2021 Ford Bronco Sport Issue Spurs NHTSA Investigation

February 5, 2024 10:42 am

Over the past few months, FoMoCo has dealt with a few investigations opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – most recently, closing one related to select 2021-2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E models after a recall and stop-sale was issued following the discovery of a problem with the EV crossover’s high voltage battery main contactors. The organization also expanded an existing probe into a handful of engine failures in select Ford Bronco models equipped with the twin-turbocharged 2.7L V6 EcoBoost powerplant. Now, the Bronco’s smaller counterpart – the Ford Bronco Sport – is also the subject of a new NHTSA investigation as well.

According to the NHTSA, this new investigation was opened after its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) unit received 31 complaints from owners who say that their crossovers have suffered from a “loss of engine power accompanied by complete electrical system failure.” Consumers that reported having this issue on the NHTSA’s vehicle owner questionnaires (VOQs) say that their vehicles lost power while they were out driving, which was also accompanied by a complete electrical system failure.

This issue has reportedly occurred both while owners were driving their vehicles and when some were stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, and all note that they received no sort of warning prior to the failure. A few of the respondents noted that the problem seemed to stem from the Bronco Sport’s 12-volt battery, and that replacing it was all that was required to rectify the issue. Regardless, the agency plans to investigation the manner to determine its scope and any potential safety-related problems that could occur as a result.

The NHTSA notes that this issue could potentially impact a total of 95,305 Ford Bronco Sport models – all from the 2021 model year, which was the crossover’s very first year of production.

We’ll have more on this new investigation soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Bronco Sport news, and for continuous Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.