2023 Ford BroncoRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

“Rear defroster connector becomes detached from the defroster grid rendering it inoperable. Ford has acknowledged it is a common issue due to poor design. My local dealership repaired the broken tab and it once again broke off within a week or two. When I returned to the dealership, they refused to cover it under the vehicles original owner warranty or their labor warranty for working on it previously. After some back and forth with management and Ford Customer Care, they told me they have changed the design of the entire rear glass and the only way to fix it would be to pay $1600~ to have it replaced with the updated design. Upon researching the issue online, it is clear that the rear defroster has an astonishingly high failure rate, and Ford should be pushed to offer a better solution than to charge owners to fix something that was sold to them defective. To learn more about this issue, simply search “Bronco Rear Defroster” and you will see the amount of owners complaining”

“After rainfall, my 2023 Ford Bronco would not start. The dealership (Stivers Ford Lincoln, Waukee, IA) diagnosed water intrusion behind the dashboard that corroded the body connector electrical harness and Body Control Module (BCM). A warranty claim (#109441186) was submitted to Ford and denied on the basis that the affected component was not listed under a current Special Service Message or Technical Service Bulletin. The vehicle was subsequently taken to a second Ford dealership (Dewey Ford) for a second opinion. That dealership identified the root cause as an inadequate factory seal between the dashboard and the wiring harness, allowing water to repeatedly enter the electrical system — consistent with Ford's own Special Service Message 53814 and Technical Service Bulletin 21-2403/22-2074, which document water intrusion at the A-pillar/windshield header area on 2021-2024 Bronco vehicles. This is also consistent with NHTSA Recall 25V546/Ford 25C43, in which Ford recalled 2024-2025 Mustang vehicles for water intrusion into the Body Control Module caused by improperly sealed body seams. Repair costs for this failure were quoted at approximately $8,400. Ford…”

“Transmission failed while towing in Neutral Flat Tow mode and destroyed the entire transmission resulting in a $7,600 repair bill. Ford will not warranty this as they claim is was might fault. Not true, I had flat towed the vehicle for months without an issue and its their electronic system that failed and destroyed my transmission.”