Bronco reliability

[HughAlan]

WTF man. Quit going from thread to thread telling people to use the search button. Are you the 6G police? If a guy wants to ask a question, he's gonna ask. Further to a different posting, where you did this exact same thing: you're right, there might be hundreds of posts about the same topic. Sometimes, it's a total pain to scroll through countless pages to (maybe) find the answer you're looking for. So, you can ask. That's how this works. If you don't like the question being asked, then move along.

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[Nc211]

"Wow, that is really a pretty one" and "you sold me: I'm getting one" at rest stops and parking lots.

Yep, it should almost be printed on the window sticker that if you're shy of strangers, perhaps buy something else. I get a lot of comments on mine too, especially when it's in "safari" mode which means the weather is nice and folks have their windows down too. Had a lady ask me about it while waiting at a stoplight the other day. I told her it's like therapy, she laughed and said "well I'm a therapist"... I responded "then you definitely should get one too!!".

I can't blame them though. I did the exact same thing when I was car shopping and trying to make up my mind as well whenever I saw one and had the chance to talk to the person about it.

 

[CV428]

Yep, it should almost be printed on the window sticker that if you're shy of strangers, perhaps buy something else. I get a lot of comments on mine too, especially when it's in "safari" mode which means the weather is nice and folks have their windows down too. Had a lady ask me about it while waiting at a stoplight the other day. I told her it's like therapy, she laughed and said "well I'm a therapist"... I responded "then you definitely should get one too!!".

I can't blame them though. I did the exact same thing when I was car shopping and trying to make up my mind as well whenever I saw one and had the chance to talk to the person about it.

That actually looks pretty cool. I wish I could drive open-air more, but it's "mow muh dirt" season here in SC. Everyone points their mower decks towards the road and peppers your vehicle as you drive by. I swear they do it on purpose- especially lawn crews. It's like a sport for them.

 

[FloridaBurgBronco]

Reliability you ask? It's not looking good. Ford shatters General Motors recall record with over 7 dozen recalls in 2025

 

[BluebroncoNC]

Other than a couple recall items, yea, I had the bad seal around the windshield recall, though the dealership handled it quickly, within a few days. 46,000 miles, no other issues. Changed oil religiously at 5k with a 5 tire rotation each time. 2022 SAS OBX with v-6 Auto.

Traded it in on a 2025.

 

[GoHawks63]

I know this thread was started about a month ago and you probably have your Bronco now, but will add my $0.02 more so on the drivability, decision on the Bronco, and what my concerns were going in.

Can't speak to reliability too much since my WildTrak is only 6 months old with 4K miles. No issues so far and not recall notices, but I also understand it's early.

I have two other "fun" cars that only come out during non-winter months when it's not raining. Each of those two cars get driven about 2K miles a year. My daily driver was a 2012 BMW X5 that had just over 110K miles on it. Despite the reputation BMW has, it was one of the most reliable vehicles I have owned, and I have owned quite a few. However, given the rapid depreciation, and the fact that I was probably nearing a point where expensive things would need to be addressed, which could cost more than what the vehicle was worth, I decided to replace it.

I wanted something a little more rugged since we often camp. Choices are limited on that front. A Jeep was out of the question for me. I have driven a couple Wranglers, and off-road capability notwithstanding, I knew I wouldn't be happy with it taking on 70% of my annual driving, especially some long road trips I take throughout the year.

So, I was down to a 2025 4Runner or the Bronco, leaning heavily towards the Toyota (I have owned two LandCruisers). What steered me away was not wanting a first-year redesign. Despite Toyota's reputation, as others have said, they have been having their issues. The other deciding factor was that I would have had to go with the hybrid set-up to get the features I wanted and the early reviews on that were kind of hit and miss.

As for the driving experience, @Nc211 said it best in his post earlier in this thread. You have to set your expectations on what you're buying. If you're expecting a Tahoe/Expedition level of comfort, you're buying the wrong vehicle.

Coming from the BMW, I had set my expectations. I figured the Bronco wouldn't be as comfortable and I would be making compromises while also gaining other capabilities. Having said that I will say I have been pleasantly surprised. It has been much more comfortable than I expected. I'm not sure if it's because of the Hoss 3.0 in the WildTrak with the Fox shocks (now available on the Badlands), but I really don't feel like I have sacrificed much, if at all, with respect to ride quality. I also have not experienced any more wind noise that you would expect from something shaped like a brick. Quite honestly, it's no noisier than my Mustang and I get just as much road noise from the tires on both of the "fun" cars.

So, despite the fact that I only have 4K miles on mine, I am loving it so far.

 

[Nanook]

Broncos don’t squeak or rattle at all and clear 37’s stock according to some on here ….my experience has been different.
The Bronco was rushed to market during supply chain constraints, it’s obvious where corners were cut and profit margins were saved.
That being said, it drives 10X better than a Wrangler on the road, looks way better than a 4runner and I would argue the Bronco’s drive train is more reliable than both currently.

 

[GoHawks63]

Broncos don’t squeak or rattle at all and clear 37’s stock according to some on here ….my experience has been different.
The Bronco was rushed to market during supply chain constraints, it’s obvious where corners were cut and profit margins were saved.
That being said, it drives 10X better than a Wrangler on the road, looks way better than a 4runner and I would argue the Bronco’s drive train is more reliable than both currently.

I think you hit the nail on the head with respect to design and development during and post Covid. I'd be curious if there was a statistic on warranty claims by model year to see if you are seeing an improvement as the bugs have been worked out. Of course, you have to be able to offset the obviousness that older cars will have more warranty claims than the newer cars, but there has to be a way to determine, for example, if you are getting less MIC hardtop cracking within the first year of ownership by model year.

 

[B22-2023]

I guess it’s luck of the draw; my 23 WT only had 1-2 recall notices, they fixed one (PCM error) and today don’t have parts for the other (rear camera) but I can live with that.

It’s the cheap stuff that bugs me in an otherwise rugged build - plastic covered, connectors and retainers that scratch or snap every time you touch them.

 

[AJKitebrder40]

I am sure many will tell you their problems, I have not had any, nothing electrical , nothing mechanic. I have a 2023 2 Bronco Badlands Sasquatch with the Lux package . I have added the winch, flawless, I have added tube doors and a bimini top. I take it off-roading , beaches ,rocks, and water crossings. 39000 miles on the factory Goodyear tires . Service the oil and rotate the tires every 5000 miles or so. I had a service done yesterday and all tires still greater than 6mm thread depth. So I wish you luck.

I am pretty much right there with you, except Low package and I didn't add a winch, but I have the Broncobikini top and removed the back seats and added a 1-UP Bike Rack. It's been off-roading, in the woods, mountains, and spent a good bit of time on the beach, no major issues.

Now.....I'm not super nitpicky on things, as long as it cranks up and runs, I'm generally good. Here are things that I've noticed that are mildly annoying, but not what I would call issues:

-Windows are flimsy, the fix for it is widely known here.

-I had an issue early on where when the doors were off the accessory power would stay on unless you pulled the fuse. It only happened a few times, I mentioned it at the Off-Roadeo and a SW Engineer on the Bronco team happened to be taking the course, he got my info and I agreed to send them diagnostic data. Hasn't happened since.

- The interior has been rained on, sand covered, mud covered, and it's obviously showing some wear, but.......it's not cracking and not deforming. It's cheap but I don't really want a super nice interior in this type of vehicle.

-My seatbelt doesn't always retract, easy fix for that too.

-MGV seats have been great, but they are starting to deform against the hard plastic covering at the bottom based on how I get out of the driver's seat. I've worked a fix in for that.

Mechanically, no issues. 5k mile oil changes, rotate the 5th tire in, plenty of tread. Hard top has been excellent (and this is coming from someone who owned a JK and JL for 15 years prior to the Bronco).

I would say I'm pretty happy with it so far, my only debate is if I would be better off with a truck, so I'm debating a 3rd gen Tacoma.

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