Ford Bronco Sport battery drain problems

Filed Jun 11, 2025 · Electrical · SC

I am reporting a serious safety issue with my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The vehicle developed an internal AC leak due to a clogged AC drain. This leak caused water accumulation inside the cabin, leading to extensive electrical system failure, including loss of power steering, multiple warning lights, and a dead battery. The vehicle is no longer drivable. Upon researching online, I found that numerous other owners of 2021 Bronco Sports have reported the same clogged AC drain issue resulting in internal leaks and electronic malfunctions. This appears to be a systemic design flaw and should be investigated for safety recall consideration. I am submitting this complaint for documentation and to request that the federal safety agency review the frequency and severity of this failure, especially given the risk of electrical failure while driving. Component/System Failure: The air conditioning (AC) system drain became clogged, causing water to leak inside the vehicle cabin. This leak led to corrosion, mold/mildew buildup, and multiple electrical system failures, including loss of power steering, a dead battery, and numerous dashboard warning lights. The AC system and the resulting damage are available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: The electrical failures caused by the leak created a serious safety hazard. Loss of power steering and critical electrical systems while driving could cause loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of an accident. Additionally, mold growth inside the cabin poses health risks to occupants. Problem Confirmation: The issue has been confirmed by an independent service center that diagnosed the clogged AC drain as the root cause. Other 2021 Ford Bronco Sport owners have reported identical problems, indicating a widespread defect. Inspection by Others: The vehicle has been inspected by independent mechanics and the dealer service department. Ford corporate has been notified but has not acknowledged this as a recall or defect.

Filed Apr 20, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · ND

I was trying to park my vehicle and it started blinking and saying park is not available, vehicle is not in park. Place the park brake before exiting the vehicle. I was on a downward slope, so I found an area where it was flat and tried to restart my vehicle, but it was doing the same thing. I had to go to work, so I parked my car and placed the brake on. Later I went out on lunch and the car wouldn't start. I had to call a tow truck because Ford refused to come tow my 2022 Ford Bronco Sport or give me a loaner. The next day after Ford replaced my battery, they told me my car now had transmission issues that were not there before I had a dead battery. I know there is a recall on the 12v battery, but a remedy has not yet been issued and many customers are suffering. I asked about the recall or my warranty and I was basically laughed at because I have too many miles on my car. Why is a vehicle manufacturer able to continuly sell recalled vehicles and leave lives at stake for a recall that can end up killing someone?

Filed Mar 31, 2025 · Electrical · VA

The car went completely dead when I was stopped at a red light. There was no power and I couldn’t put it into park. There was no indicator light nor warning that there was a problem with the battery. This put me into great risk of being hit by another car as traffic started to worsen and cars were trying to go around me. Police came and got me out of the car and because they could not get the car into gear they called and had it towed. I incurred the cost of the tow as well as the cost of the battery and the labor to install it. I tried to get reimbursed from the dealership but they said they couldn’t help me abc suggested instead that I don’t use the auto stop/start because it was draining the battery which caused it to not have enough power to restart at the red light. This was a very frightening experience as it was in another city other than my own and it was just on the other side of a bridge during traffic hour.

Filed Jan 15, 2025 · Electrical · NC

I had a recall for “computer module programming done by Ford on my 2022 Bronco sport 38k miles on [XXX]. The next day my car shut off while at a light not auto/start on off. But sputtered and lost power. The next day it would not start right away. On [XXX] I parked at my children’s school in a temporary spot. Went to back up and my car was stuck trying to turn in and off for a solid 10 minutes. There was also a burning smell of something. No smoke. I finally could turn it off quickly randomly and then it would not start again. We jumped it by tow truck and took it home because the dealership said at 3 years 38k miles it was not under warranty. So my husband took the battery out and had it tested. It tested 100% at Autozone an hour later. Whatever recall they preformed caused my car to drain the battery or lost power. No way a car with only 38k miles and maintenance done every time at Ford regularly should even have a problem like this. It’s so frustrating. I hope they fix this problem and find a solution for us customers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 13, 2024 · Electrical, Lights · OR

Overnight my electrical system went from working perfectly to not at all. I couldn’t unlock my car using the fob or the unlock button on the driver door and had to manually access the inside of the vehicle. When inside, no lights of any kind were on, the welcome screen was black, and no dinging that typically happens when the driver door is open. When I attempted to start my vehicle (I have a physical key, not a press to start) the car had no response, just silence. I have dealt with dead batteries before and could hear clicking when trying to start the car but I have never experienced complete silence like this. It was as if an EMP hit my car. My vehicle had all recalls fixed and evaluated with no issues. I am awaiting inspection from the dealership.

Filed Jul 9, 2024 · Electrical, Transmission · OH

Recall notice 24S24 was completed on 6/14/2024 as notified. However, due to the recall vehicle did not notify me of low battery issue. Since low battery alert was never indicated at any time, I did not have the opportunity to replace with a fresh battery (which would have been done of course) resulting in dealership having to install a new battery at a significantly above general cost ($350.00 vs approx $200.00 or less) had service been by another company of my choosing. Replacement of battery should be covered in full (at N/C). This issue should be added to this recall since it is an over & above expense to customer. At the very least, dealership should deeply discount cost of battery replacement, not at full retail cost. Because the BCM module, PCM failed, a continuous drain of battery powered existed when vehicle was not in use. IE: the battery drained fully & was unable to jump started nor recharge when in operation. When not in use continued to "turn l light on/off, alarm alerts, lock/unlock doors, attempt to start" when turned off. This will clearly drain any battery to the point where it cannot be recharged even if it a brand new battery. Again, all systems were turned off (vehicle not running) yet battery continued to drain. Fortunately my case did not result in a crash or injury since it was off & in my drive, but it very well could have during driving (battery drains completely, vehicle can stall & shut down).

Filed Jun 26, 2024 · LA

First, the car was brought in 6/2/24 to take care of the open recall. I am still receiving notices but the dealership assured me the recall dealing with the battery was addressed. I came to a stop at a red light and the car shut down (all screens black). I attempted to restart. Car would not start but the radio, wipers, and screens flashing warnings intermittently came on. Could not turn on hazard lights. I had to climb out of the passenger side to avoid traffic and then attempted to direct traffic around the car. (Red light is in a curve making it difficult to see stopped vehicle.). Waited about 30 minutes for my husband. He was able to start the car and pull out of the road. We were not comfortable driving it so had it towed to dealer. Prior to the shutdown there were no warnings. The car was running well prior to this incident. It is still at the dealer. They told me battery drain, communication issues, and that they could see the error messages that flashed after the shutdown. The car was purchased in August 2021. It has 15,479 miles on it and most recently is driven 5 miles per or less during the week. I can’t find the date but the battery has been changed once already. Had this happened on some of the other rides I drive, I would have been part of a terrible crash.

Filed Feb 19, 2024 · Electrical · CA

The incident first happened while on my way to work. After driving about 2 miles I came to stopped at a stoplight. My car completely shut off and the engine died. When trying to restart the car, I got multiple battery failure messages, and it appeared that the battery died somehow. There were absolutely no warnings beforehand. I was also unable to successfully get the vehicle into neutral because even after pulling the shifter override, I could not disengage the electric parking break. I had to get the car towed to the dealership from the middle of a busy road. The car spent 2 weeks at the first dealership. They were unable to diagnose the issue, and ultimately did nothing, stating that the battery was passing all tests so they could not replace it. 2.5 months later, my batter died again without warning (luckily this time in my driveway). I’ve taken it to a different dealership this time (after filing a complaint with Ford). This dealership again is telling me that the battery is passing tests so they can’t replace it, and that they have no idea why it failed (twice now!) Something is clearly wrong with the car — batteries/engines do not just die in the middle of driving for no reason. But so far Ford has refused to put the effort into figuring out why this is happening.

Filed Dec 15, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · OH

Vehicle experienced catastrophic power failure while I was driving. Without warning, the vehicle shut down completely. The engine stopped, the brakes engaged, the dash went black. There was no way to communicate with the vehicle -- no way to engage emergency flashers or even to push it to the side of the road (because the brakes were locked). There was a loud "pulse" sound coming through the speakers -- "thump. . .thump. . .thump. . ." which continued for 5 - 10 minutes. A police officer who stopped to assist noted the rear tail lights were strobing. The "P" on the transmission shifter flashed continually. Over the next 30 minutes, the infotainment screen rebooted twice, but went to black within seconds. The instrument panel rebooted once, but also went black after a few seconds. The car was towed to Kings Ford in Mason/Deerfield Township OH. The service tech reported the only issue was a dead battery which he replaced. That issue has not reoccurred in my Bronco Sport. On the Bronco Sport Forum, [XXX] reported an identical event in Feb. 2023 happened to her vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 25, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · SC

I was on my way to work and as I approached a 4-way intersection, the auto-stop feature on the vehicle shut the engine off. The vehicle's instrument panel started blinking then went completely black. The vehicle became completely disabled... the hazard lights were only functioning intermittently. I tried to re-start the vehicle without success and was not able to shift to neutral. The vehicle was in the middle of the road, so I called a tow to carry it to the dealership. The dealership was able to replicate the issue and blamed it on a 'dead-cell' battery. The dealership even said that the vehicle did the same thing to them once their booster pack was removed, so a simple jump from another vehicle would not have temporarily solved the issue. Before the incident, the vehicle gave absolutely NO warning or indication that the battery levels were low. I cannot believe that with all of the modern vehicle technology available, Ford did not develop a 'low-battery' warning light for their vehicles. I expect Ford to pay for every tow needed in the future due to a dead battery that completely disables the vehicle in the middle of the street.