2026 Ford Bronco Sport
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Bronco Sport › 2026
These records cover every 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
6 recalls name the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Newest first.
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
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, were mailed September 3, 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 (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.
Risk and remedy
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.
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 were mailed October 19, 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 (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
Risk
A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.
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 (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…
Risk and remedy
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.
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 (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.
Risk and remedy
Risk
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or vehicle speed, increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Owner complaints
8 complaints1 involved a crash2 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags · Service brakes
Issue: Unintended acceleration/loss of Park function & airbag non-deployment: Date of Incident: [XXX] Rental Company: Budget Car Rental Vehicle: Ford Bronco Sport 2026 VIN [XXX] At the [XXX], I slowly entered a parking space and once positioned in the spot, I fully stepped on the brakes and…
Issue: Unintended acceleration/loss of Park function & airbag non-deployment: Date of Incident: [XXX] Rental Company: Budget Car Rental Vehicle: Ford Bronco Sport 2026 VIN [XXX] At the [XXX], I slowly entered a parking space and once positioned in the spot, I fully stepped on the brakes and rotated the electronic shifter dial into PARK. Immediately after park was selected, the vehicle suddenly propelled, accelerated forward, jumped over the parking island and collided with a tree. This occurred while my foot remained firmly on the brake pedal and after Park was selected. Only the lower leg airbag deployed. Front airbags did not deploy despite severe frontal impact. Emergency services transported me and my passenger to Mission Hospital with extremely high blood pressure. I underwent ECG & chest/neck x-rays and my passenger CT scans. With sustained whiplash and bruises to my legs, abdomen & sternum, both of us experienced severe chest pain for weeks afterwards and still lingering chest pain up to now. I am filing this report because (1) the incident involved unintended acceleration or loss of Park function, a known risk in certain Ford vehicles (2) the airbag non-deployment raises serious concerns about occupant protection (3) the vehicle was a rental and may have had unresolved recalls or improper maintenance (4) the event caused physical injury, medical intervention and lasting trauma. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Unknown or other
We were driving our 2026 Ford Bronco Sport (Badlands Edition) on [XXX] in the [XXX] area of [XXX]. The location was in town and the speed was 45 mph. The day was Friday, XXX, at 5:10pm, when the closed moonroof glass suddently, without any warning, completley exploded. The moonroof exploded upward…
We were driving our 2026 Ford Bronco Sport (Badlands Edition) on [XXX] in the [XXX] area of [XXX]. The location was in town and the speed was 45 mph. The day was Friday, XXX, at 5:10pm, when the closed moonroof glass suddently, without any warning, completley exploded. The moonroof exploded upward and pieces of glass flew as it shattered completely. Fortunately, we had the fabric shade closed at the time so the glass did not hit my wife and I. If the shade had been open, I'm sure we would have received cuts, scapes, etc. and might have required a visit to a local hospital or doctor's office. The noise sounded like a gun shot or a blown tire and scared us both! We pulled into the first side street off [XXX] and got out to determine what happened. We would not have been able to continue driving without using duct tape to hold the broken pieces of glass in place and trying to minimize road noise. We ended up covering the shattered moonroof with duct tape to prevent forecasted rain into the vehicle. Since we were 3 hours away from home, and it was after normal business hours, we figured we would have to wait until Monday (XXX) to work with our local Ford dealership (Moffitt's Ford in [XXX]). We have taken the vehicle to Moffitt's Ford and they have confirmed it was an internal pressure explosion, which has been reported as a common problem across the country. They are in the process of ordering parts to repair the damaged moonroof. We will be turning in an insurance claim with our State Farm Insurance representative. The vehicle is brand new with only 4,500 miles. The moonroof should be covered by the manufacturer as a warranty replacement and a safety concern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Engine and engine cooling
The contact owns a 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V548000 (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 had not experienced a failure.
- Unknown or other · Wheels
I was stranded on the side of the road due to a routine tire puncture on the morning of Sept. 5, 2026. I immediately called AAA for emergency roadside assistance. AAA explicitly informed me that their safety policy prevents them from plugging tires on the roadside, however they offered to change…
I was stranded on the side of the road due to a routine tire puncture on the morning of Sept. 5, 2026. I immediately called AAA for emergency roadside assistance. AAA explicitly informed me that their safety policy prevents them from plugging tires on the roadside, however they offered to change the flat out for my spare tire. When I went to the trunk to look for the spare tire, I discovered that there was no spare tire, wheel jack or lug wrench in the vehicle. The manufacturer had entirely omitted this essential safety equipment, replacing it with a chemical sealant and inflator kit. Realizing I was stranded in a dangerous area with zero physical means to replace the wheel left me immediately shocked, frightened and highly vulnerable on a busy road. The inadequacy of this setup was later validated by the dealership’s manager who admitted he suffered the exact same issue in a similar Ford vehicle and had to pay more than $500 out of pocket because the inflator kit failed him. He also informed me Ford is not the only company to implement this seriously flawed equipment elimination policy. Substituting liquid foam for a physical wheel assembly under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards is a critical public safety hazard that leaves motorists defenseless.
- Power train · Unknown or other
2026 Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch edition with less than three-thousand miles that we purchased brand new had a major transmission failure and was rendered inoperable. The Bronco Sport transmission pan cracked and the gasket failed upon driving home from a routine, ten minute trip to the grocery…
2026 Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch edition with less than three-thousand miles that we purchased brand new had a major transmission failure and was rendered inoperable. The Bronco Sport transmission pan cracked and the gasket failed upon driving home from a routine, ten minute trip to the grocery store resulting in sudden loss of transmission fluid. The transmission fluid blew all over the engine compartment when this occurred The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership where it remains as of today (one week after the incident occurred). The issue has been confirmed by the Ford dealer. There were zero warning lamps or messages, but there was a smell of something burning. When the vehicle was parked, fluid poured out on the garage floor and continued to leak until it was put on a tow truck. We have a case number with Ford and are trying to see if there is an option for Ford to buy the vehicle back or to work with us on replacing it due to the incident and the vehicle being approximately two months old. Had we been driving at highway speed or were further from home, this could have resulted in an accident.
- Unknown or other
Information panel warning lights on dash or wiring system short I was driving at a slow speed and without warning my hood flies up and shatters the windshield and truck flies open dropping all my luggage out
- Electrical system · Engine · Unknown or other
2026 Bronco SportDescription Your vehicle may display a blank instrument panel cluster ipc screen upon startup. This may occur when the vehicle is restarted within a specific time interval after turning the vehicle off. Safety Risk A blank ipc screen will prevent the driver from seeing critical…
2026 Bronco SportDescription Your vehicle may display a blank instrument panel cluster ipc screen upon startup. This may occur when the vehicle is restarted within a specific time interval after turning the vehicle off. Safety Risk A blank ipc screen will prevent the driver from seeing critical vehicle information such as the speedometer, warning lights, and warning messages. The inability to see this information increases the risk of a crash. Remedy Software is now available to repair your vehicle. Ford Motor Company has authorized your dealer to update the instrument panel cluster free of charge. Next Steps Contact your dealer for more information to schedule the free service. NOTE: Recall incomplete Recall service not available right now. We have a remedy but parts are not available right now. We will inform you when the service is available. Or, you can contact your dealer.
- Forward collision avoidance › Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive +predictive cruise control malfunction causing 1) sudden vehicle acceleration and 2) Cruise on but disengaged suddenly engaged and set a higher speed than originally set. Merged into light traffic on 4 lane interstate, no other vehicles within 200yds or so. Turned on, then set cruise…
Adaptive +predictive cruise control malfunction causing 1) sudden vehicle acceleration and 2) Cruise on but disengaged suddenly engaged and set a higher speed than originally set. Merged into light traffic on 4 lane interstate, no other vehicles within 200yds or so. Turned on, then set cruise control at 70mph, about 10 seconds later I felt the car surge, I looked down, saw the cruise indicator now showed 80, tapped the brakes to disengage. About 2 miles later repeated the same but was watching and vehicle repeated same behavior, I turned the system off. About 2 miles later I repeated the same with the same result. Each time set to 70 and within 10-20 seconds vehicle accelerated to a self set higher speed - 80. Problem 2, a few miles later, after a merge onto another interstate the speed limit changed tried this again except this time, as a came out of the curve (doing about 45mph) I turned the cruise on, a few seconds later I look down and watch the cruise indicator turn from white (on but not engaged) to green (on and engaged) without touching the set button. On the return trip I duplicated the acceleration twice more. 4 days later dealership service called to confirm that they reproduced problem 1 and were in contact with the manufacturer for how to proceed. No warning lights or messages, dealership service stated no fault codes.
Every Ford Bronco Sport model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.