Ford Bronco Raptor 2023 — Reported problems

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced an issue with the rearview camera while in use. The contact received a notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V124000 (Back Over Prevention), and the recall repair was subsequently performed. However, after the recall repair was completed, a new 'overheating' warning appeared on the infotainment system. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, where technicians tested the system and confirmed that during a single operation, the system's temperature spiked from 93°F to 150°F. The contact confirmed that they received an overheating warning on the infotainment system display. The manufacturer has been notified of the failure, but the vehicle has not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was 32,752.

The steering rack on my 2023 Ford Bronco Outer Banks failed at approximately 23,000 miles. This caused my steering wheel to lock up and become very difficult to turn, especially while making turns. The dealer confirmed that the steering rack failed and needed to be replaced. They performed the repair. There were no other warning lights or indicators.

Rear defroster connector becomes detached from the defroster grid rendering it inoperable. Ford has acknowledged it is a common issue due to poor design. My local dealership repaired the broken tab and it once again broke off within a week or two. When I returned to the dealership, they refused to cover it under the vehicles original owner warranty or their labor warranty for working on it previously. After some back and forth with management and Ford Customer Care, they told me they have changed the design of the entire rear glass and the only way to fix it would be to pay $1600~ to have it replaced with the updated design. Upon researching the issue online, it is clear that the rear defroster has an astonishingly high failure rate, and Ford should be pushed to offer a better solution than to charge owners to fix something that was sold to them defective. To learn more about this issue, simply search “Bronco Rear Defroster” and you will see the amount of owners complaining

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.

Cracking of the roof which has caused leaks. Common issue for Broncos, but only recalled for 2021-2022 Broncos. My Bronco is 2023 and has the same issue. It should also be a recall.

Front roof panel is cracking and chipping. Rear roof panel is cracking around the side windows. Bronco is never in direct sunlight unless driving. And the vehicle is never driven off-road.

When making a right turn with the turn signal on, as you complete the turn and straighten the steering wheel the left turn signal turns on as the right turn signal turns off. This is intermittent and occurs when turning from a complete stop or a turn while moving. This is very unsafe as it looks like your making a quick left after completing your right turn to the driver behind you. This has happened many times over the last couple of months so I don’t have a date of incident but it happened 6 times while running errands on 8/29. Lafontaine Ford has had my vehicle in service all day today, 9/1, without resolution.

On XXX, our 2023 Ford Bronco, VIN [XXX], was stopped on an incline. The vehicle was not moving, and the driver exited the vehicle believing it was in Park. The vehicle was actually still in Drive. A passenger remained in the vehicle. While the Bronco was stationary, the passenger pressed the START/STOP button from the passenger seat to turn the vehicle off. Immediately after the vehicle was switched off, it began rolling backward down the incline. The passenger was unable to safely stop the vehicle and attempted to exit the moving Bronco. The open vehicle door struck the passenger in the back of the leg/hip area. The passenger had to throw herself to the ground to avoid being dragged, run over, or more seriously injured. The Bronco went off a significant drop off and crashed into a tree. The passenger narrowly escaped the vehicle before it went over the drop off. After the incident, the vehicle displayed a "Park Aid Fault" warning. Ford's 2023 Bronco Owner's Manual states that a "Transmission Not In Park (P)" audible warning is supposed to sound if the vehicle is switched off before being shifted into Park and also if the driver's door is opened before the vehicle is shifted into Park. [IF TRUE: We do not recall hearing a Transmission Not In Park warning before the rollaway.] I am concerned that the vehicle remained stationary on the incline while still in Drive, creating the appearance that it was secured, but began rolling backward when the START/STOP button was pressed. I am also concerned about whether the transmission-not-in-park warning, braking/holding systems, ignition system, and related safety systems functioned as designed. The unexpected rollaway resulted in an injury and created an immediate risk of the passenger being crushed, dragged, or run over. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this vehicle's behavior and warning systems operated as designed and whether this represents a potential vehicle safety defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Steering rack component failure, vague steering, play during steering directional change, Light grinding noise when turning steering wheel.

I was going really slow down an easy dirt road in 4L and all of the sudden the steering wheel spun violently two full turns left in under a second on its own. This threw my right arm off the wheel where it hit the shifter with force leaving a large bruise. Steering system fault warning appeared, the tire position on the camera screen was stuck all the way left, and i could no longer disconnect my stabilizer bar. i turned the car off for 5 minutes then back on and everything was fine. If this steering glitch happened at highway speeds I could have rolled the car and dies. Luckily i was going really slow on a relatively smooth part of the trail when this occurred and it only shook me and my passengers up a little and bruised my arm. If the trail had been more steep or if there were rocks on the trail, this could have flipped my vehicle.

The MIC hardtop is bubbling some at the top and has a line where it looks like perhaps it is assembled on the back panel over the top that is discolored in comparison to the rest of the top. Furthermore, the middle panel is a different color than the rest of the hardtop. It is available for complete inspection upon request. The car has not been inspected by dealer but was bought used and did not show the bubbling whenever it was purchased--but rather it has happened in the months since it was purchased. It was found when the top was removed and the bubbling was noticeable when running my hand over it. Note that it is not visible to be seen via picture, and the bubble must be felt. It cannot be seen in a photo.

The MIC hard top component on my Ford Bronco is cracking. I have gotten it replaced twice through Ford for the same issue, but now this is my 3rd top and the issue keeps coming back.

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)

After making a right hand turn, when the steering wheel recenters for some unknown reason it is turning on the left turn signal. I had noticed it in the past and thought I was wrong, but it continuing to do it.

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE IN 2023 BRONCO. What happened is exactly what is described for current recall of the electronic brake booster for 2025 broncos. Mine is a 2023.

Camera and sensor on driver side does not indicate movement/stops working. This results in the Blindspot detection not working or any cross traffic alerts or object detection, which can lead to an accident. occurs intermittently and car does not issue a warning that the system is not working or down. Also causing an issue when backing up

-Complete steering and suspension failure occurred while driving on highway. Vehicle is currently sitting at Ford dealer. - The safety of all passengers was put at risk and nearly caused a fatal accident. -Dealer and another shop are saying it was lower control arm and bushing failure. They are unclear on path forward for repairs and it seems like something bigger is going on they do not want to disclose. They deny problem has been reproduced on this model, however a similar recall for this type of failure has occurred on other bronco models under recall number 26S36. That recall report matches what happened to my vehicle. -It has been inspected by Ford and Bronco Barn in Las Vegas. I will be getting a third opinion for a clear path forward since none has been supplied by ford or the third party company. -There were no warning lamps, check engine lights, or messages prior to failure. There was a slight misalignment of tires felt while driving just prior to losing full steering control.

Delamination of roof and cracking with leaks

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.

when engine is cold and I go down a hill to a stop sign and apply the brakes , the brakes begin to engage almost fully then release and the Bronco lurches forward 6-8" and then the brakes grab and slam the car to a stop. This only happens on an incline and when the engine is cold or has sat for awhile. THe brake pedal is fully depressed and when the bronco rolls forward, there is nothing to do to stop it since the pedal is already fully engaged. I have taken it to the dealer numerous times to diagnose, but since there is not a hill or incline near them, they are not able to reproduce the same issue. I have videos of this happening and it is a known problem that has been diagnosed in the Ford bronco online forums. The dealer suggested I call Ford Service to report the issue and I started a case complaint.There are no warning messages or codes that are present that the dealer can find to explain the problem. The car is not safe to rely on due to the brake system currently and the dealer nor Ford corporate will do anything but document my issue.

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.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V124000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was in park(P) and running, the infotainment screen turned black after several seconds. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. The dealer stated that the failure might be possible with the recall repair and that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

Going 80 on the fwy. It stared shaking, engine light came on. Immediately go off the fwy as soon as I stopped it died and wouldn’t start.

I am reporting unresolved safety recalls and unreasonable delay in repair for my 2023 Ford Bronco (VIN: [XXX] ). This vehicle currently has two open safety recalls issued by Ford Motor Company     •    NHTSA Recall 25V721 (issued October 2025) – seat frame defect that may increase injury risk in a crash. There is currently no available remedy, and Ford has notified me that a repair is not expected until April 2027.     •    NHTSA Recall 26V124 (issued March 2026) – APIM defect that may overheat and cause the rearview camera to fail while reversing, increasing crash risk. In addition, this vehicle has had prior recalls (25V025 and 25V273) that remained unresolved for extended periods. One of these recalls had no available repair for approximately 10 months. These recalls affect critical safety systems including suspension, rear visibility, and seat safety. The delay for Recall 25V721 is expected to exceed 18 months, which I believe is an unreasonable delay for a safety recall repair. Ford has continued issuing new recalls while prior recalls were still unresolved, indicating a pattern of repeated safety defects and delayed remedies. Due to these active recalls, I have been unable to use my vehicle commercially. Rental platforms such as Turo prohibit listing vehicles with open safety recalls. This has resulted in financial losses exceeding 80,000. This situation forces consumers to choose between operating a vehicle with known safety defects or suffering significant financial loss due to lack of repair availability. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether Ford is complying with its obligation to provide timely safety recall remedies and whether delays of this length are reasonable. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Steering would get stuck when turning, then let loose. Fortunately I didn’t lose control. Happens all the time now when driving. Had the car towed to dealer. They diagnosed failed steering shaft. This Bronco has approx 28,000 miles on it. Ford Motor Company refused to help me pay for the approx $1000 repair. Finally, the dealer worked with a contact at Ford for them to cover most of the cost. Ford wouldn’t consider issuing a recall, or expanding an existing recall for a similar steering problem, which didn’t include my VIN. No warning lights, messages, etc. I consider this a serious defect.

My infotainment screen goes blank when I backup instead of displaying my backup camera. There is an active recall on this but there is no remedy and no estimated remedy date. Ford Motor Company is only prioritizing 2026 model years so they can sell brand new vehicles. They are not trying to fix previous model years. This poses a safety risk that can result in a crash and/or death. Cars are required by law to have a backup camera, so Ford is breaking the law by not fixing this issue.

A couple of times on as well as off pavement when traveling on a decline I depress the brake pedal and it only very softly applied the brakes. I have to press very hard to come to a stop. Much harder than normal. Once (off pavement) they did not work until the third time I pressed them. The pedal just went to the bottom. Normally the steep decline seems to be associated to the issue.

UNKNOWN Windshield wipers will change speeds without driver intervention. While in steady to heavy rain, wipers will slow to intermittent after a few minutes of being on. This is causing visibility issues and safety issues as a result. Very dangerous!

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that upon inspection the hard top roof, there were several cracks formed on the roof. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was acknowledged, and it was agreed that the hard top would be replaced under warranty. After the hard top was replaced, the contact inspected the new hard top and discovered several dents and uneven surfaces on the roof. The dealer was notified of the failure, and an agent advised the contact to bring the vehicle back to the dealer. The contact was informed that he could inspect the hardtops of the newer vehicles at the dealer lot and if he found a top that he liked, the dealer would swap the hardtop and replace the hardtop. After inspecting approximately 5 vehicles, each vehicle had issues with their hardtops. Upon investigation, the contact discovered General Service Bulletin: 23-7174, which was associated with the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

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.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle experienced recurring electrical system failures beginning in December 2023. The vehicle intermittently would not start and on several occasions lost power unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken multiple times to an authorized Ford dealership for diagnosis while still under the manufacturer warranty. The dealership repeatedly reported that no issue could be identified despite the recurring electrical malfunction. The vehicle battery was replaced more than once within three years, however the underlying electrical issue persisted. In August 2025 the dealership instructed that the vehicle remain at the service center for extended diagnosis. The vehicle remained at the dealership for more than 40 consecutive days before being returned on October 8, 2025. Because the vehicle intermittently fails to start and has experienced electrical system malfunction, this creates a potential safety risk if the vehicle stalls or loses power while operating in traffic. Additionally, the vehicle currently has two outstanding manufacturer safety recalls that remain unresolved after nearly three years of ownership. This complaint is being submitted because the defect remains unresolved despite multiple repair attempts while the vehicle was under the manufacturer warranty.

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.

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.

I took my Bronco into Michigan City Ford for recall 25V273 repair. Shortly after this the front camera stopped working. I took it back in and they are saying the camera module is M2DZ-19H405-D has gone bad. They are saying this module controls front and rear camera but is not part of the recall. On the internet, there are many examples of the front camera issue after the rear recall repair.

soy based wire shielding second time that my ford bronco was in the shop for wire fault issues due to critters/animals eating the wires. Ford service agent said he has seen hundreds of vehicles come in with the same issue. This is not a ford problem it is an automotive industry problem. Please investigate

My vehicle was sitting in a small parking lot at work and the back liftgate glass blew out onto the pavement. It was 95 degrees outside. The liftgate arms and all the shattered glass were on the outside of my vehicle. I called the dealership and was told nothing they could do and they didn't even ask to look at it. I paid out of pocket to replace the glass. Then on January 24th when it was -25 degrees I remote started my vehicle and it ran for about 10 minutes, I went outside to leave for work, got in started my vehicle and looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the leads for the rear defrost were hanging down. I got out of my vehicle to find shattered glass all over my driveway and the liftgate glass arms outside of my vehicle. I called Ford and I called the Ford dealership. No help. Just told they've never heard of this happening. Well, I told them the1st time it happened and this is the second time. Brought to the dealership and no answers. Asked if they reported this and the last incident to ford as it's my understanding they are to notify corporate. Nothing. I asked them to see if there was a short in the rear defrost or any other reason why this is happening. I got a to bad so sad, if ya want it fixed it will be $1700. There are no warnings that this will happen.

Hood latch sensor alarms hood ajar when hood is actually closed and secure. This issues inhibits the use of remotely starting, or unlocking vehicle. This appears to be a possible recall with the make and year of my vehicle but has never been listed as recall.

Parked my car overnight, I had the car for 3 days , I came out in the morning and the windshield was shattered, it looked like it burst or exploded outward from inside the car , there was no foul play involved, I checked my cameras etc. I have no idea what caused this but this is a potential safety issue especially if the car was in motion or being driven…

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.

Chronic water leak from roofline obstructing vision and causing confusion while underway