Problems · by component
2021 Ford Bronco Sport service brakes problems
101 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport cite service brakes, 14% of all 716 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
101
14% of all complaints
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Pre-Collision System warning activated unexpectedly. The vehicle then accelerated by itself unexpectedly and the accelerator/throttle was engaged by itself. Breaks were then hard to push and vertically impossible to slow down. At the time, there was no vehicle or obstruction immediately around the vehicle other than a possible box, or small obstruction in the road. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Due to the unexpected activation of the pre-collision system followed by unexpected acceleration by itself, caused the vehicle to move unexpectedly and resulted in a collision with another vehicle, creating a safety risk to the occupants of both vehicles. No. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. No. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or any other party. The police did come to the accident and a police report was filed. Yes. The vehicle's Pre-Collision System warning activated unexpectedly immediately prior to the incident. There were no other known warning lamps or messages before the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated by itself…”
“The front and rear brake system has repeatedly malfunctioned across at least 7 dealer visits since 2022 on my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport (VIN: [XXX] ). Brake squealing and grinding (particularly in reverse at low speeds) have persisted despite multiple repair attempts. Ford's own SSM 52515 acknowledges engineering was working on a fix and that rotor resurfacing is "not a guaranteed fix." TSB 23-2308 was performed in March 2024 (caliper bushings/guide pins replaced). In June 2024 a dealer verbally confirmed a brake recall was coming in Oct/Nov 2024 and that rotors would be covered — that recall never materialized. Front brake pads were replaced under Recall 21C31 in September 2022 at ~8,797 miles. Front pads and rotors required full replacement again in April 2025 at ~28,833 miles — just 20,000 miles later and well below the typical 50,000–70,000 mile service life — at my out-of-pocket cost of $747. Rear brakes were documented as "in the red" in January 2026 at ~38,000 miles. The vehicle is currently at a Ford dealership. In August 2024, one dealer attributed the issue to driving habits despite Ford's own TSBs acknowledging the defect. Brake wear across both axles…”
“Since my car hit 40000 miles it has had nothing but issues. I've had it in the shop at least 10 times. My brakes went out while driving with my [XXX] old, I've had loss of power, smell of exhaust in the cabin for the last 3 months and dealership says it can't be fixed, yesterday I had complete engine failure while on the freeway. Stalled and wouldn't start back up for 5 min. The dealership has never fully fixed anything but has only updated the computer system. I feel very unsafe in this vehicle. We still owe on this vehicle so trading it in is not an option since its not even worth the down payment I put down. It has a fuel injector recall that can't be fixed yet due to not having the parts available. What are we suppose to do if we can't drive the vehicle and can't buy a new one.”
“On November 11, 2025, my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport experienced a complete brake system failure while driving. The brake pedal suddenly became extremely hard, and there was no braking power at all. The vehicle had to be stopped using the parking brake. This same issue occurred previously in July 2025, when the brake vacuum booster failed and was replaced at the Ford dealership. The problem has now recurred less than six months later. The vehicle is not safe to drive and is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the brakes failed completely without warning while the vehicle was in motion. If traffic conditions had been heavier, a collision could have occurred. The issue has not yet been confirmed by the dealership for this most recent occurrence, but the same Ford dealer that repaired it in July handled the prior failure. The vehicle will be towed there again for inspection. No warning lamps or dashboard messages appeared before or during either failure. The only symptom was a sudden loss of brake assist and a hard, unresponsive brake pedal. This appears to be a repeated failure of the brake vacuum or brake…”
“There is a load moaning sound when backing the vehicle up or making a turn which significantly effects steering and stoping. Ford dealership said that tires were not rubbing body and tie rods were ok. This ford bronco sport only has 25K miles on it and never taken off road. Ford said to live with the sound until it bothered us? They said that it didn't need brakes but a new brake job could possibly fix problem? Independent repair shop said that it wasn't a brake issue but didn't know what the problem was. This load sound must be a defect for this vehicle because others on the web have expressed the same problem but ford has not put out a recall as of this date.”
“While driving with my [XXX] son in the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly shut down completely in the middle of the street at a red light. Nothing was functional and we were unable to move the vehicle out of the street. A tow truck came in 3 hours and towed the vehicle to the dealership. The dealership advised that it was the battery which they replaced. When merging lanes on the interstate with oncoming traffic, the gas accelerator would not accelerate to speed up. I had to step all the way down on it several times until the vehicle was finally able to accelerate. This has also occurred while at a red light and stop sign.”
Showing 6 of 101 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.