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Ford Bronco fire or smoke problems

71 of the 1,443 owner complaints about the Ford Bronco describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1996 model year.

owner complaints
71
worst model year
1996
typical mileage
120,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

What owners say

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Engine · NY

[XXX] notice oil leak Left side turbo [XXX] an appointment with Mavis for an oil change. Technician notify me that he sees an oil leak by the left side turbo. Maybe his technician tells me to bring him back to the dealership [XXX]. I drop it off at Ford Haley Brothers for service. [XXX] service department calls me valve cover is leaking work is perform [XXX] pick up vehicle from Healey Brothers from [XXX] through [XXX] notice a blue smoke coming from my exhaust by [XXX]. I returned back to Healey Brothers. I was consuming so much oil they notify me that one of the turbos was the cause of it the 2021 Ford bronco Badlands has 85,000 miles on it for a turbo to go bad that fast impossible. It is my daily driver. I’ve maintain all the oil changes Maintenance so far on this vehicle my concerns why so fast the turbo would go with 85,000 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Steering · AL

I have a new bronco with 3,000 miles on it and I used my heated steering wheel for the first time today and the cabin started filling up with smoke. The smoke was coming from the steering column. I’m not sure if something was on fire or just smoking but I didn’t see flames just a lot of smoke. I have a video. Where can I email it?

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Airbags, Body · NV · fire

I am the homeowner and the mother of the vehicle owner, [XXX]. I am submitting this statement about a fire involving her parked Ford Bronco in my garage. I was the only person home when I discovered the fire. At approximately 8:30 p.m. on XXX, I had just gotten out of my backyard pool when I heard a loud thump that seemed to come from around the garage. After entering the house, I heard another loud sound. When I opened the door between the house and garage, smoke came into the house. I called [XXX]. [XXX] texted me at 8:34 pm as she received a text notification that her tire pressure was low and asked me to check. I went outside through the front door to the driveway and opened the garage door. Black smoke came out. While speaking with [XXX], I obtained a garden hose and returned to the garage, where I saw active flames coming from the rear-left area of the Bronco. I used the hose on the visible flames. Firefighters arrived approximately five minutes later and took over. By then, I had extinguished most of the flames I could see. There were no injuries. The Bronco had last been driven on Saturday night, XXX. [XXX] flew to [XXX] on Sunday, XXX, and returned home Thursday morning, XXX No one used the Bronco during those days. It remained parked in the garage and was not running when I discovered the fire. Smoke entered the house, and there was damage affecting the garage and its electrical system. The full extent of the property damage is still being assessed. The vehicle was moved out of the garage after the fire. Mercury subsequently arranged towing to [XXX] for investigation. The investigator’s last verbal comment to us was that he thought it was the rear taillight. I understand this to be a preliminary opinion, not a final determination. As of XXX, I have not received a written investigative report and do not know what cause the investigator or insurers will ultimately report. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 23, 2026 · Electrical · FL · fire

On June 22, 2026, my 2025 Ford Bronco caught fire while parked outside a store. The vehicle had been parked for approximately five minutes when the fire began. There were no warning lights, alerts, unusual odors, or other indications of a problem before the incident. The fire and heavy smoke appeared to originate from the center console area near the gear shifter. The flames quickly spread throughout the driver’s side, center console, front passenger area, and the rest of the vehicle’s interior. The entire interior sustained severe fire and heat damage and was substantially melted. The responding fire department advised that temperatures inside the vehicle were well over 300 degrees. Firefighters disconnected the vehicle’s battery, after which the vehicle began to cool. Based on their initial observations, they indicated that the fire appeared to be electrical in nature. The vehicle had recently been filled with gasoline, which made the situation even more dangerous. Fortunately, no one was inside the Bronco, no other vehicles were parked nearby, and the fire department responded quickly. The vehicle has been transported to a repair facility but has not yet been inspected to determine the precise cause of the fire. I am extremely concerned that a nearly new vehicle could suddenly catch fire while turned off and parked, without any warning. This could have occurred while I was driving, with passengers inside, or while the Bronco was parked in my garage. Under those circumstances, the fire could have caused serious injury or death, destroyed my home, or endangered other people and property. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this incident presents a serious public-safety concern. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency investigate whether other 2025 Ford Bronco owners have experienced similar electrical fires and whether a defect exists that could place drivers, passengers, families, first responders, and the public at risk.

Filed May 17, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TX · fire

I was idling (foot on the brake) at a coffee drive thru when I started to smell smoke and suddenly a women ran up and told me my passenger side front tire was on fire.

Filed May 14, 2026 · Fuel system · 10,000 miles · MI · fire

The contact owned a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while her boyfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal noise. The contact's boyfriend had pulled over. They discovered an unknown fluid leaking under the vehicle and a spark coming from the engine before the vehicle caught fire. There were no injuries were sustained. The firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. Upon research, the contact related the failure to the fuel injector. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Filed May 10, 2026 · Transmission · TX · fire

My drive shaft/coupling caught fire at the front transfer case. I was able to extinguish it safely. This is the same description as: the federal safety agency Recall No.: 26V236 Manufacturer Recall No.: 26S26 And the description “ Vehicle 1: 2021-2025 FORD BRONCO‘ includes my vehicle, however, my VIN/license plate number do not show this recall in effect.

Filed May 4, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · VA · fire

My husband was sitting at a stop light when he noticed what appeared to be steam/smoke coming out from under the hood of the Bronco. Then smoke came into the vehicle through the air vents. When he looked up, flames were coming out from under the hood. He got out and the whole front of the car burst into flames and torched the car.

Filed May 1, 2026 · Engine · 11,685 miles · CT · fire

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, a fire originated near the dashboard area without warning. The occupants inside the vehicle first noticed an abnormal smoke odor inside the vehicle. Shortly afterwards, the contact and passenger’s eyes started burning and their throats became irritated. The driver opened and then closed the windows and then safely pulled over. The heated seats were turned off during the failure. The passenger then observed flames coming from the passenger’s side air vent. The contact and passenger exited the vehicle with the engine still running. The windows blew out from the intense heat of the fire. The air bags did not deploy but started melting. The Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported. A Police report was not filed, but the Police were directing traffic. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a claim was opened. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the insurance company for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 11,685.

Filed Mar 17, 2026 · Engine · 13,500 miles · IL · fire

The contact owned a 2025 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, another driver pulled closer to the vehicle and honked to get the contact's attention. The contact stated that upon rolling down the window, the contact noticed flames coming from the front driver's side wheel well. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side and exited the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle completely burned from the front end to the front seats. The contact stated that the fire originated from the driver's side of the engine compartment. The front driver's side of the vehicle sustained more fire damage than the passenger's side of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A fire department report and a police report were filed. There was no reported injury. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was a total loss. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 13,500.

Related recalls

Electrical system: wiring: front underhoodReported July 20, 2026 · 565,691 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Bronco and Bronco Raptor vehicles. The engine compartment wiring harness may become damaged and short circuit.
Risk
A short circuit in the engine compartment can create heat or spark, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install sheathing over the wiring, free of charge. This is a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2026 Bronco Raptor notified owners on 7/31/2026. Phase 2 will include 2021-2025 Bronco Raptor vehicle will notify owners on or about 8/14/2026. Phase 3 will include 2021-2026 Bronco will notify owners on or about 9/1/2026. Owner notification letters were mailed August 5, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S55. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on July 23, 2026.

Recall number 26V468000 · Recall details

Electrical system: instrument cluster/panelReported November 14, 2025 · 229,609 vehicles affected
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: ignitionReported April 25, 1996 · 7,900,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
Risk
This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.

Recall number 96V071000 · Recall details

Questions about the Ford Bronco fire or smoke

Which Ford Bronco years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?

The model years with the most reports are 1996 (19 complaints), 1995 (13 complaints) and 1991 (7 complaints).

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