Several Ford Bronco customers report experiencing catastrophic engine failure that renders their vehicles immediately inoperable during normal operation with as few as 2,000 miles. The issue appears to be related to Ford’s 2.7L EcoBoost engine, which is in Ford’s Bronco and F-150 vehicles, though the issues appear to primarily be affecting Ford Broncos, both the 2021 and 2022 models. Consumers may have claims for defective design, and for damages arising from the engines’ spontaneous failure.

Ford has come out and acknowledged that a “select number of engines” are experiencing the issue, and that they are investigating a potential problem. In October 2021, a now-deleted Bronco6G account posted that the failures were attributed to a bad batch of valves that Ford received from one of its suppliers. The batch of vehicles affected is thought to be approximately 20,000. 

Ford has also announced that these engine issues are covered under the 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. However, some customers who have had their engines repaired under warranty have experienced the exact same problem. As of May 11, 2022, 47 2.7L engine failures had been reported on one forum, Bronco6g.com. 

More than 50% of the Ford Bronco NHTSA complaints are related to the vehicle’s engine failure: 

“Engine failure. My wife was driving the vehicle and was enveloped in smoke and the engine stopped and she was stuck in the middle lane of a busy road in rush hour. A dangerous section of road a few miles from our house. I drove down and gave her my SUV and then called AAA who towed it to the dealership.” NHTSA ID Number: 11464516

“On Monday, March 7, 2021, my Ford Bronco First Edition with the 2.7 engine experienced catastrophic engine failure. I was driving near my home when my vehicle stopped running. I did feel a strange pull in my steering and tires; but I was also driving on ice and assumed it was the traction control system at play. I was wrong. It was my engine losing compression and my engine failing. My dash lit up with a series of errors (all in quick succession and could not catch them all) and my vehicle lost all power and control. As mentioned above, I was driving on ice covered roads and had difficulty steering. I attempted to pull off the road and into a parking lot; however, the drive sloped up and I could not get clear of the entryway.” NHTSA ID Number: 11463296

“Constituent writes in regard to their 2021 ford bronco. constituent stated that the engine has a known defect in the valves causing catastrophic engine failure.” NHTSA ID Number: 11461178

“2021 ford bronco. consumer writes in regards to engine failure. the consumer stated the manufacturer had not made any effort to acknowledge the 2.7 Litre eco boost engine failure. the consumer believed the engine should be recalled as many others share the defect.” NHTSA ID Number: 11460118

Hyundai Kia settled a similar lawsuit in 2021 for $1.3 billion in addition to the largest civil fine ever levied by the NHTSA for allegedly refusing to recall several vehicles with an engine that the automaker knew was defective.