2021 Ford BRONCO SPORT - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport has an impressive overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. It excels in all crash test categories, including front crash ratings for both the driver and passenger sides, as well as side crash ratings for both the driver's and passenger's sides. The vehicle also received a top score for its rollover rating and side pole crash rating.

In terms of advanced safety features, the Ford Bronco Sport comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning systems, enhancing its safety credentials even further.

However, it is worth noting that there have been 230 complaints reported for this model, indicating some issues that owners have experienced. Additionally, there have been 8 recalls for the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, which is a relatively high number and should be taken into consideration when evaluating the overall safety of the vehicle.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

230

Recall Count

8

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

5/5

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2021 Ford Bronco Sport SUV 4WD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport SUV 4WD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Standard
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Standard

2021 Ford Bronco Sport SUV 4WD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport SUV 4WD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2021 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2021 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2021 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 5 5

Complaints for the 2021 Ford BRONCO SPORT

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 ford bronco sport. the contact stated that when the vehicle was in reverse, there was a loud squealing sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle had been taken to the dealer six times to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the rear brakes needed to be repaired. the gaskets and brake calibers were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline to file a complaint. the approximate failure mileage was 5,000."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-04-07

Complaint:
"my back brakes are faulty and i had the car less than 8 months"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-10-08

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 ford bronco sport. the contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front brakes. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was determined that the vehicle had sat for too long, the brake pads, and rotors were corroded, and the rear caliber bushings and rotor assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired five times, but the failure persisted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 16,000."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-02-02

Complaint:
"like all the other complaints my 2021 bronco sport (badlands) makes the worst loud noise when backing up and braking. it is not a little noise, it is a "wake up the neighbors" noise and it is hard not to flinch every time we get in the car and it sets the tone. then we have to explain to everyone. that noise wouldn't happen if something wasn't very wrong with the car!!! i am shocked to see so many complaints and nothing is being done to protect drivers. this is not a cheap vehicle and i have owned expeditions, an edge, and f150's. ford was a favorite until now. this happens every time not once in a while."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-04-08

Complaint:
"a loud moan is noted when the car is reversing. i have taken it to the dealer and was told they couldn’t find anything wrong with the vehicle. i have recorded the sound to show the dealer because i have another appointment for the same issue on october 30, 2023."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-12-09

Complaint:
"there is a known issue with 2021-2022 ford bronco sports with the rear brakes. when in reverse, and the brakes are pressed, they make a loud moaning sound. the fix issued by ford in 2022 states that any of this model produced prior to 9/23/22 are experiencing the noise. the recommended action is to replace the calipers and bushings. this has been done on my vehicle, but the moaning continues. i have been told by the dealership that i will just have to deal with it, but i do not feel safe in the vehicle. the car is making a noise it should not, and i do not know if this is causing harm to any other parts of my brake system or not. i do not want to endanger mine or anyone else's life and ford has no resolution."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-05-09

Complaint:
"brakes make very very loud noises when backing up car and i touch my brakes. it’s louder than my horn."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-01-09

Complaint:
"when backing up it sounds like a tug boat. super annoying and embarrassing. also when you are turning it seems like the wheels are shaking like a polaroid picture! i’ve taken the car to the dealer and they have stated that there’s nothing that they can do and ford is aware. extremely unprofessional and just plain disappointing."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2022-05-12

Complaint:
"when backing up the bronco makes a noise like a whale! there are many 2021 and 2022 bronco sports that are doing this. to date ford has not addressed the problem.they have offered me a maintenance contract and say they will cover anything thing related to this issue. they don’t seem to be able to identify the issue though. has been looked at several times."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2022-01-08

Complaint:
"i own a 2021 bronco sport. as of 04/21/23 at 13,951 my bronco started experiencing a very loud squeak when put in reverse/braking. was taken to ford dealer 4 times with them replacing caliper pins and bushings and greasing slides. then additional rear cleanings…after all this i’m still left with same loud noise and it is not fixed! i have been told by technicians that multiple customers are experiencing my same issue and that it is due to faulty brake pads that are not covered by warranty!!!???"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-09-04

Recalls for the 2021 Ford BRONCO SPORT

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2021 bronco sport vehicles. these vehicles may have been produced with incorrect front lower control arms."
Consequence:
An incorrect lower control arm may affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a rollover crash.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front lower control arms, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S03.

Component(s) Involved: SUSPENSION > FRONT > CONTROL ARM
Date of incident: 2021-02-16

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other FORD vehicles?

2015 F-250 SUPERCAB
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 239
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car
2023 F-350 (SUPER CAB)
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 0
  • Recall Count: 0
View Car
2022 RANGER SUPER CREW
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 15
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car
2022 F-150 (Super Crew) Lightning BEV
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 0
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car