As Ford Authority reported back in January, a number of Ford Bronco owners have had major issues with their twin-turbocharged 2.7L V6 EcoBoost powerplants, to the point where three owners recently filed petitions seeking an investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into these problems, while 12 others have filed complaints related to that matter as well. Now, sources familiar with the matter have explained to Ford Authority that there are two main sources for these issues, which have led to total engine failure in certain cases.
As some are already aware, part of the problem with these 2.7L powerplants is that they utilize cheaper, sub-optimal valves that were acquired from a new supplier that apparently didn’t properly validate those particular components. But in addition to the faulty valves, the Bronco’s version of the 2.7L V6 EcoBoost also utilizes a less than optimal oil pan design as well, which allows the oil pickup tube to become uncovered and suck in air, which in turn can destroy not only valves, but bearings as well, particularly during spirited or erratic driving when oil is sloshing around inside the powerplant.
These issues aren’t exactly new to The Blue Oval, which experienced similar problems with the twin-turbo Ford 3.0L V6 EcoBoost engine used in the Ford Explorer ST, which is essentially a bored and stroked version of the 2.7. Now, those problems are once again surfacing in certain examples of the sixth-generation Bronco, too.
With a grand total of 32 Bronco owners filing complaints related to engine failure thus far, Ford noted in its NHTSA filing that 25,538 SUVs could ultimately be affected by this issue. So far, affected customers claim that their vehicles experienced a loss of power while driving at highway speeds, after which the Broncos would not restart due to catastrophic engine failure.
We’ll have much more on the Bronco very soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Bronco news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Comments
Now you know why Ford spends more money than GM in warranty repairs. They keep making stupid mistakes
All the Bronco guys swear Jeep payed off the parts suppliers for these engines. I say the Bronco will never outsell the Wrangler, and the Bronco will follow the same path as the FJ Cruiser and Hummer H3. Yeah, I’m trolling, so cry.
Maybe Ford getting the valves from Jeep. The 3.6 Jeep have a major issue with cylinder 2 toasting exhaust valves. Look the P0302 code for FCA.
One would think with any type of real world testing these issues would have already been identified and corrected. Despite all the talk Job # 1 is still not QC,
They likely did no QC at all.
Isn’t there a launch quality department responsible for catching these anomalies prior to production? I
“ they utilize cheaper, sub-optimal valves that were acquired from a new supplier that apparently didn’t properly validate those particular components.”
A polite way – with many words – that means “cheap Chinese rubbish”. The excuse will be that ever popular catch all, Covid.
With Ford spinning off the ICE division, and concentrating on the e division, the ICE division is loosing people in critical positions, and are loosening controls, allowing sub par and cheaper components into their products, lack of supplier supervision, and which suppliers are probably taking advantage on. So it is not surprising that this happened, and will probably keep happening. So guess never buy another ICE Ford.
Is’nt Ford basically down to three gas-powered vehicles now? The Mustang, the F-150, and the Explorer??? Talk about putting all the eggs in one basket.
Uh – you are missing a lot more lol.
Dee you need to do some research. Ranger, Maverick, Escape, Edge, Super Duty, Bronco Sport, Expedition, Transit Connect all have ICE engines.
http://www.ford.com so you can check.
What a vehicle for this to happen to. Talk about idiocy. Bad enough it happened at all. Talk about a huge black eye.
Quality on future ford ICE vehicles will be superior. Jim Hackett was CEO when the bronco was in development. Farley has already said best way to save money is to make quality products.
Farleys said that, unfortunately he has not implemented that.
3rd world parts get you every time!
GARBAGE IN GARBAGE “O U T”!!! And some of the Engines have and still do suffer from PLASTIC OIL PANS????? What in the H is anyone that know’s anything about building an “ENGINE” thinking when they Put that on the Bottom of an “ENGINE” and stood back and said to everyone, “Y E S” That’s the Ticket, PERFECT, We have NAILED IT This Time???!!!… Say What???
Typical Poor Execution from Ford! Roof’s Engines!
Remember before the Bronco came out they spoke like it was being made by the hand of God !!!!
After 30 years of working as a shop foreman in a Ford dealership this is actually not surprising. I can’t count how many bad launches Ford has had. All due to poss poor management and maximizing profits!!!!
When I was looking for a new vehicle, one of the vehicles I was looking at was the Ford Explorer ST. I heard too many bad things about the motor and went with the 2022 GMC Acadia Denali AWD with the 3.6 V6 and am extremely happy with the vehicle. With me, it was the small engine working overtime with the twin turbos along with the valve issue that put me off the Ford. If the Explorer had come with a naturally aspirated V6 or V8 (coyote) I would have given it a more serious look.
When buying my wife’s 2018 Explorer I had the choice of an Ecobust or the 3.5 Duratec, I opted for the tried and true Duratec. It’s been a reliable engine so far, no complaints.
Dee, don’t mean to talk trash about GM as well, as I have a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 4×4 Sueprcab 4×4 with the 5.3L, but the 3.6 V6 have had many issues with the timing chains stretching and having valves destroyed by the delays in timing. The 5.3L V8s with the Active Cylinder Deactivation, also have collapsed lifters that render the cylinder useless or even worse destroy the piston with the valve in the incorrect position as the piston hits Top Dead Center. The point is American Automakers do not conduct enough Validation Testing on their products with enough quantity to make statistically sound statements about reliability. I am a Mechanical Engineer/Reliability Engineer by training and have worked in the automotive supplier market so I have seen how the American Big 3 do things. It’s sad that such a beloved industry has come to this level of quality output.
But it doesn’t roll over so it’s better
That’s good since I’m sure the roll bars are defective on the Bronco too.
I have driven Fords most of my life. And I must say I have never had a bad one. Driving a discontinued Ford now. A 2017 C-Max Energi Titanium, one of the best investments I ever made in autos. According to owners in the C-Max club. These cars never should have been discontinued.
Cmax, that’s just sad.
What year is have problem with Bronco 6 cylinder?
I have had Fords all my life as well. Never had an engine problem with any of them. Hopefully my 2019 Edge ST with the 2.7L is not an exception.
If the IDIOTS would just build the Engine’s Like Back in the Day, they would have much better Luck, But with the Out of Country Building of Stuff, we will continue to have Issues. Look at the BOLTS and the COPPER, and the PLYWOOD we bought from outta Country??? None of it was worth the CRAP that it was built with! And it All caused problems and in some cases people got really Sick. And it All had to be Replaced and the Job’s done over “AGAIN”. Hence, WELL DONE, is BETTER THAN WELL SAID!!! If we only would have kept our 1939 FORD 2 Door Deluxe Sedan FLATHEAD V8……. Should Take Lessons from the FORD GT Engine Builder’s!!
Stick with a NA engine and you won’t have those problems.
When I bought my ‘21 ALTIMA last year, there was a turbocharged engine available. I didn’t need it. The standard 2.5 is a smooth, quiet and more than enough power for me. Not interested in sporty anything. I think turbo engines are more or less a bragging point anyway. FORD can’t seem to get it together so all things being equal, just get the standard non turbo engine if you can.
Ford is going OUT OF BUSINESS !!!!! Farley needs to go ASAP !!!!! He is the Sh*t Head behind all this. The Super Duty truck fuel pumps (that Ford will not cover repairs for), the Bronco roof’s and now engines !!!!! And I bet all the batteries in every EV built by Ford, not to mention the electric motors…….All VERY EXPENSIVE issues. Do you think ford will pay for any of these issues????????
“Sub Optimal”…. does that mean crap?
This is what happens when you optimize a proven American supplier (Ea_ton) and move special processed valve train components to China. The Supplier Quality people there have no clue on what they should be doing at sample submission time and product validation at the suppliers. This same supplier may have a Chinese presence who would be just as screwed up as any other China manufacturing company. Speaking from experience.
The same things happen at Ea_ton and all other companies. A buyer finds a part at a better price and things don’t get chased through engineering and quality. Or, a proven supplier moves production without notifying you. 3 years later you have products coming back for warrenty verging on recall.
Ford has been building engines for over 100 years and still can’t get it right. Wasn’t the 5.4 litre Triton a sore spot with bad lifters/rockers thus destroying the overhead cam? No one learned they’re lesson. Trying to save a buck now always bites them in the butt later and costs them more.
Exactly. Perhaps FORD ought to merge with BOEING since they can’t seem to build their two latest planes right either. The 787 and 737MAX. Sad that two great American icons got to this point but they have nothing but themselves to blame. Competition is a good thing so don’t feel obligated to buy something just because it has a certain nameplate on it or feel that your family and friends will hate you if you dare not buy a from a certain builder.
With companies like Ford and Boeing, that is what happens when bean counters start running the company, rather then engineers. Every decision is based on $$$s and nothing else, and sooner or later it shows up, and everyone asks why?
And that’s why I won’t be buying Ecoboost anything. If I had waited forever to get a Bronco and has to deal with this, I’d be livid. These is no excuse for these failures in 2022.
Your comment (waiting forever to get a Bronco….) is exactly what kept me on the fence from ordering/purchasing a $50K+ Bronco. The only ‘on site’ stock you could evaluate was a Bronco someone ordered, so it was pretty much ‘hands off’ for test driving, etc. I evaluated a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a proven NA V6 and found several in stock at a local Hendrick Motors dealership . . bought it the same day. I did not even know about the Ford engine issues, and so glad I am not living with the issues of bad components and/or design, let alone being stranded somewhere!
It’s called a wind age tray for the oil pan and back in the day it was standard equipment in most high performance motors and the sad part it’s cheap , it’s just a piece of sheet metal formed to sit on top of the oil pan between 2 gaskets . But considering it’s a eco boost motor with turbos you would think Ford would add it to the cost of the vehicle ( it’s cheap) and it adds some efficiency as well and longetivity to the engine , but I worked at Fords so don’t blame Fords blame the engineer or his idiot manager who wouldn’t approve the wind age tray in the eco boost ! Which eco boost engines all should have one ! Horrible …….. it’s cheap.
BRONCO is a terrific vehicle that has a lot going for it. Can
A normally aspirated engine be had with the sport? Or any other version.⁷
I’ve got the smaller 2.3 liter bronco. It’s a 4- cylinder and I’ve put 7000 miles on it so far no problems.
Look at all these armchair expert engineers lol. 15 people complain out of 100000+ Broncos produced as a first year launch and everyone wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater LMAO
So how does that excuse all of the problems that FORD seems to have with all of their products in recent years? If this was a very few widespread issues, no big deal if properly handled. But there are many “little things” that are adding up. Most people don’t like to be jerked around after spending hard earned money.
Yikes! Like the bargain basement interior wasn’t already a good enough reason to avoid the bronco!
Like the JEEP WRANGLER, the BRONCO wasn’t meant to be a vehicle to be pampered in.
They were both designed to be rough around the edges and to get dirty why going off of the pavement. If you’re gonna buy one to take a long trip on the interstate, you’ll likely be disappointed.
Oil pan cavitation,mmmmm.
Valve stem failure,mmmmm.
Sounds like back to the future for engineers…There old issues dating back 40- 50 years ago..Ford started quality assurance in Homebush plant Australia to address part and performance issues before model runs..But…that didn’t stop stupid then either..