Ford Bronco reliability by year
50 recall campaigns and 925 owner complaints across 6 model years. Best year to buy: 2024. Year to avoid: 2022.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 4 flagged on the NHTSA record
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 6 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 105, more than the 50 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Bronco aggregated across 6 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Ford Bronco?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2024 Ford Bronco scores 4.6/10 — the strongest in the 2021–2026 range. 82 complaints on file, 16 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Ford Bronco year should I avoid?
The 2022 Ford Bronco scores 2.6/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 383 owner complaints with NHTSA, 23 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2022 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Ford Bronco should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2022 (avoid — the electrical system — electrical system: 34 complaints, classified severe); 2024 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 4.6/10 — below the segment average); 2023 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 3.8/10 — below the segment average); 2021 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 3.4/10 — below the segment average). This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Ford Bronco are tracked?
6 model years (2021 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 50 distinct recall campaigns and 925 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 105 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Ford Bronco?
visibility is the most-reported category — 181 complaints across 4 model years. Average shop repair runs about $350.