Table 1 shows one common power train related problems of the 2023 Ford Bronco.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Power Train problems |
Automatic 10 speed transmission has unpredictable shifting from 1st through 3 gears, offten with long lags between shifts, losing power temporarily, especially from 1st to 2nd gear, and harsh shifting. Sometimes, the 1st - 2nd shift lag happens upon acceleration during merging or in an intersection and that loss of power is critical, requiring an adjustment in throttle position, and when 2nd gear catches, then there is too much power. It is unpredictable. The Bronco has about 35k miles now, but this has happening since day 1. Twice in dealer, twice the tech noted it, and twice the only solution was to clear the adaptive shift control memory. Does not fix the issue.
Front differential mounts are cracking and breaking leading to insecure front differential and damage to adjacent suspension and power train components. This is a significant risk to both the driver/occupants and potentially other vehicles on the road. This problem is appearing with increasing frequency on the Ford Bronco forums to the point that Ford now has a TSB out relating to this known engineering failure. It require an extensive repair including rewelding the mounting brackets. There appears to be inadequate guidance to the repairing dealers, however, as there is a large degree of uncertainty as to how to approach executing the weld repair, according to my dealer, corwin Ford, in spokane, washington.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and flat towing an RV, the flat-tow mode inadvertently disengaged and the contact smelled a burning odor permeating the interior of the vehicle with the message "stop vehicle immediately, excessive temperature detected" displayed. The transmission temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was damage to the transmission and turbocharger due to the flat-tow mode not being engaged properly during towing. The contact was informed that the transmission and turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to technical service bulletin: 22-7086. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The contact was later informed that the manufacturer concluded that the disengagement of flat-tow mode was the result of user error. The manufacturer declined to cover the cost of the repair. The contact contested the manufacturer’s findings as inconceivable, stating that the flat-tow mode was still engaged after arriving at his destination. The failure mileage was 50,200.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving a motorhome at an undisclosed speed and towing the vehicle in tow mode, the transmission blew up. The contact pulled over to retrieve sunglasses from the vehicle and became aware that there was an odor of transmission fluid coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed there was no warranty coverage for the failure. The dealer stated that the failure was due to operator error. The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 10,642.
3 separate times while driving on the on the interstate doing between 70-75 mph the vehicle completely lost power and an alert was displayed saying “powertrain malfunction”, the most recent incident was 07/26/24, before was 06/16/24 and 06/22/24. The vehicle speed dropped down to 35-40 and wouldn’t go any faster, and we had cars behind us, this created a major safety issue for me and my family. We had to pull over on the interstate, turn the car off and back on. We took it into the Ford service department, they said nothing was wrong with it and claimed they reset the computer.
When the vehicle downshifts in the lower gears, specifically 3rd to 2nd, and 2nd to 1st, the vehicle will often dangerously accelerate, sometimes doubling the speed for a few seconds. This happens fairly consistently when using the lower gearing offroad mode but I've had it happen in normal modes too. There is a TSB that may deal with the issue (TSB 23-2352), but Ford service has not been cooperative with addressing it because they claim to not be able to reproduce the issue despite my having video evidence. I can provide videos if you'd like. I posted about this issue on a facebook group and apparently it is widespread.
Front pinion seal leak is detected at where the front drive shaft meets the front differential. Ford attempted to fix it with a pinion seal replacement and the leak is still unresolved, second attempt was done by changing the front differential fluid which also did not resolve the issue. This issue is fairly common amongst Bronco owners on forums and will be hard to come to the users’ attention unless the user checks under the vehicle so the problem may be more widespread than reported. The undetected loss of front differential fluid may cause overheating of the front differential over time as the fluid levels become low and potentially cause a lockup at high speed when the vehicle is used in 4a awd mode. The leak can also be a fire hazard.
On Sunday March 17th I experienced a mechanical failure while off road with my Bronco, after getting myself unstuck from a snowbank I had backed into, I heard a clicking coming from my right front wheel, and the clicking continued once I got myself out, I experienced my front wheels lock up twice and a “service 4x4 system” with a wrench, this appeared two different times. This occurred approximately 6. 6 to 7 miles up a trail and 9 miles from the nearest town with cell service. (trail up near coplay lake, wa. ) this “trail” was simply a snowy forest service road and something most vehicles could easily make. Ultimately, it was determined by the dealership that at approximately 12,300 miles my m190 open differential had completely failed and dealership is refusing to warranty the differential. Parts that failed? m190 4. 27 front differential. Warning lamps and symptoms ? service 4x4 lamp and front wheels completely locking up.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that upon backing his vehicle into his garage, he placed the gear shifter into park(p) and shut off the engine. Upon exiting the vehicle and approaching the home, the contact heard a loud crash and saw that the vehicle had backed into the garage door. The contact initially thought the vehicle was not placed into park(p); however, upon entering the vehicle, the contact saw that the vehicle was in the park(p) position. The contact stated that the crash damaged two panels on the garage door. The air bags did not deploy and no one was injured. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and informed them of the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and was referred to the NHTSA hotline. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,700.
A grinding/rattling sound is coming from the manual transmission while in 1st & 2nd gear. This is a known issue with Ford, complete with its own TSB 23-2019. I took the car to my local Ford dealer, described the issue, and referenced the TSB. I was told later that the tech could not duplicate the issue. I then offered to drive and have the tech ride with me. We both agreed that it was an odd noise. The next day, I was told they didn't know what the issue was, and as far as they were concerned, the transmission was supposed to sound like that. They have otherwise blown me off and won't help.
Rotational scraping noise from manual transmission, especially when cold and neutral (1st and 2nd gear). Ford dealer at autonation Ford union city, georgia stated that they would need to replace the 5th and 6th synchronizer rings to resolve this issue. Bought certified used from capitol Ford in charlotte, nc with 8213 miles, hear noises but it was soft, but the more I drove the louder it got. Now Bronco has 9064 miles. No accidents, no off-roading, and this seems like a safety issue from the manufacturer because the shifting is difficult.
1. Component/system that failed/malfunctioned — braking system (electronic parking brake and brake control modules) combined with electrical/communication defect preventing storage of diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs). Vehicle available for inspection upon request. 2. How safety was put at risk — repeated "park brake fault – service now" and "brake system fault" warnings on dash while driving risk sudden loss of parking brake function, reduced braking, or unexpected behavior (e. G. , transmission no-engagement beyond walking pace after cold start), impairing safe stopping/control and endangering driver and others. 3. Problem reproduced/confirmed by dealer — yes — reproduced/confirmed multiple times by authorized Ford dealer (town & country Ford, evansville, in) across five visits (invoices attached): active brake faults visible on dash during service, yet "no codes found," "unable to verify," "np no problem found. " examples: [xxx] (30,113 mi) brake fault while driving; [xxx]intermittent parking brake light, no codes; [xxx] transmission slip and brake fault, no codes. 4. Inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance, or others — inspected only by dealer. Ford cx team contacted (crm [xxx] , July 2025) but no further inspection/resolution. No police or insurance inspections. 5. Warning lamps/messages prior to failure and when first appeared — "park brake error message" and "park brake fault" warnings first documented ~25,722 miles (early visits after [xxx] purchase at 13 miles). No-dtc retention defect prevented earlier alerts/diagnosis. Symptoms escalated (transmission slip, cold no-start die-out, brake faults recurring). 6. Additional notes — out of service >60 cumulative days; loaner restricted to local driving only when provided. Part of indiana lemon law claim (bbb auto line case [xxx]). Due to 10-file/10mb upload limit, core documents attached; additional photos, full invoices, loaner agreement, bbb correspondence available upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S.
We have had two major issues with this new vehicle. It has less 1,872 miles on it and it is only about 2 months old. Within a week of owning it, the stabilizer bar went out and render the vehicle un drive able. We have a second issue that is even larger safety issue. The vehicle is now dying and leaving you stranded on the side of the road. We have now had this happened to us three times on separate occasions. Once was on a trip back from oklahoma to dallas and the highway is under repair/construction and there are miles that there are only two lanes with no shoulder or exit to get off in case of auto problems. We found ourself at night that our Bronco lost total power and would not start back up. The vehicle has some kind of timer that will allow you to attempt to start it so many times in a period and then disable the ability to crank the engine. It gives you an error of "cranking time exceeded" so where ever you are "stuck on the highway in traffic, off the road on in your driveway, you will not be able to attempt to restart your motor if you exceed this time limit. This is a very dangerous issue and I feel many people could lose their life if they are in an situation where they can not attempt to start their motor and try to move to a safer location if the engin can be restarted.
I started to notice a scraping/grinding noise that is coming from the transmission. It can be heard when I do a cold start and leave in in neutral. If I push the clutch in it goes away. Also, I noticed it a bit louder when I am in low gears such as 1-3, even while fully warmed up.
Within about three hours of buying the vehicle, while driving the ten speed automatic transmission at normal highway speeds there was a hard popping sound. The vehicle began to vibrate harshly and jerk. Upon continued driving it would stall in intersections in traffic like it was going to stop moving then jerk accelerate and pause again, multiple times. I have owned the vehicle for about 8 days and it has been in the shop for about 7 of those. I was told by the shop that I could continue to drive it or come get it until they are able to further disasemble the transmission, but it doesnt seem safe to drive a vehicle that feels like it is stalling. It was very dangerous when trying to accelerate in traffic and the vibration during normal speeds felt very unsafe.
Within the first 500 miles on my brand new Bronco, I noticed a strange burning smell after driving it one day. The next morning when I started it, I heard what I thought was a heat shield rattle, and as I continued to drive my Bronco to work throughout the week the noise got worse. Last weekend my wife and I went on a 400 mile trip and the noise was so bad when we returned I scheduled an appointment with the dealership this week. They apparently opened up the transmission today and found metal shavings and a broken case piece so they determined that mine was not eligible to be rebuilt and are ordering a new transmission which will not be available until the end of March or into April. In the meantime the dealership has advised me to continue driving the vehicle as they do not have any rentals available at this time. I am a certified automotive technician 15 plus years by trade for a different manufacturer, and I do not feel comfortable driving the vehicle with the transmission sounding the way it does. I plan on following up with the manager tomorrow to find out an alternative.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission made grinding sounds when shifted into neutral(n), 1st, and 2nd gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under technical service bulletin: 22-2371 (mt88 manual transmission - rotational scraping noise from transmission when cold and in neutral, 1st and/or 2nd gear with clutch applied). The manufacturer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 60.
The driveshaft and front axles are completely covered in pitted rust when delivered. Long-term strength and safety of vehicle drive train at risk.
I have a 2023 Ford Bronco that has the 2. 3 l engine and seven speed manual transmission. It was originally purchased in January 2023. I live in colorado so it is cold and on cold mornings, since I have received delivery of the vehicle, it has made and continues to make a grinding, scraping sound when the vehicle is in neutral, or the transmission is not engaged. The grinding, scraping sound will occur when driving in first, second, and third gear. If the weather is warm, as over last summer, it does not make the grinding, scraping sound. It has been consistently documented amongst other owners of this particular vehicle, the new sixth generation Ford Bronco full-size vehicle with the 2. 3 l engine and seven speed manual transmission , that these transmissions make this grinding, scraping sound. I have had it investigated by my local Ford dealership on two separate occasions, and although the tech on site at the dealership states that he can hear the grinding sound and agrees that it is an abnormal sound for a vehicle transmission to make, the Ford motor company has refused to do any type of repair or modification, or replacement of the transmission in my particular vehicle to correct the problem. However, when discussing this problem with other Ford Bronco owners, Ford motor company’s response has been very irregular, one friend, in particular, has had his transmission replaced. I am very concerned that as transmissions tend to suffer with wear and tear, that should this transmission fail early due to the grinding, scraping sound, Ford motor company will not replace it under warranty, stating that it was my fault or expected wear and tear, that the transmission failed early, when, in reality, it is just as likely that the early failure would be due to this abnormal, grinding, scraping sound.