AutoUtility currently tracks 677 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 205 complaints (30.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 18 filings cite a crash, 16 cite a fire, 8 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 677 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (205 reports • 30.3% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (176), Engine & Cooling (129)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 18 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 16 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 8 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
677
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
18
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
16
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
8
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 30.3% of complaints

Electrical System

205 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🔥 7 fire reports
#2 Problem Area 26% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

176 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 1 fire report
#3 Problem Area 19.1% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

129 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🔥 5 fire reports
#4 Problem Area 18.6% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

126 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 6 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 5 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 16.5% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

112 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🔥 8 fire reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 6.5% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

44 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11758564
Filed: 08/21/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/15/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11758228
Filed: 08/20/2026

"See attached document for complaint."

Incident Date: 07/17/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11757286
Filed: 08/16/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/17/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11757261
Crash Cited Filed: 08/16/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 08/14/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11756971
Filed: 08/14/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/11/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Ford Bronco Sport

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2021–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2021 Ford Bronco Sport Current Page 677 18 16 Current
2022 Ford Bronco Sport 347 13 15 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Ford Bronco Sport 151 9 14 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Ford Bronco Sport 101 5 8 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Ford Bronco Sport 34 5 7 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Ford Bronco Sport 0 0 4 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 127 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 85 1 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 78 1 1 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 64 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45 0 1 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 42 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 33 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 21 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 18 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 15 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 13 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 13 0 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 10 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9 0 1 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 9 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 8 1 3 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 0 2 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 0 2 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 6 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 6 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 5 5 0 6 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 1 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 4 0 1 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 1 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 2 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 3 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 1 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,COMMUNICATION,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 1 1 0
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
OTHER/I AM NOT SURE 1 1 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 1 0 1 0 0
SEATS,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (677). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (2)

2 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
CLOSED Recall Query (RQ) ODI Action #RQ24014
Opened: 2024-11-15 • Closed: 2025-10-10

Loss of Motive Power

Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

On January 31, 2024, The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24002) to investigate loss of motive power allegations in model year (MY) 2021 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles. Consumers reported a loss of engine power accompanied by complete electrical system failure either while driving or after stopping at a traffic light or stop sign. The vehicles generally could not be restarted, and the incidents were commonly di...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 25V019 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE24002
Opened: 2024-01-31 • Closed: 2024-08-19

Loss of Motive Power

Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

On January 31, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE24002 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2021 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles. At that time, ODI had received 31 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs), with consumers commonly reporting a loss of engine power accompanied by complete electrical system failure which occurred either while driving, or after coming to a stop. The investigation revealed...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 24V590 Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.