Skip to content
KLUNK
KLUNK

2021 Ford Bronco sport

The Verdict

16 Total Klunk

The 2021 Ford Bronco sport has 669 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (234 complaints) and transmission (126 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 16/100, it earns a "Total Klunk" rating. If you're shopping for a Ford Bronco sport, consider the 2024 model year which has 84% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2024 has 84% fewer complaints

View the 2024 Ford Bronco sport dashboard →

16

Klunk Score: Total Klunk

Among the most complained-about vehicle years on record. Strongly consider alternatives.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 7

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

26V340000 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and 2022-2026 Maverick vehicles. The front lower control arm ball joints may have been incorrectly installed or incorrectly rep...

Risk

A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and repair the front lower control arm ball joints as necessary, free of charge. Owner notificatio...

Reported Jun 3, 2026

25V158000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 24V-267. The body and power train control ...

Risk

An undetected low battery charge can result in a loss of electrical accessories such as hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will recalibrate the body control module and power train control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 23, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at...

Reported Apr 10, 2026

25V019000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The 12-volt battery may experience degradation and suddenly fail.

Risk

Battery failure can result in a loss of electrical accessories, including the hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the 12-volt battery, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 2, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332....

Reported Apr 10, 2026

21V809000 VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles. The moonroof glass may not have been bonded correctly to the moonroof frame, which could result in the glass panel detach...

Risk

A detached glass panel can become a road hazard, and increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the moonroof glass date code and replace the glass, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer s...

Reported Apr 10, 2026

21V075000 SUSPENSION:REAR

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles. The rear suspension subframe assembly may have loose or missing bolts.

Risk

Loose or missing bolts may affect the vehicle's handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash. It could also reduce the vehicle's performance in a rear impact crash, increasing the risk of ...

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear suspension bolts, and secure or replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2021. Owners may contact For...

Reported Apr 10, 2026

21V074000 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Bronco Sport vehicles. These vehicles may have been produced with incorrect front lower control arms.

Risk

An incorrect lower control arm may affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a rollover crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front lower control arms, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service ...

Reported Apr 10, 2026

24V267000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The body and power train control modules may fail to detect a change in the 12-volt battery s...

Risk

An undetected low battery charge can result in a loss of electrical accessories such as hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will recalibrate the body control module and power train control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 4, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service a...

Reported Dec 4, 2024

Get notified if a recall hits this car.

We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2021 Ford Bronco sport. No spam, no marketing.

Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2021102105102234126
202271384714146
20233010227613
2024295134312

By Category

Engine
234
Transmission
126
Brakes
105
Body
102
Electrical
102

By Severity

1
299
2
336
3
1
4
33

Worst Problems

Complaints

Engine 2

The Oil pump wet belt, made of rubber, experienced the same premature tooth degradation as under the 1.0L EcoBoost engines that were recalled. Rubber components blocked my oil pump resulting in a failure to pump oil while I was driving. This required me to make an emergency stop on an interstate. I have reported this to Ford and they could care less about the safety concern.

8d ago
Engine 2

Recall letter received dated AUGUST 2025 advising of fire risk. To date NO PARTS AVAILABLE. UNACCEPTABLE. Recall 25S76/25V467

11d ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

21d ago
Transmission 2

See attached document for complaint.

22d ago
Engine 2

The vehicle was slowing down after leaving a stop light and within a short distance completely shut down no lights no power nothing wouldnt start to put in neutral so we can get it from the middle of traffic on a 2 lane highway. After about 15 minutes of trying to see what the issues was it turned over and we put the car in gear and pushed ot to the side of the road

26d ago
Brakes 4

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 and collided with another vehicle.

26d ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

28d ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

28d ago
Body 2

RDU CLUTCH FAILURE Vehicle shutter at low speeds and during deceleration. Issue diagnosed after I had the vehicle inspected by ford dealership Ford TSB for this issue is 26-2328. I believe recall 21S02 should have been expanded to include more. My car was not manufactured during the dates listed for that recall. Ford parts have now switched manufacturers for the RDU CLUTCH which is now on back order. I suspect this issue may be related to the large amounts of PCM software issues ford has had with these vehicles and I believe this RDU failure was from faulty parts. No warning lights

1mo ago
Transmission 1

My transmission is surging at low speeds all the way from takeoff to about 60mph. No engine or transmission codes.

1mo ago
Transmission 2

ENGINE SPUTTERING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. RECALL IS STILL NOT RESOLVED REGARDING COMPUTER UPDATE AT THIS TIME AND DEALERSHIP SAID NO CODE NO REPAIR FOR OVER A YEAR. NOW I MUST REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE ISSUE MANY TSB ISSUED FOR THE POWERTRAIN ISSUE.

1mo ago
Transmission 1

When making a slower turn mainly when turning to the right or backing up to the right the RS rear wheel is intermittently locking upor dragging and letting loose multiple times in a row. It does it turning to the left but not as bad. This issue causes the vehicle to not want to drive correctly or want to move especially when at an intersection turning right so I have to give it excessive gas to get it going, this issue also is making it very dangerous when pulling out when on a busier road or highway . I had my Laporte, Indiana Ford dealership check it out and they agree with me on the issue it's having, they said it's the drive internals in the rear end are bad possibly due to a faulty vent tube that lets water and dirt into the rear end causing the fluid to get contaminated, Ford knows about this issue and has a update vent tube. So I'm having to pay For the repairs myself $3000.00 and the dealership said it may take a month to get the parts, I asked them what will happen if I keep driving my vehicle till/if/or whenever it gets fixed their response was it will get worse and eventually detonate and destroy itself. While pulling out onto a busy road that isn't remotely safe! This issue started about two weeks ago around the second week of July 2026 and appears to be getting progressly worse, no warning lights at all came on it started speraticly but is constant now.

1mo ago
Engine 4

The bronco sport was being driven, suddenly an gasoline odor was slightly noticed, it was almost dismissed because the intersection the vehicle was currently at has 4 gas stations. The SUV suddenly turned off, alerts popped up on the screen and smoke began to rise from underneath the hood. As the vehicle was exited, the gas odor was noticeable and flames began to shoot from the engine bay. Within a minute the flames had engulfed the whole front end of the vehicle into the interior.

1mo ago
Body 1

I was in another town and my car kept stalling. I was going across traffic and it stalled and almost caused an accident. When I was in a parking lot my car would not go in reverse. I had to be pushed out of the parking space. I have already went to the have this recall fixed once. I know the part is not available but I should not have to keep going every few months to keep getting this done on a vehicle that I am paying on. It is not reliable and I could have caused an accident.

1mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. There was an abnormal odor of exhaust fumes inside the vehicle. Initially, the driver thought it emerged from other vehicles; however, a passenger smelled exhaust fumes, became sick, and vomited once the driver pulled over. The Ford mobile app failed to display any failure codes. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where diagnostic trouble codes for the engine were cleared. The fuel vapor was purged, and the valve was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic shop, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter was fractured. The catalytic converter was replaced, and the fuel injector was serviced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 67,830.

2mo ago
Body 2

The first incident was the car shifting to park while I was trying to reverse it said “system shift fault” I called ford they told me that since it wasnt coming back on I was okay to drive it hadn’t come back on so I didn’t get the diagnostic done due to not having a vehicle to use while it was being done. The second one I parked and again went to reverse and what popped up was “gear selected will engage at low speed” but as soon as I turned my car off and back on the vehicle was able to reverse and drive normally.

2mo ago
Engine 2

Continuously when I am driving the vehicle, it will randomly loose acceleration and come to an almost complete stop when driving, including on major interstates.

2mo ago
Transmission 4

The vehicle was parked in my parking garage and rolled away causing a collision. There were no warning lights indicating an issue. The vehicle is currently sitting at a shop awaiting warranty paperwork for a transmission replacement that was done last year.

2mo ago
Transmission 2

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle went forward. While in neutral, the vehicle moved forward. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V236000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The alternator had been replaced previously. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

2mo ago
Transmission 2

The vehicle failed to shift back into Drive after being placed in Park, rendering it inoperable. As a result, the vehicle had to be pushed out of a busy driveway and towed to a local repair shop. The local repair shop was unable to diagnose or repair the issue because the required diagnostic equipment is specific to Ford vehicles and was not available to them. The shop advised that the transmission may have failed. After researching the issue, transmission failure has been reported as a known concern affecting early-model Ford Bronco Sport vehicles. Because the local shop could not complete the repair, the vehicle had to be towed a second time to the nearest Ford dealership. The Ford dealership confirmed a transmission failure and determined that the transmission required replacement. The dealership replaced the transmission at a total cost of $10,971.48. At the time of failure, the vehicle had fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer. Given the relatively low mileage and the significant cost of repair, a complete transmission failure under normal operating conditions raises serious concerns regarding the reliability and durability of this component. The Ford dealership's description of the diagnosis, repairs performed, and parts replaced is provided below. 7000: *TRANSMISSION REPAIRS TRANSMISSION DIAGNOSIS (NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY, LEAKS, OTHER) - C/S: TRANS SEEMS TO NO GO INTO GEARS, WAS AT ANOTHER SHOP WHO COULD NOT REPAIR, ADVISE ON NEEDED REPAIRS PLEASE WENT FOR TEST DRIVE - VERIFIED CONCERN. PULLED VEHICLE INTO SERVICE BAY. SCANNED CODES - FOUND P07E1 UNABLE TO ENGAGE NEUTRAL. CHECKED OIL LEVEL AND CONDITION - WAS FULL BUT HAD CLUTCH AND METAL DEBRIS PRESENT. RECOMMEND TRANS REPLACEMENT. APPROVED. PULLED VEHICLE BACK INTO SERVICE BAY. REMOVED AND REPLACED TRANSMISSION. FLUSHED COOLER. PROGRAM STRATEGY AND FILL FLUID PER WSM. PERFORMED ADAPTIVE DRIVE CYCLE. TEST DROVE TWICE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTED WELL. PULLED TO BACK LOT.

2mo ago

669 total

1/ 34
Report a Klunk