Complaint volume
211 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Ford Bronco Complaints
211 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ford Bronco, grouped by component category.
211 Total complaints
5 Crash reports
3 Fire reports
6 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, suspension, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 5 crash reports, 3 fire reports, 6 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 39 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 25,774 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, suspension, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Ford Bronco?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Ford Bronco
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Ford Bronco complaints?
5 Crash
3 Fire
6 Injury
0 Fatality
12 Towed
2 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Ford Bronco complaint categories?
ENGINE 51
SUSPENSION 19
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12
VISIBILITY/WIPER 12
STRUCTURE 10
BACK OVER PREVENTION 8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8
SERVICE BRAKES 8
AIR BAGS 5
211 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | When driving on the highway and pressing down on the gas pedal, the bronco immediately stalled without warning. The vehicle gradually slowed down and I was unable to do anything except turn the wheel. I was lucky that there was a shoulder to pull over to. (This time of year there are tons of spots on the highway that there isn't a shoulder to pull over to and could have posed a HUGE safety issue!) Even with the shoulder, large vehicles were driving by at speeds of 80mph with just a few feet of clearance. I was unable to start the vehicle after multiple attempts. Electrical power to the vehicle still worked. I had to call a tow truck and tow us the remaining way to our destination. After several hours (roughly 3 hours) the vehicle was able to start again. I drove to the dealership to have them look at it. They could only tell me that it was a low fuel pressure incident and could not replicate it. They said could just be "bad gas". This same exact incident -vehicle stalling while driving and pressing on the gas pedal, without any warning, has happened two additional times since this major incident. I took it to another dealer to have it looked at again and they said almost the exact same thing. System shows a low fuel pressure event but that they can't replicate it. I believe it could be tied to the NHTSA Action Number PE24019 that is currently under investigation. This is an extremely dangerous issue and wildly unpredictable that could leave me stranded or hit on the side of the road at anytime. Additionally, it's frustrating to see the possible issue under investigation for recall since July 2024 (before any of my issues) and have neither of the two dealerships tell me this information after I specifically asked if there had been any similar incidents reported. I had to do my own research to find this. Please help! Please recall! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while in reverse on several occasions, the back-over prevention camera failed to work as intended. The contact stated that on one occasion while in drive, the back-over prevention camera was displayed inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 6,000 |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | Vehicles top is cracked and delaminating witch could come off in large sheets and cause harm to other vehicles and pedestrians The dealership got a rejection letter from ford and is resubmitting the claim again I was told they had another one in not too long ago with the same issue and they warranted it I need to drive the truck and am concerned about causing harm or damage to other vehicles or drivers | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The vehicle will throw a warning saying the cross trafic collision is in operable. A ford tech looked at it and said a wiring harness is chaffed causing blind spot monitioring and cross traffic collision systems to not work. Cost of the part only is $700, not including labor. this is a very serious fault, which could result in injury and fatalitys | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 2021 FORD BRONCO MILES: 34,247 BOTH REAR CALIPERS ON THE INSIDE "LOCKED" AND CAUSED IRREGULAR PAD WEARING ON THE INSIDE. I AM CONCERNED THE ROOT CAUSE MAY BE A CALIPER ISSUE OR ELECTRONIC BRAKE ISSUE NOT RELEASING THE BRAKE COMPONENTS. REAR OUTSIDE BRAKE PADS AT 80% REAR INSIDE BRAKE PADS AT 2% VEHICLE FIRST LOOKED AT BY A LOCAL MECHANIC 3 WEEKS AGO. FORD DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TODAY 11/27/24. THERE WAS ONE WARNING 2 WEEKS AGO THAT THE BRAKE WAS FAULTY AND TO CONTACT A DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY. THE REAR BRAKES ARE NECESSARY TO SAFETLY STOP THE VEHICLE. I AM CONCERNED THAT I WILL NEED TO CONTINUALLY NEED TO MONITOR THE REAR BRAKE COMPONENTS REGULARLY IN ORDER TO SAFELY OPERATE MY VEHICLE OR THAT THE CALIPERS WILL "STICK" AGAIN CAUSING THE ISSUE TO BE ONGOING. WAY SCARFF FORD CURRENTLY HAS THE VEHICLE AND HAS RECOMMENDED ME TO REPLACE THE REAR CALIPERS, BRAKE PADS AND TURN ROTORS FOR $1100 STATING VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 3 MONTHS. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | STRUCTURE | I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my 2021 Ford Bronco. While driving on the highway at approximately 55-60 mph in the early morning, I heard a loud noise and saw powder falling on me. Upon pulling over, I discovered that a large section of my hardtop had blown off. Specifically, the plastic part over the fiberglass detached. If there had been a car behind me, it would have certainly been struck by the debris. This incident poses a significant danger not only to me but to other motorists as well. Ford is aware of this issue but has refused to address it. I consider this a critical safety hazard and request that this matter be investigated promptly. I believe the manufacturer should replace the defective hardtop and take responsibility for ensuring the safety of their vehicles. Any assistance in resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | SUSPENSION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that the passenger’s side rear shock was blown. While driving 35 MPH over a bump in the road, or while driving over a wet surface, the rear of the vehicle was fishtailing. There was oil leaking from the shock. The contact had a nail in the tire, and after removing the wheel, the contact became aware that the shock was covered in oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the rear shocks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts being on back order. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |
| Oct 2024 | SUSPENSION | Both rear shocks disassembled. The external reservoir to the factory 2021 Badlands bilstein shocks fell off at or around 36,000 miles. I did not hit a particular pothole, drive off road, it’s used for town/highway driving only, yet both external reservoir cylinders fell off at some point. These are solid cylinders that could cause damage to other vehicles. Now, my vehicle has an unsafe suspension ride, bouncy and kicks, and I’m scheduled for out of pocket repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Back window clips on this softo top ford bronco broke cause water to enter thru the clip holes and lil gap. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I had multiple issues with the window/door drivers side rear. At first the door would not open because of the window getting stuck up. The window would also get stuck open at times. The vehicle was brought back to the dealership 3x for this same issue. The top seam (weather strip) appeared to "fall" down and trap it and then other times the window wouldn't completely close and you could hear whistling sound from the air forcing through the space. This had been going on until this past week when while driving on the highway the window just shattered into pieces. Thankfully no one was in that seat at the time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V165000 (Back Over Prevention); 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | While driving my family of 4 the week before last, our Bronco without warning began shaking and then lost all power / ability to accelerate. I was able to pull to the side of the road before the engine completely shut off. A warning light then showed indicating “manual restart required” for which I could not locate any information in the manual. This happened in 110 degree heat and with young kids in the car. There was no previous warning and the engine would not reengage. Vehicle had to be towed 100 miles to Ford dealership nearer to our home. Dealership diagnosis indicated the problem was the fuel pump which then was replaced, although they did not acknowledge that this was a “known” issue. We were fortunate this happened in an area where we were able to pull over outside of a direct traffic lane and did not happen 15 minutes later where we would have been traveling at high speed on a busy freeway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | SUSPENSION | Shocks blew out on the highway with 47500 miles on it.vehicle was pushed sideways when hitting bumps | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle stopped multiple times over the course of 2 weeks. 1 time it shut off while driving on a side road. I was able to restart and continue on. The last time it shut off in my driveway abs would not start again. Vehicle Ford dealership was recently towed to Ford dealership awaiting repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | SUSPENSION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the driver's side rear shock absorber became detached and struck the vehicle traveling behind. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the shock absorber had exploded causing the shock to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred within a year. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 44,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 44,000 |
| Jul 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Ford Bronco windshield washer reservoir will no longer hold fluids. Multiple attempts to refill lead to the reservoir being empty. This is problematic as the windshield CANNOT be cleaned while driving the vehicle. Finally got an appointment with a Ford dealer to be told that the washer reservoir needs to be replaced, that they know these crack and fail, and that I was 9 days out of warranty. Dealership also stated there was a long backlog to get a replacement washer reservoirs (3-4 weeks minimum). There is no way that the reservoir could have been damaged by us (the owner) - it is nestled between the exterior and interior of the front quarter panel and inaccessible unless the exterior quarter panel is removed. This appears to be a well-known issue with Bronco owners as many forums (easily found in internet searches) have numerous complaints and discussions about the leaking washer fluid reservoirs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Bronco lost power, crank no start, 24 miles from a maintained road. Left us stranded and required 5 Jeeps to recover vehicle to pavement before having it towed to dealer 172 miles away. Extremely dangerous situation to lose power descending a steep hill and leaving vehicle stranded miles off road in 100+ degree weather. Low Fuel pressure DTC captured, possible loss of fuel pump, several similar reports on [XXX] . Currently at dealership for diag and warranty work. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Week and half ago engine started idling real rough, sputtering, then drove about 100 yds. Engine conked out in middle of intersection and would not restart. Was dangerous because had 3 grandchildren in back seat. Because engine wouldn’t start I had trouble trying to get it in neutral to push vehicle to side of road. Had to walk grand kids back to their house. Got a AAA tow approximately 35 miles to Ford dealer where purchased. There were no warning messages prior to engine failure except the rough idle and sputtering Vehicle was diagnosed as a fuel pump failure, but vehicle is still at dealership over 10 days awaiting parts | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was towing the vehicle with my Class A RV. It was a total loss nothing could be inspected. I was in hour number 6 of our long drive to Key West. I looked out of my left side mirror and noticed smoke coming from behind my RV. I immediately pulled off the interstate onto the shoulder. I moved behind my RV and noticed the vehicle was on fire. Within in seconds the fire engulfed the whole vehicle. I had seconds to unhook it from my RV. It took me three tries to unhook because of the smoke. I eventually got it unhooked and went back to the front of the RV and pulled forward out of harms way. | Crash: No Fire: Yes Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ENGINE | 2.7 engine failure while accelerating on to a hwy. Loss of acceleration and power. I was unable to get fully off the road. Engine was replaced under warranty only 3,636 miles on car. No warning lights prior to this failure. Once engine failed and started smoking the check engine light came on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal popping sound from the rear of the vehicle. When the contact stopped at his destination, he observed that the rear removable soft top had come loosened, and the plastic clips used to hold the soft top in place had fractured due to the force of the air blowing over the roof of the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred for the second time and had been previously repaired a year prior. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 23-2091 Loose Exterior Fabric on Rear Window (Structure). The failure mileage was 42,725. | Crash: No Fire: No | 42,725 |
| Feb 2024 | SUSPENSION | The stock bilstein shocks lost the reservoir for hydraulic fluids causing shock absorber to fail while driving. the canister simply fell off. I didn't hit anything other than normal bumps in the road. The vehicle has never been in an accident or offroad to cause the canister to fall off. Many other owners have complained on different blog sites about this same issue. This causes the vehicle to bounce uncontrollably since the shocks are rendered useless without the hydraulic canister/reservoir. Bouncing down the highway is super dangerous, and Ford didn't really seem to be worried that this is happening when I called the 800 Ford Assistance number two different times. I think a recall of these shock absorbers is required. I ended up having to pay for brand new shocks after 36,600 miles and Ford told me I had to use OEM (same bad designed shocks) to maintain my extended warranty. Please research and recall this dangerous part. Here is one forum discussing the issue. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V165000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and two unknown dealers were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The prime screen fails, will not enable any system updates, interconnectivity via bluetooth devices fails...basically everything to do with the primary screen fails. We have documentation to show multiple visits to the dealership that have not been able to fix it. Most recently the dealer has a full screen replacement parts on backorder. They state they have no idea when the backorder will be resolved as they believe the factory will not ship the parts until they are no longer having quality control issues. This has been numerous visits to the deal on the same issue so we need to invoke the lemon law to address this problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V165000 (Back Over Prevention) 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 dealer was contacted it was confirmed that the software to perform the update was not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, and it was confirmed that the parts to perform the software updates were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |