2023 Ford Bronco transmission problems

Filed Oct 2, 2026 · Transmission · AZ

Transmission failed while towing in Neutral Flat Tow mode and destroyed the entire transmission resulting in a $7,600 repair bill. Ford will not warranty this as they claim is was might fault. Not true, I had flat towed the vehicle for months without an issue and its their electronic system that failed and destroyed my transmission.

Filed Sep 16, 2026 · Transmission · VA

We sometime have loss of drive power while driving or a total failure to engage a gear. Happens sometimes when moving from a stop sign or stop light. Like the transmission is slipping in def case.

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · Transmission · SC

2023 Ford Bronco with 7 speed manual transmission. The transmission started grinding while shifting into 3rd gear and occasionally popping out of 3rd gear. This mostly occurred while upshifting and rarely while downshifting. All other gears are operating as normal. While the grinding problem would pop up occasionally around the 40,000 mile mark, it became chronic at 58,000 mile mark (24Jun2026)

Filed Mar 6, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · IN

1. Component/system that failed/malfunctioned — Braking system (electronic parking brake and brake control modules) combined with electrical/communication defect preventing storage of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). Vehicle available for inspection upon request. 2. How safety was put at risk — Repeated "Park Brake Fault – Service Now" and "Brake System Fault" warnings on dash while driving risk sudden loss of parking brake function, reduced braking, or unexpected behavior (e.g., transmission no-engagement beyond walking pace after cold start), impairing safe stopping/control and endangering driver and others. 3. Problem reproduced/confirmed by dealer — Yes — reproduced/confirmed multiple times by authorized Ford dealer (Town & Country Ford, Evansville, IN) across five visits (invoices attached): active brake faults visible on dash during service, yet "no codes found," "unable to verify," "NP no problem found." Examples: [XXX] (30,113 mi) brake fault while driving; [XXX]intermittent parking brake light, no codes; [XXX] transmission slip and brake fault, no codes. 4. Inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance, or others — Inspected only by dealer. Ford CX team contacted (CRM [XXX] , July 2025) but no further inspection/resolution. No police or insurance inspections. 5. Warning lamps/messages prior to failure and when first appeared — "Park Brake Error Message" and "Park Brake Fault" warnings first documented ~25,722 miles (early visits after [XXX] purchase at 13 miles). No-DTC retention defect prevented earlier alerts/diagnosis. Symptoms escalated (transmission slip, cold no-start die-out, brake faults recurring). 6. Additional notes — Out of service >60 cumulative days; loaner restricted to local driving only when provided. Part of Indiana Lemon Law claim (BBB AUTO LINE Case [XXX]). Due to 10-file/10MB upload limit, core documents attached; additional photos, full invoices, loaner agreement, BBB correspondence available upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.

Filed Mar 4, 2026 · Transmission · 10,642 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving a motorhome at an undisclosed speed and towing the vehicle in tow mode, the transmission blew up. The contact pulled over to retrieve sunglasses from the vehicle and became aware that there was an odor of transmission fluid coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed there was no warranty coverage for the failure. The dealer stated that the failure was due to operator error. The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 10,642.

Filed Feb 23, 2026 · Transmission · VA

Automatic 10 speed transmission has unpredictable shifting from 1st through 3 gears, offten with long lags between shifts, losing power temporarily, especially from 1st to 2nd gear, and harsh shifting. Sometimes, the 1st - 2nd shift lag happens upon acceleration during merging or in an intersection and that loss of power is critical, requiring an adjustment in throttle position, and when 2nd gear catches, then there is too much power. It is unpredictable. The Bronco has about 35K miles now, but this has happening since day 1. Twice in dealer, twice the tech noted it, and twice the only solution was to clear the adaptive shift control memory. Does not fix the issue.

Filed Jan 21, 2026 · Suspension, Transmission · WA

Front differential mounts are cracking and breaking leading to insecure front differential and damage to adjacent suspension and power train components. This is a significant risk to both the driver/occupants and potentially other vehicles on the road. This problem is appearing with increasing frequency on the Ford Bronco forums to the point that Ford now has a TSB out relating to this known engineering failure. It require an extensive repair including rewelding the mounting brackets. There appears to be inadequate guidance to the repairing dealers, however, as there is a large degree of uncertainty as to how to approach executing the weld repair, according to my dealer, Corwin Ford, in Spokane, Washington.

Filed Jul 28, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 50,200 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and flat towing an RV, the Flat-Tow mode inadvertently disengaged and the contact smelled a burning odor permeating the interior of the vehicle with the message "Stop vehicle immediately, excessive temperature detected" displayed. The transmission temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was damage to the transmission and turbocharger due to the Flat-Tow mode not being engaged properly during towing. The contact was informed that the transmission and turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 22-7086. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The contact was later informed that the manufacturer concluded that the disengagement of Flat-Tow mode was the result of user error. The manufacturer declined to cover the cost of the repair. The contact contested the manufacturer’s findings as inconceivable, stating that the Flat-Tow mode was still engaged after arriving at his destination. The failure mileage was 50,200.

Filed Sep 17, 2024 · Transmission · CA

Front pinion seal leak is detected at where the front drive shaft meets the front differential. Ford attempted to fix it with a pinion seal replacement and the leak is still unresolved, second attempt was done by changing the front differential fluid which also did not resolve the issue. This issue is fairly common amongst bronco owners on forums and will be hard to come to the users’ attention unless the user checks under the vehicle so the problem may be more widespread than reported. The undetected loss of front differential fluid may cause overheating of the front differential over time as the fluid levels become low and potentially cause a lockup at high speed when the vehicle is used in 4A AWD mode. The leak can also be a fire hazard.

Filed Jul 27, 2024 · Transmission · MS

3 separate times while driving on the on the interstate doing between 70-75 mph the vehicle completely lost power and an alert was displayed saying “Powertrain Malfunction”, the most recent incident was 07/26/24, before was 06/16/24 and 06/22/24. The vehicle speed dropped down to 35-40 and wouldn’t go any faster, and we had cars behind us, this created a major safety issue for me and my family. We had to pull over on the interstate, turn the car off and back on. We took it into the Ford service department, they said nothing was wrong with it and claimed they reset the computer.