Recalls
6campaigns
2 engine · 1 structure · 1 suspension
Source: NHTSA
Complaints
7filed
Owner reports, 2021–2026 shown
Source: NHTSA ODI
Crash tests
5★overall
★★★★★ Frontal 5★ · Side 5★ · Rollover 4★
Source: NHTSA NCAP
Fuel economy
27mpg combined
$2,419/yr at this week's prices
Source: EPA · EIA
Specs
1.5 L 3-cyl· 8-speed automatic
3 engine and transmission configurations
Source: NHTSA vPIC
Recalls (6)
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗
Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.
Check on NHTSA ↗Listed for 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Not checked against your VIN.
Improperly Manufactured Pistons May Fail
Engine and engine cooling · engine · hard parts internal/mechanical
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger vehicles. The engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power.
- Consequence
- An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the engine pistons and replace the engine long block, if necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 28, 2026.
Repair progress not yet reported10,001 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V548000
Listed for 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Not checked against your VIN.
Improperly Tightened Vehicle Joints
Structure · body
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Maverick, F-150, and Bronco Sport vehicles. Certain vehicle joints may be improperly tightened. This can lead to detached parts, unsecured cargo, degraded crash protection, electrical system failure, or a loss of vehicle stability.
- Consequence
- Improperly tightened vehicle joints may lead to a loss of vehicle control, electrical failure, or detached parts, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and tighten the vehicle joints or repair and replace the joint retention mechanisms as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications letters are expected to be mailed September 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 26, 2026.
Repair progress not yet reported23 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V550000
Listed for 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Not checked against your VIN.
NHTSA: Do not drive. NHTSA says owners should not drive these vehicles until the recall repair is done. What a Do Not Drive recall means
Do Not Drive: Loss of Control from Control Arm Separation
Suspension · front · control arm · lower ball joint
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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 repaired at the vehicle assembly plant, allowing the control arm to disconnect from the front wheel knuckle.
- Consequence
- 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 notification letters were mailed September 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S36. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 29, 2026.
Repair progress not yet reported4,653 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V340000
Listed for 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Not checked against your VIN.
Block Heater May Overheat and Cause Fire
Electrical system
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Maverick and 2026 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with a 1.5L or 2.0L MPC engine and an engine block heater. The engine block heater may overheat when the vehicle is parked with the block heater plugged in.
- Consequence
- An overheated engine block heater can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, and inspect and replace the electrical cord if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have an alternative option to replace the engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Owner notification letters were mailed June 10, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V343. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S52. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 14, 2026.
47.3% repairedof 55 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V239000
Listed for 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Not checked against your VIN.
Front Passenger Air Bag May Not Deploy/FMVSS 208
Air bags · sensor · occupant classification · front passenger
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles. The Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) unit may fail to correctly detect the presence of an adult or child in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Consequence
- Failure to correctly detect a passenger may result in the air bag not deploying as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the passenger seat occupant classification sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C19. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 2, 2026.
8.9% repairedof 3,170 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V201000
Listed for 2026 Ford Bronco Sport. Not checked against your VIN.
Instrument Panel Display Failure
Electrical system · instrument cluster/panel
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.
- Consequence
- An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or vehicle speed, increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- The instrument panel cluster software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SC3.
97.7% repairedof 229,609 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 25V788000
PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.
Owner complaints (7)
7 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The unknown or other is mentioned most often.
0involved a crash
0involved a fire
0injuries reported
0deaths reported
As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.
Most-reported components
| Component | Complaints | % of 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 5 | 71.4% |
| Electrical system | 1 | 14.3% |
| Engine | 1 | 14.3% |
| Engine and engine cooling | 1 | 14.3% |
| Forward collision avoidance | 1 | 14.3% |
| Power train | 1 | 14.3% |
| Wheels | 1 | 14.3% |
How 2026 compares with other Bronco Sport years
Best and worst Bronco Sport years →| Model year | Complaints | Recall campaigns |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 701 | 16 |
| 2022 | 360 | 15 |
| 2023 | 158 | 14 |
| 2024 | 109 | 8 |
| 2025 | 39 | 7 |
| 2026 | 7 | 6 |
This year (2026)Other yearsStill collecting reports
Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Crash tests: 5 stars overall
Overall★★★★★
Frontal crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side pole★★★★★
RolloverRollover risk 17.4%★★★★☆
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2026 Ford Bronco Sport suv 4wd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Fuel economy: up to 27 mpg combined
27
mpg combined
25
city
30
highway
- EPA annual fuel cost
- $2,500
- CO₂ tailpipe
- 324 g/mi
- EPA class
- Small Sport Utility Vehicle
What it costs you to run
$2,419per year
$202per month
556gallons a year
Miles ÷ 27 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.
EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.
Specs by configuration
| Engine · transmission | Drive | City / Hwy / Comb | EPA $/yr | CO₂ g/mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 L 3-cyl · 8-speed automatic | Part-time 4-Wheel Drive | 25 / 30 / 27 | $2,500 | 324 |
| 1.5 L 3-cyl · 8-speed automatic | 4-Wheel Drive | 23 / 26 / 24 | $2,800 | 370 |
| 2 L 4-cyl · 8-speed automatic | 4-Wheel Drive | 21 / 27 / 23 | $2,900 | 386 |
Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.
Looking at a 2026 Bronco Sport for sale?
Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.
Where to next
2026 Ford Bronco Sport FAQ
How many recalls does the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport have?
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns: 26V548000 (engine), 26V550000 (structure), 26V340000 (suspension), 26V239000 (engine), 26V201000 (air bag), 25V788000 (electrical). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.
What are the most common 2026 Ford Bronco Sport problems?
Owners filed 7 complaints with NHTSA. Unknown or other (5), Electrical system (1), Engine (1) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.
What mpg does the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport get?
EPA rates the 1.5 L 3-cyl · 8-speed automatic version at 25 city, 30 highway and 27 combined mpg. Other configurations are listed in the fuel economy section.
What safety rating did the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport get?
NHTSA rated the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport suv 4wd 5 stars overall, with 5 stars frontal, 5 stars side and 4 stars rollover (17.4% rollover risk).
How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes
Data sources
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - US DOT recall completion rates (data.transportation.gov)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA ODI owner complaints
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA NCAP 5-Star Safety Ratings
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EPA fuel economy data (licence confirmation pending)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EIA weekly retail gasoline prices
Weekly, all taxes included
Processing
- Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
- Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.
Limitations
- Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
- Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
- Recent model years are still collecting reports.
Review
Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.
Changelog
- 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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