Twice, while flat towing the 2026 Ford Bronco something happen and allegedly the neutral tow disabled and I had to replace the transmission. $7,500 each time. The first time the Bronco had 900 miles and the second time the unit had 3,000 miles. Both times the warranty claim was denied. Ford blamed it on a battery voltage drop which in turn disabled the neutral tow. I can not find anywhere in the manual where it says the battery voltage level can not fall below a certain level. Can you help I will upload the first transmission invoice. The unit is currently in the shop getting the second transmission installed. The price is the same as the first.
Ford Bronco transmission failure problems
19 of the 1,445 owner complaints about the Ford Bronco describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 2022 model year.
- owner complaints
- 19
- worst model year
- 2022
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20261
- 20234
- 20227
- 19962
- 19951
- 19941
- 19931
- 19922
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 5Fire or smoke 2Pulling 1Headlights 1Adaptive cruise 1
What owners say
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.
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.
I’ve complained to my local Ford dealer about 10-speed transmission issues including to several different service techs. There is a loud clunk and physical movement of the vehicle when shifting from park through to reverse and eventually to drive—it’s the P to R which is most noticeable. I’ve had 3rd party mechanics inspect the clunk, had Ford replace the driveshaft, conducted a trans fluid flush, but the clunk persists. I am concerned that one day, the vehicle will not shift out of park or potentially damage the transmission to an undriveable state outside of warranty. This has persisted for several years. I need Ford to replace the transmission and then conduct research into the issues with the old one once removed.
After engaging the "flat -Tow" system and towing the bronco, the transmission endured a catastrophic failure resulting in a $6,300.00 transmission replacement. This all occurred "under Factory Warranty" Dealer blamed user error even though the dash board display repeatedly stated....."flat tow enabled". Research on various websites have found this is an ongoing problem with the bronco and has happened to many consumers. Dealer was totally unsympathetic to the situation.
I have a 2023 Ford bronco that has the 2.3 L engine and seven speed manual transmission. It was originally purchased in January 2023. I live in Colorado so it is cold and on cold mornings, since I have received delivery of the vehicle, It has made and continues to make a grinding, scraping sound when the vehicle is in neutral, or the transmission is not engaged. The grinding, scraping sound will occur when driving in first, second, and third gear. If the weather is warm, as over last summer, it does not make the grinding, scraping sound. It has been consistently documented amongst other owners of this particular vehicle, the new sixth generation Ford bronco full-size vehicle with the 2.3 L engine and seven speed manual transmission , that these transmissions make this grinding, scraping sound. I have had it investigated by my local Ford dealership on two separate occasions, and although the tech on site at the dealership states that he can hear the grinding sound and agrees that it is an abnormal sound for a vehicle transmission to make, the Ford motor company has refused to do any type of repair or modification, or replacement of the transmission in my particular vehicle to correct the problem. However, when discussing this problem with other Ford bronco owners, Ford motor company’s response has been very irregular, one friend, in particular, has had his transmission replaced. I am very concerned that as transmissions tend to suffer with wear and tear, that should this transmission fail early due to the grinding, scraping sound, ford motor company will not replace it under warranty, stating that it was my fault or expected wear and tear, that the transmission failed early, when, in reality, it is just as likely that the early failure would be due to this abnormal, grinding, scraping sound.
I have the same complaint that many 2021-2023 Ford Bronco owners have had in regards to the 'scraping/grinding' noise in 1st and 2nd gear. I have seen this on dozens of forums and Ford acknowledged it is an issue. I was told to bring the car in when I was ready for an oil change. This is after being a second day reservation holder and waiting 2.5 years for my car to be built. The dealership told me that the transmission was bad and I needed a new transmission. It will take 10-15 weeks to get a new transmission, and in the meantime all that was offered was a less than ideal rental car (ford edge) and to wait patiently. This is a known issue that the transmissions were faulty, Ford has not been responsive in terms of getting any help/assistance otherwise, and I am not sure if this will even fix the problem. There are hundreds of other owners who have this same issue, and Ford has done nothing.
Rear differential seal failure causing gear oil to leak out. Transmission failure of 5th gear to 6th gear synchro. The failure of the seal could have lead to on road failure of vehicle, luckily the vehicle was parked when leaking started. Transmission issue causes grinding of synchro leading to possible failure. The dealer has fixed both issues for now. No warning for either failure.
Vehicle deemed by dealer as "unsafe to drive"... I sent you complaint about a month or more back with no response....the 2021, 2022, 2023s all are being received brand new with noise starting shortly after....several hundred of us brand new 7 speed manual transmission Bronco owners are experiencing this..... Dealers are telling us drive them.... Mine got to the point the gears began locking up, grinding and the engine randomly high reving which could all of cause me to get into an accident. A recall needs made on these. Someone is going to get hurt trying to make a turn in traffic and Lossing power to get nailed by oncoming traffic. Mine now sits with the dealer and parts are back ordered till March... TSB 22-2371 which ford released for this has been unsuccessful on every documented repair. Noise returns. New transmission noise also returns. Do something and get these vehicles recalled so ford address the true safety concern that's being ignored. Mine is a great example of what's going to happen to everyone's
Within the first 500 miles on my brand new bronco, I noticed a strange burning smell after driving it one day. The next morning when I started it, I heard what I thought was a heat shield rattle, and as I continued to drive my bronco to work throughout the week the noise got worse. Last weekend my wife and I went on a 400 mile trip and the noise was so bad when we returned I scheduled an appointment with the dealership this week. They apparently opened up the transmission today and found metal shavings and a broken case piece so they determined that mine was not eligible to be rebuilt and are ordering a new transmission which will not be available until the end of March or into April. In the meantime the dealership has advised me to continue driving the vehicle as they do not have any rentals available at this time. I am a certified Automotive technician 15 plus years by trade for a different manufacturer, and I do not feel comfortable driving the vehicle with the transmission sounding the way it does. I plan on following up with the manager tomorrow to find out an alternative
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Bronco vehicles. The transmission to transfer case joint may be misaligned due to an incorrectly performed previous repair, which could lead to wear of the transmission output shaft splines and transfer case input splines.
- Risk
- Excessive wear of the transmission and transfer case splines may result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transmission to transfer case joint and replace the transmission and transfer case as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 9, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S26. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on April 15, 2026.
Recall number 26V236000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: fluid/lubricant: valves/valve body
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Bronco, 2024 Ranger, 2025 Mustang, Explorer, and Aviator vehicles. The transmission valve body may have been machined incorrectly, which can cause reverse gear failure, or unexpected forward movement in reverse or neutral gear.
- Risk
- Unexpected vehicle movement increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the transmission main control valve body, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S19.
Recall number 25V164000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: internal: park pawl
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 Bronco vehicles. The transmission park system may have been damaged during assembly, which can prevent the parking pawl from fully engaging and result in a vehicle rollaway.
- Risk
- A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S44.
Recall number 23V546000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Bronco, and 2023 Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The transmission may contain a loose bolt which could prevent the transmission from engaging the park gear, although the gear shifter position may indicate that the vehicle has been shifted to "PARK."
- Risk
- The inability to secure the vehicle in the park position can result in a rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmissions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S06.
Recall number 23V070000 · Recall details
Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- What is wrong
- The transfer cases have been built with the wrong electric shift motor. The transfer cases can slip out of the 4 x 4 high gear position during coasting in forward gears or with power applied in reverse gear.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the vehicle can roll freely as if inneutral position regardless of the transmission gear selector position. This canresult in loss of vehicle control and an accident.
- Remedy
- Replace defective transfer cases with the correct version.
Recall number 93V089000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Bronco transmission failure
Which Ford Bronco years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2022 (7 complaints), 2023 (4 complaints) and 1992 (2 complaints).
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