On Friday, October 9, 2026, I was driving to work when I noticed that my 2023 Ford Bronco Sport was struggling to accelerate after I stopped at a red light. When I arrived at work, I noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. Upon opening the hood, I discovered a small fire behind the engine, which I was able to extinguish.Approximately three hours later, when I returned to my vehicle during my lunch break, it started and appeared to be running normally. However, while stopping to get gas, I noticed smoke coming from under the hood again, although there was no visible fire. Concerned about the vehicle’s condition, I drove the short distance to a dealership, where the vehicle was still smoking upon arrival.Initially, the dealership suggested that the fire may have been caused by leaves, debris, or possible rodent activity beneath the hood. However, this vehicle is my daily driver, and I had not experienced any issues of this nature before this incident. I am concerned that the cause has not yet been adequately established.The dealership later informed me that additional components, including the turbocharger and potentially other engine components, would need to be removed to assess the extent of the damage. They also stated that they would need a specialized Ford technician to inspect the vehicle but could not provide a timeline for when that inspection would take place.I am now without reliable transportation to get to work and manage my daily responsibilities, and I have not received a clear explanation of what caused the fire or the extent of the damage. I am also concerned because my vehicle has an outstanding safety recall that appears to describe a potential fire risk consistent with what occurred. When I raised this concern with the dealership, the representative did not appear to believe that the recall applied to my vehicle.I am requesting assistance in verifying the recall status for my specific VIN and determining whether the recall may be related to.
Ford Bronco Sport fire or smoke problems
57 of the 1,415 owner complaints about the Ford Bronco Sport describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 57
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical mileage
- 46,000
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel smell 9Won't start 6Overheating 6Check engine light 6Loss of power 3Fuel leak 2Transmission failure 1
What owners say
The contact owned a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. Before starting the vehicle, the contact noticed an unknown fluid leaking near the front driver's side tire and detected a fuel odor inside the vehicle. While driving at an undisclosed speed, another driver alerted the contact that the rear tire was on fire. Unknown messages and warning lights appeared two minutes before the vehicle caught on fire. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle before the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames and then got into the other driver's vehicle. The Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to tow yard and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact stated that the engine had previously been replaced in 2025 due to smoke under the hood. Two weeks prior to the fire, the dealer performed an oil change, and oil was leaking from the vehicle afterwards. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer two days later and was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
My bronco caught on fire while I was driving it down the road. It only had 40k miles on it.
2026 Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch edition with less than three-thousand miles that we purchased brand new had a major transmission failure and was rendered inoperable. The Bronco Sport transmission pan cracked and the gasket failed upon driving home from a routine, ten minute trip to the grocery store resulting in sudden loss of transmission fluid. The transmission fluid blew all over the engine compartment when this occurred The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership where it remains as of today (one week after the incident occurred). The issue has been confirmed by the Ford dealer. There were zero warning lamps or messages, but there was a smell of something burning. When the vehicle was parked, fluid poured out on the garage floor and continued to leak until it was put on a tow truck. We have a case number with Ford and are trying to see if there is an option for Ford to buy the vehicle back or to work with us on replacing it due to the incident and the vehicle being approximately two months old. Had we been driving at highway speed or were further from home, this could have resulted in an accident.
Oil pump solenoid has been replaced 3 times and the vehicle is under 100,000 miles. There is a low oil light illuminates on dash board in addition to acceleration lose and a white smoke coming from under the hood and the back end of the vehicle. The 6th or 7th time this happened the Bronco had to be towed. There were many more problems included in this tow, powertrain failure, engine misfire, loss of power, crackling, popping sound from under the hood.
The contact owned a 2024 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving into the driveway and coming to a complete stop, the contact became aware of steam coming from underneath the hood and believed that the engine was overheating. No warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel prior to the vehicle catching on fire. The contact and his wife were inside the vehicle were in the vehicle during the failure. The driver and the passenger exited the vehicle safely. There was grey and white odorless smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire originated in the engine compartment. There was significant concrete damage to the driveway and a tree by the residence. The fire was extinguished by the local Fire Department. A fire report was filed but was unavailable. No police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. No injuries were sustained. The leasing company of the vehicle was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.
The bronco sport was being driven, suddenly an gasoline odor was slightly noticed, it was almost dismissed because the intersection the vehicle was currently at has 4 gas stations. The SUV suddenly turned off, alerts popped up on the screen and smoke began to rise from underneath the hood. As the vehicle was exited, the gas odor was noticeable and flames began to shoot from the engine bay. Within a minute the flames had engulfed the whole front end of the vehicle into the interior.
Fuel system issues. Current recall has been since July of 2025 with NO FIX AVAILABLE. Engine light has been on and off for two months now with mobile app giving warning but there is no way to fix the issue as of now, and not since the Recall was issued almost a year ago. Bronco has not started up again on multiple occasions after getting fuel. Also has a very strong smell of fuel vapor/fuel at every deceleration or stop making it hard to breathe inside vehicle, as well hurting our chest and head to inhale inside the cabin of vehicle. Bronco is beginning to cut out while driving and/or when coming to a stop. We have a small child and are in fear of a serious malfunction or fire, and are concerned of the fumes we are constantly ingesting while driving vehicle. That on top of the risk of car cutting out at a bad time or catching on fire while driving is causing us to want to trade it in/get rid of it but we need a vehicle to get back and forth to work and get our child to school. We need something done to get a different vehicle that’s safe for our family/child. I am a disabled veteran that feels helpless with my wife and child using this vehicle every day. I’m scared for their safety more than anything else.
Purchased a Ford Bronco Sport brand new in 2021. I received a recall notice for my bronco sport last July. I took my vehicle to the Ford dealership and they told me there was no remedy available. The recall states that my vehicle could catch on fire and crash at any time while I’m driving it. Ford still does not have a remedy almost a year later and they don’t know when they will have one. They don’t have parts even though my VIN number is affected. Ford expects me to risk my life and the life of my passengers, who happen to be my grandsons, by driving this vehicle on a daily basis. At any time, my car can catch on fire because of the fuel injector recall. I filed a claim with the Ford buyback program, but was denied because my vehicle warranty has expired. The recall didn’t even come out until after my warranty had expired. Recall info: Campaign 25S76/25V467
This 2022 Bronco Sport Outer Banks lost it's alternator pulley and that caused the serpentine belt to break. Since the vehicle could not be driven it was towed to Joe Myers Ford in Houston, TX. The dealer wanted a extremely expensive price, $1800.00, to replace the alternator and belt. The vehicle was offered to the dealer for trade to determine value and see if it was possible to upgrade to a newer vehicle. The dealer's sales person said that the vehicle was appraised at only $5000.00. That ended discussion and the vehicle was then moved to a private auto parts parking lot where a mobile technician repaired it. It was then taken to two other authorized Ford dealers and offered for trade. Each dealer only offered the same amount...$5000.00. One dealer even said "We don't really want this vehicle. I even found out that they are not even allowed to resell it with this recall in place. They have basically caused it become worthless. You should take it to a used car dealer for appraisal. This caused me to start wondering 'what' may be wrong with this vehicle to case a 2022 year model to be valued so low. The VIN number then got run through the federal safety agency and voila! Now we know why Ford doesn't want anything to do with it. The Ford Recall #25S76 and the federal safety agency Recall #25V467 clearly explain that the vehicle can catch on fire and cause personal injury. None of the 3 Ford dealers ever mentioned this Dangerous Recall. I never received any notice in the US Mail, an email, phone call or any form of notification about this vehicle being a fire danger. All my info is on file with Ford and it's all been usable since the purchase date. NO Notice was ever received and children had even been driven around many times. How DARE FORD for putting mine and other family's children in danger!!!!! And there still isn't a Remedy for the problem. Ford needs to buy back this vehicle and send it to the Salvage Yard!
Related recalls
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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 the federal safety agency 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 on April 14, 2026.
Recall number 26V239000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 25V788000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Bronco Sport, Escape, and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may not illuminate at startup or while driving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" as well as FMVSS numbers 126, 108, 135, 138, 208, and 305.
- Risk
- An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C02.
Recall number 25V049000 · Recall details
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The 12-volt battery may experience degradation and suddenly fail.
- Risk
- Battery failure can result in a loss of electrical accessories, including the hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the 12-volt battery, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 2, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S02. Vehicles in this recall were previously repaired under 24V‑267 and will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 25V019000 · Recall details
Electrical system: body control module/bcm
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024 Bronco Sport vehicles. The body and power train control modules may fail to detect a change in the 12-volt battery state of charge.
- Risk
- An undetected low battery charge can result in a loss of electrical accessories such as hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the body control module and powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S60. Vehicles in this recall that were previously recalled for the same issue under 24V‑267 will need to have the new remedy performed.
Recall number 24V683000 · Recall details
Electrical system: body control module/bcm
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The body and power train control modules may fail to detect a change in the 12-volt battery state of charge.
- Risk
- An undetected low battery charge can result in a loss of electrical accessories such as hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will recalibrate the body control module and power train control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 4, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S24.
Recall number 24V267000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Bronco Sport fire or smoke
Which Ford Bronco Sport years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (25 complaints), 2022 (16 complaints) and 2024 (9 complaints).
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