CSR

Ford · NHTSA safety record

2025 Ford Bronco Sport

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

34

Complaints

5

Crashes

0

Fires

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport have filed 34 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2025 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 6 of them (18%). The typical failure was reported at 10,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 7 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (7)

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

26V340000 · May 27, 2026

Do not drive until repaired

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles. The front lower control arm ball joints may have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly repaired at the vehicle assembly plant, allowing the control arm to disconnect from the front wheel knuckle.
The risk
A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and repair the front lower control arm ball joints as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 4, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S36. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 29, 2026.

Ford Motor Company · up to 4,653 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

26V201000 · March 31, 2026

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles. The Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) unit may fail to correctly detect the presence of an adult or child in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
Failure to correctly detect a passenger may result in the air bag not deploying as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the passenger seat occupant classification sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C19. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 2, 2026.

Ford Motor Company · up to 3,170 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE)

26V122000 · March 3, 2026

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may fail, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power.
The risk
An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the EGR valves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 31, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 4, 2026.

Ford Motor Company · up to 47,804 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

25V788000 · November 14, 2025

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.
The risk
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or vehicle speed, increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
The instrument panel cluster software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC3.

Ford Motor Company · up to 229,609 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE

25V372000 · June 3, 2025

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Escape, and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.
The risk
An oil leak can result in loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, an oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the cylinder head assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S61.

Ford Motor Company · up to 404 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

25V343000 · May 23, 2025

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2023-2025 Escape, 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2025 Lincoln Corsair, Maverick, and Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L or 2.0L MPC engine and an engine block heater. The engine block heater may overheat when the vehicle is parked with the block heater plugged in.
The risk
An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the block heater element and inspect the electrical cord, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug coupled, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52.

Ford Motor Company · up to 6,781 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

25V049000 · January 31, 2025

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Bronco Sport, Escape, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may not illuminate at startup or while driving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" as well as FMVSS numbers 126, 108, 135, 138, 208, and 305.
The risk
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C02.

Ford Motor Company · up to 298 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 34.

ENGINE 6 18%
POWER TRAIN 6 18%
AIR BAGS 5 15%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 9%
STEERING 3 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 6%
SEAT BELTS 2 6%
STRUCTURE 2 6%
SUSPENSION 2 6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 6%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 24.

2025 2026
2025 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

I was in a car accident on the front/side of the drivers side of our ford Bronco sport. The steering wheel airbag did not deploy. But all other side airbags did.

NHTSA complaint 11748474. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

Brake failure caused a crash. Car was damaged.

NHTSA complaint 11682065. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 20,500 miles

The contact owned a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. While the contact’s brother-in-law was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle, causing the vehicle to flip over and slide between 50 and 75 yards. During the crash, the Forward Collision Avoidance system failed to activate, and the front driver’s side air bags did not deploy. The driver was later taken to the hospital and treated for a concussion and arm and leg abrasions. A Police report was filed at the scene, and the vehicle was towed away and later deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the

NHTSA complaint 11753571, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

1 injured

Drivers side: the track the power seat slides back/forth in. Since purchasing the vehicle 4/18/25 I have cut the back of my right leg getting into the vehicle on that track multiple times requiring the bleeding to be stopped and bandaging. At least 5 times to date and I've had the vehicle about a month. I try to be extremely careful getting into the vehicle because I know that piece will cut my leg every time but sometimes, I'm not thinking and inevitably I get cut again but I really shouldn't have to worry about that, it's obviously a design flaw. I also thought I could try to remember to put the seat all the way up when I get out but then it's a pain to get back in and again, I don't

NHTSA complaint 11661271, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The car breaks without warning until it’s already hit them when no one is behind us as we’re backing up it just hits the breaks.

NHTSA complaint 11754269. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
1. The Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) module and/or the front passenger-side suspension components failed, causing a complete loss of steering control and an un-commanded, continuous violent pull to the right. Yes, the vehicle and all malfunctioning components are completely intact and available for immediate inspection upon request. 2. Safety was put at extreme risk during highway speeds. The vehicle violently and continuously swerved directly toward the right-hand passenger side. There were 5 total occupants in the SUV, including my daughter-in-law and my three young grandchildren. My [XXX] granddaughter was strapped in a car seat directly next to that right passenger door,

NHTSA complaint 11754307, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
This is a fourth occurrence related to NHTSA complaints 11749893, 11750183, and 11751201. The vehicle was previously diagnosed and repaired under warranty for the same 'Shift System Fault: Service Required' condition (transmission main control valve body replacement, RO #609213, completed July 21, 2026). Approximately 14 hours after pickup, on July 22, 2026, the identical fault recurred, the Check Engine light illuminated, and the vehicle died while driving. The vehicle was towed to Bowen Scarff Ford in Kent, WA and checked in the same day (RO #609522) for further diagnosis. This is now the second documented repair attempt for the same defect.

NHTSA complaint 11752473. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

12,000 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V122000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

NHTSA complaint 11752013. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
My daughter was driving the vehicle. She left home, drove 2 miles to drop someone off, and returned home on a 2 lane road with a 30mph speed limit. Approximately half way home, while travelling approximately 30-35mph, the hood on the vehicle flew open. It shattered the windshield, bent the hood, and because the hood flew so far back, the top of both front side panels were bent back. The last time the hood had been opened was long before to have the oil changed. There were no warning lights about the hood, and the vehicle had been used quite a bit that day, and at speeds higher than it was travelling when the hood flew open, before the incident occured. We are concerned about latch failure.

NHTSA complaint 11751483. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford Bronco Sport

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 100 8
2023 151 14
2022 345 15
2021 675 16

Other 2025 Ford models

Every Ford on this site — 348 vehicles, 1210 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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