Ford Bronco Sport: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Ford Bronco Sport: 5 model years scored from 1,281 NHTSA owner complaints and 51 recall campaigns. Worst year 2021, best year 2024.
Ford Bronco Sport: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Ford Bronco Sport ranges from 33/100 in 2021 to 78/100 in 2025 — a 45-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Bronco Sport at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Electrical System (205 of them).
Avoid: 2021 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2021 Bronco Sport, which scores 33 on 678 owner complaints and 135.6 complaints for every year on the road, with twelve recall campaigns of which six are safety-critical. Buy a 2024, which scores 73 on 103 complaints, the first year the record marks BUY; the 2022 and 2023 are CAUTION at 54 and 65. The 2021's complaints spread across Electrical System (205), Power Train (176), Engine (141) and Service Brakes (127), and each category has a campaign: 24V267000 and 25V019000 for a 12-volt battery that can fail without the control modules noticing, 21V011000 for a rear drive unit that may seize, 22V859000 and its follow-ups for a fuel injector on 1.5-litre engines that may crack and leak, and 21V922000 for rear brake linings made incorrectly. The 2022 carries eight safety-critical campaigns, the most of any year, and Engine (78) and Electrical System (73) still lead it. By 2024 the leading categories are down to 26 and 22.
Read the guide
Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport and EcoSport: what the first years on record say — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Bronco Sport changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2021–2023
Mean score 51/100, about 91 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (315 complaints). 21 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2024–2025
Mean score 76/100, about 52 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (26 complaints). The record improves by 25 points against the years before it. 7 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2024 (score 73). Worst: 2021 (score 33, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | BUY | $3,180 | 0 | 7 |
| 2024 | 73 | BUY | $4,298 | 103 | 8 |
| 2023 | 65 | CAUTION | $4,416 | 151 | 12 |
| 2022 | 54 | CAUTION | $5,258 | 349 | 12 |
| 2021 | 33 | AVOID | $6,316 | 678 | 12 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Bronco Sport, through the years →
Bronco Sport sub-models & family
What goes wrong on the Ford Bronco Sport
Across every Bronco Sport model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Electrical System341 complaints across all Bronco Sport years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train277 complaints across all Bronco Sport years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine273 complaints across all Bronco Sport years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Service Brakes177 complaints across all Bronco Sport years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Unknown Or Other167 complaints across all Bronco Sport years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Fuel System148 complaints across all Bronco Sport years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Ford Bronco Sport years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2021 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2021 is the weakest at 33/100, with its complaints concentrated in Electrical System.
What are the best Ford Bronco Sport years to buy?
2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2025 at 78/100, on 0 complaints and 7 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Ford Bronco Sport problem?
341 of the complaints filed against the Bronco Sport across all its model years sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04