Ford's Latest Bronco Recall Fixes An Old Fix

Ford's latest recall for the Bronco SUV is double jeopardy. The automaker says it needs to go and correct a repair that was previously made to a small number of Broncos to prevent transmission damage. Ford says 4,922 Bronco SUVs may have misaligned transmissions and transfer cases - a major mechanical fault that could cause serious damage.

"On affected vehicles, the transmission-to-transfer case joint may be misaligned due to an incorrectly performed previous repair, which could lead to premature wear of the transmission output shaft splines and transfer case input splines," reads Ford's recall report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall covers 2021 to 2025 Bronco SUVs, and states that if the splines wear, vehicles could fail to engage in forward gears, or the parking brake function may not work. In both cases, the likelihood of a crash is increased.

Ford found out about the botched repairs in November, and after two months of investigation, determined misalignment between the transmission and transfer case to be the source of the problem. The brand hopes updated repair materials will help "ensure that the transmission and transfer case are properly aligned when they are reassembled during service repairs." 25 warranty claims have been filed related to the misalignment issue. Ford says it will have technicians inspect vehicles for misaligned joints or wear on transmission splines, which will require quite a lot of downtime for owners - getting to the car's transmission and transfer case requires a good deal of disassembly. Any found with evidence of misalignment or damage will need a new transmission and a new transfer case.

Ford leads automakers in recalls so far this year, with 34 recalls active as of publication. Not only is it more than any other automaker, but it also creates a litany of issues for owners down the line, affecting resale values, shaking trust in the brand, and hurting dealer sales. Ford is due a huge $1.3 billion chargeback from tariffs this year, and hopefully, that money will go to improving quality control rather than paying CEO Jim Farley another multi-million-dollar pay package.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 5:11 PM.