Honest reviews and build quality?

[tock13]

I will probably ramble far too long but it is honestly how I feel about Ford and the Bronco…

I’ve obsessed over this vehicle from day 1, been addicted to this forum for a good while. I’ve read the good and I’ve shook my head in disbelief reading some of the bad and with absolutely no reservation and 100% knowledge that buying a bronco might very easily turn into a bad experience, I ordered my dream ride on 3/27/23.

I drove off the lot on Sept 2nd and on sept 11th it was back at the dealer with 371 miles on the clock with leaking seals and a bad gateway module. It is still at the dealer trying to get Ford tech to contact them and troubleshoot programming failures on the module. My dealer has been great, offered a loaner without me even asking. No issues there. Ford…they could do a lot better.

Stuff happens. I’m not mad, frustrated yeah, but it is what it is. Ford stood behind their product I suppose and they accepted buying my Bronco back, so Friday I ordered another one and the wait begins…again.

I believe my stellar luck is nowhere near the norm and most people have very few issues. The hard reality is that the industry for whatever reason stumbles over themselves to computerize everything they can and the consumer gets stupid engineering ideas and increasingly unreliable throwaway vehicles. The more electronics the more failures we have. Common sense. Common sense should also bring the realization that a vehicle designed to be a premier off-roading monster….would be built with a lot less dependency on sensors and computer modules…but it’s the modern age right?

The bronco was built with a tight budget for sure. The interior is cheap. Apologists can say what they want but the fact a top trim Bronco has the same cheap, hard, easily scratched plastic interior is all the proof you need….rear vents? Who needs em right? I call BS on the “ oh it’s designed to be washed out so they put in plastic”. Upper trim level jeeps have soft touch and I’ve been in beat to hell wranglers with soft touch dashes in near perfect shape. Hell even my ‘79 FJ40 had soft touch dash pads for crying out loud. Ford went C to the H to the E A P…yep I said it.

One thing that is common to every job in every industry/occupation where humans are physically involved, is that there are people who bust their butts constantly and care, and there are those who do as little as possible and it’s just about the minimum requirement to collect a paycheck.

A Bronco with a part or connector sloppily installed by someone on the line who doesn’t give a crap will become a PITA for an owner and tech down the road. It’s a crapshoot.

I love the Bronco, I rolled the dice and I got a lemon…I’m rolling them again and I’m ordering the exact same build and crossing my fingers.

I guess the whole point of my endless rambling is there are folks here who have nothing but a perfect experience in Bronco ownership and there are more than a few with exact opposite experiences, and those posts get more attention so the black cloud gets a litter bigger each time.

If you go into buying a Bronco armed with facts…it’s cheap in places, has some of the stupidest engineering designs/decisions in the auto world, that at times assembly line quality control is hit or miss….that 3 years in it still takes fooooorever to get one built….that it’s a kick ass off roader, the pavement ride is phenomenal especially with knowing what it is capable of off-road, the SAS package is a crazy good deal for those who don’t wrench and want a factory warranty on a mountain goat of a truck, you drive it you smile…guaranteed, it’s such a cool looking ride, who could say no.

There’s much that can be improved, (it would truly serve Ford well if an engineer or real tech actually monitored and investigated the flow of info on this forum) but in the end there is far more Ford got right and hopefully keeps adding to, with their 6G Bronco.

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[Gluestick]

I’m right around 9000 mi. No problems whatsoever mechanically. I have had a few times when forcing the sync system to restart cleared some radio gremlins but that’s easy to do even while moving. Yay computers.

This has been one of the better new vehicle experiences I have ever had. Fun to drive, fun to look at, and does what I need with the family on the forest roads and such.

my only real wishlist, which applies to most new vehicles with auto transmissions is that they always feel like they think they can exit a turn with one gear to high. It’s always trying to upshift for fuel economy. They all do this now, not just Ford. It is one area where the pursuit of a fractional MPG does reduce some of the on-road manners and performance.

 

[nx40yrs]

I am counting on Ford to have worked out most of the kinks by the time I get my 24 (Whenever that might happen). So looking forward to the day.

Cheers

 

[broncobase1]

I've had my Bronco for almost 2 years and drive it everyday in city traffic and its been on a few cross country trips. I had a few build issues (door and window adjustments) that were easily corrected, but zero issues on the road. Its not perfect, but I trust it and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

 

[Rocky905]

Hi everyone sitting on a 2024 MY order for a 4 door obx with lux package and modular bumper just looking for honest reviews of the bronco and the reliability/quality of it and input from the community to see the pros and cons!

I took delivery of a ‘23 BL High, 2.7L soft top in July, ‘23 after waiting 102 weeks. My wife and I took a couple of road trips, including some off-Roaming on a very muddy, rocky, steep trail in Utah. So far, our BRONCO has performed very well. I had to down-trim from WILDTRAK, LUXE, and MIC hardtop in January ‘23 on advice from Ford Corp., or risk having my WILDTRAK order cancelled. OK…supply chain, quality excuses continued. By the fourth model year, with many thousands produced and in service, one should expect manufacturing and initial quality issues to be largely resolved. Although some others have experienced quality issues, we have not experienced any, at least with the BRONCO.

Ford, on the other hand, is a customer-satisfaction disaster. For example, my BL was built on 23 March, ‘23. My dealer (who was superb, and frustrated because he could not tell me where my BRONCO was 12 weeks after the production date) finally learned where my BRONCO was after production: in a lot outside the Dearborn plant. I called “customer relations” at Ford who said they would check on the status. They confirmed that my BRONCO was built as scheduled but not released. They told me they did not know why it was not released. I said I could tell them the VIN, and where it was located, send somebody out to LOOK at it and explain the hold-up. The customer specialist insisted that, “at Ford, Quality was Job ONE, and my BRONCO would not be released until it was perfect.” My head exploded! This was 12 weeks after the confirmed build date. I pointed out, in as calm a manner as I could muster, that ‘quality’ must be Job LAST at Ford. How could it be built in one day and then sit in a lot, outside, exposed to weather and other hazards for 12 weeks waiting to be “perfect”?

Oddly, the very next day I got a cheery message from Ford that my BRONCO had been shipped. Either Ford lost track of it, or, except for my dealer, nobody at Ford gave a damn until I complained, or, more likely both.

 

[ThatWilsonGuy]

It's going to be difficult to get an honest appraisal of reliability from a forum. Especially a vehicle like the Bronco that is all new, even 4 model years in. Mechanically, it looks like the Bronco is in line with other Ford's and generally meets peoples expectations in the limited time frame it's been out (flat towing seems like an outlier). You are going to get lots of anecdotal counter examples because that is the audience you are asking. "Build quality" is always going to be relative to what you are use to and what expectations you associate with the overall cost. Too many, the interior quality doesn't match the purchase price but I think there was always going to be a subset of people who's expectations were never going to lineup, due to coming from other brands and not being use to Fords.

The one thing I don't think is arguable and will be consistent until a generational update is the interior material quality. Most interior materials are sub standard at any trim level under all circumstances. I tried to set my expectations based on what type of vehicle it is and didn't think it would be as issue as I came from a Wrangler but the interior material quality is a joke.

We had a Bronco Sport which was just traded for a 2dr Badlands, so we've lived with it long enough you kind of get use to it but I travel enough and every time I'm in Ubers and rentals, the difference in material quality of any other vehicle is stark. The Raptor in some ways is acceptable while almost being worse due to the great seats and steering wheel being surrounded by fisher price plastic. There are other weird issues beyond just the plastic but this reply is already long enough

No regrets and we love our Broncos but that is my input.

 

[AKBronc49]

I'm at 12,810 miles and ALMOST 2 years (delivery 11/12/2021). I've had a leaking valve cover, otherwise no issues. Its a daily driver and road tripper and I love it. I went into it knowing it would have some road/top noise, my expectations for the interior of my leather/lux weren't over the top.

Overall I'm very happy and plan to keep it forever.

 

[bustedbronco]

I've got a loaded 2023 Badlands nonsas with 1,300 miles one it. The Bronco has been sitting at a dealer for the last two weeks. My steering rack went out. This is a known issue that should be addressed in the 2024 model year, so you likely wont have this problem. Overall, I was very happy until it broke.

 

[BearPatrol]

I absolutely love mine. Super fun to drive, on & offroad & yeah... It was worth the wait...

Quality wise, its a bit all over the place... Runs great so far at 15k miles, but the electronics inside are pretty bad. The infotaiment center glitches out or freezes up all the time, I'm constantly force-resetting it, & rear seat seatbelt sensors like to throw error messages if anyone is in the back. Also the interior trim gets scuffed up LIKE CRAZY! & the paint chips pretty easily. I plan on keeping this thing for years, but can tell it'll show it's age pretty fast.

 

[Overcooked]

The build quality on my 23 2DR WT is okay, nowhere close to similarly priced German cars but I understand it’s a Ford, it is what it is. I am still very happy about it being a toy, my other cars would still be German cars, including my DD and my wife’s people hauler.

 

[BadlandsA51]

2023 here with 18k miles.

I think the build quality is fine for the lower models. If I paid Wildtrak or OBX LUX prices I'd be a lot more disappointed. Some of my complaints:

1. Noise from the hardtop sometimes when going over bumps/rough road but that's somewhat expected I think for a removable top. I had the hardtop "popping" sound come up also but some tinkering with the latches fixed it.
2. Paint seems to chip easily.
3. Window rattle. Driving on rutted roads with the windows partially down isn't fun. I feel like the windows can shatter at any moment so it seems all the way up or all the way down is the only option. Driving on the highway on really windy days I've had window rattle and it doesn't seem like they have a great seal with the weather-stripping.
4. Phantom alarm. My alarm occasionally goes off randomly and the Ford app only says hood latch detected open. Haven't found a fix and dealer doesnt have anything. Annoyance there.

Other than that I've been happy. The interior could be so much nicer of course but as is I guess I don't feel so bad if I'm not delicate with it. I havent had issues with anything breaking or getting scratched with the interior. Cloth seats have held up fine. Infotainment is good imo even with the smaller screen. I have the base stereo but did get lucky to have the amp that some people in early '23 got and it sounds just on the edge of passable.

Overall I've loved driving it the past 18k miles and always look forward to taking it out.

There is a Technical Service Bulletin to replace the hood latch for that concern. I don’t recall the bulletin number, it may be listed under false hood ajar warning.

 

[amurphy9276]

23 OBX Non SAS 2.7 high pkg soft top. I have 6100 miles in 3 months and I absolutely love it!!! No issues. Great vehicle over all.

 

[67BroncoG1]

My basesquatch is build like the $37,000 car that it is. I would be bummed if it was a $50,000 car. That said, I is a lot of fun to own.

 

[Zybore]

My '24 OBX, non-sas, V6, Lux, Lockers is ordered but not without a hint of concern. Reading forums as they tend to be overly negative has not helped. This thread has actually restore some of my diminished enthusiasm. Thanks for that. The basic truck might be the best thing Ford has done in years. I am looking forward to delivery hopefully in my lifetime. Maybe with the delay they will fix the missing 4A problem and my satisfaction level will be even higher. Good luck to you.

 

[BadlandsA51]

Took delivery of our 23 Badlands in April after a little over 2 years of waiting. It’s a 5 door, 2.7L, Lux, Sasquatch hardtop. Just turned 6K miles of mixed driving, including a 1800 mile road trip to Colorado for some off roading.

So far average fuel economy over the whole time we’ve owned it is 19.4 MPG. Not bad for a 5,000 brick.

Full disclosure for this review, I worked at Ford as a Field Service Engineer for 35 years and after retiring there I am currently the shop foreman part time at a Ford dealer. I’ve seen the good and bad in Ford products for a while, and will fairly criticize them when appropriate. (Sometimes even unfairly when they need it).

My only complaint about this truck is the cheesy instrument cluster, after seeing the cluster in a Braptor, it only made that feeling stronger. I mean no oil pressure indicator of any kind???? Come on!

Is it a little noisy? Yes, but look at the tires on it. That’s to be expected. Could some of the interior parts be a little nicer? Probably. Could the hardtop be a little better? No doubt. Is a blast to drive anywhere you take it, on or off road? Absolutely! Is it impressive off road in factory trim? You bet. (Be sure to take them up on Off Roadeo, you get to see the Bronco’s capabilities using their truck, not yours). Does it drive down the highway like a car? Yep, especially when compared to its primary competitor. No comparison.

One piece of advice, buy Food Premium Care ESP. If something should go wrong, vehicles are EXPENSIVE to repair. ESP is cheap insurance if you have a failure.

Overall Ford hit a home run with the Bronco, as demonstrated by the 2 year wait I had for mine and by the price increase they are getting. You probably won’t regret buying one.

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