Which Ford Bronco years should you avoid?

No Ford Bronco model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.

What is the best year for the Ford Bronco?

2021 is the best-scoring Ford Bronco model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Ford Bronco have?

47 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford Bronco model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Ford Bronco years to avoid

No Ford Bronco model year in 2021–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2021, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Ford Bronco Full report

Grade 2021–2021

2021 vs model median 1.0×

Model median3× median

Engine 68

Driver Assist 26

Electrical 20

Weakest

2021

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Ford Bronco
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2021	1.00×	234	C
2022 P	1.89×	486	F
2023 P	0.94×	258	C
2024 P	0.45×	106	B
2025 P	0.33×	71	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2021 C 234 reports · median 20,553 mi

Engine 68

The 2.7 l engine failed going down the interstate in the middle lane. Complete loss of power. Was fortunate to be able to coast to the shoulder. Dealer says the engine failed and needs to be replaced. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Driver Assist 26

I was pulling into a residential driveway and as soon as the front tires entered the driveway the pre-collision alert warning went off and when I applied the brakes they did nothing. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Electrical 20

The contact owns a 2021 ford bronco. The contact stated that when shifting into the park, the front camera sensors would activate when there was no object nearby and there would be a chime. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 2 fire · 11 injuries

The best year for the Bronco

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Bronco model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2021	1.00×	234	C

Recalls

47 campaigns on record, 3 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
25V315000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE	2021–2024	1,076,138
25V455000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2021–2023	850,318
26V124000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE	2021–2025	849,310
26V468000	ENGINE	2021–2025	565,691
25V488000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:ELECTRIC:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE	2025	312,120
25V788000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL	2025	229,609
26V268000	SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS	2024, 2025	179,698
23V598000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2021	177,402
23V358000	SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS	2021–2023	175,550
25V721000	SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS	2021–2023	163,256
25V025000	SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER	2021–2024	149,449
25V273000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2022, 2023	128,889

+ 35 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 20,553 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ford Bronco years should you avoid?: No Ford Bronco model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.
What is the best year for the Ford Bronco?: 2021 is the best-scoring Ford Bronco model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ford Bronco have?: 47 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford Bronco model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Bronco

Complaints in window: 234
Severity-weighted: 350
Model median (weighted): 350
vs model median: 1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 20
Open investigations: 0

Score 60 C