Carlexica

2025 Ford Bronco Sport: problems, recalls and reliability

7 recalls and 38 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is forward collision avoidance (11% of complaints).

Data updated weekly · 11 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall May 2026

7
recalls
38
owner complaints
0
fire reports
10,000
typical failure mileage, mi

All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.

No fire reportsProblems reported early (median 10,000 mi)

Common problems

Computed from 38 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.

Forward Collision Avoidance (automatic emergency braking, sensors)11% · 4 complaints
Power Train (transmission, axles, driveline)11% · 4 complaints
Air Bags (airbags and crash sensors)11% · 4 complaints
Engine (engine mechanics)11% · 4 complaints
Engine And Engine Cooling (engine, radiator, overheating)8% · 3 complaints
Suspension (shocks, springs, ride quality)8% · 3 complaints
“The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving downhill on the freeway with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the transmission independently shifted into neutral, the vehicle lost power, and failed to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and shifted back into drive. The contact exited the freeway, and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The contact stated that the word "CANCEL" in orange was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The engine had seized but was operating under reduced power.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Sep 2026
“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.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Aug 2026
“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.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“This is a second occurrence of the Shift System Fault previously reported in NHTSA complaint 11749893. On July 13, 2026, while parked, the vehicle again displayed a 'Shift System Fault - Service Required' warning, followed by a 'Service Vehicle Soon' message. The vehicle would not shift out of Park. This incident was captured on video, which is available upon request. The vehicle has an appointment scheduled with a Ford dealership for diagnosis under warranty.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
“While driving home and stopped at a red light, the dashboard displayed a "Service Required" warning followed immediately by a "Shift System Fault" message. The vehicle would not accelerate and stalled in the middle of the road with traffic going around me. I was unable to move the vehicle until I was able to restart it, which took at minimum 2 tries and 5 minutes. The warning cleared after restarting but the vehicle had been purchased 11 days prior with only 18,241 miles. The problem has not yet been confirmed by a dealer but I am scheduled to take it in for inspection. No prior warning lamps appeared before this incident. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2026
“The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V201000 (Air Bags). Upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and declined a buyback due to the vehicle not qualifying under the Lemon Law. The approximate failure mileage was 1,236.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2026
“The powertrain stopped shifting properly and unable to drive smoothly and at a proper speed. Pulled over and and it could not be shifted out of PARK. Had to be towed to a Ford dealer shop. Ford App sent message: POERTRAIN MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V340000 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the vehicle failed the inspection. The contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800.”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2026
“Just seen notice that there is a recall notice about the engine and part of the front suspension, just wondering if it affects my vehicle.”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2026

When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.

Recalls - 7 campaigns

Instrument cluster/panel (electrical system)25V788000 · Nov 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.

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.

Lower ball joint (suspension)26V340000 · May 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.

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.

Engine block heater (equipment)25V343000 · May 2025

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.

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.

Gas recirculation valve (egr valve) (engine and engine cooling)26V122000 · Mar 2026

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.

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.

Front passenger (air bags)26V201000 · Mar 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, "Occupant Crash Protection."

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.

Engine25V372000 · Jun 2025

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.

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.

Instrument cluster/panel (electrical system)25V049000 · Jan 2025

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.

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.

Specifications

Factory options offered for the 2025 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.

Engines1.5L · 2.0L
Cylinders3 · 4

How other years compare

Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Bronco Sport years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.

Check your exact Bronco Sport by VIN

Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.

Open VIN decoder

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport reliable?

NHTSA has 38 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns on record for the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The most complained-about area is forward collision avoidance (11% of complaints).

At what mileage do 2025 Ford Bronco Sport problems usually appear?

Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 10,000 miles or less.

Does the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport have open recalls?

7 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.