2021 Ford Bronco Sport: complete transmission failure

Filed Nov 5, 2026 · Transmission · MI

The vehicle now has 69k miles, it started experiencing transmission difficulties at 64k. Local Ford service department say that it needs a new Rear Differential AND and new transmission. This vehicle has never towed anything has a mix of city and highway driving. The local service guy said that there SHOULD be a recall on this because of all the problems they’re seeing. It has been in the shop for 3 weeks while Ford Customer Care determines what financial assistance they’ll provide.

Filed Oct 13, 2026 · Suspension, Transmission · PA

I have a 2021 Bronco Sport 55,000 miles. I have taken my vehicle to the dealer for all maintenance, repairs and advice. My boyfriend mentioned my RPMs are bouncing and they should not. I scheduled at the dealer anticipating a sensor. I learned from the dealer my vehicle requires a new transmission, new rear and new water pump. $15,000. I also learned that in 2009 Ford changed their transmission to an enclosed transmission. This has changed their inspection of the transmission to only include checking the fluid if it has a dip stick. Since an enclosed transmission does not have a dip stick mine was never checked from the factory. I have requested Ford Goodwill assistance which has offered $6,000 toward the rebuilding of the transmission and rear. I am six months out of the time portion of the warranty and under the mileage of 60,000. I have had all of my repairs and checks done by the dealer. I never knew they were not checking the transmission fluid. They explained it saved me $40 to not check it... while it's costing me $15,000. As I check Ai it states this is common. My dealer says it's not common. I have asked for additional assistance as this is a caustrophic loss to me. Having a car 5 years old and needing such repairs is leaving me perplexed. My family has always run Ford and stated they can go 1 million miles yet mine cannot get to 56,000 miles... I actually always bought my teenagers cars around 80,000 feeling they were broke in... I am writing because I want this tracked. Ford broke my repairs into three smaller repairs which caused the Ford Customer Service to be confused as to how/why I was saying $15,000. I feel they are slanting the history by presenting as if my car is three different cars or three different time periods for repairs. Honestly I always avoided cars with replaced/rebuilt transmissions feeling the owner was harsh on the vehicle or thinking it towed or plowed. I only drove this vehicle gently and to work yet failure

Filed Oct 9, 2026 · Transmission · 97,434 miles · WY

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the contact attempted to accelerate; however, the transmission failed to shift into a higher gear. The contact stated that the RPM was high and the vehicle was restarted to continue driving. The messages "Power Train Malfunction" and "Cannot Engage in Park, Turn on Parking Brake" were displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the lead frame had failed and the lead frame and transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,434.

Filed Sep 6, 2026 · Transmission · PA

Car is failing to pick up speed and shuttering around 20mph to 60mph. Took it to the dealer and they said it’s the transmission. Im currently in talks with dealership about a goodwill repair. I’m at approx 65000 miles and warranty ended at 60000. I previously contacted Ford dealership to complain about the issue before the warranty was up. I was told I would have to pay $149 for a diagnostic on the vehicle so I took it to my repairman and no codes came up. He changed the spark plugs and still it shuttered. So I took it to the dealership and that’s when they told me they think it’s the transmission. There are serveral complaints about this and communications from the manufacturer especially about the shutter and no codes I complained about this when I first bought the car and was told nothing was found. I take care of my vehicle. It’s inspected every year and oil changes and maintenance are done on schedule. I don’t take it to the Ford garage because it is very expensive and a I have a mechanic that I trust. A car with this many miles that is maintained should not need a new transmission and I feel that I my goodwill was paying good money for a car that is not safe to drive. They told me I would have to pay for repairs until I mentioned a goodwill offer. I could see it the car had been driven off road or had a ton of miles but neither of those is true. They gave the car back to me until I hear back from the dealership. They never told me not to drive it. It’s been a week since they diagnosed it. After researching there are several complaints and communications from the manufacturer about this. I can only pray that they will handle this appropriately.

Filed Aug 4, 2026 · Transmission · AL

Engine sputtering between 1st and 2nd gear. Recall is still not resolved regarding computer update at this time and dealership said no code no repair for over a year. Now I must replace the transmission. Ford has known about the issue many tsb issued for the powertrain issue.

Filed Jun 24, 2026 · Transmission · FL · crash

The vehicle was parked in my parking garage and rolled away causing a collision. There were no warning lights indicating an issue. The vehicle is currently sitting at a shop awaiting warranty paperwork for a transmission replacement that was done last year.

Filed Jun 18, 2026 · Transmission · WI

The vehicle failed to shift back into Drive after being placed in Park, rendering it inoperable. As a result, the vehicle had to be pushed out of a busy driveway and towed to a local repair shop. The local repair shop was unable to diagnose or repair the issue because the required diagnostic equipment is specific to Ford vehicles and was not available to them. The shop advised that the transmission may have failed. After researching the issue, transmission failure has been reported as a known concern affecting early-model Ford Bronco Sport vehicles. Because the local shop could not complete the repair, the vehicle had to be towed a second time to the nearest Ford dealership. The Ford dealership confirmed a transmission failure and determined that the transmission required replacement. The dealership replaced the transmission at a total cost of $10,971.48. At the time of failure, the vehicle had fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer. Given the relatively low mileage and the significant cost of repair, a complete transmission failure under normal operating conditions raises serious concerns regarding the reliability and durability of this component. The Ford dealership's description of the diagnosis, repairs performed, and parts replaced is provided below. 7000: *TRANSMISSION REPAIRS TRANSMISSION DIAGNOSIS (NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY, LEAKS, OTHER) - C/S: TRANS SEEMS TO NO GO INTO GEARS, WAS AT ANOTHER SHOP WHO COULD NOT REPAIR, ADVISE ON NEEDED REPAIRS PLEASE WENT FOR TEST DRIVE - VERIFIED CONCERN. PULLED VEHICLE INTO SERVICE BAY. SCANNED CODES - FOUND P07E1 UNABLE TO ENGAGE NEUTRAL. CHECKED OIL LEVEL AND CONDITION - WAS FULL BUT HAD CLUTCH AND METAL DEBRIS PRESENT. RECOMMEND TRANS REPLACEMENT. APPROVED. PULLED VEHICLE BACK INTO SERVICE BAY. REMOVED AND REPLACED TRANSMISSION. FLUSHED COOLER. PROGRAM STRATEGY AND FILL FLUID PER WSM. PERFORMED ADAPTIVE DRIVE CYCLE. TEST DROVE TWICE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTED WELL. PULLED TO BACK LOT.

Filed May 6, 2026 · Transmission · MI

Transmission went out at 100k

Filed May 4, 2026 · OK

Faulty valve inside of transmission caused transmission failure. Has been properly diagnosed by ford mechanic. Mechanic said it was nothing I’ve done to cause the problem, it was a faulty part.

Filed May 1, 2026 · Transmission · IL

I have 130,000 miles on my 2021 Ford Bronco sport. With no warning I'm unable to put vehicle in gear. I attempt to put the car into drive, then reverse and it will not go. The gear gets stuck in park, but unable to park, The car instructs me to intiated emergency park with many warning lights appearing. when driving it jerks , make grinding noises, and I even lost momentum. Ford said the help line states they have attempted to fix the codes and replace the parts on the inside of the transmission and no luck. Ford recommends a new transmission. I believe the 2021 Bronco sport have a faulty transmission and replacing with another will result with the same issue due to the transmission being a close system it isn't preventable. Many other owners have experienced this very same safety issue and Ford should address ot and be responsible.

Filed Apr 23, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · AZ

On December 13, 2025, we drove to Flagstaff, Arizona from Tucson, Arizona, where we live. As we came into town, the Bronco began to lurch and seemed to have difficulty shifting. I managed to make it to the Babbitt Ford service center’s parking lot, where it seized and died altogether. It stayed at Babbitt Ford where they worked on it until February 3, 2026. They replaced the transmission at great expense. On Feburary 3, we drove it home to Tucson. The next day, February 4, it died in the road twice, once in a major intersection. The first time it eventually resarted. The second time it died completely and required a special tow truck because we couldn't even get it into neutral to roll. It was towed to Holmes Tuttle Ford where they kept it for a week but were able to eventually restart it. They had it for 5 days, ran a diagnostic and reset the system. They drove it for over 80 miles and couldn’t recreate the problem. Then on February 25, I drove to Phoenix. While in Phoenix, it again inextricably had trouble shifting, died and wouldn’t start. I then had it towed to Camelback Ford. On March 6, Camelback Ford called and said they ran numerous tests and still can’t pinpoint the problem and the vehicle still won’t start or shift into neutral.

Filed Apr 23, 2026 · Transmission · MI

Transmission failed - vehicle completely lost power alternating with shuddering and full stopping without braking at slower speeds. Vehicle revved at very high RPMs at low speed, and struggled to shift. Sometimes, when shifted into reverse, vehicle would unexpectedly roll forward almost an entire car length. Transmission fully failed on freeway doing highway speeds of 75+ MPH. Full transmission failure has been confirmed by Ford dealer.