First generation
2021 Ford Bronco Sport
The most reported problem on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is stalling, with 127 complaints, usually around 40,000 miles.
- 696owner complaints
- 16recalls
- 18involved a crash
- 40,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your Bronco Sport doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2021 model year.
Is the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport reliable?
The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport has 696 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, 3.2 times the median of 216 for 2021 SUVs on this site. Of the 5 Bronco Sport model years since 2021, it has the most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2022
- At 116 complaints for each year on the road, the 2021 runs above the 2022 (72). That's the only adjacent model year with enough complaints to set beside it.
- Top problem
- Two problems run close. Stalling has 127 complaints and brake wear has 126, out of 696 in all. A quarter of the 51 owners who gave a mileage for stalling saw it by about 19,000 miles, and half by about 40,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 35 of the 696 complaints (5%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 18 reports mention a crash, 17 mention a fire and 12 people were hurt. The most crash reports, 6 of 18, fall under brake wear.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- Each of stalling, brake wear and dead battery has a recall on the same system: stalling, 22V-191 and 25V-685; brake wear, 21V-922; dead battery, 24V-267, 25V-019 and 25V-685. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 193, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 107 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: engine stalls or loses power while driving, 127 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
696 complaints is 3.7 times the median 2021 model on this site and 3.2 times the median 2021 SUV. Among the 4 Bronco Sport model years here it ranks 1st for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport
Ford filed 186 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. 39 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 2 bulletins · 126 complaints
Some Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the Workshop Manual (WSM) and the appropriate pinpoint test in section 206-00.
Some 2013-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit noise when the brakes are applied. When diagnosing and repairing brake noise conditions, use the Workshop Manual (WSM) and the appropriate pinpoint test in section 206-00.
Battery dies or the car will not start 4 bulletins · 107 complaints
Some 2020-2023 Ford and Lincoln SYNC3 equipped vehicles may experience an inaccurate notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode.
Some 2017-2022 Ford/Lincoln customers may experience a notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode.
2 more on this problem
Some 2017-2022 Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners may experience a condition of missing authorization, command and control, battery charging details or phone-as-a-key setup buttons/selections in their FordPass or LincolnWay App.
Some 2017-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners may experience a condition of missing Authorization, Command and Control, Battery Charging Details or Phone-as-a-Key setup buttons/selections in their FordPass or LincolnWay App.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 15 bulletins · 66 complaints
Various 2020-2026 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (BLIS) may experience an inoperative blind spot monitoring with a "Blind Spot System Fault" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC).
Some 2020-2025 various Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (BLIS) may experience an inoperative blind spot monitoring with a "Blind Spot System Fault" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC).
13 more on this problem
Various 2021-2025 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with the rear camera on demand feature may exhibit "Please Check Surroundings For Safety" or "Full View Not Available" messages when the rear camera button is pressed and the vehicle is not in reverse.
Various 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a partially or fully black center display screen at start-up using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This does not affect rear camera operation.
Certain 2018 - 2024 Model Year Various Vehicles Update SYNC Software In all the affected vehicles, due to an error in the SYNC software, you may experience SYNC system instability concerns and/or a failure to preserve certain settings across ignition cycles.
Some 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC3 may experience various FordPass/LincolnWay connectivity concerns including but not limited to: missing activation prompt (pop-up) on the vehicle's center display screen when attempting to activate ...
Some 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair/F-53 Motorhome/F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis, 2021-2023 F-650/F-750/E-Series, and 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles may exhibit an intermittent no crank/no start condition and/or an intermittent blank instrument panel cluster ...
Some 2020-2022 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a telematic control unit (TCU) may exhibit inoperative remote features via Ford Pass/Lincoln Way mobile app, incomplete user authorization, and/or modem electronic serial number (ESN) could not be ...
Some 2018-2022 Ford/Lincoln vehicles equipped with a wireless charging pad may exhibit one of the following if the customer is using a Magsafe iPhone (iPhone 12 or 13): slow charging, inoperative, notification that the phone has been mispositioned on the ...
Some 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, 2021-2022 Bronco Sport, 2022 Maverick vehicles may exhibit any of the following driver assistance warning messages displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC): Pre-collision Assist Not Available, Cruise Control Not ...
Some 2016-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may exhibit a condition where the navigation voice prompts are inoperative after a SYNC map update. This may be due to an incomplete installation of the SYNC map software.
Some 2021-2022 Bronco Sports may exhibit a no key detected message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC). Reference the Owners Manual 2nd printing on page 150, and advise the customer to put the key in the middle of the tray at the forward position ...
Plus 3 older ones not listed here.
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 4 bulletins · 40 complaints
Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: Shudder chatter condition, most noticeable at low speeds turning No relevant diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) present This may be due to internal rear ...
Some 2020-2026 Corsair/Escape, 2021-2026 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles equipped with an 8F35 transmission may exhibit a shudder condition, most noticeable at speeds below 60 mph (100 km/h), with no relevant diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) ...
2 more on this problem
Some 2019-2023 Edge/Nautilus, 2020-2023 Escape/Corsair, 2021-2023 Bronco Sport, 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with all wheel drive (AWD) may exhibit chatter/shudder during low speed turning events.
Some 2019-2021 Edge/Nautilus, 2020-2021 Escape/Corsair, 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with all wheel drive (AWD) may exhibit chatter/shudder during low speed turning events due to fluid contamination.
Check engine light or misfire 7 bulletins · 35 complaints
Some 2020-2022 Escape built and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles, built on or before 28-Sep-2022, equipped with a 1.5L Ecoboost engine and a 8F35 transmission may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0420 ...
Some 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 2.0L engine may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0036 and/or P0138 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM).
5 more on this problem
Some 2019-2022 Edge/Nautilus, 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, and 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost or 2.3L EcoBoost may exhibit a lack of power with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) ...
Some 2020-2021 Escape and 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L EcoBoost engines may experience an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P3402. This may be due to the cylinder 1 deactivation solenoid.
Some 2019-2021 Edge/Nautilus/Ranger, 2020-2021 Escape/Corsair/Explorer, and 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 2.0L/2.3L EcoBoost may exhibit a lack of power with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) ...
Some 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a no crank/no start start condition with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and one or more of the following diagnostic trouble codes (DTC): P093B, P2282, P0420, ...
Some 2020-2021 Escape/2021 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L engine may exhibit a low oil pressure warning with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0524.
Engine overheats or leaks coolant 2 bulletins · 26 complaints
Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a loss of engine coolant from a leak at the coolant pump. This may be due to contamination in the engine's cooling system.
Some 2021-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit water coolant pump leaks. This may be due to contamination in the coolant system.
Suspension noise, struts or alignment 4 bulletins · 23 complaints
Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a moan noise when the vehicle is driven in reverse (R) in cold weather and/or high humidity. This may be due to the suspension sensitivity of the vehicle.
Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a clicking, creaking, clunking, rattle, rotational noise from the front strut area when turning the steering wheel.
2 more on this problem
Some 2020-2024 Escape and 2021-2024 Bronco Sport vehicles may exhibit a moan noise when the vehicle is driven in reverse (R) in cold weather and/or high humidity. This may be due to the suspension sensitivity of the vehicle.
Some 2020-2022 Escape and 2022 Bronco Sport vehicles may exhibit a moan noise when the vehicle is driven in reverse (R) in cold weather and/or high humidity. This may be due to the suspension sensitivity of the vehicle.
Windshield cracks or distorts 1 bulletin · 21 complaints
Some 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles built on or before 07-Nov-2022 may exhibit a squeak/rattle/creak noise from the roof opening panel when the glass is closed or in vent position while driving on uneven highways.
Complaints filed by year
193 complaints came in 2025. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of motive power. Closed oct 10, 2025, led to recall 25V-019.
NHTSA summary
Loss of motive power. Closed aug 19, 2024, led to recall 24V-267.
NHTSA summary
Recalls that include the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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.
Risk and remedy
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.Owner notification letters were mailed September 2, 2026. 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 (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2020-2022 Escape vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines. A fuel injector may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will update the engine control software. In addition, dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel rail assembly and fuel injectors, free of charge. As an interim repair, dealers will update the engine control software, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed August 29, 2025. Second letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in July 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S76. This recall expands and replaces previous recall numbers 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165. Vehicles previously remedied under 22V-859, 24V187, and 25V165 will need to have the new final remedy performed once it is available.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 24V-267. The body and power train control modules may fail to detect a change in the 12-volt battery state of charge.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will recalibrate the body control module and power train control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 23, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S26.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 22V-859 or 24V-187. A fuel injector may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S21.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The 12-volt battery may experience degradation and suddenly fail.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the 12-volt battery, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 2, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S02. Vehicles in this recall were previously repaired under 24V-267 and will need to have the new remedy completed.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The body and power train control modules may fail to detect a change in the 12-volt battery state of charge.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will recalibrate the body control module and power train control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 4, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S24.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines. A fuel injector may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will update the engine control software to include fuel injector leak detection and install a drain tube, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed January 9, 2023. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 1st Quarter of 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S73. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 22V-191. Vehicles previously remedied under 22V-191 will need to have the new remedy performed.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape and 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5L engines. The engine oil separator housing may crack and develop an oil leak.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the oil separator for damage or oil leaks, and replace the oil separator and seals, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S21.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Bronco Sport and Escape vehicles. The rear brake linings may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can affect braking performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front brake pads, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C31.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles. The moonroof glass may not have been bonded correctly to the moonroof frame, which could result in the glass panel detaching from the vehicle.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the moonroof glass date code and replace the glass, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S46.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, and 2021-2022 Bronco Sport vehicles. The fuel delivery module may leak inside the fuel tank, causing low fuel pressure which could result in an engine stall.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. Interim notification letters (remedy not available) were mailed on September 30, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 14, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S38.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles. These vehicles may have been produced with incorrect front lower control arms.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front lower control arms, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S03.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles. The rear suspension subframe assembly may have loose or missing bolts.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear suspension bolts, and secure or replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S04.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Edge, 2020 Lincoln Nautilus and Ford Escape and 2021 Lincoln Corsair and Ford Bronco Sport vehicles. An inadequate amount of lubricant in the rear drive unit may cause seizure of the rear drive axle.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the rear drive unit lubricant level. Axles found to have lubricant at the minimum level will be filled to the full level. Axles found to be below the minimum lubricant fill level will be replaced, free of charge. This recall began March 12, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S02.
All 16 recalls on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide One recall here carries a do-not-drive warning. What that means
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport?
Stalling, with 127 of the 696 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 40,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2021 Ford Bronco Sport problems start?
Of the 254 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 19,000 miles and half by about 40,000.
Is the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport better or worse than the 2022?
Counted per year on the road, the 2021 has more complaints than the 2022: 116 a year against 72.
How many 2021 Ford Bronco Sport complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
35 of them (5%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for stalling on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport?
Yes, NHTSA lists 2 recalls on the same system: 22V-191 and 25V-685. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.