NHTSA Complaint #11575637 — 2021 FORD BRONCO SPORT

On February 5, 2024, the engine of a Bronco Sport shut off while driving and the dashboard lights began flashing with multiple warnings and notifications. The car would not restart and the gear shift was locked, preventing the driver from moving the vehicle out of the road during rush hour traffic. A tow truck was called, but after 30 minutes, the driver was able to restart the car and canceled the tow truck. The car was taken to the dealership on February 6, 2024, but the cause of the incident has not been diagnosed. On February 4, 2024, the driver attempted to start the engine, but the dashboard lights began flashing with multiple warnings and notifications and the engine would not start. The driver called a tow service, who jump-started the battery and informed the driver that the battery was not completely dead. The driver also discovered that the power steering had failed. The car was taken to the dealership on February 5, 2024, where it was diagnosed as a battery cable issue. The cable was replaced and the power steering was fixed. Dealership indicated that two repairs were unrelated. On December 8, 2023, the driver drove the car approximately 20 miles home, but upon exiting the car, the dashboard lights began flashing with multiple warnings and notifications and the engine would not start. The driver had to disconnect the battery cables to turn the car off completely. The driver called a tow service on December 9, 2023, who advised trying to jump-start the car. After charging the battery for 30 minutes, the car started and stopped without issue. On July 6, 2023, the customer noticed that the car was slow to start and received a warning on the dash indicating a "powertrain malfunction." The car was taken to the dealership on July 7, 2023, where it was diagnosed as having a faulty battery, which was replaced.