Problems · by component
2021 Ford Bronco Sport fuel/propulsion system problems
65 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport cite fuel/propulsion system, 9% of all 716 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
65
9% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the fuel/propulsion system
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport 1.5L and Ford Motor Company's handling of recall-related repairs. Beginning October 22, 2025, I repeatedly attempted to have the applicable recall work completed through two authorized Ford dealerships. The programs involved include: • Recall 24S24 – NHTSA 24V267000 • Customer Satisfaction Program 22N18 – NHTSA ID 10233848 Despite multiple dealership visits and Multi-Point Inspections, the work was not completed until November 4, 2026. During this period, my vehicle experienced significant loss of engine power, particularly when traveling uphill and at higher elevations. Powertrain warnings also appeared, creating potentially dangerous driving conditions, especially on highways where maintaining speed is critical. The vehicle is now experiencing a failing turbocharger and other major mechanical problems. My concern is that these issues were overlooked or not properly investigated during previous dealership inspections. Had the necessary work and inspections been performed in a timely manner, these problems may have been identified before my 60,000-mile factory warranty expired. I am now facing…”
“The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport equipped with an 8F35 automatic transmission. While driving between 25 and 45 MPH under normal acceleration, the vehicle experienced repeated violent hesitation, jerking, and lunging 4 to 5 times in rapid succession, accompanied by rapid RPM fluctuations between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM. The condition mimics an engine misfire or momentary stall and loss of motive power during acceleration, creating an immediate safety hazard and risk of rear-end collision in active traffic. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Ford dealership (Cronin Ford North) on September 30, 2026. The dealership verified and duplicated the complaint on a road test, monitored PIDs, and officially confirmed that the torque converter clutch (TCC) was slipping. Despite confirming mechanical slip, the dealership stated in writing that there were "no relevant articles," overlooking the published Ford Special Service Message SSM 54797 for 8F35 torque converter shudder below 60 MPH. The dealership recommended replacing the torque converter and main control valve body for over $5,200. When the owner declined due to cost, the vehicle was released back into…”
“I have had issues dating back to when I first got the car with rough idling and it turning off while idling. Most recently about 2 weeks ago experienced inability to turn the car on after fueling with gas. Rough idling and turning off while idling were also associated with gas filling. I took this car to Ford dealership multiple times. Check engine light came on associated with EVAP leak code. Ford dealership unable to diagnosis. I took to an independent mechanic who diagnosed in 10 minutes it is an EVAP purge valve malfunction and that likely this had been defective for some time. I reported this to ford and they refuse to compensate for this. I have seen multiple reports online of same issue with other ford bronco sport dealers. This failure seems abnormally premature and defective design. Concerning it results in loss of power of the vehicle as well.”
“UNKNOWN THE VEHICLE HAS A VERY STRONG ODOR COMING FROM VENTS IT SMELLS LIKE FUEL OR GAS. It feels like it is about to lose power. It stresses me out driving it and no one can fix it!!”
“My vehicle is subject to open NHTSA recall 25S76 regarding a fuel injector that may crack and cause fuel to accumulate on top of the engine near hot surfaces, creating a fire risk. This recall was identified months ago, but Ford has stated parts are not currently available and no repair date has been given. I have not received any further communication or updated timeline since the recall was issued. In the meantime, my vehicle has also been experiencing intermittent jerking during acceleration between approximately 40-50 mph, which I am concerned may be an early symptom of the injector issue described in this recall. I am continuing to drive the vehicle because no remedy is currently available, but I am concerned about the extended delay in providing parts for a safety recall involving a known fire risk. I am requesting that NHTSA review the length of this delay and Ford's plan for remedying affected vehicles”
“On 9/15/26, while actively driving with my child, the monitor screen suddenly turned black and an error message of "Vehicle Network Communication Error", a few seconds later my dashboard turned black, no display messages, speed limit, or manual gauges were working and that too went blank; blinkers did not work when trying to use them. Luckily I was a short distance from where I was traveling to and when we arrived I turned off my car to see if i restart it, it would reset my car. It did not work. My car did not turn on, did not crank- the light on my start button just flashed rapidly. It was not until after my husband later arrived he disconnected the negative battery terminal and let it stay disconnected for 20-30 minutes and it then restarted. Case #CXH-09342591-W5K1G2 was filed with Ford Customer Relations, but they said further information regarding the case would likely not be provided to me as an update.”
Showing 6 of 65 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.