Ford · NHTSA safety record

2026 Ford Bronco Sport

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

Owners have filed 7 safety complaints about the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. 6 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 1 complaint, 14% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers May 2026 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

7 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 71% 5 71%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 14% 1 14%

ENGINE 1 · 14% 1 14%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 14% 1 14%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 14% 1 14%

POWER TRAIN 1 · 14% 1 14%

WHEELS 1 · 14% 1 14%

0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 7.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

6 on file

STRUCTURE:BODY

26V550000 · August 25, 2026

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Maverick, F-150, and Bronco Sport vehicles. Certain vehicle joints may be improperly tightened. This can lead to detached parts, unsecured cargo, degraded crash protection, electrical system failure, or a loss of vehicle stability.
The risk: Improperly tightened vehicle joints may lead to a loss of vehicle control, electrical failure, or detached parts, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the vehicle joints or repair and replace the joint retention mechanisms as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications letters are expected to be mailed September 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 26, 2026.

Ford Motor Company · up to 23 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

26V548000 · August 25, 2026

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger vehicles. The engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power.
The risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine pistons and replace the engine long block, if necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed September 4, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 28, 2026.

Ford Motor Company · up to 10,001 vehicles across all model years covered

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

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

26V239000 · April 14, 2026

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Maverick and 2026 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: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, and inspect and replace the electrical cord if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have an alternative option to replace the engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 10, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V343. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 14, 2026.

Ford Motor Company · up to 55 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

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

Compare

Other years of the Ford Bronco Sport

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2025	38	7	—
2024	108	8	—
2023	158	14	—
2022	358	15	—
2021	699	16	—

Other 2026 Ford models

Explorer 38 Expedition 10 F-150 10 F-250 SD 9 Bronco 8 Mustang 8 F-350 SD 7 Ranger 6

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Ford on this site — 359 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed August 25, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.

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.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst