Shortly after the 2021 Ford Bronco was revealed in July, we noticed something in particular that was missing – air conditioning vents in the rear seat console. While this is where most vehicles house A/C vents for rear seat passengers, Ford engineers instead chose to place those vents underneath the front seats in four-door Ford Bronco models, while the two-door Bronco has no rear passenger area vents at all, which Ford Authority exclusively reported back in July.
Now, we finally know why Ford chose to go with this unorthodox rear A/C vent placement. “It gets down to package constraints,” Bronco Chief Engineer, Eric Loeffler explained to Ford Authority executive editor, Alex Luft, in an interview. “Can we fit all that in the second row and can we fit it in a way that we also have the space we need in the front? Though there are no A/C vents in the center console – but there are vents underneath the seats.”
The decision to place the rear seat A/C vents in the floor has drawn some criticism from those who are worried that they won’t be sufficient to keep passengers cool. There are also no rear HVAC controls in the Bronco, so back seat passengers aren’t able to control the temperature or fan speed. However, the Bronco Sport does have rear A/C vents located in the rear of the center console, though it also lacks controls for the HVAC in the rear.
Another problem that could arise from this vent placement is that when owners go to hose out the floors in their Bronco after hitting the trails sans-doors, the water could get into the floor-mounted vents. But we won’t know if these potential problems are actually problems until 2021 Ford Bronco deliveries begin next June.
We’ll have more on the new Bronco very soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Bronco news and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
All ideas are not good ideas, This is a decision that might be changed soon
What’s so special about the ac vents being on the floor. Doesn’t every vehicle already have it in the first place? Its to keep the foot area cool. Only Ford can explain
Under seat vents is totally fine. I’m sure they will be raised and attached to the seat frame and not literally in the floor, so washing the floors won’t present an issue. I’m sure Ford’s done their homework, so the only”issue” is the lack of vents for 2 door broncos. Floor mounted vents might actually be better for dogs in the back seat.
I was more surprised to see the 2-door lacks power seats (6-way manual only) but I imagine they couldn’t get power adjustments with rear seat access.
It’s not a large vehicle, the front a/c vents should suffice for the whole interior.
Ford probably thought if you have a 2 door Bronco you probably don’t care that much about passengers’ comfort, so just leave the vents out.