a dealership and am awaiting diagnosis.
We installed new tires and wheels on our vehicle and it immediately started having engine problems and the check engine light comes on. We took it to the dealer and after several days back and forth Ford told the deal that it's a known problem with the 2.3L version of the Ford Bronco however they had no fix and no timeline to fix the problem. This creates a safety hazard as the engine program can't be updated and could cause damage to the engine and cause it to fail. The dealer then stated that they could not return the vehicle to us with the new tires and wheels we purchased and we had to put our old tires and wheels on. We counted on the old tires for a spare since we already blew one tire out. So in addition to a safety hazard we are currently out $2,500 we spent on new tires and wheels, and now have to purchase another tire of the exact same original size to have a spare, costing us another $300.
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.
My 2023 Bronco with 6k miles died without any warning back in late January 2024. Ford service dept said it was a failed catalytic converter. After it was in the shop for a 1.5 months, waiting on the back ordered part, we picked up our truck around March 10. Fast forward to today, truck has 7k miles. We were southbound on the interstate in bumper to bumper traffic heading to Disney World when the truck’s engine died, yet again. Luckily we were not traveling typical interstate speed and we safely maneuvered the vehicle to the side of the road and contacted Ford roadside assistance and a tow truck was quickly dispatched. The truck is currently sitting at a Ford dealership on a Sunday, 485 miles from home and a lot of money tied up in our vacation plans. Just thankful nobody was hurt, but waiting for this to happen a third time just to file a lemon law is reckless to customers and everyone else on the road, for that matter.
I have a 2023 Ford bronco that has the 2.3 L engine and seven speed manual transmission. It was originally purchased in January 2023. I live in Colorado so it is cold and on cold mornings, since I have received delivery of the vehicle, It has made and continues to make a grinding, scraping sound when the vehicle is in neutral, or the transmission is not engaged. The grinding, scraping sound will occur when driving in first, second, and third gear. If the weather is warm, as over last summer, it does not make the grinding, scraping sound. It has been consistently documented amongst other owners of this particular vehicle, the new sixth generation Ford bronco full-size vehicle with the 2.3 L engine and seven speed manual transmission , that these transmissions make this grinding, scraping sound. I have had it investigated by my local Ford dealership on two separate occasions, and although the tech on site at the dealership states that he can hear the grinding sound and agrees that it is an abnormal sound for a vehicle transmission to make, the Ford motor company has refused to do any type of repair or modification, or replacement of the transmission in my particular vehicle to correct the problem. However, when discussing this problem with other Ford bronco owners, Ford motor company’s response has been very irregular, one friend, in particular, has had his transmission replaced. I am very concerned that as transmissions tend to suffer with wear and tear, that should this transmission fail early due to the grinding, scraping sound, ford motor company will not replace it under warranty, stating that it was my fault or expected wear and tear, that the transmission failed early, when, in reality, it is just as likely that the early failure would be due to this abnormal, grinding, scraping sound.
While driving the vehicle began to misfire and became unsafe to drive. It was towed to the local dealer where error codes confirmed that cylinder 4 had misfired. Ford was unable to duplicate the issue nor where they able to find any issues that would have caused the misfire after trouble shooting.
I was driving uphill in a neighborhood going about 15 mph when my Bronco suddenly lost power. I was not able to restart and had to manually restart the truck using the fob to ignition method. It started back up, but a terrible sulfur smell was coming from the vehicle. I brought it into our nearest Ford dealership and they claimed there was nothing they could do because no code was reported from the truck. I continued to drive it for another day and the check engine light came on. My Ford Pass relayed a message claiming that the issue was the catalytic converter. I took it to my Ford dealership who claims this could take months to fix because the parts are on back order. My 2023 Ford Bronco, 2.7 liter V6 had less than 6k miles.
Engine service light came on indicating reduced power/power failure. Called Ford dealership and they said to bring it in asap. After diagnosis the Ford dealership said there was a problem with the wastegate. The dealership has no eta on when the part will be available.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH and attempting to brake, the brake pedal traveled all the way to the floorboard and all the lights had flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle the entire dashboard shook uncontrollably. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty cam phaser. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the power train and service engine soon had warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was bad gasoline in the vehicle, and gasoline needed to be drained from the fuel tank. The fuel tank was drained and refilled; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another dealer and diagnosed with a faulty turbocharger. The contact was informed that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,100.
My engine in 2023 Ford Bronco with approximately 2900 miles failed in lunch time traffic. The dealership is saying they have to order me a new engine. This is borderline criminal.
We have had two major issues with this new Vehicle. It has less 1,872 miles on it and it is only about 2 months old. Within a week of owning it, the stabilizer bar went out and render the vehicle un drive able. We have a second issue that is even larger safety issue. The Vehicle is now dying and leaving you stranded on the side of the road. We have now had this happened to us three times on separate occasions. Once was on a trip back from Oklahoma to Dallas and the highway is under repair/construction and there are miles that there are only two lanes with no shoulder or exit to get off in case of auto problems. We found ourself at night that our Bronco lost total power and would not start back up. The vehicle has some kind of timer that will allow you to attempt to start it so many times in a period and then disable the ability to crank the engine. It gives you an error of "Cranking Time Exceeded" So where ever you are "Stuck on the highway in traffic, off the road on in your driveway, you will not be able to attempt to restart your motor if you exceed this time limit. This is a very dangerous issue and I feel many people could lose their life if they are in an situation where they can not attempt to start their motor and try to move to a safer location if the engin can be restarted.
While at a stop with vehicle running, the vehicle sputters and stalls when trying to accelerate/start moving. This has happened multiple times when stopped at an intersection and creating a safety hazard for the occupants of the vehicle. Multiple attempts to restart it have to be made and it eventually gets going again but this is very dangerous to be stalled at a busy intersection. Vehicle is going into the dealer to be checked out this week. The only message we have seen is "Manual Restart Required" on the instrument panel.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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